Chapter Twenty
Bridgette
“Why do I have to be the one to do it?” I complain.
“Because I told you to,” Asher snaps back before taking a drink of his beer.
When he finishes it, he tosses it to the side before grabbing another bottle.
“Yeah, be a good girl for us, will you Bridgey?” Liam snickers as he sits on the edge of an empty grave, swinging his legs back and forth.
“C’mon, babe. Go get her and I’ll take you back to my room and eat your cunt all night. Promise.”
He never offers to go down on me. It’s always the opposite. For Asher Putnam, trading sexual favors is the closest thing he has to a love language. Am I wearing him down? Is he finally starting to give in?
“Fine.” I sigh. “But I better come at least twice.”
“Whatever you want.” Asher chuckles as he lifts the bottle to his mouth.
“And if he falls short, I could take one for the team,” Liam says with a waggle of his eyebrows.
Honestly, not the worst offer I’ve received. I’ve only hooked up with Liam the one time, but it was absolutely memorable. And all those piercings? Yeah, the guy definitely knew what he was doing when he got that done.
Making my way through the cemetery, I can’t fight off the chill that runs down my back. It’s bad enough that it’s a cemetery and it’s the middle of the night, but it’s easily one of the most haunted cemeteries in the world. Over three hundred years ago, dozens of people were hung on this very hill where this university was built…hence the name Gallows Hill University. It’s kind of sick when you think about it. The Brethren’s Elder families were some of the many responsible for eradicating witches from Salem all those hundreds of years ago. Then, as a big fuck you to any they had missed, they built an entire school on top of the ground where so many were killed. God knows what else the Brethren did to this land over the years.
The faint glow of the bonfire shines up ahead like a beacon. I don’t know why Asher even wastes his time with her, but if I’m honest, I don’t really care. In case it wasn’t clear, I’m not a fan of Skyla Parris. Not one bit.
When I make it through the wrought-iron gates of the cemetery and back to the party, I pause, scanning the area before my eyes land on my target. Maggie is with her, dancing and laughing, and before she rests her hands on Skyla’s hips, and my blood boils. Fucking slut.
It doesn’t last long, though. Soon Maggie is making her way towards a girl from across the way. Maria or Maryia. Something like that. She wastes no time either.
I rip a cup out of a girl’s hand passing me by, taking a large sip of it before pasting on a big smile. Forcing myself to sway a bit as I walk, I wave and make my way over to the bitch I’m here for.
“Hey! You’re Skyla, right?” I slur slightly, because who wouldn’t trust a slightly buzzed girl?
She looks at me with a look of disdain before giving me a brief nod.
“I’m Bridgetteeee,” I say with an exaggerated giggle.
She gives me a tight smile as she looks me up and down.
“I remember, you were bent over my bed.”
Shit. I almost forgot about that. Not dropping the act, I snicker and cover my mouth.
“Sorry about that. You know how it is; when Asher Putnam asks you to jump, you fling yourself right off the bridge.”
Skyla looks at me like she couldn’t agree less, but gives me a nod to pacify me. Aw, what a good little girl. Daddy must be so proud. I do my best to hold in my smirk as I keep my smile in place. She takes a step like she is going to walk away when I panic.
Reaching out for her, I hold on to her arm, digging my nails in a little deeper than necessary because I never said I wasn’t a bitch.
“Wait, I wanted to say I’m sorry and I hope we can start fresh. I swear, I’m not the bitch I seem to be. I just like him,” I say softly.
Or I did. I don’t know anymore. I like his attention. I like what he can offer me. Him as a person? Yeah, no, he’s a selfish prick.
Skyla shrugs. “Well, you can have him. Honestly, I have zero interest.”
I laugh, but when I realize she isn’t playing a game or something, I stare at her. Wow. I mean, I know she’s new, but doesn’t she understand how lucky she is? How set for life she is? She will be the most powerful, the most protected, the most revered woman in the entire society.
“Have you been to the spot yet?” I ask, doing my best to move on with this whole thing.
She frowns. “The spot?”
