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“I didn’t ask for this. You can’t do something nice for a person and then tell them they owe you.”
“I can do what I want.” Quinton’s words might be that of a bratty child, but his voice is that of a powerful man who can indeed do as he pleases. No one will even attempt to stop him… only me.
“Clearly! You do what you want, no matter who gets hurt in the process.”
“I didn’t play that video for everyone to see if that’s what you’re referring to.”
“Maybe not, but you are the one who did it to me. You are the one who forced his dick down my throat while your friends were watching. You knew about the video, and you told Matteo you didn’t care who saw it. And you are the one who made me go to the stupid party today, where I was humiliated in front of the entire school!”
By the time I’m done with my speech, my throat is painfully raspy because I basically screamed the last sentence. Still, I feel a little better now that it’s out.
After my outburst, the room falls into an eerie silence. Again, Quinton’s behavior is throwing me for a loop. Judging by the way his hands are balled into tight fists, his knuckles white, and his arms shaking, I wouldn’t say he is calm, but he isn’t moving either. Normally, Quinton is rash with everything; his anger and need for dominance, uncontrollable. He might look like he is about to punch something, but the fact he hasn’t yet is throwing me off.
“Go to sleep, Aspen,” he orders, his voice so low I can barely hear it from across the room.
“That’s it? Go to sleep?” I should probably just keep my mouth shut and let him go, but when did I ever choose to be quiet? I never learn.
“Yes, that’s it. You’ve already said everything. Laid out all the things I’ve done to you. I won’t deny any of it because it’s all true. I hurt you, I humiliated you, and I took things from you that you didn’t want to give, but I also saved your ass more than once, and let’s not forget, I got you this room. Now, lie down, shut up, and go to sleep.”
And with that, he leaves the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
I remain sitting on my bed and gawking at the door for several more minutes, almost positive that this is all an ill-mannered joke, and he’ll waltz back in here any moment.
When nothing happens, I force myself off the bed and into the bathroom, where I peel the dress off my body and get into the shower.
I turn on the spray, letting the hot water warm my chilled skin. Now that I’m left with silence, the events from earlier are running through my mind on replay.
Everyone saw.
Their voices calling me names ring in my ear, and the dirty looks they gave me play in front of my eyes. I want to forget all of it, but I can’t make it stop. I wish I could distract myself, but whatever I do, my thoughts are pulled back to how I was humiliated beyond measure.
Every time I think this place can’t possibly get any worse, that’s exactly what it does.
28
QUINTON
I’m starting to wonder if Aspen suspects the cameras in her room or if there is another reason she has been spending all of her time either at the gym or library. I’ve been leaving her alone in the library, and the few times I followed her to the gym, she just left and did push-ups in her room instead.
I figured she would be cooped up in her room after the disastrous party two weeks ago, but of course, in true Aspen fashion, she does the opposite of what I expect.
Leaning against the cold brick wall, I keep my eyes trained on the entrance of the library. Like the stalker I am, I’m hidden in the shadows. In a corner Aspen won’t see when she walks out.
A few minutes later, she does just that.
With her bag slung over her shoulder, she steps out into the corridor and peeks down both sides before turning her back to me and heading down the hall. Keeping my distance, I follow her, surprised when she walks past the elevator. It doesn’t take me long to realize she is going to the sunroom.
I let her go ahead, walking in after her a few minutes later. I find her sitting with her legs crisscrossed on the grass, her back perched up against a tree. Her bag is sitting next to her, and an open book rests on her lap. With her head down and her nose in the book, her hair falls over her face like a golden waterfall.
Enjoying seeing her peacefully sitting in the sun, I sneak up on her from behind, letting the moment stretch out a little longer. If she wasn’t so immersed in her book, she’d probably have noticed me by now. A faint smile is playing on her lips, and I wonder what she is reading.
