Page 40 of Reject (Academy of Misfits 2)

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Aknock at my bedroom door has me chucking my half-smoked cigarette out of the window. I don’t bother to try and cover the smell. Getting into trouble for smoking is the least of my concerns right now. The bangs get louder and irritation crawls up my spine. I’ve got the mother of all headaches and patience that’s worn thin hours ago. Whoever is being a demanding dick can do one.

“Hold your fucking horses, I’m coming!” I shout, striding across the room and yanking the door open whilst simultaneously rubbing at my banging head.

“Are you avoiding me, Asia?” Camden asks coolly, stepping into my room and closing the door behind him. The skin on his cheek is swollen and darkening with a bruise. Seems like Eastern got a great punch in. Good. I’d give him one to match on the other cheek if I thought I could get away with it.

“I was taking a shit,” I snap back.

He looks momentarily shocked then bursts out laughing. It’s so loud and free sounding that now I’m the one who’s shocked. “What’s so funny?”

“I knew there was a reason I liked you. None of my girls would ever dream of saying something like that to me. Too busy trying to impress me so they can get into my pants.”

I cock an eyebrow and place my hand on my hip. “Just because I agreed to be your girl, doesn’t mean I’m like one of them. I’m not about to try and get into your pants, Camden. Just so we’re clear.”

“Challenge accepted,” he retorts with an arrogant smirk.

“Whatever,” I mutter, dropping onto my bed and rubbing at my temple. I know I should be sucking up to him, be all flirtatious or something. But that wouldn’t be me and I’m more than certain he’d see through the act. Better to be my usual snarky self and hope somehow I get him to open up without ruining my chances of getting any information out of him at all.

“What’s up?” he asks, taking liberties and sitting down next to me. I can feel the warmth of his body heat between us and that fucking strange pull. I try my hardest to ignore it, which actually isn’t too difficult given I feel like someone has stuck a vice around my head and is squeezing tightly with every passing second.

“Headache. This is a bastard one that has me seeing spots. It hurts.”

“Sounds like a migraine to me. My mum used to get them occasionally. She had to go lie down in a dark room and sleep them off every time.”

“Yeah? I do feel kind of whacked out.” I shift on the bed, the slight movement making my head pound and my stomach roil.

“Have you taken something for it?”

“A couple of painkillers…” I glance over at him, trying not to wince as my vision blurs. “Look, I know you’ve come here to drag me to the dining hall so you can make some grand statement and rub Eastern’s face in itagain, but unless you want me to chuck up all over your Huarache’s, I think you’re gonna have to leave the chest banging until breakfast. I’m done for today, frankly.”

“Fine. Breakfast then,” he agrees, surprising me.

“That was easy,” I mutter.

He smiles. “I’m not a complete dick.”

“You’re joking, right?”

He ignores me and continues. “Besides, you look like shit. Can’t fake that.”

“Thanks, arsehole.” Mum should’ve just named me Snarky Bitch and been done with it. Having a migraine clearly doesn’t impede my bad attitude any. Not that I owe Camden anything other than snark and bite. Nice Asia won’t be coming out to play today. Not that she appears all that often anyway, and most definitely not in the company of Camden.

“Your tongue is as sharp as a whip today. Anything else you’d like to call me? You may as well get it off your chest. Then we can call it quits for now.”

“Tosser, dickwad, prick, wanker, pillock, fucktard, douchebag, tit, bellend, twat, motherfucker...” I reel off smiling as sweetly as possible through the haze of pain. He glares at me, but he doesn’t bite.

“Great. Looks like you’ve got most of them.”

“Nope, not even started yet… Dickhead, git, knob, minger, numpty, plonker, prat…cunt.”

“Don’t push it.”

“You told me to get them off my chest, so that’s what I’m doing. Don’t ask for it, if you can’t take it.”

Camden mutters under his breath, then stands and walks over to my window, pulling the curtains shut before switching off the table lamp and plunging us both into semi-darkness. It takes me a few seconds to adjust, a sliver of light seeping beneath my bedroom doors allows me to see just enough.

“You need to sleep this off…”

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