Page 11 of Destroying Everleigh

Lucas nodded, seeming to believe my lie. “It’s all good, man. Shit happens. This game can get intense from time to time.” He steered her off the field and onto the sidelines where Coach started to help her get cleaned up.

The game was back in motion as soon as Lucas returned, but for once, I didn’t even feel the urge to play anymore. My head was spinning with confusion. I’d wanted to hurt her, and I did.But maybe it shouldn’t have been like that. I’d never been a woman beater or wanted to intentionally make someone smaller than me bleed like that—especially a girl. It didn’t matter what she’d done. It was a weak shot, and I knew it. From now on, I needed to target her emotionally. Not that I’d never do anything physical to hurt her, but not like this. She deserved to hurt, to cry, to pay, to feel regret, and I intended on making that happen. One day at a time until she had nothing left.

CHAPTER FOUR

Ashton

Age 15

Maneskin - I Wanna be Your Slave

I’d officially asked Everleigh to be my girlfriend last night, and she agreed. I’ve been sitting in the cafeteria all morning, watching the door for her. She’d been on my mind all damn night, making sleep impossible. Finally, I’d gotten to touch her—to feel the warmth of her skin. Even if it wasn’t as far as I would have liked to go with her, it was enough. For now.

But fuck I wanted more.

To know what it would feel like to sink inside of her. To feel her clamp down on me as she writhed under my weight. My dick stirred to life at the mere fantasy.

The girl beside me shifted her weight, pressing her chest against my arm to get my attention. I glanced in her direction, groaning internally when our eyes locked. Her blonde hair fell around her shoulders in curls. Crystal Hopkins. I’ve had sex with her a couple times when there was nothing better to do. She waspretty, but she’d also already ran through a quarter of the guys soccer team.

“Are you going to the pumpkin patch this weekend?” she asked.

We lived in an average sized town, and there were tons of activities going on this time of year. My family was huge on holiday traditions and making the most out of everything. So, yes. I was going.

“That’s the plan,” I replied, swinging my gaze back to the door. She still hasn’t shown, and my stomach was beginning to twist with anxiety. What if she was already having regrets? Maybe she’d felt obligated to agree because of what we’d been doing.

Crystal’s voice had me turning to look at her again. “Maybe we could hang out there,” she suggested with a tilt of her head.

I thought about that for a moment. Crystal was one of my best friends. Yeah, the lines were a little blurred there, but I enjoyed spending time with her here and there. Maybe if she really got to know Everleigh, she’d like her, too.

“Yeah, sure,” I agreed. Maybe Everleigh would want to go, too, and they could officially meet. Maybe if they got time to hang out one on one, Crystal would actually view her as another human being.

She perked up at that, winding her arms around my bicep, clinging to me like she was my girlfriend. I shifted uncomfortably, torn between shoving her off me, and not knowing what to do. I didn’t want to be a dick to her.

As if fate decided to fuck me up the ass with a giant cactus, my gaze moved from Crystal to the entryway of the cafeteria. Right where Everleigh was now standing with confusion written all over her face, a stitch between her brows, and disbelief sparkling within her eyes as she stared right at me. She looked between me and Crystal for a moment before shaking her head,hitching her bag higher over her shoulder, and turning in the opposite direction.

“Shit,” I muttered, shaking Crys from my arm. She stumbled sideways, catching herself on the edge of the table.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

But I was already rising, hurrying across the room and darting in the direction I’d seen her go. Suddenly, I felt like an idiot. I never should have let her touch me. Even if it wasn’t sexual or wrong by my standards, it could easily be perceived that way. I shoved through a group of students, whipping my head back and forth to find her, but she was gone.

Sighing, I leaned against the nearest wall, running my hands through my hair in frustration. It wasn’t like there was a handbook on teen dating. All I knew was that I actually wanted her and didn’t want to mess it up.

When the warning bell rang, I made my way to first period, my head a mess. I slipped into a seat near the back, dropping my bag on the ground beside my desk. My math teacher was quick to take the front of the room, going over a quiz we’d taken recently. As she talked, my mind drifted back to the dark-headed girl I couldn’t stop thinking about even if I tried.

She probably hated me now.

My friend Jameson slipped into the seat nearest to me, propping his feet up on the basket beneath the desk before him. “Hey,” he greeted, shooting me a lazy smile. His eyes were rimmed with red, and the distinct scent of marijuana clung to his clothing.

We’ve been friends since grade school. He was the one person I knew I could count on for anything. His mom passed away when he was younger, leaving him with his piece of shit father. Because of their strained relationship, he’d often spend the night with me. Hell, the dude practically lived with me. My parents adored him, so it wasn’t an issue.

“Sup?” I replied, allowing my gaze to take in his disheveled appearance. His dark hoodie was wrinkled, his brown hair sticking up at all ends.

“Not shit. You tryna dip after class?”

I huffed a laugh, shaking my head. As tempting as the thought was, I needed to speak with Everleigh. I didn’t want her thinking that what she saw meant anything. It just looked bad. That was it.

“Nah. I have some shit to take care of. But if you do it, I won’t tell.” I smirked, knowing this was the last place he wanted to be. Home was supposed to be a sanctuary, but that wasn’t the case for him.

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