Page 27 of Ramsey & Emerson

I grabbed the textbook that I’d been looking for, shut my locker, then turned to him. “I figured.”

Deke grimaced. “It’s bad though, Ram,” he elaborated. “Your interest in her has caused a hate storm like you wouldn’t believe. Fuck, even some of the guys are jealous of her.”

My feet started moving, and Deke started walking down the hallway with me. “That’s fucking stupid. Everyone knows that I’m straight, Deke.”

“It’s not about that, Ram,” he went on. “Everyone wants to be where me and Liam are, and after years and years of trying, no one has been able to make their way in. Then, suddenly, this girl shows up, and she’s in without even wanting to be.” Deke let out a low whistle. “People are losing their goddamn minds over it, Ram.”

I understood the point that he was trying to make. Jealousy came in all forms, not just sexual. When you wanted something so badly-didn’t matter what it was-and someone else had it…well, that would be enough to spark the fires of jealousy.

“It’ll be fine,” I replied.

Deke stopped in his tracks, forcing me to stop with him to hear what he had to say. “Are you seriously telling me that you’re going to be able to stand by and let people treat her like shit? You’re going to throw her to the wolves, then just stand back and watch them feast on her?”

I couldn’t help my laugh. His concern was amusing. How many times had Emerson used the sheep reference on me? Even when I’d first seen her, that analogy had been the first thought I’d had. Emerson was a wolf amongst sheep, and this little experiment was just designed to make her realize that she was outnumbered and needed the shepherd just to give her peace. No real harm would come to her because something told me that verbal taunts wouldn’t put a dent in her armor. Plus, I was pretty sure that, even if things got physical, Emerson could kick some ass.

“It’ll be fine, Deke,” I tried to reassure him. “Emerson’s not some weak bitch that’ll be sent to the principal’s office in tears.”

He shook his head at me as he resumed walking. “You hardly know her, Ramsey. How can you accurately judge how much is too much for her?”

My nerves rankled at his comment about me hardly knowing Emerson. Logically, I knew that he was right. However, emotionally, I felt like he was way off base. I might notknowEmerson in the traditional sense, but I felt her.

I. Felt. Her.

I compromised. “Fine,” I conceded. “If you come across a situation where you think she might be in actual danger, step in. Tell Liam to do the same.”

Deke nodded, then took a left down the hallway to his second period. I turned right, then wondered if he might be right. I knew that the kids here could be ruthless, but I was banking on Emerson reaching her point of irritation and calling on me for help before anything serious happened, because anything happening to Emerson would be bad.

Very bad.

Chapter 16

Emerson~

Ramsey had ignored me all morning long, and it hadn’t been long before I realized why.

He was teaching me a lesson.

He was throwing down a challenge.

When I’d told Ramsey to leave me alone Friday night, he had decided to put my convictions to the test. At first, I thought that he was going to just fade off into the night, and I’d be able to live the rest of my Windsor Academy existence in peace. However, I’d been proven wrong rather quickly.

It had started after first period when I had skipped the trip to my locker, heading straight to second period. Students had begun to make snide remarks as I had passed, and they’d made no effort to lower their voices or even pretend not to be talking about me. A random ‘slut’ here and ‘what a whore’ there, and by the time that lunch had rolled around, people were flat out laughing at me. Girls were being catty, and guys were being sleazy.

Roselyn’s body jostled mine as she dropped her weight on the picnic bench next to me. It was lunchtime, but my appetite was nonexistent. It also wasn’t the name calling or even the overaggressive overtures of the guys that had me ill at ease. It was the tiny seed of anxiety resting in the pit of my stomach that was telling me that something bad was going to happen.

Ramsey, Liam, and Deke were completely ignoring me, and their avoidance felt like the calm before a dangerous storm. Their obvious disregard for me felt like a huge bull’s eye on my back. I knew that they ruled the school, and me falling out of favor with them was a signal to everyone else that I was beyond not welcomed.

“You sure you want to sit here?” I asked Roselyn.

She snorted, completely unfazed. She snapped open her soda can, then asked, “Do you honestly believe that I care if these people like me or not?”

I turned back to my lunch. “I guess not,” I replied dryly.

“Besides, I can think of worse things to be called besides a whore.” She took a drink of her soda, then after swallowing, laughed. “Hell, I wish I had it in me to be a whore.”

An unattractive laugh blurted out from my lips as I turned to her. “Why?”

She looked at me, then smiled impishly. “Just imagine how much fun it would be to be a complete slut,” she said in wonder.

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