“Very. Especially Aspen. She is very nice.” He smirks, and the urge to rip his eyes out almost overwhelms me.
“Seems that way, but you should be careful with that one. Her family are known traitors.”
“Thank you for the warning, but I assure you, I can take care of myself. Besides, I’m well aware of who Aspen Mather is and what her father has done.”
Another wave of anger washes over me, making it hard to stand still and listen to this fucker. “You seem to know a lot for a guy who just showed up.” Something is off about this guy, and I don’t like him being here one bit.
He simply shrugs. “I know enough.”
“Why are you really here?” I don’t expect him to give me an honest answer, but he might give me a clue without meaning to.
“Same reason everyone else is here, I guess.” I almost snort at his washed-down answer. “I have to get to my next class. I’ll see you around, Quinton.”
I give him a small nod and watch him walk away before I cross to the corner of the room. I pick up a pair of boxing gloves and slip my hands inside, tightening the velcro using my teeth.
There are multiple setups for solo training, including boxing and mixed martial arts stations. I rotate, using all of them. I let my anger out on the leather-covered pads and punching bags until my muscles ache and sweat runs down my face.
Only when I’m so worn out that my mind has somewhat calmed, I slip out of the gloves and allow myself to get some water from the fountain.
Instead of going back to the dorms, I head to the level below, where I know Aspen has her next class. When I get to the room, I don’t bother knocking. I simply walk into the history class taught by Professor Brush. The old man glances up from his desk in shock. His mouth opens like he is about to yell at whoever barged into his class, but when recognition sets in, his thin lips smack back together.
“Can I help you?” he asks, like he is actually offering to assist me in any way he can.
“No, just need to borrow one of your students for a minute,” I explain.
The professor gives me a baffled look but doesn’t interject as I pass him and walk further into the room. I scan the class for Aspen and find her sitting in the very back corner, probably trying to stay off people’s radar. Her shocked eyes find mine, and I can’t help but smirk at the perpetual frown on her face.
All the other students in the room are glaring at me with a mixture of fear and caution, as if one wrong move might set me off. All except Aspen, who is looking more annoyed by the second.
Keeping my gaze on her, I lift my finger and motion for her to come with me. I’m pretty sure she is stomping her leg under the table, but even with her obvious frustration, she gets up. Leaving her bag and book behind, she follows me out of the room.
As soon as I shut the door behind us, she folds her arms in front of her chest defensively. “What the hell are you doing? That professor already hates me. He will never let it go thatIinterrupted the class.”
“I interrupted the class.”
Aspen rolls her pretty blue eyes at me. “That’s not how it works, and you know it. At this university, everything is my fault, and nothing is yours.”
“Yes, you are probably right, so why don’t you skip class and let me fuck you instead?”
“Is that seriously why you pulled me out of class? For a booty call?”
“No, but that would be a plus.”
“I can’t skip any more classes… not that I would just because you want to get your dick wet. Now, tell me what you want so I can go back to hell.”
“I want you to stay away from Vito.”
“Vito? This is about the new guy?”
“Yes, you need to avoid him.”
“Wow.” Aspen shakes her head. “You can’t stand seeing anyone being nice to me, can you? Would you rather him trip and elbow me in the hallway like half of the students? Or maybe just ignore me like the other half?”
“I’d rather you be tied to my bed so no one but me can touch you.”
“Of course, you would. You know I’m a person, right? I’m not your plaything, a sex toy you can use whenever you feel like it.”
“I don’t see why you can’t be both. Now shut up and listen to what I’m telling you. Stay away from Vito. I mean it, Aspen.”
She unfolds her arms with an exaggerated huff. “Fine. I’ll stay away from him. Can I go now?”
Nodding, I wave my hand to dismiss her. She takes a deep breath as if she is readying herself to get yelled at and opens the classroom door. The room falls silent as she steps inside. Just before she closes the door behind her, I glance over her shoulder, and my eyes lock with the professor’s. I give him a warning glare, communicating without words that she is off-limits.
I’m tired of people messing with her. Maybe it’s time I make it clear to everyone. There is only one person who is allowed to mess with her.Me.