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Asia, I’m sorry I hurt u.
“I’m sorry too,” I mutter, sitting heavily on my unmade bed. How am I going to survive without him? How is he going to survive without me to look out for him? We’ve done it our whole lives. My eyes scan over several emoji messages until it falls on the final text he sent me this morning. This time my heart stops beating. Actually, I’m pretty sure it’s twisting in a knot just like my stomach is right about now.
If it’s about the kiss…? About what I said…?
Shit.
I don’t want to talk about the kiss. I don’t want to talk about what he said to me at the party either. That’s a conversation I don’t need to have today of all days. I don’t know how I feel about it. Okay, that’s a lie, Idoknow how I feel about it. I feel messed up and confused. Ilikedkissing Eastern, but Ishouldn’thave done it. My reaction to Opal throwing herself at him was proof enough of that.
“Friendzone, Asia… Fucking friendzone.” I say, reminding myself that there can never be a relationship between Eastern and me that goes beyond being best friends. Now what the hell do I say? After a minute of pacing up and down, I send a reply:
I’m not mad. I still think you’re an idiot for joining Camden’s crew coz he IS that bad. Guys like him don’t get to where they are being good, Eastern. You’re my friend, and I care about what happens to you. Let me settle in. I’ll try to call in a few days. Be safe.
I hit send. After a minute I can see that the message has been read, but after another five minutes of torture I give up waiting on a reply. Clearly, Eastern’s getting his own back but I’m not going to play that game. Stuffing my phone in my back pocket, I stride from the room, locking the door behind me.
Time to check out Oceanside Academy.
* * *
The residential annexhas four floors. The ground floor houses the members of staff that sleep onsite, and the first, second and third floors house the students. There are fifteen rooms on the first and second floor and ten on the third, adding up to a grand total of forty. Assuming every room is a single, then that means there are just forty students. Forty students housed in this huge site. That should make me feel better, but somehow it doesn’t. You can’t get lost within forty students. You can’t keep your head down. Everyone is going to know everything, and that makes me more than a little uncomfortable.
When I head past the last set of rooms on the second floor to make my way back downstairs, I hear muffled laughter coming from room 225. A girl’s voice giggles whilst the deeper cadence of a male voice chuckles. The sound is strangely familiar. Pressing my ear up against the door, I listen. The giggles quickly turn into moans.
“Christ,” I mutter, stepping back. Don’t the adults who run this place realise how horny teenagers are? I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a lot more room hopping going on during my time here. Except I won’t be joining in. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no prude. I’ve had my fair share of sexual experiences, but I’m not about to jump in bed with any of these arseholes. I’m not that stupid. I could do without the complications.
“What the fuck are you doing?” A voice says from behind me. I turn around and come face to face with a mean looking kid with shaved hair and a grimace that could rival my own. He’s not much taller than me, but he’s wide and built like a brick shithouse with brown eyes that are almost black and a nasty scar running down his left cheek. He has pimpled skin making his pasty complexion look as angry as he does.
This kid is dangerous in a hit first, ask questions later kind of way. I’m betting he’d murder his own mother and laugh about it too.
“Well?” he snarls, poking his finger into my chest and shoving me back against the door. I hit it with a thud. Inside the room I can hear the female voice swearing whilst the male voice just chuckles. If I’m not mistaken, she’s just ordered him to climb out of the window.
“I’m Asia. You got a name?” I respond, evading his question entirely. I stand tall, pushing off against the door. He might be unhinged, but then again so am I if pushed too far. Besides, I’m not about to show any weakness on my first day here. I’m no fool, I get how it works. You’re weak, you get picked out from the crowd and crucified. Well, fuck that.
“I’ll ask once more, what are you doing listening at my girlfriend’s door?”
“Not entirely sure she’s your girlfriend anymore,” I retort with a smirk.
“What?!” he growls, shoving me out of the way. I step backwards and wait for the fallout. This should be interesting.
“Open the fucking door, Red!” he shouts, his meaty fists pounding against the door. His face has turned puce. Any second now one of those veins on his neck is going to pop. He continues to bash his fist against the door, and when it remains stubbornly shut, he starts to throw himself against it. Whoever the guy inside is, well, let’s just say he’s gonna lose his balls in the next five seconds.
With one last almighty thud, he throws his full weight against the door. It flies open, crashing against the wall as he stumbles forward landing face first on the carpet. The air rushes out of his lungs with a whoosh and the same girl who was standing outside the front of the academy when I arrived runs forward, fawning over him. Her hair is wrapped up in a towel and she’s wearing the same tank-top I’d seen her in earlier, paired now with just her knickers.
“Oh my god, Bram. What are you doing? I was in the shower!”
Her gaze meets mine and I roll my eyes.Yeah, right. I know what I heard. She wasentertainingsomeone else. I bet that beautiful red hair is dry as a bone under that towel.
“What are you staring at, bitch?” she seethes as my grin widens. This should be interesting. I hope the guy in her room has found a good hiding spot.
“I was just telling Bram here how I heard some noises coming from your room. There was a lot of… moaning? Thought you might be in trouble,” I respond, shrugging my shoulders.
“Moaning?!” Bram rages, getting up onto his feet. “Who the fuck do you have in here with you, Red?!” He pushes past her and Red scowls at me. Her face in full-on bitch mode.
“What?” I question innocently. “This place is full of criminals, I thought you might be in trouble.”
“Bitch!” she bites out under her breath.
“Yeah, that one gets old,” I retort.
Red turns on her heel and rushes after Bram who is now tearing up her room, looking under her bed and yanking open her wardrobe. He heads into her bathroom and comes rushing out like he’s just about ready to explode. Woah! This guy’s unhinged.
“You lying bitch!” he roars, rushing towards Red. Only, he pushes past her and heads towards me. Behind him, Red is grinning maliciously. Great, her bit on the side must’ve climbed out of the window just like she’d asked him to do.
Now, I’m in trouble. Fucking perfect.
