Page 13 of Ashton

“Not long enough.” I roll my eyes, going back to my phone. Of course, that’s not enough for him to steer clear of me. He could never learn the word. No.

He plucks my phone from my hand. I reach for it, but he tucks it in his back pocket.

“Give it back, you asshole.”

He waves his finger at me. “Not until you agree to go out on one date.” He smirks.

“Never gonna happen, Cam. Give me back my phone.” I hold my hand out, waiting. When he doesn’t move, I snap my fingers, getting impatient. “Give it. The date will never happen.”

Florence clears her throat. “Cameron and Liam, what can I do for you, gentlemen?”

Cameron loses focus, and I snatch my phone back. His hand reaches out, grabbing my wrist. His nails dig into my skin. I try to pull back, but it only makes him grip me tighter.

“Don’t even think about it,” he murmurs, his head slightly bowed

“Ms. Florence.” Liam interrupts. “We need a new schedule for the swim team. Coach hasn’t updated ours.”

Florence presses her glasses up, lowering her head back to her keyboard. “Have a seat, gentlemen. The dean will see you soon.”

Cameron lets go of me finally, raising his hands. “What does that mean?” He bit off each word.

“It means wait your turn or leave,” Florence tells him, not missing a beat.

I turn my body away from Cam, rubbing my wrist. Since the party, I made it a point to stay far away from him. Ever since the bathroom incident, I haven’t been in the same room as him. I go to stand, and Cam slams his hand on my thigh, stopping me. My body tenses when his finger moves under my skirt.

“Where are you going?” he demands, with a feral look in his eyes.

Liam steps in front, blocking Florence’s view. I cling to the armrest, staring at Liam’s back, not moving as Cam slides his hand further up my thigh.

“See, I knew you wanted this, Jinx. Why fight me all this time?” He moves my hair away from my neck, rubbing his finger along my throat.

My stomach bottoms out; dread creeps in as I try to catch my breath. I feel nothing as he continues to stroke my neck. He moves closer, brushing his nose against my ear. I close my eyes, wishing my body would cooperate and move. I grip the chair tighter when I feel my body shake.

“Fuck, Jinx, you smell amazing,” Cam whispers into my ear.

A sudden pain grips me by the throat when I try to tell Cam no. I’m screaming at my body to move away, to do something, but I’m rooted to my chair. Liam’s body begins to blur, as tears roll down my cheek the more Cam strokes my neck.

His finger moves to my cheek, wiping away my tears. “Aw. What’s wrong? I like you like this, not talking back.”

His other hand hasn’t moved any closer, but one slip and his finger could slip under my underwear. Fear turns my stomach, thinking about what he could do; no one would notice. A small whimper passes my lips, and Cam smirks. Finally, getting a reaction from me. His eyes glimmered with amusement.

Deep laughs come from the hall, distracting Cameron. I can finally fight my body and shove his hand from under my skirt. Drawing in a harsh breath, I turn to him.

“Touch me again, and you’ll be sorry.”

He flashed his teeth with a grin. “Don’t make promises, Jinx.”

Dad rounds the corner with the new coach, patting him on the shoulder like they are best friends. Liam and Cameron move quickly, cutting them off. My mind is racing with what just happened. I can’t see Dad like this. He’ll know something happened.

With shaky knees, I stand, trying to be quiet so they don’t see me. I just rounded the chair.

“Odette. Did you need something?”

The sound of his voice makes me want to shatter. Staring at the door, I don’t dare turn my head to look at him. The moment I do, I’ll cry.

“No, Dean Hawthorne. I’ll come back later.” My lips trembled around the words.

“I’m sure she’s fine, aren’t you, Jinx.” Cameron laughed as he spoke.

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