Page 36 of Boys Who Taint (Spine Ridge University #5)

Levi

“What happened?” Felix Rivera, the dean, barks as he marches into the building.

Apollo and I glare at Silas.

“He and his buddies stormed in here and trashed the place,” Apollo says.

“Are you for fucking real? Busting in here with guns blazing?” He immediately grabs Silas by the arm, forcing him down into a chair to the side.

“You’re fucking lucky I was still on campus to do some late work and heard all those people scream when they exited this building. What the fuck were you thinking?”

“He brought my fucking sister into this!” Silas points at Apollo.

Apollo raises his hands. “Hey, I’m just spreading the joy. All she got was an invite. That’s it. She came here of her own volition.”

“You were trying to start something, just admit it,” Heath claps back.

“What? A party?” Apollo shrugs.

“They’re mocking us,” Silas growls, trying to get up, but his dad pushes him back down.

“Stop. Fucking stop this nonsense, right now. Look around,” Felix commands.

Everyone pauses to gaze at the destruction, the smashed vases and expensive wooden panels shot with bullets. This is gonna take days, if not weeks to clean up.

Thanks to the shoot-first-ask-questions-later motherfucker over there.

“This place is destroyed, thanks to your inability to keep your fucking cool.” He points at all of us.

“They tried to kidnap her!” Silas yells.

“Absolutely the fuck not,” Aspen says. “I came here with Grey and my friends.”

“Into the Phantom Society!” Silas screams back. “Are you out of your fucking mind?”

“Hey.” His dad scoots his chair around so he can only look at him now. “Look at me. We’re not fucking doing this again. I know you’re just like me, wanting to protect your sister and all, but this isn’t it.”

“You said it yourself, Dad. Phantoms are scum.”

“Did he now?” Apollo folds his arms.

The dean’s nostrils flare. “My opinion has nothing to do with you blasting your way in here.”

With his arms folded, Silas snarls back, “Levi deserves to die, and you know it.”

Felix looks up at me, and a pang of hatred nearly slices my stomach in two.

His daughter is dead because of me.

And now his sole focus is fixated on the person he deems the killer.

“Stay the fuck away from my family. I hear about one more uproar, one more minor inconvenience, and your ass is gone.”

I don’t know if he means from this campus or from this earth. I don’t doubt he’d be able to make both happen in an instant.

“Got it?”

I nod.

“And you three …” He looks at Heath, Max, and Silas. “Clean up this mess.”

“Wait, what?” Max mutters. “But I didn’t even do anything.”

“You’re his friend,” the dean says, pointing at Silas. “You should’ve stopped him.”

“I’ll help,” Ivy adds.

The dean marches right at me, stopping mere inches away from me to whisper, “Next time, you won’t survive.”

A cold shiver courses down my spine.

He shoves me aside to waltz straight for the body lying near the table.

“Fuck,” he mutters as he inspects the damage to the guy’s skull. “This one’s gone.”

“I’m gonna be sick,” Aspen mutters.

“Oops. Got a little too excited.” Apollo scratches the back of his head.

He’s not even sorry.

Guess I’m lucky to have him on my side.

Absolute psycho.

The dean pulls out his cell phone and makes a quick call in the corner of the room where none of us can hear what he says, but I bet it has something to do with the Serpent’s body. Not to mention all of the injured people here.

Their fucking fault because they decided to come here and smoke me out.

The tension between the group is palpable, and I don’t even move an inch because I’m sure one of those fuckers will try to jump me.

When the dean finally returns, he says, “It’s taken care of. Everyone with wounds, report to the clinic on campus. I’ll have the nurse stay extra hours to fix this.”

“Are the cops gonna come to campus now?” Max asks.

“That depends on the parents’ reaction,” the dean responds. “We’ll deal with it when it’s time. Until then, none of you talks about this. Not with anyone. Got it?”

Everyone remaining in the room nods.

Heath gulps. “Maybe coming here wasn’t such a smart idea.”

“We should’ve taken him the fuck out,” Silas says, still glaring at me. “At least then he wouldn’t have died for fucking nothing.”

“Fuck you,” I growl back.

Silas tries to get up and have at me for a second time, but Ivy blocks his way. “Enough, Silas.”

“Get out of my way.”

“No. I don’t want you to get into more trouble.”

“The trouble will end with him,” Silas grits.

“You can’t keep doing this,” she says.

“No fucking problem,” I say. “I’ll take myself out of the equation.”

