Page 35 of Paper Doll
Now that he’s seen me peeping, I should definitely turn away… but for some reason, Idon’t. Raf stares at me and I stare right back, almost as if in challenge. It’s like we’re daring one another to be the first to break eye contact. I’m not sure whether it’s an act of defiance– to show I’m not afraid of him– or if it has more to do with the heat that’s starting to crawl up my neck as I watch him fuck her, a dull throb starting to pulse between my own legs.
Before I can even fully grasp my own confusing reaction to the sight before me, his hips punch forward hard, eyes squeezing closed as he comes with a loud grunt. It’s jarring enough to break me out of whatever trance I’m in, and I finally wake the hell up and get out of there, nearly tripping over my feet as I scramble away through the maze of aisles.
I never did locate the textbook for my anatomy class, but I don’t stick around to continue my search. I emerge from the stacks, skirt around the circulation desk, and hightail it straight out of the library, practically diving through both sets of double doors to get outside.
“Whoa, you alright there, Ava?” a male voice asks.
I suck in a gasp, whipping around in a circle, expecting to see one of the other Kings…
I nearly faint with relief when I see Bryce standing there instead, brows drawn together in concern as he observes my erratic behavior.
“Bryce,” I breathe, pressing a hand to my chest and panting. “Yeah, I’m fine, I just…” I trail off with a shuddered sigh, and then for some reason, I unload. “Ugh, today has been the worst, and men are pigs– no offense– and I need to just go back to my dorm and bury my head in a book to try to catch up, but I’m starving, and…”
“Whoa, slow down,” Bryce cuts in with a chuckle, holding up his hands. “Shit, girl, I’m way too stoned to keep up with you right now.”
I blow out a slow breath, combing my fingers through my hair and grasping for some semblance of composure. “Sorry. Bad day.”
Bryce tilts his head, his eyes rounded in sympathy. “NowthatI can understand.” He steps closer to me, slinging an arm over my shoulders and directing me down the path away from the library. “Why don’t we just grab you a to-go bag from the Bistro and get you back to your dorm, eh?”
I scrunch up my nose, turning to look at him as we walk. “A to-go bag? That’s a thing here?”
Bryce nods.
“Jesus, rich people really go all out, don’t they?” I mutter under my breath, though I can’t deny that it’s pretty damnconvenient. The last thing I want to do tonight is sit alone in the cafeteria amongst a bunch of gawking strangers, since I’ve gathered that I’m the latest topic of campus gossip.
“Hey, at least the food’s good,” he shrugs. “Oh man, this one time…”
Bryce launches into a crazy story about a prank a group of students pulled last year where they slipped magic mushrooms into the pizza toppings, and for the first time all day, I laugh and smile and actually feelgood, like college doesn’t suck and this may turn out alright after all. And as we pick up our to-go bags of dinner from the student union and head to the dorms, Bryce doesn’t even ask why I ran out of the library or went on a rant about my shitty day. He leaves me plenty of openings to talk about it, but he never pries, which is exactly what I need. He lets me pretend that my troubles don’t exist.
We part ways at the landing for the second floor of Sutton Hall, where Bryce’s room is located, then I continue up to the fourth floor on my own. When I unlock the door and walk into my dorm, I’m surprised to find Richelle inside after days away. She’s just sitting on her bed casually reading a book, as if she isn’t actually the world’s worst roommate.
“Oh, you’re back,” I remark, closing the door behind me and flipping the deadbolt into place.
“I am,” she sighs.
As I enter the room and sling my backpack off my shoulders, she doesn’t even bother to look up from the pages of the novel spread across her lap.
“Where’d you go?” I ask, putting my back to her as I haul my backpack up onto my desk and unzip it.
“I was with my boyfriend.”
I turn to glance over at her, brows lifting in surprise. “I didn’t realize you were dating someone.”
Richelle closes her book with a sigh, finally looking up at me. “He’s older, so we keep it pretty hush-hush.”
“Hm.” I turn away, reaching into my backpack to pull out my to-go bag of dinner.
“You’re not mad at me about the other night, are you?” she asks, sounding more annoyed than anything.
I whip back around, suddenly furious. “Yeah, I am!” I exclaim, throwing up my arms. “I was freakingkidnapped, and you justwatchedthem take me!”
“Ohhhkay,” Richelle sighs, tossing her book aside. “What the hell did you expect me to do, Ava? Getting in their way would’ve been a suicide mission.”
“I don’t know, call campus security or something?!”
She rolls her eyes. “Who do you think campus security works for?”
I throw up a hand, gesturing wildly. “Okay, the police, then!”
