15. Wren
WREN
The lack of sleep is catching up to me. I can’t decide what’s worse—exhaustion from refusing to close my eyes or exhaustion from waking up with a hoarse throat from the nightmares and running into Stone lurking in the hallway, which is a nightmare in itself.
The only thing that has been passed between us other than a fleeting glare is the water I placed on his table the other night when the guys came into the Shadow’s for dinner. I passed my table off to Nicki, refusing to wait on Stone even if the rest of my housemates weren’t on my shit list.
Stone is on board with acting like the kiss never happened. I have been pushing the thought of his lips on mine clear out of my head, and if it slips in, I remind myself of my scream-induced nightmare. I’m practically training my brain to recoil at the thought of his mouth.
His little wake-up call worked, though. Stone’s hot tongue against mine momentarily paused the bloodcurdling memories of the past, but the second I realized that I had fallen in another trap, I was even more ashamed.
Stone kissing me felt like a punishment.
A repentance for the past when I allowed my father to treat me like I was a piece of trash instead of his blood.
And if that wasn’t punishment enough, I’m sitting in the back row of a make-up class for an elective that I never wanted to take in the first place— Personal Finance.
Thanks to overworking at Shadow’s and having non-stop nightmares, I accidentally slept in the other day and missed the test. Thankfully, Professor Walsh has some decency and has allowed me to take the test this morning instead of giving me an F.
If I were to lose my scholarship, I would truly be fucked.
At least with a chem degree, I have some hope in breaking the never-ending curse of being a true Davis.
“Pencils down.”
Pencils clank against wood all throughout the lecture room. I finished my test twenty minutes ago but triple-checked my answers because I always triple-check them, even in a fruitless class like Personal Finance .
“How’d you do?”
I turn and meet the face of a brown-eyed guy with a smirk that has trouble written all over it.
I shrug. “Pretty good, I think.”
The test was a breeze, especially when I am used to calculating complex reactions of substances and slaving over papers regarding what those substances may or may not produce when mixed.
“Good, good.”
I turn away and pack my things. One more class and a shift until I can head into my little Harry Potter closet and avoid probing questions from Evander and glares from Stone.
“I haven’t seen you in this class before. Have you been hiding back here this whole time? I usually sit up front, but I was late today, so I stayed back here.”
“Oh, no—”
Another voice interrupts my response. “She’s in the morning class.”
I squint at the guy to my left. A quick tremor of fear fuels my movements, and I fumble with my backpack. “How do you know my schedule?”
The guy to my left smirks, and it’s just as deadly as the guy on my right. “Always best to know the schedule of a girl as pretty as you.”
I puke in my mouth.
He pays no attention to the way my face scrunches, because he leans back in his seat, looking more arrogant than anyone I’ve met before—even Stone.
“I hear you live with the hockey players.”
“I heard that too.”
I peek behind me, and there’s a third guy.
I am beginning to wonder if they planned to place me in the middle of their little trio.
Did they sit before or after me? I’ll admit, I’m on edge.
My father’s phone call and the reappearing nightmares have me rethinking every glance or interaction I have with someone.
“Yeah, so?” I say.
“So, do you maybe want to try sleeping at the lacrosse house instead?”
The snapping of a pencil catches my attention as it echoes down the aisle of seats.
I scan for the culprit, and my heart stops for a second when I land on his russet-colored head of hair.
Are you fucking kidding me? Stone would be in this class.
I grind my teeth and hate that I didn’t notice him the second I sat down.
Granted, the test was given minutes after I arrived, but still.
I need to be better about my surroundings.
“You are welcome to stay with us.” The guy to my left is staring intently at me with his pencil lazily trapped between his long fingers.
He’s wiggling it back and forth while biting his lip, and I want to laugh in his face at his attempt to sway me into their house.
Professor Walsh finally dismisses us, and I fling my backpack onto my shoulder. I have on my Shadow’s shirt, and I hate that these guys now know I work there.
They all stand and walk with me. They’re oblivious. I roll my eyes and want to say something flirty, just to irritate Stone, because although he’s avoiding me just as much as I’m avoiding him, I know he’s listening.
I don’t have the energy to antagonize him today. It’ll start another fight, and I’m tired.
“What do you say? Do you want to stay with us tonight?”
I stop in my tracks and grip my backpack tightly. There’s a heap of students corralling around us, walking in all different directions to leave the lecture room, but naturally, the group of guys stops and waits with bated breath for my answer.
