Page 73 of The Deceptions
“No,” she wails again, snotting all over Hux. “He approached me. He asked me if I was down to fuck and being a perv.”
I cock my head at her lies, making sure my glasses record the entire event for later. So, this is how Amanda continues to play her games. Spouting lies to get her way. Kicking and screaming like a toddler to make her point. Back then, Hux didn’t spare her the time of day. None of them did. No matter how badly she wanted them. They ignored her antics. Now, though, it seems like she has him wrapped around her little finger.
Great.
What other surprises do they have in store for me? So many changes in so little time.
“Go into your meeting, Mandy,” he says, squeezing her shoulder affectionately. “I’ll have a little talk with the perv.” His deep voice rattles through my fucking bones. Just like they used to. Only this time, I’m unaffected. Everything I felt for him at one point in my life has been replaced with hatred and rage.
I’m trying not to run back to my room, fetch my knife, and kill him on the spot for revenge. Unfortunately. That’s not a possibility I can even entertain. I can’t let any of these emotions cloud my judgment or make me act stupidly.
I’m Oliver now. I don’t know Huxley. Fact. Maybe I never did. But I need him right now for my mission. All of them. Alive and intact. Which is quite unfortunate, if you ask me. I’d rather bury my problems alive and leave town. But that would be considered a bad work ethic. Bummer.
My fingers curl around the edge of my schedule. If I'm about to get pummeled in the hallway, I know how to defend myself against him. I can take out a grown man with two fingers to the side of the neck and make him piss himself before he can even blink. Just ask Jordy. Poor guy.
Amanda sniffles, nodding. “Thanks, Bunny,” she whispers, getting on her tippy toes to kiss his scruffy cheek.
From here, I can see the day-old reddish stubble lining his jaw, cheek, and over his lips. I also bear witness to the small twinge of disgust the moment her lips land on his flesh. His chest heaves when she pulls away with a grin, darting her gaze to me. As if to say, have fun being a dead man, loser. She lifts her fingers and waves before turning on her heels and marching into Dr. Moreau’s office.
“Look, man,” I start to say when his gaze whips to mine and fury takes over his expression. Before I know what’s happening,his chest is flat against mine, and my back meets the hard wall behind me.
Well, that’s really fucking forward of him. Do not go back to your dorm, grab your knife, and shove it up his pee hole. No matter how much he deserves it.
You need him. You need him. Ugh.
“Don’t fucking ‘look man’ me,” he snarls in a low voice, getting in my face. “You stay the fuck away from her. Don’t look at her. In fact, you should go pack your fucking bags and get the fuck off my campus.” He waves a hand, pointing out the door. “It would be better if you fucking leave.” He looks me up and down now with a snarl, snatching my schedule from my hand. Taking a step back, he scoffs, ripping the paper in two. “Oliver Davenport, huh? Scholarship student.” He nods a few times, sneering at me. “That explains it.” He tears my schedule into little pieces, tossing them on the ground and spitting on the pile. “Should have fucking known it would be a weak ass scholarship student pulling that shit. Pack your bag, shitstain. No one wants you here.”
Shitstain? What the absolute fuck is wrong with him? His words do nothing to calm the raging storm brewing inside me. If it’s a fight he wants, then it’s a fight he’s going to get. I won’t play around and let the people at this school think that just because I got a full ride, they can push me around.
“How about this, you pompous, rich asshole,” I growl back, shoving him in the chest and knocking him away from me. He stumbles over his feet, looking at me with wide eyes, like he didn’t expect me to do anything but whimper and beg for mercy. No more. I had enough bullies when I went to Greenwood High. This high school bullshit ends now. “Keep her away from me. I didn’t do shit. She can lie to your face all she wants, but I won’t fucking allow it. Now, it’s time to get off your high and mightyhorse and get the hell out of my face,” I sneer at him, poking him in the chest and letting him feel my wrath.
It’s the only time I’ll let the fire unfurling inside me spread through my body like lava, free to unleash the anguish that’s been bottled and buried for so long.
Fuck you, Huxley Crewes.
Before I know what’s happening, I realize I’ve backed Hux up against the wall, and fury lives on his face. But his hands remain in the air, suspended there with his palms facing me. Almost as if he’s refusing to put his hands on me again. He can spout off all the words he wants, but it seems he won’t be laying a hand on me. Which is fine. But also, I’d like to see him try.
“If this is your campus, maybe you should fucking check the cameras, huh?” I gesture to the cameras hiding in the corners of the hallway, capturing every move we make. I take a step back, dusting off my chest with pursed lips. “And I won’t be leaving. I kind of like it here.” I don’t. It’s a lie. I’d pack my bags in a heartbeat, but I can’t.
Hux blinks several times, his eyes dilating slightly until he shakes his head. “I don’t trust you, scholarship student.” He looks me up and down again, stepping off the wall. “I’ll be watching you.” Those are his parting words as he walks out the double doors, slamming them shut behind him with a growl.
“Yeah. Well, the feeling is mutual,” I mutter so only I can hear the words spoken and not the cameras. If there’s one thing I know about the three of them, Hux is heading off to JJ, who can expertly hack into anything he can get his fingers on. Especially cameras.
My favorite timeof day is the hours between 1 am and 3 am. With the moon above, the stars sparkling in the sky, and the quiet. I relish in the silence—the nothingness after existing in a world always on the louder side of things.
Every corner of Greenwood seems to dim beneath the bright neon lights. Even the casino goers stumble back to their beds with empty dreams and pockets to keep them company.
The world seems to cease. It's quiet. Desolate. Dead for at least a few hours. But Greenwood is never truly dead. The underbelly is always alive, crawling through the shadows, and ready to emerge at a moment's notice.
There's something about the silence that soothes the itch in my flesh that seems too tight. It takes the anxiety from my mind and tosses it out—the stress, the emotions, the past. Everything ceases the moment I step into the moonlight and surrender myself to the night. It’s familiar even—something I can fall into with open arms, diving headfirst with my eyes closed.
Especially when today's world is too loud and chaotic, overwhelming my senses and begging me to retreat to a quieter environment, like my bedroom. My sanctuary away from all the bullshit I call my life.
Like now.
Campus is alive. Packed with people lining the sidewalks, cafes, and even the library. Nowhere is safe from their incessant chatter and scuffing shoes. Even the breeze carries their conversations to every corner of the property, haunting me with the very thing that makes my teeth sit on edge.
Noise.
