004

Ashton's POV 

I leaned back against the brick wall of the humanities building, my jaw tight and hands shoved deep into my pockets as I stared at the quad like it owed me something. 

It had been forty-eight hours. 

Forty -eight hours since Harper Quinn stood in the middle of the cafeteria, looked me dead in the eye, and said the one thing no one had ever dared to say to me. 

“I wouldn't touch you even if you were the last man on this campus.”

My jaw clenched harder at the memory because she had not only ridiculed me, she had reduced me to a joke that left people mocking and watching over and over again.

I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through my hair. 

It didn't make sense. I'd had girls fight over me, cry over me, wait around for a second chance I never gave. 

And her?

She looked at me like I was something disgusting she could ever think of. 

My eyes snapped up as the library doors opened— and there she was. 

Harper Quinn.

She stepped out slowly, as if bracing herself for the worst that could happen with her bag gripped tightly to her chest. 

And suddenly, the bruise on my ego throbbed even more harder as something dark curled in my chest. 

Because if she thought she could walk away from me, without consequences…

She was wrong. 

If nothing else, she’d be a very effective way to get under Ethan’s skin.

I pushed off the wall just as she passed. “Rough day?” I asked.

She jumped, her books slipping slightly before she tightened her grip on them. The second she saw me, her expression shut down completely with pure annoyance.

“What do you want, Ashton?” she snapped. “Haven’t you done enough already? Or do you just enjoy following me around now?”

I fell into step beside her anyway. “I'm not here to fight,” I said evenly, slipping into that pretentious control. “I saw what sienna posted this morning,” I added. “About the petition.”

“And what?” She asked, anger obvious in her tone. “See, Ashton. I do not know why you thought it best to stalk me and then talk to me about the petition like this wasn't all your fault! Like you are not the one pushing them. They are your fan club and if you're that bothered, tell them to stop!” She shot back.

I sighed out loud. “Maybe if you had stayed the next morning …” 

“And why would I stay the next morning?” she cut in, her voice rising slightly, sharp with disgust. “After the worst night of my life!”

I stopped for half a second.

Worst night of her life?!

  

A sarcastic laugh left me before I could stop it because somehow, I knew why she hated the night. Perhaps because Ethan introduced his girlfriend.

“You had a bad night?” I scoffed, turning to face her. “let's not pretend, harp..”

“You don't get to call me that!”

She stopped so abruptly that I nearly walked into her, her eyes blazing with fury. 

I lifted my hands slightly in mock surrender, masking the irritation in my chest. “Fine,” I muttered. “I didn't realize you were that sensitive about names and you also don't get to pretend that night meant anything,” I added, my tone sharpening. “You don’t get to act like you didn’t enjoy it just to save face.”

The moment it left my lips, I saw the immediate reaction across her face.

“How desperate are you?” she fired back, her voice cutting clean through the air. “Do you actually need me to stroke your ego that badly?”

Now she thinks I want to boost my ego.

“Just leave me alone, Ashton,” she continued, her voice lower now and colder. “You’ve already done enough. And for me? That night never happened.”

There it was again. The fucking Dismissal. 

Never knew Harper was this feisty. Not when Ethan used her at anytime he pleases with no fucking remorse. 

And I sure wasn't going to clear the air about last night just being a kiss.

So I cleared my throat, to change my tactics. “I can’t control Sienna,” I said smoothly.

And that was a frat lie. Because I could easily give her a call with a stern voice and end all this bullshit, but what's the fun in this?“But I can help you.”

She didn’t stop walking, but I saw the slight hesitation in her step.

“You’re handling this wrong,” I continued. “You’re letting them see you pained. And on this campus? That’s a death sentence.”

She stopped and finally turned to face me, “I’m not handling anything,” she said quietly. “I’m just trying to get to class without someone filming me or turning me into a joke.”

I cleared my throat, cleaning dirt that didn't seem to be there at the corner of my lips. 

 Maybe this was finally my time to get back at Ethan and make him pay for everything I had gone through, every hate I have received from my father because of him. 

Would it be that bad? Fake dating my brother's best friend—the one I happened to see him kissing on the balcony…

I stepped forward, a smirk tucking at the corner of my lips. “Let's make a deal,” I said.

She blinked, caught off guard.“A deal?” she repeated.

I held her gaze, “You want the rumors to stop?” I continued. “You want Sienna off your back? The videos? The posts? All of it?”

I watched as her expression shifted slightly in relief. 

“I can end it,” I said simply and I took a step forward to her with a daring smirk.“Fake date me.”