Page 6 of Boys Who Taint (Spine Ridge University #5)

Apollo

Weeks later

“Hey, killer, mind if I sit with you?” I sit down before I even have an answer.

“Don’t fucking call me that,” Levi growls back.

I don’t actually care if Levi wants me to join him or not. I just want somewhere quiet to sit in this overcrowded cafeteria, and if I sit anywhere else, I’ll be swarmed by the drooling girls who watch my thirst-trap reels online. No one ever wants to sit near Levi, though, so that’s perfect for me.

He’s become infamous.

Like the criminal overlord on the campus, and not in a good way.

An actual killer walks amid the students.

Word travels faster than lightning here at Spine Ridge University, and once people caught wind of what happened between the Torres family and the Caruso family, the split caused a huge rift in every friendship formed at this college.

It’s not just two families feuding, but two entire frat houses that have slowly become each other’s mortal enemies.

Skull and Serpent Society members no longer even look at Phantoms without them sending death threats.

Dad says it always used to be like this back in the day when he was at this university and founded the Tartarus House fraternity, but I can’t even fathom this place ever being as bad as it is now.

Not that it has any effect on me. Levi’s dad may be my uncle, but that doesn’t mean I’m involved in this shit. Our family has no beef, so I can just sit wherever I want. Besides, he clearly needs a friend like me who doesn’t take sides.

The table nearly bends under my weight as I settle down my arms and take a huge bite out of my hamburger. He’s hiding in his hoodie while he stirs his untouched macaroni like it’s going to talk back to him any moment now.

“What the fuck is up with you?” I ask.

“Nothing,” Levi replies, leaning on the palm of his hand.

“Sounds to me like a whole lotta nothing,” I say, snorting.

He glares up at me. “Exactly.”

I pause to stare back. Like I give a shit. “Listen, bro, I couldn’t even give zero fucks if you keep staring at me. I’m used to it.”

He rolls his eyes.

“You can shun your friends. You can shun everyone for all I care. But we’re family. Whether you like it or not.” I give him a little air kiss. “Love ya.”

He picks up his tray. “I’m done.”

“C’mooonnn! Can’t we just sit and talk like normal people?” I quip.

“No,” Levi replies and marches off to the bin, but without checking his surroundings.

And lo and behold … Aspen Caruso is right there, trying to get rid of her trash too.

With a smug grin, I watch them both freeze.

“Oh, sorry,” Aspen mutters. “I didn’t see you there.”

“Same,” Levi replies, then immediately turns around again.

He can’t even talk to her without completely turning to stone—cold-hearted bastard.

“Wait.” Aspen suddenly grabs his wrist, and it actually makes him stop in his tracks.

Interesting. Very … interesting.

I chug back the energy drink I bought and keep my eyes glued like it’s a goddamn K-drama on television. And I don’t even watch that corny stuff, but damn, I certainly get the appeal.

“Please,” Aspen pleads, “talk to me.”

Levi abruptly retracts his arm and looks at her like he wants to pick her up and throw her into the bin too for even daring to touch him.

Ouch.

How’d it get so frosty between those two?

Oh wait, I remember.

Her sister is dead because of him.

Levi

Feeling her touch for the first time in weeks is like touching death and begging to be killed just for the chance to keep holding on.

But I can’t.

I fucking can’t, and I won’t.

“Don’t,” I growl.

Aspen frowns, confused. “It’s been weeks.”

The hurt reflected in her eyes doesn’t go unnoticed, but I can’t break now. “And?”

She lowers her gaze. “I don’t want to lose you too.” She tucks her dyed red hair behind her ear, showing off the many earrings she got in addition to the ones she already had.

My eyes scan her oval face, those pink lips and button nose, because another freckle has grown right there on her cheek that I’m sure she didn’t have the last time I saw her.

Seventy-two in total now.

Without thinking, I bring my finger up to her face and touch it.

“What are you—” She swats my finger away in shock.

“Another freckle,” I say with a muted voice.

How many more will appear when I’m not there to see them grow?

