Total pages in book: 181
Estimated words: 181613 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 908(@200wpm)___ 726(@250wpm)___ 605(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 181613 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 908(@200wpm)___ 726(@250wpm)___ 605(@300wpm)
Present
Always playing coy.
Always on the run.
Always pretending she doesn’t care.
But I know deep down, somewhere hidden inside that fiery little heart of hers, a small flicker of that flame still burns for me. And I will die before I let that burn out.
CHAPTER 8
Aspen
My phone buzzes, and I grin, picking it up again.
Grey: You’re the cutest when you’re smiling
Me: How do you even know? Are you watching me?
Grey: I wish. I just know when I text you in class, you always grin like crazy
Me: Stop. Player
Grey: I wish I knew how
I roll onto my back, still grinning like an idiot.
Me: You always do this with girls?
Grey: What girls?
Me: You know … previous …
Grey: Previous what? Say the word
I’m blushing like crazy.
Me: You know what I mean
Grey: Are you implying something, Miss Caruso?
Well shit. I guess he caught me.
Me: No. Of course not
Grey: But if you wanna call me your boyfriend, I’m all for it
I grab the pillow and squeal into it. But I definitely shouldn’t let him distract me from my questioning.
Me: You didn’t answer my question, though
Grey: I don’t have eyes for anyone else but you
Me: But I mean, before me
Grey: Like I said … what girls?
Me: What? You’ve never been with other girls?
Grey: I’ve never had a girlfriend before, no
Me: Wow
Grey: Is that so surprising?
Me: Yeah. With the way you look, I mean …
Grey: Are you calling me hot? Thanks
I’m blushing like crazy now.
Me: Stop it. Omg
Grey: Take a picture
Me: Why?
Grey: Do it
I do what he asks—despite the red glow on my face, and the cutesy pj’s I’m wearing, and half my face being hidden underneath the pillow.
Grey: I love seeing you blush, gorgeous
Me: For someone who’s never had a girlfriend, you sure know what to say
Grey: I just know what to say to the right person. And that’s you
Now my heart is really melting.
Me: I can’t wait to see you tomorrow
Grey: Same. But you need sleep, and I’m keeping you awake. So sleep tight, and we’ll chat again tomorrow xoxo
I place my phone on my bedside table and breathe out a sigh before I close my eyes. I’m so grateful Grey appeared in my life when I needed someone like him. He brings up my spirits like no one else can, with the flick of his fingers.
He’s sweet and thoughtful, and such a gentleman, that it’s hard for me not to fall head over heels. When I talk to him, I can just forget all about the terror that’s been taking over my life.
Or more specifically … Levi Torres and those dirty fucking hands of his.
I still can’t believe he actually trapped me in some classroom just to have his way with me.
And for what? He doesn’t even like me. He made that very clear.
So then why was it still so goddamn hard for me to push back?
I turn around in bed, trying to keep the thoughts from swirling in my mind, but it’s tough when all I can think about are those devilish fingers rolling around my most sensitive area.
He did that on purpose. He wants me to know how much he despises me, how much he can control every aspect of my life.
First, he kills my sister, doesn’t even deny that he did, and then he has the gall to mess with me like that?
I’m biting my lip so hard I taste blood.
“Goddamn him and those goddamn calloused fingers of his,” I mutter to myself. “He’s just a fucking bully, that’s all. Nothing more, nothing less. He’s not your friend. He never was, just like he said. It was all a game to him from the start. So don’t let him mess with you, Aspen.”
I sigh out loud and roll around again.
Whatever his reasons, I can’t repel him if I don’t have the energy, so I’d better sleep despite the thoughts still churning in my mind.
If I close my eyes, maybe it’ll be easier. If not, at least I’ll have rested. Even if only for a while … until the memories seep right back in.
The funeral is bleak. Mavis would’ve hated all of these flowers. Hated them because they’re not black. Hated them because she would’ve preferred skulls and inverted crosses to adorn her casket instead.
She was a rebel. A lover of all things dark and unholy.
Someone who would raise her middle fingers, stick out her tongue, and go out with a bang.
I stare at her casket as it’s slowly being lowered into the ground, wondering if she’s gonna break out of there any second now.
Silas grabs a handful of petals from the basket and throws them haphazardly into the hole in the ground, his nostrils flaring. He probably expected her to go out with a bang. We all did.
Xavier is next, and he throws the bundle of petals onto the casket without even looking at it. Not because he doesn’t want to, but because he’s breaking down in front of us.