The fresh air and the rush helped calm me a little. We reached campus on time, and I parked the Harley on its regular spot.
Without taking off my shades, I walked with Ash to class, grateful she wasn’t embarrassed to be associated with me.
I shoved my hands in the pockets of my jeans, my eyes darting around, bracing for the worst, but to my surprise, we reached our building in peace. Apart from the few eye daggers that fell on us as we climbed the stairs, nothing happened.
“See? Not as bad as you thought,” Ash said.
“Yeah. Don’t know what I expected. Guess I have an inflated ego or something to think people here would be occupied by what happened on my account.”
She laughed and pushed the class door open. A small smile tugged at my lips, but as the buzz inside the classroom faded when we entered, so did my smile.
I walked quickly to an empty row in the back, Ash on my tail. The few eyes daggers earlier were nothing compared to the ones everybody was giving me here. And that wasn’t even a class I shared with Samuel.
Humming whispers and swears flew around. “The fuck? How can she still be here? They should expel her.”
“They almost killed the guy.”
“She’s got a lot of nerve showing up here.”
Ash and I took our seats. I did my best to ignore the continuous word slashes.
A girl in the row in front of me looked at my injured hand over her shoulder and then back to her friend. “Did that jerk hit her too? Or was she beating that poor guy with him?”
“Ignore them,” Ash said, patting my thigh.
Wasn’t what had happened hideous enough? Now they were going to spread more terrible rumors? I chewed on my lips, angry, nervous…guilty.
Professor Lahey entered. Finally.
His presence paused the gossip but not the pointed looks or the hate notes. Yes. Pieces of paper kept flying to my bench as if we were in high school or something.
Against my better judgment, I opened one of them.
Go back to your gang, bitch.
My cheeks burned as I exhaled a troubled breath. I reached for another note.
Lucky I never asked you out, or I’d be dead by now. You’re too ugly anyway.
I didn’t need to read the rest of the god-awful things my classmates thought of me.
Ash pushed them all out of my way with her arm like trash. “Don’t read that. I’ll throw them all away,” she whispered.
I shook my head, my chest heaving with anger. “Don’t you dare.”
Perhaps I got involved with the wrong guy, and a not-so-innocent man had to suffer because of it. That didn’t give anyone the right to bully me. Even if I felt as guilty as Dusty for Samuel’s beating, I wouldn’t tolerate that kind of treatment.
As soon as the class was dismissed, I shoved all the notes in my pocket and barged outside, heading for the Dean’s office.
“Cameron, wait. I’m coming with you.” Ashley ran after me.
“No. Go to your class. I’ll deal with this on my own.”
“C’mon. Don’t be like this. I’m—”
“Go to class!” My fists balled, and I immediately regretted my behavior. I paused and held her shoulders. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you like this.”
“No worries, girl. You’re angry. I get it. We’re good.”