My nostrils flare, and I turn away. “I don’t want to talk.”

“What?” She follows me. “No. You can’t just keep on ignoring me.”

“Yes, I can,” I reply stoically, trying to keep the voices in my head from taking over.

“But we’re best friends.”

God.

Please.

Make it stop.

“ Were ,” I retort.

But the pain on her face. Fuck, it wounds me.

“You don’t mean that.”

If only she knew how badly I meant that.

“Yes, I do,” I reply.

“Levi, no. You can’t just turn your back on me,” she says, blocking my way back to the table.

Everyone’s staring at us, and it’s bringing even more attention to something that should’ve died down long ago.

Fuck.

“Get out of my way,” I say through gritted teeth.

My teeth are clenched so harshly a chip falls onto my tongue, but I swallow it down.

Tears well up in her eyes. “Please … talk to me. We can figure this out together.”

This. This is what death feels like.

No blade could ever wound me the way she could with those pristine tears rolling down those freckled cheeks.

There’s no way back from what I’ve done, no way to fix what I’ve broken, no way to …

“Didn’t you hear?” I take a step forward, lowering my face beneath my hoodie a little so she can see the chill of death in my eyes. “I’m a killer.”

Aspen sucks in a breath, her feet shifting on the floor, growing the distance between us.

Good.

“Mavis died because of me.” I narrow my eyes at her. “And if you value your life, don’t ever talk to me again.”

The tear that rolls down her cheek is the death penalty, and I lower my head and take it in stride, knowing the pain could never compare to what awaits us if I would ever dare to say what’s truly on my mind.

Our fate was sealed the second Mavis died, and along with it, my ability to look into Aspen Caruso’s eyes without guilt.

Fuck.

I turn around and waltz off, but I can feel her searing gaze on my back.

“I don’t believe it.”

Her words.

Not mine.

Because I truly, fully believe I’m the murderer they all make me out to be.

And this? This is the worst kind of punishment a criminal like me deserves.

I glare at her over my shoulder. “Believe it, because it’s true.”

The deathly stare she throws back confirms everything I knew to be true.

This is the end.

The end of everything that ever could be.

Levi Torres and Aspen Caruso will never be.

Because this is the start of her hatred for me.

Aspen

He walks off with that same swagger as always, scratching the back of his neck where his hairline meets the scorpion tattoo, but all I see is the shadow of a ghost of the person he once was.

Levi Torres … is a killer.

Those whispers in the hallway, everyone was saying it, but I never believed it to be true.

Until now.

My fist balls as I glare him down, wondering if he’ll ever look back at me, if he’ll ever attempt to undo what he just did.

I thought I knew who he was, but I guess you can’t really ever know anyone until you see them at their darkest moment. And Levi just confirmed my worst suspicions to be true.

His venomous words were injected straight into my veins.

He wants me to hate him?

Fine.

I’ll grant his fucking wish …

Even if it destroys my heart.

A sudden ruckus up ahead makes me lift my head.

BANG!

That sounds like … a fight.

Lots of screams and shouts are coming from beyond the cafeteria, and I dart into the hallway only to come to an abrupt halt when I see who’s throwing the punches.

My eyes widen.

My half brother Silas has Levi in a death grip against a door, which has been smashed to pieces. He slams him into the wall, punching him in the face, but Levi doesn't hit back. Instead, he takes off his hoodie as if to prepare for the confrontation.

“Stop!” I yell, running straight into the crowd. “Stop it!”

I push everyone aside and storm into the fight without a thought, pushing myself between them.

Silas focuses his homicidal gaze on me. “Sorry, sis, can’t you see I’m a little busy beating this fucker’s ass?

Can’t believe he had the fucking gall to come back to this university after what he did.

” Silas raises his fists like he’s waiting for Levi to strike back.

“You know he deserves it for killing Mavis, and he knows it too.”

Gasps sound out from all over the hallway.

A sudden strong hand on my shoulder makes me turn around and look at Levi, his calloused fingers digging into my flesh.

