I didn't even realize he stopped talking until he walked up to my table. "You’re supposed to be working on the assignment. Your page is still blank," Reynolds snapped. His nice teacher façade was fading fast. "Everything okay?"
"Oh yeah, everything's fucking greatMr.Reynolds," I said, bypassing his stupid first-name rule.
The rest of the students at my table stared wide-eyed and even Reynolds seemed surprised by my outburst. He didn't say anything else before he went back to his desk.
"Ashtyn, would you come up here please?" He asked while writing something on a pink piece of paper.That motherfucker.
I slammed my sketchpad shut and stomped up front to his desk. "What?" I snapped.
"Detention. For that foul mouth of yours." He handed me the slip and smirked, thinking he had the upper hand on me again. I ripped it out of his hand and turned to walk away. "We can do this the hard way or the easy way. We can't let what's going on between us make things uncomfortable in class."
I turned back to him. "You're fucking kidding, right?" I leaned in closer, hating having to breathe the same air, but not wanting other people to hear my threat. "Let me make myself real clear. You don't scare me. You're a sociopath who should be committed. When I'm finished with you, you'll wish you never laid your eyes or your hands or your shriveled-up littleshrimp dickon me."
I spun around and went back to my table and shoved my sketchpad and pencils into my bag.
"Everything okay princess?" Cade asked.
Fuck, both he and West saw that little exchange.
"I'm good," I said as I grabbed my bag and walked out the door.
I tried to be strong and get through class. My eyes welled with tears as I rounded the corner. I needed to get away from school, away from Reynolds, away from West.
Tears started falling down my cheeks as my feet picked up speed down the hallway. Once I made it to the exit and burst through the door, I collapsed to my knees, the concrete biting my skin. My breathing was out of control and there was no calming it at this point. I breathed in and out rapidly, a wheezing sound that I didn't recognize coming out of my lungs as tears poured from my eyes, down my face, landing on the ground. I pounded my fists on the cement and screamed.
"Ashtyn?" A body knelt next to me. He put a hand on my face and tipped it up, making me look at him. Axel. "Let's get you out of here," he said, helping me stand and putting an arm around my waist to steady me.
Blood trickled down my knees and hands. I looked like a mess and probably appeared to be a little crazy.
"You shouldn't drive right now. Why don't I drive you home?"
I only nodded my head, not trusting my voice. I knew it'd be thick with emotion. I didn't need a breakdown. I needed to focus on my plan.
Axel guided me to his pickup truck and helped me get up in it. He ran around to the other side and got in, putting on his seatbelt and starting it up.
"Wait, what about class?" I asked as he put it in gear and took off.
"I was late anyway. What's another absence?" He shrugged. "I'm going to take you to my place and get all that cleaned up, okay?"
"Okay," I said quietly as I rested my head on the window.
We got to his house and walked the path to the pool house. The place looked much different when there wasn't a party going on.
Once we were inside, Axel steered me to the couch before going to the bathroom to get some first aid supplies. "So, uh, what's going on with you? I knew shit would be awkward after Saturday," Axel said as he cleaned my cuts.
I hissed at the sting as he continued to disinfect my knees. "I've been meaning to talk to you. Could you help me with some recon?"
He paused momentarily before moving onto my hands. "On who?"
"Daniel Reynolds."
"The art teacher?”
I nodded and looked down at my scraped knuckles.
"Why?"
"Would you still help me if I said I can't tell you yet?" I asked as he wrapped my hand with a soft white bandage.