Page 8 of Shutout
“Yeah?” Liv frowns.
“You may want to dump him, then. Because he let me believe he was single a second before he shoved his tongue down my throat.”
“You were into it!” the dipshit says, pointing at the redhead. And that’s when it clicks on him that maybe that wasn’t the most important part of her speech. “I mean, I?—”
Liv’s lip starts trembling and she bites it. Her fists tighten at her sides.
“Ah, shit,” I mutter. That’s the same look I put on her face a year ago. I reach for her. “Liv, I?—”
She steps away and all I do is grab air. “Let’s go home,” she says to her friends. “This party blows.”
The two girls wrap their arms around her and steer her away, glaring at Trent over their shoulders. The redhead throws a double bird at him and pushes someone out of the way before blending with the crowd.
“Wait, let me explain.” Trent starts toward the redhead or Liv, I don’t know.
I can’t give Olivia any comfort, unlike her girl friends. But there’s another way I can help. I put my arm up and block his way. “You’re going nowhere, dipshit. Not until we have a good conversation.”
CHAPTER 4
OLIVIA
Canonically speaking, can people be turned into zombies even if they aren’t bitten by one? Because that sure as hell is how I feel, except I don’t remember any remarkable bites other than this morning, when I zoned out while having breakfast cereal and bit my own tongue instead.
I sigh as I follow the throngs out of the main building of St. Cloud’s science faculty, where I just had my molecular and cell biology II final. And also thefinalfinal of the semester.
I survived. Somehow.
My steps are heavy until I stop outside in the middle of the grass. It’s a shocking, luscious green. The exact same shade as Brooklyn Tatum’s eyes. But the sky is the same true blue as my exe’s eyes, and rather than reveling in nature, it pisses me off.
Yeah, I dumped his ass. And by text, too.
Of course, he didn’t like that one bit. He spent weeks trying to corner me at the library or during class. It sucks sweaty cojones that he’s also a bio major, but fortunately the more he deepens his marine bio concentration, the less we’ll cross paths. I just have to hang tight in the meantime.
“Liv, wait!”
Shit, I should’ve kept walking. The flight reflex engages my amygdala. While my logical brain continues acting like a zombie ate it, my legs activate.
“Liv, please.” A huff. “Why are you so damn fast?”
Because I have a gold medal in running from my problems, that’s why.
Not that Trent McFadden is still my problem. I was very clear when I texted him saying we’re through and promptly blocked him. Conversely, if that wasn’t enough, I’ve become an expert at ignoring him every time he’s tried to ambush me. And I’ve discovered some truly excellent hiding spots around campus like cleaning closets, storage rooms, remote bathrooms that smell surprisingly clean, and even under classroom desks. Turns out I’m quite flexible too.
“Would you just wait?”
Of course, life isn’t like a K-Drama. If we were in one, he’d have grabbed my wrist and twirled me around smoothly. But in this crappy reality, he jerks me to a stop by grabbing onto my backpack. And my hair.
“Ugh!”
Trent lets me go. “If you’d just stayed still—I was just trying to catch you.”
I pin the full force of my glare on him as I slowly turn, massaging my scalp. “Shouldn’t you have taken the hint?”
He has the nerve to get annoyed. Huffing, he says, “I just want to talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. You cheated on me with some random girl at a party, which makes me think it’s probably not the first time.” Going by the way his face reddens and he swallows thickly, I’m right on the money. “How many times did you do it, Trent?”
“I—That’s not the point.”
