Chapter 15
Ramsey~
I was already sitting in the back of the classroom when Emerson walked through the door of first period. I hadn’t waited for her in the parking lot, and I hadn’t waited for her by our lockers, either. I hadn’t acknowledged her at all this morning. In fact, I also had plans to move her locker by the end of the day.
I was afraid that I would kill her if I had paid her any attention.
The only reason that I had walked away from her Friday night at Club Pounce was because I’d never been driven to the brink of violence like that so quickly and so blindingly before. Sure, I’d had my fair share of fights, and I’d known that sort of loss of temper, but I’d always been more of a cold, calculating, methodical opponent. However, Emerson was making me lose all my cool. She was pulling such heated rage out of me that I didn’t know what to do with it all.
Granted, I knew what I wanted to do with it. I wanted to fuck it out of my system and into her tight, curvy, feminine body, but she was turning out to be a lot tougher than I had originally given her credit for. Emerson Andrews had enough pride and backbone for a hundred men, and I was quickly learning that firsthand.
Yeah, it had sucked to hear her tell me to leave her alone, but I wasn’t too upset about it. Mainly because I knew that she’d been lying. The last thing that Emerson wanted was for me to leave her alone. Still, we were at the stage in the game where whoever caved first would be living for the other on their knees for the rest of our lives, and it would not be me.
I would never get on my knees for anyone .
When we’d left the club Friday night, I had stopped to talk with Kyle, and had told him that, if I found out that Emerson was in the company of another guy while in the club, I’d be back to burn the fucking place down. He had quickly assured me that she would be taken care of, knowing that I wasn’t the type of guy to bluff.
As we had exited the club, Beck had stopped me and had asked if the rumor was true that Emerson was mine. Not giving a fuck what about she’d just told me minutes earlier, I had confirmed the rumor and had told him the same thing that I’d told Kyle. Wisely, Beck had just reiterated what Kyle had promised inside.
Me, Liam, and Deke had never gone back to the party. We’d all gone to my place where we had drunk ourselves stupid and had cursed the creation of woman. Then I had spent Saturday and Sunday hanging out with Deke and Liam, then Saturday and Sunday night jacking off to Emerson in that goddamn outfit that she’d worn to the club.
Last night was when I had decided to up the stakes. I needed Emerson to cave, and I needed her to cave before I lost my rabid ass mind.
I watched Emerson as her eyes glanced up to the empty seat next to me, and I could see the hesitation play across her features. After a few seconds, she finally walked over to an empty seat in the front, then sat down without sparing me another glance.
It was hard as fuck, but I managed to ignore her and pay attention to Mrs. Guiles. However, all the swiveling heads hadn’t escaped my notice as students kept looking back and forth between me and Emerson, no doubt wondering why she wasn’t sitting with me.
As soon as the bell rang, Emerson grabbed her stuff, then walked out of class, still ignoring me. I stayed planted in my seat as if I had all the time in the world, even though my body screamed to go after her. I was finally gathering my stuff when Bailey was stupid enough to approach me.
“Trouble in paradise?” she smirked.
I shrugged a shoulder, then started down the steps. “I don’t know what you mean,” I replied coolly.
She was still talking to me, so her voice carried to the other students still present in class. “I think you do,” she taunted. “Did you finally realize that she’s nothing but a gold-digging whore?”
Christ, Bailey really was nothing but a jealous viper. I wanted to destroy her for daring to speak about Emerson that way, but her green-eyed jealousy worked in my favor right now.
“She’s nothing, Bailey,” I responded. “In fact, she’s such a nothing that I couldn’t care less what anyone does to her or with her.” I noticed the remaining kids that had lingered back in class had gone deathly still. “She can fuck whoever she wants, Bailey. The Emerson game turned out not to be that much fun,” I added, knowing that my words would spread like wildfire.