“I will talk to you all later in my office.” The dean looks around the room at all the other Skull and Serpent members Silas brought with him. “None of you are off the hook.”

I march off before anyone can say anything else to frame me as the cause of this mess, and I shut the door behind me so I can let the fresh air into my lungs and replace the smell of death lingering in my nostrils.

I was this close to exiting the stage.

Judging from the way people react to my presence, the sand in the hourglass of my life is slowly running out.

It didn’t sink in with me back then what would happen after the choice I made. That I’d be slowly chipping away at my own soul in order to have that last slice of life before it’s all ripped away from me.

That I’d be ready to die at the hands of Silas Rivera … if only it wasn’t for her.

That fluttering fucking butterfly with her fiery hair and green dress, always keeping me aware of the fact that she’s still here, still looking for the part of me that’s already gone.

And that if my time on this earth would cease to exist … so will she.

The day of the funeral

“Don’t ever speak to her again,” Mom growls at me. “Do you understand?”

What?

We just got back to our family home after that excruciating funeral reception, and she’s already ready to destroy everything she’s ever known?

“You can’t be serious. She’s my—”

“I know you two were friends,” she interjects. “But it’s over now.”

“Lana’s right, you can’t be seen speaking with them,” Dad says.

“Why?” I grit. “What did Aspen ever do?”

“It’s not about her.” Dad folds his arms. “All of them are off-limits.”

“No, you can’t ask this of me. I can’t just ignore her.”

“You can, and you will,” Mom replies.

I shake my head. “No. I’m not gonna do it.”

“Yes, you will, Levi.” She grabs my wrist. “You must .”

“Give me one good fucking reason,” I say.

Dad scoots his chair back as he stares at me from across the table. “They will kill you.”

The gravity of his words doesn’t land until he gets up and grabs coffee from the kitchen. It already felt like I got stabbed, but those words twisted the knife until it split open my heart.

“You have to stay away from her. I can’t bear to lose you. Please.”

Mom’s begging puts me on the edge.

“They won’t hesitate,” Dad says as he scoots the coffee toward me. “Trust me.”

My jaw clenches. “So? Let them fucking try.”

“I know you don’t care if you die. But we do,” Mom growls.

“Listen to me, Levi,” my dad says with the sternest voice I’ve ever heard. “Do you think Aspen could take it if you died too?”

My lips slowly part.

“If you care about her …” Dad says. “You will never talk to her again.”

I stare at the swirling, steaming black sludge. A perfect synonym for what my life has become.

I can’t. I can’t fucking do this.

I could be their monster.

I could take their hatred.

I would take it all a million years over if it meant I could shield her from the pain I caused.

But I cannot fathom a world … without her.

I grab the mug and chuck it at the wall, shattering it into a million pieces.

“Levi!” Mom yells after me, but I’ve already waltzed out the door, jumped on my motorcycle, and raced off.

Apollo

Present

“Well, fuck me, what a party,” I muse as I grab the broken vase off the floor.

“It isn’t a party without a fight,” Heath responds.

I snort and look his way, and he comes to help me pick up some of the shards.

“Sorry I hit you, brother,” I say.

He pats me on the shoulder. “I deserved it.”

“Can we leave the brotherly love for after the cleanup?” Max mumbles, putting chairs back where they’re supposed to be.

“Everyone shut the fuck up,” Silas grits.

“No one asked you,” Aspen retorts.

“I was trying to save your ungrateful ass,” Silas says.

Aspen stops sweeping the floor. “I didn’t ask to be rescued. I’m not a damsel in distress.”

“Why are you even here?” Silas makes a face. “You have your own sorority.”

Aspen grimaces back. “Because I’m trying to be civil and clean up a mess my brother made.”

I admit, I kinda like how she keeps talking back to him out of spite.

Grey hops into the fray too. “Can we not start again? Please? The dean warned us.”

“What’s he gonna do, kick his own son out of college?” Silas snorts. “Good luck trying.”

“No, but he might kill us all,” Max responds casually.

He might be right on that part. Felix is as vicious as his son.

“Would love to see him try,” I say, laughing.

“He wouldn’t kill me, right?” Max’s eyes suddenly widen. “I mean, Levi and I—”

“Don’t talk about your mom,” Silas interjects.

“Are you scared of her?” I wink.

“Fuck you, the fuck I’m not,” Silas spits.

I laugh. “Sure sounds like you are.”

Silas tosses away his mop. “You wanna try me?”

