Page 17 of Toxic Obsession

I fought the urge to run to my room and lock the door. It would be easy enough to pack and move when the girls were asleep.

“I saw you dancing with Quinn Astor, amazing wide receiver, and according to the rumors, a total sex god. But you, my darling, were dancing with him on the coffee table. Bitch, you’ve been holding out on us. You’ve got some moves.” Everlee laughed.

Tension eased from my neck and shoulders with Everlee’s words.

“So does Quinn, holy hell.” Gabby fanned herself.

“I’d take a piece of that for damned sure,” Leighton chimed in.

I gave them a sheepish grin. “I, uh, tend to let loose a bit when I’m tipsy.”

“No kidding. I mean you’ve been our roomie for a few weeks, but I don’t really feel like I know a lot about you.” Everlee flipped her brown hair behind her shoulder and focused on me. “Dish. I want all the deets. Every last one of them.”

I froze as Gabby, Leighton, and Everlee stared at me, waiting for me to say something.Be careful and don’t fuck this up.

“Is Quinn dating anyone?” Maybe keeping him as the center of everyone’s attention would work. For some reason he was still the center of my thoughts as well. I’d been with enough guys working for Dimitri that I didn’t get attached easily, but there was something about Quinn that seemed familiar. I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Not to mention that he was sexy as hell and his long, thick cock had almost made me drool.

Irritated that we’d been interrupted, I reminded myself that if he knew who I was, he would never want to be with me. A relationship with anyone was off-limits. Inwardly, I sighed and focused on my roomies.

Gabby snorted. “Quinn is a player. He’s never dated anyone longer than a night, and he’s attended Whitmore for four years. So have we.” Gabby tilted her head in Everlee’s direction.

“Interesting.” I wasn’t about to tell the girls that I’d sucked his dick earlier. It was something I wanted to keep to myself, just like my job and my past. Attempting to clear my brain from the lingering effects of the alcohol, I remembered my plan.

“He is, for sure, but are you? I mean, are you interested in Quinn?” Leighton asked.

“I have no idea. I only met him tonight.” I raised my hand. “New girl here, remember? I don’t know anyone other than you guys.”

“Stalk him on Instagram or TikTok. You’ll see a lot of the football players there,” Everlee said.

I fidgeted in my seat. “I don’t use social media. It got in the way of my studies, and I needed a scholarship, so I deleted my accounts. Even when I looked at Whitmore online, I didn’t look at the sororities or sports teams. Mostly, I tend to keep to myself.”I hope they buy that reason.

“Hey, social media can be bad for your mental health sometimes. I’m glad you walked away from it. Besides, there are plenty of parties, so I’m sure you’ll meet some guys soon.” Gabby took a sip of her drink. “Where did you learn to dance and lip sync at the same time like that?”

I grinned. It had been the most fun I’d had all night until Quinn and I had been interrupted. Chills traveled down my spine as I recalled the hate and anger in the older man’s face.

“Dance team in middle and high school.”

“Wait, dance team as in the dance team for the cheerleaders?” Gabby asked.

“Yup. I was a basketball cheerleader through my sophomore year.”Here it comes. The million dollar question.

“Why’d you quit? You looked badass tonight.” Everlee played with her bottle cap as she waited for me to reply.

“Life. I started taking AP classes, and I’m sure you two know how cutthroat and catty some cheerleaders can be when their competitive nature kicks in.”

“Girl!” Everlee placed the back of her hand against her forehead. “So much drama.”

“Yeah, I just didn’t want to put up with it anymore.”

Liar! They didn’t bully you until after shit went down.

“One of our friends quit for the same reason. It can get brutal. Thankfully, I have Everlee and Leighton on the team with me. Otherwise, I probably would have quit too. Sometimes you have to make a good mental health decision, ya know?”

I know all too well.“Yeah, it got bad. I actually homeschooled my last two years of high school.”

“Damn, then got into Whitmore? You must be super smart. I’m not that smart.” She giggled. “Okay, more please. Do you have brothers? Sisters? What do your mom and dad do for a living?”

Everlee’s questions were like rapid torpedoes firing at me. I wanted to duck behind the chair, but I took a breath, reminding myself that Janine and I had gone over every question and answer possible in order to protect me. Protect us.

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