Free Lost Wolf (Curse of the Moon Book 1) by Stacy Claflin

extended out the door.
    Wonderful. I hurried over to the back, hoping it wouldn't take too long. If it did, then I would have to plan on eating lunch at home in the future. I made small talk with the girl in front of me while we wound our way inside and up the stairs to the register. At least the line went pretty fast.
    "Twelve dollars," the cashier said without looking at me. He readjusted his backwards baseball cap.
    "Seriously?" I exclaimed.
    He shrugged. "It's cheaper if you get a meal plan."
    "I'll have to look into that." I dug into my purse and found a ten and no change. "Do you at least take credit cards?"
    "Sure."
    I handed him one. He compared the picture on the card to me and swiped it through the machine. I waited for him to hand me the receipt, but instead he swiped it again.
    "What's going on?" I asked.
    "You sure the card is current?"
    "Yeah, what's the problem?"
    He swiped it one more time and studied the screen before handing it back to me. "You'd better call your bank."
    I groaned. "I checked the balance two days ago."
    "Got another one?"
    I dug into my purse for my debit card and handed that to him.
    "Hurry up," someone shouted from the line.
    "Yeah," said another. "We're hungry."
    My shoulders slunk. "Sorry."
    The cashier handed the card back. "This one doesn't work, either. Got cash?"
    "Ten dollars." My face and the back of my neck heated.
    He shrugged. "Sorry. Can't help you."
    Professor Foley walked by, carrying a tray with a double cheeseburger and fries.
    My head heated all the more.
    He turned and smiled. "Hi Victoria." Concern washed over his face. "Is everything okay?"
    I straightened my back. "Yeah, I'm just going to have to skip lunch today."
    "You don't have enough to cover it?"
    "Apparently not." I looked away.
    "That's no way to start your first day. I'll cover it."
    I stared at him. "I can't ask you to do that."
    "You're not. I'm offering." He dug into his back pocket and handed the cashier a card. "I've got her meal."
    He shrugged, ran the card, and handed the receipt to Toby—Professor Foley. Why did I keep wanting to call him by his first name? If that was even really his name.
    The cashier turned to me. "Head on in. Trays are straight ahead."
    "Thanks," I mumbled and turned to Professor Foley. "I swear I'll pay you back tomorrow. I don't know what's going on with my cards. Maybe someone hacked into my account."
    "Computers make mistakes all the time. Well, have a nice lunch."
    "Uh, thanks. You, too."
    He held my gaze like he wanted to say more.
    I couldn't pull away from his enchanting eyes. Again, I found myself wanting to throw myself at him.
    He cleared his throat. "Well, I usually sit near the back if… uh, you don't find anywhere else to sit."
    My voice caught. I nodded and hurried over to the trays, nearly running into a guy wearing black skinny jeans and thick eyeliner.
    "Sorry," I muttered.
    "Whatever." He glared at me before taking his silverware.
    My college career was off to a fabulous start. I sighed and grabbed a tray. What would I do if I couldn't sort out my money situation? I didn't even know who was supplying the funds.
    What kind of daughter doesn't even keep her parents' contact info in her phone?
    Suddenly, I felt so small and helpless. Not knowing my past was more than just annoying and embarrassing. It was beginning to look like it might be dangerous.
    I got in line for food and piled on things without paying attention. What if someone stopped paying for my car? How would I get around? Or what if my college payments came to an end?
    The noise around me grew louder. Everyone around me felt closer, like they were pressing into me. I jumped out of line and ran toward the tables. I couldn't breathe.
    All sound merged into a cacophony. The room grew hot. I sat at the nearest empty table and stared at my plate. My stomach rumbled, but I couldn't feel the hunger anymore.
    I ran my hands through the length of my hair and tried to breathe. Still, only shallow breaths