I had decided last night that, if Emerson wasn’t going to come to heel, then I would have to force the issue. Once everyone learned that she was no longer under my protection, their true feelings about her would come out. Except for Roselyn, no one else spoke to Emerson, so it would be an interesting development to watch.
The girls would unleash their claws, and the guys…well, I knew that the guys would try to fuck her, and that was the only tricky part about my plan to make Emerson see that she needed me and my protection. I wasn’t sure if I could stand around and watch guys hit on her as if I were unaffected by it all. The entire school would probably come to the same conclusion as Bailey and assume that Emerson was nothing but a gold-digging slut, or that I’d gotten into her pants and was done with her. She wouldn’t be the first girl that I’d ever slept with, and then cut off the next day. In fact, Emerson was the only girl that I’d ever planned on keeping.
I strode through the school hallways until I reached my locker. Emerson was nowhere to be seen, and like a fucking pussy, I wondered if she was upset about not sitting next to me in class. While I had to get through second and third period with her, fourth and lunch would give me room to breathe without her.
I was shuffling my books around in my locker, looking for my history textbook, when Deke threw his shoulder up against his locker next to mine, arms folded, regarding me. “They’re already talking shit, Ram,” he said dryly.
Surprisingly, Deke and Liam actually liked Emerson. I hadn’t asked for or needed their approval when I’d decided to pursue her, but it helped that I had it. Deke and Liam had personalities similar to mine…well, without the genuine desire for violence. Still, they were both strong men, forceful and domineering, so they could appreciate Emerson’s fight.
I grabbed the textbook that I’d been looking for, shut my locker, then turned to him. “I figured.”
Deke grimaced. “It’s bad though, Ram,” he elaborated. “Your interest in her has caused a hate storm like you wouldn’t believe. Fuck, even some of the guys are jealous of her.”
My feet started moving, and Deke started walking down the hallway with me. “That’s fucking stupid. Everyone knows that I’m straight, Deke.”
“It’s not about that, Ram,” he went on. “Everyone wants to be where me and Liam are, and after years and years of trying, no one has been able to make their way in. Then, suddenly, this girl shows up, and she’s in without even wanting to be.” Deke let out a low whistle. “People are losing their goddamn minds over it, Ram.”
I understood the point that he was trying to make. Jealousy came in all forms, not just sexual. When you wanted something so badly-didn’t matter what it was-and someone else had it…well, that would be enough to spark the fires of jealousy.
“It’ll be fine,” I replied.
Deke stopped in his tracks, forcing me to stop with him to hear what he had to say. “Are you seriously telling me that you’re going to be able to stand by and let people treat her like shit? You’re going to throw her to the wolves, then just stand back and watch them feast on her?”
I couldn’t help my laugh. His concern was amusing. How many times had Emerson used the sheep reference on me? Even when I’d first seen her, that analogy had been the first thought I’d had. Emerson was a wolf amongst sheep, and this little experiment was just designed to make her realize that she was outnumbered and needed the shepherd just to give her peace. No real harm would come to her because something told me that verbal taunts wouldn’t put a dent in her armor. Plus, I was pretty sure that, even if things got physical, Emerson could kick some ass.
“It’ll be fine, Deke,” I tried to reassure him. “Emerson’s not some weak bitch that’ll be sent to the principal’s office in tears.”
He shook his head at me as he resumed walking. “You hardly know her, Ramsey. How can you accurately judge how much is too much for her?”
My nerves rankled at his comment about me hardly knowing Emerson. Logically, I knew that he was right. However, emotionally, I felt like he was way off base. I might not know Emerson in the traditional sense, but I felt her.
I. Felt. Her .
I compromised. “Fine,” I conceded. “If you come across a situation where you think she might be in actual danger, step in. Tell Liam to do the same.”
Deke nodded, then took a left down the hallway to his second period. I turned right, then wondered if he might be right. I knew that the kids here could be ruthless, but I was banking on Emerson reaching her point of irritation and calling on me for help before anything serious happened, because anything happening to Emerson would be bad.
Very bad.