Page 107 of Destroying Everleigh

Jameson wiped at his face, flinging the smoothie all over the place in the process. Ashton lurched back to dodge it, much to my dismay. But he’d be getting his. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Evie,” Jameson warned, shooting me a glare.

“What?” I asked innocently. “You can dish it, but you can’t take it? I didn’t realize you were such a pussy.” I spat the last word, driving my point home. In the next breath, I was turning on my heels and stalking back to my table where Colt, Lucas, and Alex were still sitting.

Colt raised his eyebrows, his gaze flickering to the table I’d just vacated. “Not going to lie. That was hot as fuck.” He grinned.

I huffed a laugh and dropped down across from him. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins, and food was the last thing on my mind now. I just wanted to get this stupid day over with. My phone vibrated in the front pocket of my jeans a moment later, causing my eyebrows to dip in confusion. I tugged it out and glanced at the screen.

Ashton

Nice ass.

I rolled my eyes, hating the way my heart sped up at his words. Fuck him. He was deliberately trying to get under my skin, and it wasn’t going to work. I decided to leave him on read and was just about to put my phone away when an incoming call flashed across my screen.

“Grandma?” I asked. “Is everything okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” she countered, sounding offended that I would automatically assume the worst.

I winced, pressing my phone harder against my ear to drown out some of the background noise. “Sorry,” I muttered. “How are Emma and Tate adjusting?”

“They’re doing great.” She beamed. “I just dropped them off at school, but that’s not why I’m calling.” She cleared her throat and there was shuffling on the other end of the line. “The arrangements for your mother’s funeral have been made. Are you available Sunday morning? We can have a nice service and then meet up for lunch.”

My chest tightened at the reminder. She said she would handle everything regarding Mom’s funeral, and it did take longer than expected, but the thought of showing up and talking about her was weighing on me heavily.

“Yeah. I’m free.”

“Great. I’ll send you a link to the service by the end of the day. Have a good day at school.”

I thanked her before hanging up, my mood instantly killed.

Colt’s eyes widened as he looked at something behind me. “Oh shit,” he muttered, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Someone’s pissed.”

I turned around to see what the hell he was talking about, just in time for Jameson to scoop me out of the table and plant me on my feet. A gasp got lodged in my throat as he wrapped me in a bear hug, drenching my outfit in the disgusting smoothie I’d just poured on him. I started shoving at him, the smell making me gag.

Jameson laughed, bringing his mouth a breath away from my ear. “You’re going to have to do better than that, Evie.” He nipped my earlobe, sending a shudder through my body.

I slammed my palms against his chest, causing him to stumble back a few steps. “Oh, I plan to.”

Colt eyed us suspiciously but was smart enough not to comment on it. I had no doubt in my mind that it would be something sexual or inappropriate. People had stopped their conversations to watch the drama unfold right in front of them. Some of them even had their phones out and were recording. Annoyance and embarrassment trickled through me.

On the bright side, I had a change of clothes in the car—something I’d been making sure of since Jameson started having random girls toss drinks on me during class hours. I shot him a glare before turning on my heels and stalking out of the cafeteria. I grabbed my bag from my vehicle and made a beeline for the bathroom.

I grimaced as I took in the thick, green substance splattered all over my white shirt and upper arms. I peeled off my top and replaced it with a T-shirt before wetting a paper towel and working to get the rest of it off my arms.

He was so fucking annoying.

I’d gone over a few scenarios in my head when orchestrating my little plan, and I thought it had been pretty full proof. Instead, it backfired. I released a frustrated breath before shouldering my bag and started for my chemistry class.

The lab was mostly empty when I arrived, with a few early birds occupying some of the seats. Professor Whitlock was at her desk with her attention focused on the computer in front of her. I took my assigned seat and retrieved my textbook and laptop, placing them on the table in front of me.

It didn’t take long for my classmates to start trickling into the room. Ashton took the spot across from me as usual, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“You’re giving me mixed signals, babe,” he said in a mocking tone. “I thought you were coming afterme.”

I wanted to say something snarky back to him, but he got off on that shit. So, instead, I just shrugged. “Fuck off.”

He glanced at the door as more people found their seats. Chatter erupted all around us, permeating through the air. “Looks like it’s just you and me today.” He smirked.

My chest tightened as I took in Amber’s empty seat. She must have been really pissed off if she was choosing to stay at home. I bit my tongue, fighting the urge to tell him to shut the hell up. The sooner class could get going, the better.

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