Page 9 of In the Danger Zone
“I was in the h-hospital for three weeks. You left m-me there to die. If that woman walking b-by hadn’t have found m-me, I w-would have… I w-would have…”
“You wouldn’t be here right now.” Asher grinned. “What a shame. You tried to take hockey away from me. You tried to ruin my fucking life. You think you’re the good guy here?”
“You ruined e-everything for m-me, Asher. The o-only time I got away from you was w-when my parents dragged m-me out of school.”
“Aw, yeah. How are they doing?” Asher asked, amusement in his voice. “They were so mad when I got away with kicking their stupid, little daughter’s head in. Too bad my parents are the important ones back at home. How pissed off would they be knowing that I could do the exact same thing to you and get away with it again? Maybe I’ll do it. Maybe I’ll hit you even harder this time.”
I held back a cry. There he was threatening me, just like he did back at home. He hated me. He really did. And why? Because I didn’t bow down to him? Because I didn’t see him as some big hockey star? Because he was used to walking all over everyone, all because he knew how to shoot a puck into a net?
“Please j-just stay away from m-me,” I managed to let out. “This i-isn’t Great Falls. You can’t hurt m-me like b-before, you can’t—"
“I can do whatever the fuck I want to you.”
“Then w-why haven’t you?” I asked, gaining the tiniest bit of confidence. Asher could have done exactly as he said: he could have left me a bruised, bleeding mess. But he hadn’t. “You could have attacked m-me the other night, b-but we aren’t in a s-small town anymore. Life is different here. You… You c-can say what you want, b-but you can’tdowhat you want. B-Because you know the repercussions in college are different. Punishments are real h-here. And that m-must really upset you.”
Asher’s eyes darkened. He lifted up a hand, his fingers so close to my neck. He towered over me, his form so much bigger than the last time I saw him. He could have done it. He could have choked me right then and there. But all he did was suck in a sharp breath and step away from me. For the first time ever, he looked frustrated at what I had said to him.
“You’re still a little bitch,” he muttered. “And just because I can’t beat the shit outta you doesn’t mean I still can’t make you miserable.”
“Just stay away f-from m-me,” was my weak response.
“You think I can’t fuck with your parents as well? Just because I already ended their shitty, little bakery doesn’t mean I still can’t ruin their lives some more.” Asher eyed me up and down. “You get in my way and I’ll make sure they’ll fucking suffer for it. It’s not hard to make a quick phone call.”
And there it was. My parents were an easy target and he knew it. I just shook my head at him. “A-Asher, please. The b-bakery is already closed. You already h-hurt them where it hurts m-more than once.”
“And I’d so love to do it again.”
“We d-don’t have to see each other. Or l-look at each other. Or b-be around each other…”
A few students suddenly moved down the hallway, chatting away happily. That was enough to scare Asher enough, because he backed away from me fast. That dark look in his eyes had yet to leave, however.
Back at home a few witnesses wouldn’t have stopped him. I was public enemy number one at school. Asher got everyone else to hate me with ease. But at college? At college I was just a nobody, just like everyone else. They didn’t know I was the loser with a stutter.
Asher shook his head at me, muttering something under his breath before he just walked away. Just like that. He didn’t touch me. And that was new. It was a welcomed change.
His threat lingered in my mind.Just because I can’t beat the shit outta you doesn’t mean I still can’t make you miserable. Asher was cunning. And creative. He’d come up with something.
A shaky breath left my lips. Maybe – just maybe – I could get through my college years without a bruised eye. My heart wasn’t safe. But my body was. At least I had that going for me.
Chapter 5
EVAN
I couldn’t stop thinking about the girl from the other night.Daisy. The look of complete fear that had been on her face was something I couldn’t get out of my head. Why the hell had she looked like that? So taken aback, so ready to run? And shehadrun. She ran right outta the damn kitchen, right after I opened up my big mouth. Maybe she thought I was ugly or something.
Either way, it had been a whole week since I first laid eyes on her, and she wasstillon my mind.
“Whatcha thinking about over there?” a deep voice said behind me. Then there was a sharp slap to my back.
Turning around, I saw Hudson looking at me with a grin. Our captain always had that smile on his face. We had just finished up with an early morning practice session and hestilllooked over the moon. It was the worst way to start the day, but Hudson seemed to enjoy it.
“Nothin’. Just…” A girl. A girl who ran away from me. I couldn’t say that out loud, though. Not in the locker room. The chirping would last all season. “Got a lot of essays to get through on the weekend.”
“Fuck those,” Asher said by my side. “There’s at least five different parties happening tonight and I plan on going to every single one of them.”
I chuckled. “How you gonna pull that one off?”
“One hour at one, another hour at a different one…”
