Page 50 of For Three Seconds

“Next time, be on time,” the professor called out, and people turned to look at me.

I nodded, hating everyone’s attention on me. I sank in my seat as if that would ward off people’s eyes from me. My eyes scanned the room until I found Gavin, but he wasn’t turned toward me; he was looking at the front of the class.

I didn’t think much of it.

When class ended, I packed my things and walked out, but I did it slowly. A part of me wanted Gavin to come up to me. To tell me that what happened between us wasn’t a mistake.

I knew he was behind me; I could feel his gaze on my skin like flames kissing all over it. He didn’t approach me, though. I felt stupid for even thinking he would. He’d basically told me he hated me.

I closed my eyes tightly for thinking things could be different. I put it to the back of my mind and carried on. When the last of my Monday class ended I was tired, and not just physically, but I had to go to the library for research.

I didn’t feel like walking to my car, then driving to the library, which was stupid on my part, but honestly, I didn’t care.

Caring only makes you more broken.And I was tired of feeling that way.

When I got to the library, I was able to find solace in the one place that had groups of people being quiet. It made me feel a bit better about myself. I worked on my project, and I gave in to all my work. When they announced the library would close, I was surprised to see how much time had passed. That’s when I looked at my phone and noticed it was almost eleven o’clock.

Shit.

Fuck me.

I packed my things as quickly as possible and put them in my satchel. This was what not thinking got me, and now I had to walk all the way across campus in the freaking dark. A few students walked out with me, all of them going to the parking lot. I would be the only one walking alone in the dark.

A minute later, I was embraced by darkness while everyone else was safely in their cars. It was a little ironic how it described the way I usually felt about myself, except tonight it made me a little frightened. I felt a chill run down my spine when I heard footsteps behind me. I walked faster when the steps got heavier.

“Scar, it’s me.”

I screamed at the same time the stranger touched my arm. Yeah, not happening. I was not going down without a fight. I turned, scared out of my damn mind, and hit my attacker, but they were faster, turning me in their arms, their hands trying to stop me from fighting back by making a human straightjacket.

“Let me go, asshole,” I hissed, still thrashing.

I even threw my head back, only to meet solid chest. Call me morbid, but I seemed to attract tragedies, and me walking alone in the dark now seemed like a horrible idea.

I was so fucked.

“Scarlett, it’s me,” the voice said again, closer to my ear, and I shivered.

Someone needed to send me to the loony bin because that shit was not normal.

“I’m going to kick your ass.” I seethed.

My attacker started to laugh, and that made me pause.

I was breathing heavily, and somewhere in the rules of what not to do when getting abducted was stop trying to get away.

My attacker was still laughing when he brought his chin down and rested it on my shoulder. My heart was about to go into cardiac arrest it was beating so fast.

“I’m sorry for scaring you.”

I closed my eyes and for a nanosecond almost wished I was getting abducted because now I recognized the voice.

“Fuck you, Gavin! You scared me!” I shouted, and the fucker held me closer. Seriously, what the fuck was wrong with him? “What were you thinking!”

“I said your name,” he teased.

“I thought I was getting abducted!”

“Would an abductor call your name before they touched you?” he asked, and I was pretty sure he sniffed my hair.

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