Page 43 of In the Danger Zone
“I remember my dad paying off that Patrick guy to write about your dad trying to beat me up.” Asher kept going, laughing away. “Remember him? He worked at the same paper as Sam. Dude took that money like that.” He clicked his fingers. “See, now that’s a real journalist. He knew what to fucking do with you, unlike that other bitch.”
“Stop calling her that,” I said with gritted teeth.
Asher gave me a fake pout. “She was your only friend, huh? That’s sad. It’s too bad I have the upper hand again. Just like back at home. It’s like old times, huh, Daisy?”
“M-Maybe,” I mumbled. “B-But you still haven’t spread that v-video around campus.”
Asher sucked in a sharp breath. “You better make sure Evan keeps his fucking hands to himself from now on.”
“He’syourfriend. You can tell him yourself.”
“If he touches me again, I’m gonna make sure your parents regret ever sending you to this school,” Asher muttered. “Everybody already hates them. Would be a fucking shame if something else happened to them.”
My eyes widened. “Like what? Why can’t you just leave them alone?”
“Why the fuck would I ever leave them alone?”
Holding back a groan, I let my fingers rub at my forehead. “You don’t have to get them involved. They have n-nothing to do with this.”
“You keep your fucking mouth shut about me, okay?” Asher asked, voice low. “Don’t tell Evan a fucking thing. Don’t. Every time you open that big mouth, he takes it out on me.”
“You should ask yourself why he does that…” I whispered.
“If we were back in Maine, you’d be crying. You’re so damn lucky, Daisy. You should bethankingme for not hurting you.”
God, did he hear himself? My too shaky hand let my pen hit the desk. I did my best to make it look like I did it on purpose, letting my fingers dance over the keys of my laptop. But I heard Asher snicker.
“How old is that fucking thing, by the way?” He gave the back of the open lid a careless smack.
“N-None of your b-business,” was my simple response, pretending to busy myself with my emails.
“Does Evan know why you have a laptop from 1999?”
I stayed quiet. Asher laughed again.
“You gotta be here on a scholarship,” said Asher. “There’s no way you or your parents could afford to come here. Not after I got that bakery to close. I bet they miss it. Do they miss it, Daisy?”
Still, I said nothing. Asher thrived on me fighting back.
“Bet you’re too embarrassed you can’t afford to actually pay your tuition,” Asher continued. “I get it. I’d be embarrassed too if my parents had no fucking money. Does Evan know how poor you are?”
It was better to stay quiet. I did just that, shifting in my seat uncomfortably.
Asher chuckled. “I bet you haven’t told him. Why would you? It’s humiliating. And I just know you haven’t told him about the bakery. Do you even know how rich Evan’s parents are? How muchmoneythose two have? Why the fuck would he ever wanna be with someone like you?”
Instead of replying, I focused on my laptop screen. Truthfully, I could barely concentrate on the words before me. Asher didn’t need to know that.
“When are you gonna tell him?” Asher’s asked. “About how your family can barely afford to keep a fucking roof over their heads? Huh? About how many times I used to see them getting free food from the church? I remember seeing your dad picking up money he found on the ground around town. Isn’t that fucking sad and pathetic? Does Evan know about that?” Asher leaned in close. “About how fucking poor you and your family are? Hm? Have you told him?”
I could have cried. I had every right to. Instead I used every bit of strength I could to keep the tears at bay.
Asher clicked his tongue, laughing lowly. “Yeah, I figured. I’ll let you keep that secret, ‘cause I know it’s gonna blow up in your fucking face.”
I just held back a sigh. God, when the hell was he gonna get up and leave?
“You keep your mouth shut from now on, okay?” Asher whispered. “I’m sick of dealing with Evan’s bullshit. When he wakes up and realizes that defending you is the dumbest thing he could ever do, things will go back to normal. I hope you don’t think that he likes you. There’s no way he does. Just keep your mouth shut, Daisy. Keep it the fuck shut if you don’t want your life getting worse.”
Asher stood up and closed my laptop with a heavy hand. His eyes bored into mine and I shrunk down in my chair the tiniest bit.
