Page 60 of Colton

I glance back at Grace, and she’s sleeping already. My eyes roll to the back of my head and I pull the device out, just as everyone else does. Of course, my hunch was correct. I don’t have the time to focus on the words in the email, or the title, and I scroll down.

A frown tugs on the corner of my lips when I spot a video. I make sure the volume is on low, and I open it immediately.

My jaw drops.

My heart almost jumps straight out of my chest.

Thankfully, it’s not about Colton and me.

But it’s equally as bad.

It’s a fucking sex tape of Soren and a woman —whose face is blurred out— yet, she looks awfully a lot like Ms. Ellie.

Everyone’s immediately speaking in hushed tones, and all eyes are on her. She’s oblivious, and continues to teach for the remaining minutes of the class. Sophia is the only person who didn’t pull a phone out, and the only person who seems unbothered by this.

My heart sinks to my feet.

Oh, God.

Sophia leaked his sex tape.

This rivalry between the two of them might’ve been bad before but now, it’s about to become a massacre, a blood bath that no one will be able to prevent from happening. The moment this video is out in the world, Soren’s family will face harsh reality, and they will have to figure out how to deal with such public shame.

On the other hand, Ms. Ellie doesn’t seem to know that her career’s been ruined.

I’m in no position to judge her for sleeping with Soren. In a sense, I’m doing the same thing with Colton. But this? This is going overboard, even for Sophia. If he finds out it was her — which I am sure he will — he may actually kill her dead.

I’m scared of what this might mean for her.

23

The next couple of days go in a blur, and it’s even worse when I realize that I’ve lost an earring. It’s not just any earring, it’s the ruby one Sophia got for me. If we ignore the fact that it’s the most expensive thing I own, it’s also the most precious gift. I know that she spent a lot of time choosing it for me, and it wasn’t on a whim.

I’m praying she doesn’t figure out it’s missing before I find it.

Though, she has bigger things to worry about at the moment. Not only did Soren figure out it was her, but he took revenge on her, and it’s a whole can of worms that never should’ve been opened; that’s never closing now.

My mind’s hazy with all the thinking happening up there, that I don’t realize I’m too close to someone in the corridor, until their shoulder hits mine. I wince, then immediately straighten up, ready to apologize.

“I’m so—oh, it’s you, Artemis,” I sigh.

The ginger girl looks at me with mild annoyance, then schools her expression back into neutrality. She’s carrying a box that seems too heavy, and is half-opened. I peek, and see that it’s full of textbooks. Most likely, it’s for the next school year.

“Avalon!” She forces a smile. “It’s great to see you! You know, I’ve been thinking about you a lot.”

“Why?”

I haven’t been seeing her around lately thankfully. Or maybe I just never noticed her because I was so busy with exams, or I was in a daze thinking about Colton. Either way, I’ve been grateful not to have seen her.

“Because,” she pauses, and before I can protest, she shoves the box in my hands. “You’re going to be a dear and take this to the Dean. Great talking to you, thanks!”

The weight of the box pulls me down, and I have to muster up the strength not to drop it. I imagine it would hurt like a bitch to have it drop right on my feet. With a sigh, I start carrying the box toward Colton’s office, which, by the way, feels as if it has never been farther away.

The door is slightly open, and I don’t have any free hands to knock. Instead, I push it open further with my foot, stepping inside and without a care in the world, drop the box to the floor.

The contents don’t spill, but the edges of the box do get ruined slightly. Relief floods me, and I make a mental note to start avoiding Artemis again like the plague. She caught me so off guard that I never had the chance to protest.

“Avalon?” Colton asks, and I look up. He’s looking at me as if I’ve grown a second head, which, to be fair, he has every right to. I barged into his office, dropped off a box that he definitely didn’t expect me to bring, and interrupted his conversation. “What brings you here?”