Page 98 of Destroying Everleigh

Ashton stared at me with that cold hard look I was growing accustomed to, the one that made it feel like he was trying to burn me alive with his eyes alone. “It’s not up for debate. It’s the least you can do after making us all skip school today.”

My lips parted in surprise. What the hell was his problem? Anger trickled through me at the insinuation. “I didn’tmakeyou do anything. You didn’t even have to come.” I waved a hand in the air dismissively. It wasn’t my fault that he punched Lucas for whatever reason. It wasn’t my fault that his ego was so big he couldn’t control it.

I glanced around the parking lot, trying to find any traces of my boyfriend. Relief pooled in my stomach when I spotted him standing near his car, his eyes falling on me. The blood was mostly gone, but his button-down shirt had stains on it from the assault. Hopefully that meant he hadn’t gone to speak with the dean and had just gone to the bathroom to clean up and compose himself.

“Don’t piss me off right now,” Ashton snapped, a warning flashing across his face.

Jameson moved to stand beside Amber, draping an arm around her shoulders. She glanced up at him in adoration before leaning into his side. A sharp pang sliced through my chest at the sight of them together like that, but I forced it away the best I could. My lower lip curled beneath my teeth as I bit into it and tore my gaze away, only to find Kash watching me, like he was assessing my reactions.

Fuck him. Fuck them all.

I just wanted to go home and curl up in bed like I’d done the day before. My body was depleted of energy, which was strange for someone of my age.

Lucas’s voice rang out and he was moving to greet me within seconds. “Come on, Everleigh.” His tone was hard with an edge to it, the sound sending chills down my spine. It reminded me of the way he’d spoken when he came to the diner with Colt, and I suggested breaking up with him. I’d never considered Lucas to be dangerous before, or even violent. But therehavebeen moments where I wasn’t so sure what he’d do if he was pissed off enough.

Ashton whirled around to face the newest threat, his back snapping ramrod straight. I didn’t miss the way that he slowly backed up until he was blocking my path, caging me in like I was something that needed protecting. But that was laughable. He didn’t give a shit about me. He made sure I knew that.

“She’s not going with you,” Kash said dryly. He was standing at my side, making it to where I was completely boxed in.

I reached out, placing a hand on Ashton’s back. His muscles flexed beneath my touch, probably from the sharp inhale he took. I attempted to push him, to give me room so I could see my boyfriend, but he didn’t budge.

It felt oddly possessive, and I wasn’t sure what to think about that. “You guys are acting like he hit me on purpose.” I huffed out in annoyance.

If that was the case, we would have already broken up. It really wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t have guessed that I would have jumped in between them. I hoped he didn’t think that I was trying to protect Ashton. That wasn’t the case at all. In fact, he needed to get taken down a peg. I just knew that Ashton had more experience with fighting and was a lot bigger than him.

Kash snaked an arm around my waist subtly, his fingers brushing beneath the skin as he shoved them beneath the fabric. My heart started racing from his touch alone, and all I could think about was when we’d been in the kitchen, and he had me on the counter.

“Doesn’t matter,” Jameson added unhelpfully.

“Let me see her,” Lucas snapped. “She’s my girlfriend. If she wants to come with me, she has every right to do so.”

Anxiety rippled through me. I didn’t like this at all. How they were shielding me from my boyfriend, how he was getting more irritated with each passing second, how I was tired of standing in the parking lot. I just wanted to relax, and to forget this day ever happened.

I blew out a breath, racking my brain in an attempt to find some lame excuse that he’d accept. “I’m just going home with Amber,” I decided.

Amber glanced over at me and nodded in approval. It was so subtle that I wasn’t sure if anyone else would be able to pick up on it. I didn’t want Lucas to go home with me. He’d interrogate me and rage about what happened today. I wasn’t in the mood for it. But I also didn’t want to put him in a weird position.

“No,” Lucas growled, his voice growing closer as he approached. Ashton stumbled back against me from being pushed, his back plastering against my front which forced me into the car behind us and crushed Kash’s hand in the process.

My breathing picked up. I didn’t want another fight to break out. The last time he pushed Ashton, he ended up on the floorcovered in blood. Lucas must have pushed him again, because Ash was falling into me again, harder this time. The air left my lungs from the pressure of his body crushing mine and a whimper fell from my lips.

Kash clenched his jaw, unwinding his arm from behind me as soon as Ash managed to right himself again. He tugged me away so that I was no longer behind Ashton. But that left me in perfect view of Lucas, and that was what he wanted.

“If you touch me again, I’m going to lay you the fuck out,” Ashton warned in a cold tone.

I was surprised he was being so lenient with Lucas. It probably had to do more with getting kicked out of school than anything. He wasn’t the most reasonable person.

Lucas looked over at me, his shoulders dropping in relief. “Come on.” He held out a hand, expecting me to run right into his arms. But truth be told, he was scaring me. Dried blood was caked beneath his nose and in the corners of his mouth. His eyes were unhinged-looking, and his posture was rigid. I’d never seen him act this way before.

But I also didn’t want to be the center of whatever the hell this was. These guys hated me, and didn’t owe me anything. I couldn’t exactly expect them to protect me.

My hands trembled at my sides as I took a step toward him. A mixture of fear and adrenaline were coursing through my veins. Would Lucas blame me for what happened? Would he take it out on me? Usually when he got mad, he just distanced himself from me. But I could already tell that wouldn’t be the case this time.

I took another step and another, but as I started to approach him, I was being jerked back just as quickly. My breath caught in my throat, confusion burrowing through me. Ashton’s scent invaded my nostrils as he held me close to his body.

“You hit her,” he accused, staring down Lucas.

My boyfriend scoffed. “It was an accident. She jumped in the way.”

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