Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 112951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
Asshole One fell onto his knees, moaning, and his forehead rested on the ground. His friends didn’t move. They looked shocked at everything that just happened. Even Asshole Two didn’t go to his friend’s side. His hands were cupped over his junk, and he edged back, glancing at me as if I were going to come for him next.
Shit. Maybe I should.
I started forward, but the person yanked me back. He was holding me to his cement-like chest, and I looked up. My protest died in my throat. Shay wasn’t even looking at me. He was watching Asshole One, who was still writhing around on the ground crying.
He sounded like a feral animal who’d been mortally wounded.
Good.
“Let me go,” I said it quietly, and his eyes flicked down to mine. I was back in control. I let him see that.
He did, and I walked forward.
I passed Casey, who was frozen in place.
I walked past Asshole One on the ground.
I walked past his asshole friends.
I walked past some blonde girl who was watching me with wide owl-like eyes. They weren’t blinking.
I walked past everyone else who stopped to watch us.
I didn’t stop walking until I got to my dorm room, and even there, I walked right past Missy and sat at my desk.
And I stared ahead, still only seeing red.
My phone began ringing. I ignored it. I didn’t move, staring at nothing.
The room’s phone began ringing next, and Missy answered. Her greeting was muffled, a rush of blood in my ears was deafening, but then she tapped my shoulder. She jerked back when I looked at her, pointing to the phone. “You have a phone call. Some guy.”
It could be Gage. I should find out where he went.
I nodded, asking, “Can I have some privacy?”
“Sure. Yeah.” She grabbed her coffee mug, the one she never actually used for coffee. “I was just grabbing this anyway. We’re partying in Holly’s room and might head out to some parties tonight if you want to come along?”
“Are you going to be gone all night?”
I wanted to be alone. Too many people in my life, it was becoming a mess. I just shattered my first two rules in the last twenty-four hours. I needed to go back to how prepared and organized I was in my isolation.
“I can be.”
“I just need a few hours.”
“Okay. I get that. Um, I’ll call you from Holly’s room if I come down.”
“Thanks.” I crossed to her desk and sat down in her chair. The landline was there, and because everyone used cell phones, the college started returning to the phones that had cords. It wasn’t a cordless phone. As soon as Missy offered an awkward wave, slipping from the room, I lifted the receiver to my ear. “Hello?”
“You okay?”
Shay, not Gage.
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” It wasn’t him. For once, I knew the real culprits were Asshole One, the guy who raped Casey, and all the other assholes who thought they could treat women like that. I knew my rage had ascended DEFCON level, but my voice was ice cold, and I was a shell of a person.
The rage was banked inside. My outside looked completely calm.
Even I got the chills from me.
“Come on, Clarke.”
“Look.” Okay. I relaxed a tiny bit. Some emotion seeped back into my voice, I was becoming normal again. It wasn’t his fault that emotion was frustration. “I’m fine. Thank you for pulling me off before I did any permanent damage and the weasel could’ve sued me.”
“This is how you’re going to play it? You went psycho on that guy. I’m not saying he didn’t deserve it, but your reaction was . . .”
I laughed. It sounded dull even to my ears. “You’re choosing your words now? Is this a new part of our fucked-up hatred for each other? You never held back before,” I bit out. “Why now?”
“Because I don’t want you to rip my dick off next time.”
“Don’t!” I clasped my eyes closed, holding the phone so tight against my ear. “First rule is we don’t talk about it.”
“I came out there because there’s a video of what you did. It got sent in an email to a bunch of guys, and Linde showed it to me. He said he’d been talking to you a few minutes earlier, and you were fine, but when I got out there, you were unhinged.” He softened his tone. “Look, I get it.”
No. He didn’t. He was a guy. He wouldn’t get it.
He kept on. “I’m calling to make sure you’re okay, okay? I’m trying to be a fucking decent human right now.”
He made it too easy. A bitter smile formed, and I looked at my reflection. Missy kept a mirror by her computer, and I saw why he was concerned. I was still looking the rageful robot chick, but that girl didn’t want kindness right now.