Page 99 of Destroying Everleigh

I struggled against Ashton, but he was gripping my biceps, making it difficult to move in general. “It’s fine.”

It wasn’t that serious. I didn’t understand why Ashton was hellbent on taking me with them. To torture me more probably. That thought was unsettling. It made no sense to me. Lucas wasn’t abusive. He just made a mistake. It could have happened to anyone. My thoughts were a jumbled mess, making it difficult to sort through them.

Ashton glanced over at Kash. “Take Evie to Amber’s.” He gave him a pointed look, indicating that it wasn’t really where we were going.

I opened my mouth to protest, but Kash was already grabbing for me, threading his fingers through mine. His hands were softer than expected, and I wondered if he had some kind of skin routine. The thought made me want to laugh. He had more tattoos than Jameson along with a lip piercing. His dark blonde hair fell to one side, giving him an edgier appearance. He didn’t seem the type to worry much about his skin.

Lucas was shouting as Kash tugged me in the direction of his truck, and I didn’t even have to look to know that Ashton was probably blocking his path to me.

“He’s just going to show up at my house later,” I pointed out, a hint of amusement to my tone even though nothing about this situation was funny. This would just delay the inevitable.

“Hopefully he’s cooled off by then,” he replied, dropping my hand once we reached his vehicle. He fished his keys from his pocket and unlocked the doors. “Do you still need help climbing into the truck?” He smirked.

I narrowed my eyes at him. Ashton had a truck when we were teenagers and it had been lifted, making it damn near impossiblefor my short legs to get up in it. I hadn’t grown much since then, but I’d try just to spite him.

I rounded the vehicle and jerked the car door open. This vehicle wasn’t as lifted as Ashton’s had been, so that gave me some relief. I placed my palm on the inside of the door and used it for support, pushing myself up to put my foot on the metal frame. It was easier than expected, but still had my heart thundering in my chest due to my overwhelming fear of slipping and making a fool out of myself. I closed the door behind me and tugged the seatbelt over my chest to click it in.

“I’m impressed,” Kash said as he climbed in on the driver’s side.

“I’m not completely helpless.”

He snorted in amusement, and I was taken aback by how normal this felt. A sense of longing filled me, and I abruptly turned to look out the window. The sound of the engine revving filled my ears, and he tore out of the parking lot at an unnecessarily quick speed. I didn’t know where we were going, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to get away for a moment. I knew he would never truly hurt me, so there was nothing to really worry about in that sense.

Kash’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel, his jaw flexing as he kept his eyes pinned on the road. “There’s something you should know,” he said after a few moments.

My head fell back against the seat. I already knew I wasn’t going to like whatever he was about to tell me. Nothing could just beeasyfor me. It was one thing after another, a storm wrecking through my life, turning everything upside down in its path. Part of me wanted to stay ignorant, to tell him to shut the hell up because I wasn’t sure how much more I could handle. But the other part of me knew that it would eat me alive if he said nothing. Especially after dropping a bomb like that.

I blew out a breath. “What is it?”

Kash continued to stare at the road for a long while, his tongue flicking over his lip ring a few times. “Amber and Jameson…” he trailed off. “They’re dating.”

A knot formed in my stomach at that revelation. Amber hadn’t said anything, and she was usually pretty forthcoming about the guys she messed around with. Then again, I haven’t spoken to her a whole lately.

“Since when?” I asked softly.

He grimaced, clenching his jaw again. “Since the night of the chemistry project.”

My eyes fluttered closed, guilt swarming through my stomach. He fuckingliedto me. And for what? To get in my pants, or to ruin my friendship? Heat built behind my eyes, warning me of the angry tears that threatened to spill. I was glad he told me, though. Even if it was a little bit too late for that. It was still better than discovering it on my own. This just solidified what I already knew. That night had meant absolutely nothing to him. The things he said, the way he held me, the intimate way he slid in and out of me at first before roughly pounding me into the mattress.

I sucked in a ragged breath, hating that it bothered me so deeply. I couldn’t understand why he had sex with me. If it was to sabotage me in some way, wouldn’t he have wanted me to know about Amber sooner? Suddenly, the way he’d just been holding her to his side made a lot more sense. They were in a relationship.

“Thanks for telling me,” I mumbled.

He glanced over at me, an unreadable expression etched into his features. “You didn’t know?”

I shook my head. “He said they were just talking.”

It shouldn’t hurt as much as it did. Not only did he lie to me to get me to have sex with him, but he was dating Amber—the closest person to me. Someone that has been by my side since Imet her. Maybe he really was interested in her, which I suppose was better than him using her, but both scenarios were pretty messed up. I’d been vulnerable with him, and now it was coming back to bite me in the ass.

I blew out a breath, watching the trees and buildings blur by as we drove down a random road. On the bright side, even if Lucas did decide to show up at my house later, I had to work. With everything going on in my life currently, being with him was starting to feel like more of a burden.

We continued to ride around for about ten more minutes before Kash finally made his way back to campus and pulled into the parking lot of the fraternity. My stomach was still in knots as I hoisted myself out of the vehicle. We were both silent as we made our way toward the front door. Everyone was already here, their cars scattered throughout the driveway.

I followed Kash into the building, my heart sinking all over again when my eyes locked with Jameson’s. He was seated in the armchair with Amber in his lap, just like the last time we’d all been here together.

“Did Lucas say where he was going?” I asked, glancing over at Ashton who was taking up the far side of the couch.

Ashton took a sip of his beer, his eyes on me the entire time. I tried not to let it affect me. But the truth was, they all affected me. “No,” he bit out.

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