Frustration seeped up in me. “You aren’t bothering me. This is my job. I’m here to...” before I could finish talking, Ason held up his hand to silence me.
“Whatever you have to say right now, doesn’t interest me. Can we just get this over with? I have practice,” he huffed, rolling his eyes as he gripped the folder tighter in his large hands.
Disrespect coming from an asshole like Ason was something I wasn’t going to tolerate. I may not be popular or important around here like he his, but I am still a person and I deserve so much more than this. Especially, after he basically kidnapped me last weekend. It was because of him that people were talking about me.
“Does it make you feel good to treat people like garbage?” I asked, my anger finally reaching its boiling point. “You act like I’m the one punishing you; like I’m the one who is making you sit here with me. I know that I’m not beautiful or popular like the girls you typically having chasing after you, but I am still a person and I don’t deserve this.”
Tears burn my eyes and I know that I am on the brink of completely losing all of my emotions. Standing, I grab my phone and rush out of the room. As I race through the library, I shove out of the large double doors and once my feet hit the tile of the hallway, I feel the tension break and tears begin pouring down my face. I can barely see as I run, my sobs coming out rapidly. As I reach the end of the hallway, I collapse to the ground, hugging my knees to my chest. I’m not sure why I am breaking like this. I’ve never cared before what people think of me. But with Ason, he has this power to destroy all of my senses.
I don’t even realize that Ason had followed me until I hear his footsteps echoing down the hall. A loud sob escapes and all I want to do is crawl into a hole and die. I’m not sure how much more I can take from Ason.
“Please, just go away,” I cry out, not even bothering to look up.
I have no way of knowing that it’s Ason that followed me, other than that his presence seems to consume the space around me. His spicey cologne fills my nostrils and I hate myself for inhaling the intoxicating smell.
Maybe if I ignore him, he will go away? Though, I know fate hates me way too much to ever give me that kind of luck.
“Scarlette,” Ason speaks, but his voice sounds different.
Rough.
Filled with remorse?
I have no idea and honestly, I don’t care. I’m just ready to get out of here and never come back again. Maybe I can convince my parents to send me to a different private school. Maybe one across the country? I’m sure it wouldn’t be too difficult, seeing as though they are never home and wouldn’t probably miss me.
I hear him slide down the lockers that I am leaning against until he is sitting next to me. I take in a sharp breath from his nearness. My head spins and I feel sick again. Is it possible to feel drunk just from being in close contact with someone as dangerous as Ason?
“Will you talk to me?” he asks gently.
This isn’t the Ason that I have gone to school with for years. Gone is the angry boy who just talked to me like I was no better than the dirt on his shoes.
I raise my head, my tear-stained cheeks burning. “Why? So you can insult me again?” My lips tremble and I go to look away.
Ason reaches out and grabs my chin, stopping my movement. The touch causes a spark to flutter through me. His gaze snapped to mine in a flash and I inhaled a deep breath. His eyes fell to my lips, causing me to blush and bite my lower lip in worry. Something about the way his breathing became heavy caused me to still under his touch.
“No, so I can fucking apologize,” he says, his words almost a whisper.
Dropping his hand to his side, I scoot down from him as I attempt to compose myself. Closing his eyes, he drags a hand through his thick hair. Swallowing, I look at him as he shakes his head in contempt. Those dark eyes shoot open and I feel like he is piercing my soul with just a glance.
“Ok,” is all I can muster.
His head jerks to the side and he almost looks startled that I spoke. My pulse quickened as his intense stare lingered over me again. He opened his mouth, then shut it. I could see the fury storming through his dark eyes. Why was he so complicated?
Why was this exchange so heated?
I barely knew Ason, and yet, we were almost at war with one another. And I doubt either one of us knows why.
“I’m sorry,” he said in a rush.
Even though his words were harsh and quick, I felt the power behind them. I had no doubt in my mind that Ason Antoni never apologized. But for some reason, he was apologizing to me. None of this made any sense.
“It’s ok,” I spoke.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to say.
“What I said wasn’t ok,” he gritted out. Part of me wondered if he had meant to say the words aloud. “I do stupid shit without thinking sometimes.”
His words stunned me. They were raw and honest and I believed him. I had never heard Ason speak this much in all of the years that I had known him. He rubbed his knees and his knuckles almost turned white. He seemed almost angry.