Page 33 of Wicked Titan

She ducks out before waiting on my response. It takes every ounce of strength for me to drag myself off my bed. I pull a T-shirt over my head, covering the thin camisole pajamas that I haven’t changed out of. There’s no need to look in the mirror. I’m a hot mess and don’t give a damn.

I walk down the steps, taking my time as Grant comes into view. The warm smile on his face makes my stomach turn.

“Hey, I just wanted to check on you. You haven’t answered any of my texts, and you bailed early on the party.”

“Yeah … not early enough.” Confusion covers his face as I fold my arms across my chest. “I saw you and Allison, so save the act.”

“It’s not what you think.”

“I don’t think anything. It’s not like we are a couple, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Quinn, I had too much to drink—”

I hold my hand up, cutting him off. “I’m not even sure we were ever friends, so you really don’t need to explain.”

His chest rises as he sucks in a deep breath. “He got exactly what he wanted.”

“At least you had a good time in the process, right?” I begin walking back up the stairs, ignoring Grant as he calls my name. He’s nothing but a liar too. I should introduce him to Haley and Mason. I’m sure they’d be great buddies.

It’s still Sunday.

I have hours before I have to deal with reality, so I’m going to enjoy every moment until then. And by enjoy, I mean do anything but think of what I’ll have to face at school tomorrow—primarily Asher Hastings.

25

Staring up at the rock wall, I stand rigid, listening as the only sound in the gym is the clock ticking on the wall. Hiding out here until first period seemed like the best plan.

“Climb with me.”

I don’t startle at the sound of his voice, which surprises me more than his presence. His voice should terrify me, but he’s just playing sick mind games with me. If he truly wanted to hurt me, he would have already. And the sad part is, I wouldn’t even care at this point.

Pretending like he doesn’t exist is giving me satisfaction. Envisioning my world before he was a part of it, that’s the ultimate pleasure. He’s caused me to question myself more than anything else. He’s not a good person. He’s said so himself. Yet, there’s something in me that was disappointed in his silence after the elaborate scheme he pulled at the bonfire. I have enough to sort through without him twisting and turning the little sanity I have left.

Asher steps beside me as I remain silent. “Or do you need a real challenge? I know a good place.”

A lazy laugh leaves my lips. Climbing with someone requires trust. He’s the last person I’d ever trust to keep me from falling.

“You’re scared.”

“No.”

“Yes, you are scared.”

“No, genius, I’m not scared.” Though I should be. I should fear the monster beside me, challenging me at every opportunity. Instead, I’m infuriated that he thinks he can read me so well. Perhaps because he usually can, but this time, he’s dead wrong.

“Then tell me why.”

My eyes trail up the wall, noting the path where my hands and feet would go with ease to scale to the top of the wall. A clear path that I can’t take. “Because it hurts … it brings out every ounce of pain I’m trying to bury away when I’m reminded my dad will never keep me from falling again.”

“The pain is going to get worse before it gets better, whether you confront it or not.”

“Thanks.” My voice is flat as he shifts in front of me, blocking my view of the wall.

“Would you prefer lies? Want me to tell you it all gets better from here? The world is nothing but a happy field of puppies and unicorns.”

“I hate puppies.” Ugh, why did I blurt that out to him? Giving him a fear just gives him more leverage. The wall doesn’t scare me, a field full of dogs of any size … that is a terrifying thought. My dad always said to give it time, that I’d grow out of it, but the fear never left after I’d been bitten by a dog that Haley and I had attempted to rescue.

The dog hadn’t realized we were only trying to help, it went into defense mode—snapping down on my forearm, resulting in twenty-three stitches. My hand mindlessly brushes over the faded scar as I fold my arms across my chest.