CHAPTER 4
CASHTON
I woke up before my alarms on Monday morning, the restless energy forcing me out of bed. I decided on a quick run before heading to the gym, the cool, predawn air bracing against my skin. The sun had yet to rise as I pulled my blacked-out 1972 Chevelle SS fastback into my usual spot in the parking lot. Kaptan’s motorcycle was parked in the space next to mine, letting me know he was already inside.
I grabbed my duffel bag from the passenger seat and stepped out, heading into Savage Strike—the boxing gym owned by Kaptan and Zayn’s family. Sure enough, I spotted Kap in the far corner, relentlessly working one of the hanging punching bags. He had his usual intensity, his strikes echoing softly in the otherwise quiet space.
I started my own warm-up routine, wrapping my hands and letting the familiar rhythm of movement take over. A light sheen of sweat gathered under my hoodie, but the heat was welcome—anything to burn off the frustration brewing under the surface.
“Hey, man,” Kaptan called as he made his way over, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “Wanna hit the ring?”
I nodded, grateful for the opportunity. A sparring session was exactly what I needed to clear my head. With my first class of the day looming—and the guarantee of seeing Landry Andrews—it was the perfect way to let off some steam before the storm hit.
We made our way onto one of the canvases, opting for gloves in order to keep any damage minimal. Kaptan was massive, and though we were close in height, he definitely had quite a bit of weight on me.
“What are you doing here so early anyways?” He asked, throwing a jab that I easily dodged.
“Couldn’t sleep, figured I would get some extra training in before class. You?”
He scoffed in response to the seemingly ridiculous question. “I’m always here this early.”
I threw a right hook that he dodged, throwing a counter punch in return. The sun was beginning to rise, and I heard shuffling around us as more people began showing up. We kept at it for a good half-hour before making our way to the showers at the back of the gym.
"Everything okay with you lately?" Kaptan asked as I tugged on a pair of jeans and a fresh T-shirt.
"Yeah, man," I replied, keeping it short.
But he wasn’t buying it. He shot me a pointed look, arms crossed. "You’ve been in here more than usual this week. "
"Just got a lot on my mind, that’s all." I offered, hoping he'd leave it at that.
His smirk turned teasing. "Girl problems?"
"Something like that." I muttered, avoiding his gaze.
The last thing I wanted was to drag him into the mess that was me and Landry. Hell, I couldn’t even figure it out myself. How was I supposed to explain that the same girl who fueled this white-hot rage in me had also managed to creep into my thoughts more times than I cared to admit?
“Is it Courtney?” Of course Kaptan would think it had to do with Courtney. I’m sure he had noticed her hanging on to me for the majority of the pool party last weekend.
Which led me directly to remembering the wide-eyed Landry that had walked in on her giving me head that same day. The stunned look on her face as she had taken in the scene, her pretty little mouth formed into a soft “O” causing me to nearly cum right then and there.
And the crazy thing was, I could have sworn I felt lust emanating from her in that moment. I didn’t want to admit the number of times in the following week that I had jacked off to my own hand with that face in mind.
“Fuck no. I let her suck my dick once and she hasn’t left me alone since. Probably shouldn’t have let it happen in the first place.”
Kaptan chuckled, nodding in agreement before tossing a glance over his shoulder and making his next guess. “Does this have anything to do with that Landry girl?”
The sound of her name sent a jolt through me, grating against my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. I stiffened involuntarily, and that brief reaction was all he needed to confirm his suspicion. A sly grin spread across his face as he pressed on.
“Figured something was going on between you two once you stormed out of the hot tub the other day.”
“So you noticed?”
“Yeah man. Pretty sure everyone noticed.”
I was surprised that I hadn’t heard anything regarding my actual conversation with her in the kitchen. I was almost positive she would have immediately ran to Olivia crying about how the asshole that I was.
But Olivia hadn’t mentioned anything the few times that I had seen her since the party, so I guess the girl had decided to keep her mouth shut after all.
I took a moment to steady myself, deciding just how much I was willing to share. Kaptan, ever patient, leaned his broad frame against the lockers, arms crossed, watching me with a mix of curiosity and expectation. His expression said he wasn’t going to let this go anytime soon, but at least he was giving me the space to figure out my words.
I took a deep breath, leaning forwards on the bench and bracing my forearms on my knees. My eyes dropped to the floor, unable to meet his as the words slipped out. “Landry went to high school in Benbrook.”
Kaptan didn’t respond right away, but the flicker of understanding crossing his face told me he was piecing it together.
When the silence stretched, I forced myself to continue, knowing he’d already reached the conclusion I was heading towards. “She was at the New Year’s Eve party. ”
For a moment, neither of us spoke, the weight of the revelation hanging heavy between us. Finally, Kaptan broke the quiet, his tone steady, his words less of a question and more of a statement. “She was one of the girls.”
I nodded.
“What do you want to do about it?” he asked, his voice calm but resolute. I didn’t need to look at him to know he meant it. Kaptan had always been in my corner, no questions asked, ready to back me no matter what. This time was no different—I could see it in the steady set of his jaw and the unwavering tone of his voice.
A minute passed before I admitted “I don’t know. But I don’t think she knows who I am and I want to keep it that way for now in order to figure it out. I can do more damage if she doesn’t see me coming.”
Kaptan nodded in agreement.
“Just let me know what you need from me.”
—
I arrived at Communications with ten minutes to spare, sliding into the same seat as last time with a few of my buddies. It wasn’t long before Landry showed up late again, and I couldn’t help but internally critique her apparent lack of time-management skills.
She hurried into one of the front-row seats, fumbling to pull her laptop out just as Professor Lee began the lecture.
If she felt my gaze on her, she gave no indication, her focus locked on the screen in front of her. Yet, for reasons I couldn’t quite explain, I found myself distracted, an inexplicable pull urging me to steal another glance at those striking baby-blue eyes.
My cock nearly hardened just at the thought of them. I wanted to simultaneously watch her burn while also taking out my frustrations on her sweet little cunt.
She wasn’t wearing any makeup today, her blonde hair piled into a messy bun on top of her head, which only made the faint dark circles under her eyes more noticeable. I couldn’t help but wonder if she wasn’t sleeping well, and for some twisted reason, I liked the idea that something might be keeping her up at night. Though I doubted it was a guilty conscience—girls like her didn’t seem the type to carry the weight of remorse.
Her oversized T-shirt practically swallowed her, giving the impression that she’d rolled out of bed just minutes ago. It caught me off guard—the lack of effort in her appearance. Girls like her usually didn’t step out in public without a full face of makeup and a carefully curated outfit. But evidently not Landry.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out to find a few texts from the group chat with the guys. I noticed another one had come through from my mother, asking if I would come home soon to see her. I hesitated before shutting my phone and returning it to my pocket. I loved my mother more than anything, but I couldn’t do this with her right now. My head was too fucked up, and she would immediately know that something was going on with me. So, I would avoid her until I was back to being able to keep my emotions in check, a concept that I usually excelled at.
But something about Landry Andrews showing up to Ivybrook this year was pushing me over the edge .
Everything was still so raw, and seeing her walk into that party had torn open some wounds that hadn’t fully yet gotten the chance to heal. But I would figure all of this out, I always did. I just needed to think straight and keep myself from acting out impulsively.
I shot a glance to the primary cause of all of this frustration. And I promised myself that she would get what’s coming, I would make sure of it.