“Oh, definitely,” Pandora says. “If I didn’t currently hate you, I really would let you fuck me in public.”
“Well, you’re on my shit list too,” I answer defensively. “I need the stuff you stole from the frat. My father’s going to start asking questions.”
“I really don’t care,” Pandora responds. Her phone dings, and she looks at it with a small scowl. “Oh.”
“Oh?” I ask, getting closer to look at the phone screen. It shows a group chat that’s namedTwinsies.
“No, I was hoping River responded to my text.” Pandora lays her phone facedown on the table. “Asch only answers like, once every ten messages. You’re the only consistent one.”
“Asch is ignoring you?” I repeat. “Well, good.”
Pandora’s brow furrows. “Good? Why? Don’t you have hot fantasies about me with Asch?”
“No!” I answer sharply.
We both stare at each other.
“What?” I demand.
She shrugs. “I mean, that’s a total lie. I don’t need to be a mind reader to know that.”
“It isn’t a lie.”
It might not be entirely true, but it’s not a lie either. Because Asch definitely can’t be with Pandora.
He can’t be with somebody who delivers heads as trophies.
Pandora pats my thigh. “Come on. Remember our date? It was really hot with the three of us together. It’d be even better with River too, and?—”
“Shut up,” I hiss, grabbing her hand. “Stay away from Asch. Don’t talk to him, don’t touch him, don’t so much as look at him.”
Pandora’s eyes widen, but not with fear. Her lip curls into a slight smile, and of course she thinks she’s figured something out.
She leans in closer, kissing my jaw briefly. “I’m going to touch him, Blaze. I’m going to destroy him, the way you fuckers tried to destroy me. He’s going to be crying and begging. I’m going to make him lap at my feet like a good little dog. And when I’m through, Asch is going to curse the day he ever met you. He’s going tohateyou. There’s nothing you can do about it.”
My vision goes hazy.
I wrap my hand around her throat, squeezing hard enough that when Pandora opens her mouth, no sound comes out.
“You are going to crawl back into the hole you came from, you sadistic little snake—” I growl.
“You have the attention of half the cafeteria,” Asch says from right behind me. His voice is detached and cold, so unlike his normal tone when he talks to me. Except for lately. “Just FYI.”
I let go of Pandora and turn to face him. “Yeah? Go announce it to the other half, then. Everybody should get to see what happens when somebody pisses me off.”
Go away, Asch.
Pandora makes a show of coughing. “Boys, boys. No need to fight over me. There’s enough of my cunt to go around. Hell, invite the entire frat, if that’s what you’re into.”
My fists clench, my head growing hot with even more anger.
No, no, no.
Asch circles around so he can look at both Pandora and me, and his expression is as aloof as his voice had been despite the way his jaw sets hard. “I don’t want your loose cunt,” he says. “Forgot Blaze doesn’t appreciate warnings when he’s doing stupid shit in public.”
“Stupid shit?” I repeat. “No, I simply don’t appreciate my subordinates questioning me.”
Fuck.
