Page 105 of Sinful Desires

“Why?” Foster demanded. “Because she broke up your toxic relationship?”

Reeling back, my eyes widened. Since when was he on her side? This had been the plan all along. “You’re kidding, right?” I growled, my blood boiling once more. “I didn’t even want anything to do with this at first. But you and Myles were so set on breaking this bitch. Now that she’s broken, it’s suddenly an issue?”

Silence filled the air as we all looked between one another. Well—aside from the noises Aspen was making.

“He has a point,” Myles agreed, causing Foster’s head to snap in his direction.

“What?” he asked incredulously.

Blowing out a breath, Myles ran his hand through his hair before turning to face him. “The goal had been to break her or make her submit,” he explained. “Hunter didn’t do anything we probably wouldn’t have done.”

“It had been my idea,” Collin said. “I asked Hunter to meet me here.” His gaze flicked to mine, though I was still pissed that he snitched on me. Not that it mattered much anyways. “I didn’t expect it to get out of hand like this though…”

Turning my head, I looked at Aspen. She was seated upright now, her usually bright eyes dim. I’d expected rage, somewhat of a fire still burning through her. But all I got was…nothing. Numbness. It should have made me feel better, but it didn’t.

Chapter 29

Aspen

I never thought that the two boys I’d hated most were the ones who would come to my rescue. Who knows what would have happened had they not shown up when they did. The look in Hunter’s eyes as he assaulted me was imprinted into my mind. It was like having the devil staring down at you, sneering. This wasn’t him. It couldn’t be. No one could hide who they were for too long. Even his friends seemed surprised at the sudden change.

Foster had taken me back to the dormitories. Not once did he slut shame me or say something awful. Surprisingly enough, he wasn’t a complete nuisance.

The first thing I’d done was shower and drink something—an attempt to soothe the ache in my throat. But nothing seemed to help. Showers were meant to clean you. This one did nothing but force unwanted thoughts and memories into my head.

By the time I finished bathing, it was nearly time for dinner. At least I’d have the room to myself. My appetite was nonexistent, so there was no way I was subjecting myself to even more torture.

The following day approached too slowly, nightmares invading my slumber, making me feel like death when morning came. Sometimes my own stubbornness was my biggest flaw. I should have listened to Raven and Gia, should have paid more attention to the red flags. These weren’t normal jocks or prep that you ran into at any ordinary school. These guys had real issues, Issues that could make them dangerous and I just taunted them and taunted them until I almost paid the biggest price for it in the end.

My eyes watered as I stared up at the ceiling and my chest rose and fell at uneven intervals. When a sob slipped free, I winced from the burn it caused my throat and glanced over at Raven who still seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Satisfied that she wasn’t awake to see me like this, I tugged my comforter around my shoulders and faced the wall. Silent tears painted my cheeks, the feeling of nothingness creeping in on me.

Depression.

I was diagnosed with it at a young age. While it’s something I’ve been burdened with most of my life, the mental illness came in episodes. I hadn’t felt it in a long time, and almost never like this.

I’m not sure how long I laid there for. Even when Raven’s alarm clock went off, I was still staring at the wall—the tears now dry against my skin. There were no words to explain just how worthless I felt. Maybe it’s because deep down I knew the guys were right. I was nothing but a warm body to be used and filled. I’d only been fooling myself.

Raven stirred in her sleep as her alarm continued ringing. Incoherent words fluttered past her lips before the sound of her bed creaking filled the room moments before silence replaced the loud noises.

It wasn’t long before her closet door opened and she was shuffling through it, trying to find something presentable to wear. Once she was dressed, I felt her hovering over me before she even said anything.

“Aspen,” she began.

“Go without me,” I rasped in a low tone so she wouldn’t hear the new edge to my voice.

I could picture her frowning down at me as I faced the wall, but it was the least of my concerns right now.

“Aren’t you hungry?” she pressed.

I just shook my head. It was obviously a lie. My stomach felt empty, but I couldn’t go to the cafeteria. Couldn’t face them. My breaths increased once more at the mere thought and warmth flooded my face as the urge to cry again ate away at me.

I couldn’t remember ever feeling so…lifeless. My throat burned, there was bruising around my neck where he’d squeezed, my eyes were bloodshot. Nobody needed to see me like this.

“Aspen, babe,” she said, dropping her voice as concern slithered through it. “You haven’t been eating a whole lot lately. You’re already skin and bone—”

“I’m not hungry,” I interrupted. “I think I’m sick.”

“More of a reason for you to eat then,” she insisted. “The fastest way to get your body back on track is through nourishment and lots of fluid.”

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