Page 9 of Cruel Titan

“I have. We’re done.”

“Okay,” Elliot chuckles, knowing me well enough to know it’s not that simple, which pisses me off even more. “Don’t do anything stupid again.”

I nod, walking backwards as I smirk at him “Too late.” Far too late for that on so many levels.

“What did you do now?” Elliot asks, annoyance in his voice.

“You’ll see soon enough.” Turning, I walk away, ignoring Elliot as he calls my name, asking what I’m talking about. He’ll get his answer sooner rather than later.

8

Quinn

Lunchtime really is my favorite part of the day. Victoria and I have easily fallen back into our comfortable routine of silent lunches while we study. Looking up, I spot unwavering eyes fixated on me. Overall, Asher has kept his distance, but I know that won’t last long. He has to be up to something, or he wouldn’t be Asher. Letting out a sigh, I slam my science textbook shut. Even with the comfortable silence, it’s no use. I can’t focus for crap today.

“Anything you want to talk about?” Victoria asks, looking up from her math book.

Even if I could share, my thoughts are so jumbled I wouldn’t even know where to begin. “Just can’t concentrate.”

Victoria peeks over her shoulder before looking to me. “We can have lunch with the librarian and her snake if that’d help.”

“It might,” I tease, but we both know that’s the last resort.

“Just give him some time. It’s a hard pill for him to swallow. Asher is used to always getting his way.”

I look over to meet his stare which is predictably still locked on me as I reply, “He’s not getting his way this time.”

“It’s kind of refreshing,” Victoria chuckles before looking back to where her brother is sitting. When Elliot glances over our way, her tone becomes sullen. “Everyone else follows every word he says; they don’t have the balls to think for themselves.”

I wait until she looks back at me before I ask, “Is there anything you’d like to talk about?”

“Nope. It’s pointless,” she says, cramming her textbook into her bag.

“You never know.” I attempt to sound positive, but one thing I’ve witnessed is if Asher wants something a certain way, he stops at nothing to have it that way. I have a feeling that is one of the biggest—if not the only—obstacle Elliot and Victoria are facing.

She doesn’t mask her disappointment as she meets my gaze. “Yeah. I do know.”

We remain silent for the rest of lunch before heading back inside when the bell signals break is over. It’s also the signal for the one class that I have with Asher. I can do this. Thankfully, Elliot will be there to maintain a barrier between us. At least that’s what I tell myself as I walk to my locker, hoping to delay arriving to class until the last minute possible. The less time we are in the same room, the better.

The hallway is packed as I shoulder through the crowd. Finally reaching my destination, I slowly twist the combination into the lock before pulling the metal door open. Suddenly, a heaping pile of paper is falling from my locker. I attempt to catch what I can, but most of them tumble to the floor. Looking at the sheet in my hands, my fingers clutch against the smooth, flimsy paper. It’s not just paper, it’s photographs. My eyes search the picture in my hand before scanning the ones scattered at my feet. Every single one contains the same image—a picture of my dad and Nathan. I can’t pry my eyes from their smiling faces, sitting at a table together, looking as if they don’t have a care in the world. That detail unsettles me. The smiles bother me even more than the fact that they are in a photograph together. My dad and his ex-wife’s current husband just happen to be hanging out together … and not long before my dad’s mysterious death. I didn’t even know Nathan existed, much less the fact that my mom had remarried before a few months ago, so why do they look like two old high school buddies just catching up on life?

Finally breaking my eyes away from the haunting image, I scan the hall to see a few curious eyes looking at me and to the pictures piled at my feet. I’m past the point of caring what anyone thinks, I just want to know what one person is thinking because I know without a doubt who is responsible for this.

Clutching the photograph in one hand, I slam the locker door shut with the other, then wipe the tears off my face. Anger replaces the shock of finding another reason to doubt my father and suspect Nathan—no one is who they seem. At least I can always count on one person to show his true colors. Asher Hastings. I walk into the classroom, stopping in front of the desk he is sitting at, reclined like he doesn’t have a care in the world—much like Nathan and my dad in the photograph—which sends my rage soaring.

Slamming the photograph on the table, I lean forward to meet his unconcerned stare. “Why?”

A slight smirk appears on his face as I clench my teeth, biting back the tears threatening to spill. Once again, he’s gone out of his way to toy with me, this time using my dad as ammo … and Nathan too.

“Hey, Quinnster!” Elliot calls as he sits in his usual chair, looking between Asher and I. When neither of us make a move to acknowledge Elliot’s arrival, he hesitantly asks, “What’s going on?”

I stand rigid, watching as Asher remains comfortably reclined. “Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

He finally moves, leaning forward, the smirk fixed on his face. He is getting exactly the reaction he’d hoped for. “Just thought you should have another piece of the puzzle before you call Daddy to help.”

Lowering my head, I look at him through hooded eyes. I don’t give a shit whether he knows I’m still looking into my dad’s death or not. I’m sick of Asher—someone who claims he cares about me—going out of his way to toy with my mind, chipping away the little sanity I have left as I discover even more lies surrounding my dad. The person I should be able to count on. “I can’t call my daddy to help because he’s dead, and it’s all your fault. So stay the fuck away from me.”

“Whoa,” Elliot says, darting up and out of his chair. Stepping next to me, he lightly grasps my arm, but I jerk away from him. “Quinn, let’s take a breather.”