Page 56 of Unhinged Love

Okay…

Not five seconds pass before the door closer to my end of the row opens and his feet pound down the stairs until he comes to a stop behind me.

“What the fuck is wrong with you guys?” he demands, and he’s not quiet about it. Pretty soon most of the people in the lecture hall turn around to watch, including me, totally disregarding the professor and the lesson. Granted, I wasn’t paying attention in the first place, but that’s another story.

“Well?” he snaps, giving the guy sitting behind me a shove. “How about I sit behind you and kick your chair for fifty minutes? How does that sound?”

“Yo, man, what’s your problem?” The jock who got shoved stands up with his chest puffed out and locks eyes with Carter, who stares him down. “What, you send out those pictures and now you feel guilty or some shit?”

“You’re gonna sit back down,” Carter growls, “or your ass is gonna end up at the bottom of the stairs. It’s up to you.”

I can’t handle this. Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, I have to sit and witness Carter picking fights because he cares all of a sudden. While the two of them continue facing off and the professor shouts at them from the front of the lecture hall, I get my things together and bolt up the few steps between me and the door. Let the two of them beat the shit out of each other. I don’t have to stick around it.

I burst out of the room, breathless and shaking, leaning against the wall next to the door for balance. This is a nightmare. I never should’ve left the house.

The door swings open, and I brace myself for more humiliation, but it wasn’t Carter I expected to see barreling out.

“Are you okay?” he asks with his chest heaving as he takes one ragged breath after another.

All it takes is one look at his flushed face to set a match to the powder keg in my head. All at once the pressure explodes, and I shove him, snarling. It feels too good.

“Am I okay? No, I’m fucking not okay,” I hiss, careful to keep my voice down as curious people walk past in both directions. “What was that? Trying to make yourself feel better by sticking up for me? Well, it didn’t work, did it? You just made everything so much worse.”

“What, by stopping them from humiliating you?”

“You just painted a target on my back, you stupid asshole.” His head snaps back and his eyes fly open wide, and that feels good, too. I should have told him off like this a long time ago, maybe every single day. “Don’t do me any favors, okay? And if you’re looking to ease your guilt, look elsewhere. I’m not interested.”

I’m only halfway turned around, ready to run, when he grabs my arm to hold me in place. “Just wait,” he mutters. “I was trying to help.”

Yanking my arm free, I whisper, “Leave me alone. Pretend we don’t know each other. Otherwise…” The idea hits me, and the words start coming out before I can help it. “Otherwise, our parents will find out about what you did as soon as they get home. Or maybe I’ll call them now, bring them home early. How does that sound?”

Watching his face fall might be the most satisfying thing I’ve seen in days. After taking a second to savor the feeling, I whisper, “Forget I exist.” Then practically run for the nearest exit.

It doesn’t take long for all that satisfaction to turn into tears. Forget waiting for a ride home. I’ll get an Uber. I just have to get out of here, away from everybody.

Nobody can say I didn’t try.

TWENTY-THREE

Carter

What the fuckdo I have to do? What do I have to say? How can I get her to stop looking at me as the enemy? Running a hand through my hair, I let out a deep sigh, lost in resentment.

“Carter. What the fuck, man?”

Great. This is what I need now. To be followed out here by these two assholes. Jackson and Dave come straight at me, because why make it a fair fight?

“I didn’t start any shit with you,” I remind Dave, who just sat there silently before. “So don’t fucking start with me.”

With a sneer, he replies, “You started shit with my friend, and you’re the one who sent those fucking pictures around, man.”

“I took them,” I correct him. “I didn’t send them.”

“Oh, is that what you need to tell yourself so you don’t feel like a slimy fucking prick?” Jackson demands. Now that we’re out of the classroom, he’s found his balls, placing both hands against my chest and shoving me against the wall at my back. “Don’t waste your time. Everybody knows what you did, andeverybody knows you’re acting like it wasn’t your fault. Fucking hypocrite.”

Something inside me is going to explode any second. “Just get out of my face,” I warn, breathing heavy, looking back-and-forth between them while people passing through start to pay attention. “I mean it. Walk away.”

“Or what?” Jackson sneers before lunging at me.

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