Good God, I still can’t look away, especially now that I’m this close and he’s not wearing that hoodie anymore.

He’s all bulked up behind that flimsy black shirt, muscular in every sense of the word, like he took the time these past few weeks to refine what he had and turn it into a weapon.

The bruise on his face slowly grows redder, but the darkened gaze from underneath his eyelashes makes me do a double take.

This is not the Levi I know, but a monster.

“I told you to get out of my way … Aspen .” His voice is low, heavy, and he says my name with a kind of possessiveness that makes all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

The veins in his arms pop as he pushes me away from him and snatches his hoodie off the floor.

“Now move,” he growls, annoyed, as if he was gearing up for a brawl and I ruined it.

He marches off through the crowd, which parts for him like they’re scared they’re gonna get killed next.

“Well, fuck you too!” I sneer at him, but of course it’s too late.

“What are you even doing?” Silas growls at me. “I had him right where I wanted him, and you just couldn’t help but ruin everything!”

“Fuck you, Silas,” I growl, shoving my way past him and the sea of people surrounding us.

“You know he killed my sister, right?”

“Ours!” I retort.

“Then why don’t you want him dead in a ditch?”

I walk away, not knowing how to answer.

Why don’t I want him dead?

Why didn’t I let Silas punch him?

My nails dig into my skin.

I want Levi to feel the pain I felt, desperately.

But I don’t know if I could live with myself if I let Silas have his way with him. He’d maim him. Hang him from the roof by his neck and take him apart limb by limb.

Silas is a monster, and Levi … Levi is …

I bump into something without looking, and when my eyes open again, there are two very thick, muscular slabs of man titty right in my face.

“You look rough.”

I look up, right into the eyes of Apollo Torres, who grins like he just twisted someone’s neck.

God, every part of him is all muscle, even worse than Levi.

My cheeks flush, and I pull away immediately. “Sorry, I didn’t see—”

“Pecs like these before?” he asks, flexing at me. “It’s all right. I get that a lot.”

Jesus.

“I heard the fight. Levi get in trouble again?”

He’s got the kind of grin that could make people run just from looking at him. And those deadly gray eyes sure make it hard to look away.

“You didn’t see my brother trying to kill him?”

He snorts. “Nahhhhh, those two were just playing.”

I frown. “ Playing ? It’s not a joke to Silas.”

He stretches his arms and cracks his knuckles. “Silas is all talk. I’m waiting for him to bring in the knives so we can actually have some fun.”

What the hell is wrong with this dude?

“Levi didn’t even punch him back,” I point out.

“Just because he didn’t, doesn’t mean he couldn’t .” He smirks. “Levi could easily take him.”

“Right …” I frown.

He leans in, too close, and the grin on his face is so uneasy that it’s making me lean back. “You don’t believe me? Levi’s a killer, remember? That’s what your entire family has been chanting. You think he couldn’t kill Silas if he wanted to?”

He’s just gossiping now.

“How would you know?”

A low-rumbling laugh from deep within his chest makes me swallow. “Because I trained him.” He winks. “I could train you too, if you’re interested.”

“What?” I mutter.

He places a hand on my belly, right on top of my shirt, and I suddenly feel very, very naked. “Grow some of those abs.” He pinches my arms with that same hand. “Get rid of those chicken wings.”

“Chicken wings?” I bark, swatting his hand away.

He laughs loudly and then slaps me on the shoulder with so much force I nearly buckle.

“I’m just joking. Don’t take everything so seriously, Freckles.

” He throws his bag over his shoulder. “But I like your spark. The offer is still on the table, and you know where to find me if you’re interested in some free training lessons.

I mean, if you wanna follow in Silas’s footsteps and make Levi ‘pay.’” He makes quotation marks with his fingers, then throws out the biggest, brightest grin of all. “You know where to find me.”

He makes a clicking sound twice with his tongue and checks out, leaving me flabbergasted.

And maybe just one percent convinced that I should perhaps join him in his insanity.