Not that I particularly wanted to join them. I was busy with frat shit anyway. And threatening people so they’d take down videos of Pandora.
“Nope.” I glance toward my laptop. “Oh, Mom said that nothing changed on our end. So you don’t have to worry about money or whatever.”
“She’s wrong,” Asch says, his voice harsh. “Everything’s changed. I already told you, I’ll figure it all out.”
“While also going clubbing with Pandora,” I snap. “Pandora is a full time job on her own. One that you should stay away from, like you wanted me to do. You know she threatened to cut you into chocolate-sized pieces and deliver them to me?”
“And you think me trying to stay away from her would stop her from doing whatever the fuck she wants?” Asch retorts. “She’s more likely to try that if I start avoiding her.”
He isn’t wrong.
My fists clench. “Maybe you shouldn’t wait. You can transfer to some college in NV right now.”
“Maybe I should,” Asch says, his lip curling into a sneer. “It’d be great to be halfway across the country fromyou.”
“Well, then start doing that!” I growl back. “Get your paperwork together. If you don’t lose it in your piles of trash.”
If he can’t find the paperwork, he can’t leave.
He’ll stay at my side.
But he isn’t safe here, not anymore.
Asch’s cheeks flush red. “Don’t,” he says. “Just fucking don’t, Bouchard.”
“Don’t what?” I grip the edge of my desk chair. “It’s true, isn’t it? Or maybe you don’t want to leave. You lose all your stuff so you’re forced to stay with me. You talk big about how you hate me now, but you really?—”
“I really what?” Asch shouts. “You think I reallydon’thate you?”
My heart thumps, thumps, thumps.
I stand up, barely breathing, and get into Asch’s personal space. He glares, but he doesn’t back up.
He isn’t scared of me, not like most people.
“I think if you really wanted to leave, you’d be gone by now,” I say darkly. “What’s keeping you here? Pandora? River? I hear you three had a nice little threesome yesterday.”
“Jealous?” he taunts, taking a step forward so we’re almost chest against chest. “Pandora and I have done a lot without you. She doesn’t need you either.”
My vision hazes over in red.
“If you don’t need me, then why tie me up and fuck me?” I smirk. “Pandora was very, very into it. But so were you. You got something you need to confess to me, Asch?”
Asch averts his gaze. “No!” he says. “I only?—”
“What?” I ask. “You onlywhat, Asch? Did what she was telling you to? Are youherbitch now?”
“I’m not her bitch. I’m not your bitch. I’m not anyone’s bitch!” Asch snaps at me.
“But you’re acting like a bitch!” I step back. “All because you got some money from my family? You knew you were getting money from us!”
“I thought I earned it!” Asch snarls. “I thought I did something worthwhile, that I wasn’t just… trash. Even being thescholarship studentwas bad enough. Imagine what it’s like to be someone’s fucking charity case.”
My anger drops away, and I’m left with the rhythmic thump in my chest.
“Why would being a scholarship student be bad? Why does it matter who’s paying for your school?” I shrug helplessly. “I didn’t earn any of this shit either. We all know I’m here because my dad is one of the university’s biggest donors.”
“It’s always been bad,” Asch says, and his voice is less harsh, too. “You don’t know the shit people say when you’re not around. But I at least thought I earned it.” He smiles, but it’s an ugly smile. “I thought I was worth something.”
