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Damn, I need new friends.
CHAPTER SIX
TEMPERANCE
As Damian left the bathroom, I stood there, my mind reeling. There wasn’t a single part of me capable of processing what the hell just happened. I didn’t go to school even expecting to run into Damian. I thought I could avoid him entirely.
In my old school, there were people you just knew to stay away from, and it was easy as hell. I didn’t anticipate him following me into the bathroom, though I shouldn’t have put it past him. And Icertainlydidn’t expect him to lock himself in a stall with me.
Everything leading up to that moment had been jarring enough, but his actions…
The way he’d touched me…
The way I’dresponded…
I had absolutely no explanation for any of it.
I had no idea how any of that happened, and more than that, I had no idea why I didn’t stop him. He said he would stop if I’d wanted him to. As much of a bastard as he was, nothing he did caused me any pain at all. In fact, I’d donefarmore painful things to him. So, as evil as I believed him to be, Ididbelieve he would have stopped if I’d pushed against him like he’d instructed.
But I didn’t.
At the time, it seemed like the most absurd suggestion in the world, even if my gut and my brain screamed at me to do so. It was like a part of me came alive then, and all my problems faded away.
Ireallyneeded to get a hold of that psychologist.
After splashing some cold water on my neck and chest—while wishing I hadn’t worn makeup so I could splash water on my face—I made my way toward the exit. I had to stop thinking about what just happened sexually and think about it logically.
What he’d done was simple. He’d made a power play. He saw an opportunity, and he took it. It was an enormous risk on his part because I could have fought back. I was definitely the type who didn’t think twice about defending myself when necessary, and he’d learned that lesson earlier. But that teacher’s interruption gave him the perfect opportunity, and he’d seized it.
I needed to prepare for the possibilities of what might happen. The sweet Asher I’d met in the parking lot outside the bookstore was apparently a fraud. Truth was, I knew nothing about him except his name and what school he went to. He could be just as much of a sociopath as Damian. So, if Damian decided to tell Asher—who clearly had interest in me—what happened, it was hard telling what he might do.
The worst of all was the possibility of Harper finding out. My eyes closed tight as I shook away the memory of us sitting in my car in the Crestview parking lot when she’d accompanied me to sign up for classes. She’d warned me to stay away from Damian. She’d said he was a dick, but essentially, he washerdick. They weren’t and never had been together, but they’d been playing head games with each other for years.
I’d given her a big speech about how she was better than that. Better than him. How she deserved more than to be treated like shit. That she shouldn’t put up with it just because he was hot.
Well…
Seems I got a crash course in just how hot Damian could be, and now I understood the appeal. All that hotness. All that controlled sexual aggression. All of it gloriously wrapped inside of an incredibly beautiful package.
Unfortunately, that package was Damian Wolfe, and he was a fucking asshole.
My nerves were even worse off now than they’d been earlier that morning, but my stomach needed food. I hoped pizza might help comfort me. I was a stress eater, but I also worked out hard. That was why I planned to find out where the recreational gym was after school. I needed to work off some of this angst.
When I made my way through the cafeteria—which looked more like a five-star restaurant—there were several students staring at me and talking. I sighed and focused on the line ahead of me. I saw menus on a couple of empty tables, so it seemed you could sit and order or get in line and get a tray of food yourself. Interesting. This school was weird as hell. I wasn’t about to sit at a table and make someone get something for me that I could get for myself.
Okay…
Get food. Eat. Get the hell out of there. Go call the psychologist.
Those were the goals. Short. Sweet.Simple.
“Did youreallykick the demon’s ass this morning?”
I turned and saw two people staring at me expectantly. One was a disturbingly hot tall guy with messy brown hair and deep-set, light brown eyes with thick black lashes. He had a long straight nose, perfectly shaped lips, and a jaw that could cut glass. He was impossibly beautiful, and he held himself in a way that said he knew it, too.
The other person was…
Omg.