“Of course it’s not, because apparently, you have a tendency to run toward danger with open arms!”
I’ve heard enough. I’m not going to sit here and let him yell at me like this. I take a step back and shake my head.
“I already have one asshole dad. I don’t need another.”
Turning on my heels, I head for the door, but Asher is following closely behind.
“Tessa—” he tries, but I ignore him. “Don’t leave.”
As I approach, the elevator opens, and some woman in a business suit steps out. I look her over from head to toe. Her pin-straight blonde hair and Barbie doll figure catch my attention, and I start to wonder if maybe he has a girlfriend he failed to mention. However, she only glances at me for a second before narrowing her eyes on him.
“Blaire? What are you doing here?”
She holds up her phone and shoves it in his face. “A frat party, Asher? Are you out of your damn mind? You attacked two college kids at fucking frat party?”
He sounds pained as he groans. “Okay, they were hardly innocent. I was protecting my friend! Those shitheads drugged her!”
I step into the elevator and wave with a sickeningly sweet grin. “You enjoy that.”
The look on his face as the doors shut is a mix between wanting to strangle me with his bare hands and wanting to fuck me senseless. I’d probably be okay with the latter if he hadn’t just managed to piss me off. Then again, hate sex always is the best kind.
I get to the bottom and pull out my phone, grateful that an Uber is right around the corner. The sooner I get away from here, the better.
I WALK INTO MY bedroom after having yet another argument with my dad. Today is obviously not my fucking day. I lock the door and fall to the ground, finally allowing myself to process the events of the last twenty-four hours. Sobs wrack through me so harshly that I don’t even notice Lennon until she sits beside me on the floor.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, wiping the tears from my cheeks, only for them to be replaced by more.
“You may have said you’re fine, but you’re forgetting that I’m your best friend. I know you better than that.”
I lay my head on her shoulder and let her hold me as I cry. She rubs my back and plays with my hair, whispering comforting words I’m not sure either one of us believes.
“You’re going to be okay, Tess. We’ll get you through this.”
But I’m not sure I will be.
THE NEXT DAY, TENSIONS are still high. The whole time spent in
Asher’s class, the two of us refuse to look at each other. His my life sucks scowl is back in its rightful place, only with an extra hint of misery. A part of me wonders if it’s because of that girl from yesterday, Blaire. I don’t know who the hell she is, but I’m determined to find out. I may be a lot of things, but a home wrecker isn’t one of them. If he has a girlfriend, I’m out—no matter how much I may want him.
I’m sitting in lunch when my phone vibrates in my pocket.
Asher: Are you okay?
I’m conflicted. On one hand, the fact that he thought to check on me and was the one to cave first makes me wonder if maybe he’s a little more invested in whatever the hell is going on between us than I originally thought. The other, however, is incredibly pissed at him. Still, I can’t let this go on.
I get up from the table and head out of the cafeteria. The walk to Asher’s classroom feels like an eternity, and he might not even be there, but I’m not having this conversation via text. I open the door and find him sitting at his desk. His eyes meet mine, and I step inside, closing the door behind me.
“Hey,” he says with a sigh.
“Hi.”
“I take it you got my text.”
I nod. “What makes you think I wouldn’t be okay?”
He shrugs. “I was just checking on you. I didn’t know that would be a problem.”
“It’s not.”