The Forgotten Elites: The Complete Collection by Beck Eden

Author:Beck, Eden
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-08-11T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

On campus the next day, Sterling is definitely not acting like himself.

In the morning when I see him at the bookstore café, he seems to be in a good mood—happy and upbeat, and almost as if he has completely forgotten about what happened last night. But then later at lunch, his behavior has done a complete one-eighty. He’s lethargic and leaning his head against his elbow at the table. He grumbles when Warren asks him why he missed the study session, and then practically bites Chase’s head off when he says something about prepping for an upcoming exam.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I ask. “Not enough coffee this morning?”

I am trying to lighten the mood, but my remark is quickly met with hostility.

“You saw me get coffee this morning, Aubrey,” Sterling snaps at me. “Am I that unremarkable that you’ve forgotten already?”

I look at him with my jaw open, completely stunned about why he is acting this way, but Warren and Chase don’t seem to notice anything different at all. Maybe Sterling’s erratic behavior is par for the course since they’ve known him a lot longer than I have. But I can definitely tell that something’s wrong … and I don’t think it’s just the fact that his ego was bruised over what happened in his dorm room last night.

It’s something more than just emotional. Especially if he’s all but falling asleep at the lunch table. I think he’s having some sort of physical side effect to something, and I really hope this doesn’t have anything to do with his drug problem.

But if last night was any indicator, I’d be a fool to think it’s anything else.

Later in the day, I run into Sterling one more time before heading back to my dorm. He’s walking across the pathway heading in the opposite direction and since I assume that he’s still in a bad mood, I don’t really stop to talk to him. But much to my surprise, he reaches over and gives me a hug which nearly makes me drop all of the books in my arms.

“What was that for?” I ask when he lets me go.

“I just thought that a hug in the cold weather would be fun,” he says with a smile flashed in my direction.

This must be what it feels like to get whiplash.

I eye him more carefully, but he just squints back at me. “Why’re you looking at me like that?”

I shake off my thoughts from earlier. Maybe he was just in a funk, or maybe I was making it up.

I have to remind myself that I don’t really know him … like at all. This could all be par for the course with Sterling.

If Bridget is any indicator, he’s certainly more complicated the closer you get to him.

Just thinking of her for a moment makes a sour pit settle in my stomach. Right. I have to keep my mind focused.

I don’t want to be a monster, but I don’t want to be a fool either.

“I’m getting

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