Page 18 of Crash
“What?” I asked through a heavy breath, my heartbeat accelerating.
“Ash, when he came back to Beat last year, he said that you’d…”
“Stop.” I squeezed my eyes shut.Lincoln knew. He fucking knew, and there was only one person who could’ve told him.
I felt this unbelievable rage begin to simmer in my stomach. It bubbled and boiled until I felt my fingertips tingle. When I laid eyes on my fucking brother… How dare he tell Lincoln, and fuck knowswhoelse, about the attack. He had no right.I’ll kill him.
I guess uncontrollable anger was a Fuller trait.
I buried my face in my hands, tears beginning to spill. It was my greatest fucking shame, and Ash had told the man I had an incurable crush on. Humiliated didn’t cut it—make itmortified.
“Violet?”
There was genuine concern in Lincoln’s voice, but I couldn’t even register it. “Please leave me alone.”
“I didn’t know…”
“Neither did I,” I choked out. I guess now I didn’t have to apologize for my reaction at the party at least. He knew I had problems all this time. Fuck it all to hell.
“Violet, I didn’t mean to upset—”
“Please leave before I say something I’ll regret.”
I heard him move beside me, his footsteps light on the carpet, and then the door opened and closed. Peering through my fingers, I checked to see if I was actually alone. If anyone saw what I was about to do, they’d call the cops and have me committed.
Grabbing my phone, I texted Ash.Where are you?
A moment later, it pinged with a reply.Next door.
I gathered he meant the apartment space he was still trying to plan with Ren, so I shoved the chair away from the desk and pushed out into the hall like a hurricane of destruction. Bursting into the apartment, I found Ash scribbling on the building plans that were stuck to the wall. Luckily for him he was alone because I was going to rip him a new asshole.
“Ash,” I barked and he glanced up.
“Oh, fuck,” he declared as he registered the pure anger on my face.
“How many people did you tell?”
He turned to face me, raising his hands in defense. “Look, Vee, I didn’t mean—”
“How many people know I wasraped, Ash?”
He swallowed hard.
“Lincoln knows,” I cried, barely holding on. “Who else? Dean? Coach Miller?Monica?”
“Dean and Coach,” Ash replied, his voice oddly quiet.
“Fuck you,” I snapped. “How dare you.”
“Vee,c’mon.”
Tears began to spill from eyes, trailing down my cheeks. “It’shumiliating,” I hissed. “I didn’t want anyone to know.Ever.”
“I wouldn’t have told if I didn’t think I could trust them,” he argued. “It was the only way they’d let me and Ren have some peace. It was the only way I was welcome back at Beat.”
“There’s the problem, Ash,” I cried. “You. You told them becauseyou. I’m forever grateful for what you sacrificed for me, but I was a part of it too.”
“Vee, I know. I—”