“Do I want to stay with you tonight?” I repeat, making sure I actually heard them right.
They all nod and elbow one another in excitement, and I’m left to stand there, dumbfounded at their confidence.
After releasing a soft sigh, I ask, “Is this your way of asking me to have a foursome? Is that what you guys think I do while staying in the hockey house? You think I just let those guys use me or something?”
“Isn’t that how you pay rent?” one of them asks, and by the look of confusion on their faces, they truly believe it.
“She isn’t a fucking whore, Gibbons.” Stone’s voice is feral, and although he’s talking to them, it’s the first time he’s even referred to me since last weekend.
“Wasn’t it you who said that? Was it a rumor?”
I spin around and send Stone a death glare, but he refuses to meet my eye. Still avoiding me, I see.
“Come on, Stone.”
One of them laughs, and their hot breath ghosts the back of my neck.
“Share her.”
Stone’s face turns red, and the flickering muscles on the sides of his temples move with unleashed anger.
I want to agree to move into the lacrosse house just to piss Stone off, but I refuse to be treated like a toy, being passed around by overconfident, arrogant jocks.
I put my back to Stone, but before I can say anything, he grips my shoulder and pulls me back so hard I nearly trip.
He’s in front of me, and his fists are by his sides. “If you ever insinuate her sleeping with you guys again, I will break each of your necks.”
This asshole. He thinks he can start a degrading rumor about me but then get angry when someone actually tries to act on it? Or worse, come to my rescue?
“I don’t need you to fight my battles for me.” I step in front of him.
The lacrosse players chuckle and shake their heads at Stone’s threat, but before I can say anything to them, Stone’s hands are on my waist, and I’m lifted off the floor. He spins around and drops me down, all while refusing to meet my eye. He turns his back to me again, and I want to scream.
“Get the fuck away from her.”
I want to bang my fists on Stone’s back, but I don’t. The lacrosse players walk past Stone, and one of them winks, but I keep my expression steady and poised. I wait until Stone takes a step in the opposite direction, but I’m not going to continue to ignore him like he wants.
“How dare you start a rumor like that about me?” I say, picking up my pace to match his stride. His jaw is as sharp as the knife in my back from the rumor he started. “What was your plan with that one? Are you trying to get me raped?”
Stone stops moving so abruptly I have to take a step back to stay beside him. He remains even-faced. I don’t even think he’s blinked. His chest is heaving, so I poke a little more.
“Are the nightmares that I’m having not enough for you? Wanted to add some more?”
His eye twitches, and I tighten my high pony with confidence. I said I was too exhausted to fight with him, but it’s addicting at this point, which is terrifying.
“What was it you said again?” I ask over my shoulder when I reach the door.
If I don’t hurry, I’ll be late for my shift, and that’s not an option. The more money I save, the sooner I can be in my own place without having to share a house with someone like him.
“You aren’t sure what poor girls like me would do to keep a roof over their head?” I snicker. “Maybe I will move in with them. Would be better than sharing a house with a self-centered asshole who can’t even apologize.”
I smile deviously, but it falls when his voice skims my back.
“Takes one to know one.”
My pony whips against my cheek when I turn. “Excuse me?” Self-centered? I am the very opposite of that. Years and years of saving my father from jail time, giving him all my money, and cooking drugs for him is far from self-centered. I gave up my morals for him. I gave up my sanity for him.
Stone keeps his dark and broody glare pinned above my head, and I almost lift my knee and ram him in the balls.
“You’re so self-centered you planted drugs in my truck to save your own ass, Sticks. So shut the fuck up about being self-centered.”
His eyes drop to mine unexpectedly, and my world stops for a second.
“And would someone so self-centered sleep three feet from you every night in case you start screaming and wake the whole neighborhood?”
My throat closes.
I’m defeated.
Stone beat me, and I let him.
“No one is asking you to sleep outside my door,” I snap with hidden embarrassment.
I didn’t know he was sleeping out there. The few times I’ve left my room for water after a nightmare coated me with sweat, he was always near but never asleep.
I probably woke him.
My cheeks burn, and he notices.
“Tell me if those guys bother you again,” he demands, face etched with rage. He brushes past me, and the door flies open, allowing cool air to cover my heated skin.
I glance at the clock and curse because I’m going to be late for my shift.
And it’s all Stone’s fault.