Ivy literally throws her broom on the floor. “Motherfuckers, stop it! Right now.”

Everyone looks at her, impressed by the sudden outburst.

“Ivy’s right. All this fighting will lead us nowhere except death,” Aspen mutters to herself while picking up leftover masks off the floor. But she doesn’t continue talking, even though her lips are still parted. Her eyes are fixated on the masks in her hand.

I float over her shoulder to look, and she turns her head. “You knew, didn’t you?”

“Knew what?”

“These masks …”

“What about them?”

“Why did you pick these?”

“It’s a Phantom tradition to give these out at parties.”

She stares at the mask like it’s cursed or something. “Please tell me it’s a joke.”

“It’s true. I got another one from my last party here,” Grey adds.

“Corny,” Silas mutters, trying to start another fight.

Suddenly, Aspen waltzes off to the kitchen, clearly upset, but no one else seems to notice. I follow her only because I’m curious. Because I’m an obsessed motherfucker who can’t let something go once he’s sunk his teeth into it.

And this girl … this girl has definitely piqued my interest.

Aspen

I grab a glass of water to have a drink, but my hand is shaking. Levi almost died.

Why did I call out his name?

I nearly drop the glass, but then I hear footsteps, and I can already tell by how heavy they are that the person is bulky and muscular.

Apollo.

He brought me into this party, into this mess. “Did you know when you invited me to the party?”

He’s standing in the door opening, watching me intently. “I organize these parties. Of course, I knew about the masks.”

Of course, he knew.

I march over to him and slam the mask into his chest. “This is the mask my stalker wears.”

He lowers his arrogant gaze at my hand still stuck on his chest, and he covers it with his, almost as if he wants to keep it there, while a smile slowly spreads on his cheeks.

“So that’s the mask you were looking for when you stormed into my room.

You’re convinced your stalker is part of the Phantom Society, but he could’ve gotten this mask at any of our parties. ”

He steals the glass right out of my hand, sloppily glugging down the water I was about to drink. Rivulets of water rush past his veiny neck as his Adam’s apple rises and falls with each gulp, and I don’t know why it makes me want to lick the droplets right off his skin.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

He puts the glass down on the kitchen counter. “Or it could still be a Phantom.” His tongue dips out to roll around his mouth, licking up some stray water droplets. Then he leans in. Too close. “It could be anyone. Could even be me.”

Chills run up and down my spine.

“A stalker?”

Oh God.

My eyes widen in shock at the sound of Grey’s voice, and I immediately pull away from Apollo.

Shit. He saw us.

“You have a stalker, and you didn’t tell me?”

“Guess everyone’s got their secrets.” Apollo tilts his head and smirks, and while Grey and I both stare at him like he’s the stalker in the room, he nonchalantly struts off. “See you at school, Freckles.”

“ Freckles …” Grey repeats as he approaches, and he swipes aside my hair to look at my face. “Are you okay?”

“Sorry you had to see that.”

“Don’t be sorry. Tell me what happened.”

“Apollo can be … intimidating.” I focus on the glass that’s on the counter, the one he just stole from my hand. He put his mouth on it like that water was his to drink. Just like I am his to devour just because of the deal I made.

I sigh out loud. “Someone’s been following me around campus.” I look at Grey. “I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you to worry about me.”

He wraps his arms around me and pulls me in for a hug. “Of course, I’m worried.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“It’s okay. I’m not upset. I just want you to be safe.” He pats my back like he knows all the right things to say, and it scares me.

How is he not curious why I have a stalker?

And why doesn’t he want to know what the stalker did or who he is?

Any sane person would continue to ask questions. Why doesn’t he?

I bury my face into his chest, but I can’t shake this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“Should we call the police?” he asks.

“No.” Not even a split second of doubt.

He looks at me, and I don’t understand my own visceral reaction.

“Are you sure?” he asks.

“I don’t want to blow this out of proportion. I can handle it.” I add a smile.

A fake smile.

Because in my mind, I’m still there, in that room with my stalker, while he does the filthiest things imaginable to my body. And I’m still reeling, still blushing at the thought of that plug now lodged deep inside me.

Fuck.

What am I going to do?

I’m slowly starting to unravel, and I don’t know what to do to keep my mind from veering off into the deep end.

Why don’t I want to tell my boyfriend the truth?

Maybe I’m scared of hurting Grey.

Maybe I’m scared Grey or Apollo could be the stalker.

Or maybe … just maybe … I’m more scared that this insane deal I have might end.