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“That’s not nec—”
My voice is cut off as I’m yanked against a hard body.
“You heard her, Fischer,” Rowan snaps, “she doesn’t need more time. It’s over.”
Justin presses his lips into a tight line as his expression turns stony. “Why are you always hovering around, Michaels?” His narrowed gaze fills with suspicion as he waggles a finger between us. “Oh. I get it. Maybe the reason you’re not interested in working things out with me is because you’ve been sneaking around behind my back! Maybe that’s why you weren’t interested in spreading your legs.” Justin stabs a finger in Rowan’s direction. “You’ve been screwing around with him.”
My jaw drops at his sudden turnabout, and I rear back as if I’ve been slapped. I didn’t think it was possible to feel more hurt by his behavior.
“Do you really believe that?” My chest constricts, and I’m barely able to force out the question.
An ugly glint sparks to life in his eyes as he jerks his shoulders. His voice grows louder, booming over the crowd, attracting more unwanted attention. “Who are you trying to kid? Everyone knows you’ve been making your way through the football roster for years.”
Even though Justin doesn’t mean a damn thing to me, hurt and humiliation flood through me. Those rumors have always floated around campus. Every once in a while, they rear their ugly head. It’s the reason I don’t date football players. As I glance self-consciously at the people gathered around us, a dull heat creeps into my cheeks.
“You know that’s not true.” It takes effort to keep my voice from trembling. I straighten to my full height, refusing to give Justin the satisfaction of seeing how much damage he’s inflicting.
Fuck him. And fuck all these people who think they know me or the truth.
Justin’s voice escalates as if he sees the writing on the wall and wants to alter the demise of our relationship.
Rowan’s hands fall from my shoulders as he takes a step in Justin’s direction. “Keep running your mouth, Fischer, and I’ll give you a shiner to go along with your busted nose.”
I grab hold of Rowan’s arm to keep him from advancing any further. The two of them getting into a fight will only draw more unwelcome attention to the situation. And I don’t want Rowan suffering any consequences on my behalf. I’m more than capable of handling my own problems. And Justin has turned out to be one hell of a problem. One who wasn’t worth nearly the trouble he’s set on causing.
“Don’t,” I whisper, attempting to keep my voice devoid of emotion, “he’s not worth it.”
Rowan’s gaze snaps in my direction. “You’re right...he’s not, but you are.”
Justin snorts, reluctantly drawing my focus to him. “Maybe if I were a football player, you would be more willing to spread those pretty thighs.”
That ugly comment is all it takes to snap the last of Rowan’s control. Without warning, he leaps forward. Before he can get his hands on Justin, the baseball player retreats, disappearing through the throng of onlookers. My heart thunders painfully under my breast.
“That guy is a real douche,” Rowan mutters, narrowed gaze searching the thick crowd as if he’s contemplating going after him.
Yeah, tell me something I don’t know. Although, I didn’t realize what a complete jackass he was until this latest confrontation. Had I understood it sooner, I could have saved myself a shit ton of humiliation. Lesson learned the hard way. After this debacle, it’s going to take a long time for me to trust another guy. In fact, maybe a lengthy break from the opposite sex would be the best thing.
“Are you all right?” Rowan asks, knocking me from my turbulent thoughts.
Before I can summon an answer, his strong arms wrap around my body before tugging me close. It’s oh-so-tempting to sink into the warm comfort, squeeze my eyes shut, and pretend this has been nothing more than an ugly nightmare that will disintegrate in my memory come morning. Unfortunately, doing that will only feed the gossip that is probably, at this very moment, spreading across campus like wildfire.
Instead of burying my face against his steely strength, I force myself to glance at the people who continue to stare wide-eyed. Embarrassment flags my cheeks, flooding them with heat. Loud whispers ripple through the group.
Don’t these people have anything better to do than stand around and gawk?
Apparently not.
Knowing that I can’t stay in his arms, I push away from Rowan, needing to separate myself. Ugly speculation is already running rampant. I certainly don’t need to add fuel to the fire. I’ve suffered enough mortification for one morning.
“We should probably get to class,” I mutter.
With my head lowered, I slink toward Corbin Hall. Rowan stays steadfast at my side. Somewhere in the back of my brain, I realize he’s trying to be supportive, but his attentive manner only makes matters worse. The knowing whispers and snickers burn the tips of my ears.