I roll my eyes and squeal in a pitch that even irritates me.
“Oh my godddd. C’mon. You have to come check it out! It’s like a tradition for new students,” I say as I begin dragging her with me.
Skyla frowns, casting a glance over her shoulder to Maggie, who currently has her tongue down that Marie bitch’s throat. I feel my steps falter as hurt jabs inside me before I shake my head and continue with my task. I’m so sick of letting Margret Bartlett get under my skin. I don’t know how she got there in the first place, but I need her fucking gone.
We pass through the sign that reads Gallows Hill Cemetery when Skyla becomes harder to pull.
“Where are we going?”
“I told you! The spot,” I force slur as I face forward. I can’t fake a smile for one more goddamn second.
We walk a little further until the cherry from Asher’s cigarette comes into view.
“What are you doing out here, Princess?” Asher asks lazily as Liam smiles at her.
I take a small side step as Skyla faces the guys. Quietly, I line myself up behind her as she speaks.
“She was showing me the spot.”
Asher grabs another beer as he nods.
“Looks like you found it.”
She looks at him with a puzzled expression as he closes the distance between him and her, resting his hand on her shoulder before shoving her into the grave. She falls for a second or so before landing with a thud.
“What the hell!” she shouts. “Get me out of here!”
“Nah, I think you are right where you belong, but I’m not a total monster. Let me get you something to drink,” he says before tipping his beer over, dumping the contents over her head.
She screams as the liquid hits her before she begins shouting again.
“You asshole! Get me out of here, right now!”
Asher sneers down at her before wrapping his arm around me. I lean into him, giving her the biggest fuck you smile I can muster.
“Pass,” Asher says as we turn and begin walking away.
“Ash, we aren’t leaving her all night, right? There’s a shit ton of coyotes, man,” Liam calls out from behind us.
Asher glances over his shoulder and shrugs.
“They can have her.”
Asher and I continue walking away as she begins begging and pleading for Liam to help her. He falters for a moment before he falls into line with us. What does she expect? She thinks that he would betray his bond brother for her ? That’s fucking laughable. A legacy could never and would never choose a woman over his bond brother. It’s just not how things are done. Not if you want to stay alive.
We make it back to the party and I can’t help but let my eyes graze over the crowd, looking for a particular redhead. To my irritation, I don’t find her or the mousy haired bitch she was with. A sinking feeling hits my stomach because I know what that means.
We make it to Putnam Hall before Asher lets go of me. My brows furrow as I look at him.
“Thanks for the help,” he says as he opens the door.
Liam steps in behind him as I call out.
“Wait? I thought I was coming up with you? Remember, you promised to go down on me and shit?” I remind.
Asher shrugs. “Don’t feel like it.”
With that, he slips into the elevator with Liam. My eyes come to his blond-haired friend.
“Liam? Can I come up to your room for a bit?”
He shakes his head, staring up at the ceiling as the doors close. What the actual FUCK! I am so sick of this shit. Fuming, I storm off back to my dorm. It’s always fucking something with Putnam, I swear.
When I get back to my building, I step into the elevator and pause. Instead of hitting the four, I hit the three. I don’t know what I think I’m doing, but my feet carry me to the room I know to be Maggie’s. Don’t ask me how I know, I’m too ashamed to admit I looked it up in the schools system when the dumb as fuck admin stepped away from her desk last week.
I swallow roughly, knowing this is a terrible idea as I stop outside her door. My hand raises to knock when I hear a moan, followed by shouting.
“Oh! Oh my gosh. I’m gonna…gonna!” I hear a woman shout.
It’s definitely not Maggie’s moans, but somehow that makes me feel worse because I know exactly who is causing them. My stomach clenches and I feel like I’m going to be sick. I knew this was stupid. Rushing back to the elevator, I jam my finger for the fourth floor as I hurry back to my room. As soon as I do, I throw myself onto the bed and let out the world’s most pent up sob. This is all my fucking fault. I ruined everything and for fucking what? What do I have to show for it? My entire life is nothing but disappointment and goddamn heartbreak.