LOGINRhettI stare at my hands in shock, shaking as I realize that I am no different than my father. This is the exact type of thing he would do—drive recklessly and scare the person in the car. Sure, I might not have been actively thinking of scaring Cassian, but this? Losing control like this? It is something my father would do, allowing his rage to blind him until he was satisfied with the outcome of his anger.“Rhett!” Cassian says, his voice cutting through the ringing in my ears.I look over at him with bloodshot eyes, unable to say a word.“What the hell?” he whispers, his hands still gripping the steering wheel where he had braced himself.I shrug and say nothing. “I’m…” I begin to stammer, as the panic refuses to let go. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean... I... I don’t know what came over me.”“Hey, are you fine?” he asks, suddenly concerned. Every single bit of the boy who was teasing and taunting me on purpose just a second ago is now completely gone, replaced by worry.“Yeah, um, can
CassianI walk back out to the parking lot, funding the rest of my can sis and riding it in a nearby bin. The second soda is freezing cold melting me shudder a bit. I walk right up to Rhett's car and tug at the handle, fully expecting it to be locked, but the door opens.I slide into the passenger seat, and not even a minute later, the driver's side door yanked open. Rhett climbs in, glaring at me with a look of irritation . “What the hell are you doing here? I literally just left the car and came back in less than a minute.”“Oh,” I say, leaning back against the headrest. “I thought you were going to leave me behind and leave me stranded.”Rhett scoffs, throwing his bag into the back seat. “That was the plan.”“Then why did you hang around for an hour and a half until the class was over?” I ask, raising my brows.“It has nothing to do with you,” he snap. “Get over yourself, you ass.”“This asshole got you a drink,” I say, handing him the cold can.Rhett looks down at the soda, checkin
Cassian“My dad wants me to get married by the end of the semester,” Rhett says to me out of the blue in the middle of class. Savannah isn’t seated with him because he has evaded her, so she eventually left to sit with friends.“Oh?” I say, surprised that he is telling me this.“Yeah… the, um… rumors.”“You could just tell him you’re g—”“Shut up. I’m not… I…” He breathes out. “Forget I said anything. Don’t even know why I’m talking to you,” he huffs and stands up, walking toward the exit. The professor looks at him in surprise as he storms out of her class and then shrugs.Class rolls by in an agonizingly slow way, and I’m glad when it’s finally over. Rhett is nowhere to be found, but his car is still where he parked it. Feeling thirsty, I walk back into the building and go over to the vending machine, putting a coin in.“You’re his roommate, right? I recognize you.”A harsh voice snaps me right out of my thoughts. I pull my soda out from the plastic slot at the bottom of the vending
RhettI laugh again, even more hysterical than the last time despite the stinging sensation in my cheek. “See, you just proved my fucking point.”“Watch your fucking mouth, Rhett,” he seethes, his voice dropping into a deadly whisper. “You know nothing about your mother, and you know nothing about the sacrifices I make to keep this family afloat. You will not speak to me like that again unless you want to find out exactly how much worse yesterday’s lesson can get.”My heart is pounding against my ribs. The memory of his fists hitting me is fresh enough to make me scared, but the unfairness of it all keeps my feet glued to the floor. I refuse to back down today. “Really? Do you then have a twin? Who—”“Rhett!” my father warns. I could swear I hear a crack in his voice, and I’m not sure whether it’s guilt or whether it’s the fact that I am standing up to him today.“I’m not getting married so soon, Dad,” I say, forcing my voice to sound commanding. I am trying so fucking hard to project
RhettA notification banner from my dad pops up on my screen the next morning, making me feel completely shocked. My father never texts me. Pigs must be flying.My eyes look at the text message, scanning the words once, twice, three times, until my throat completely constricts:I spoke with Savannah this morning. The wedding will be moved up to the end of this semester. We will announce the formal date at the athletes' gala next two weeks. Do not be late for training today. Quarterfinals are in a few. Also, I’d like the two of you to have a child the end of the following year. Savannah is okay with it.I sit up so fast the room spins.The end of the semester? That is barely two months away, and I am still a third-year student trying to figure out how to survive my lectures and lead a hockey team, and my father expects me to put on a tuxedo, sign a lifetime marriage contract, and become a father by the time I am graduating.Beside me, the mattress shifts as Cassian stirs, his eyes blin
CassianI sit at my desk for a long time, just watching him sleep.Rhett is out cold from the Tylenol, buried underneath his blankets. Every now and then, he flinches or lets out a groan in his sleep whenever he tries to turn onto his side. I know that his father had been the one to do that to him, and I’m not even sure of the reason why. I want to know, but of course, he’s shutting me out.I sigh, trying to let my anger dissipate.Outside, the sky darkens completely, and it starts to rain, making the room a couple of degrees colder than it was. I feel slightly cold, so I walk over to my bed and lie down under the covers, and eventually let the sound of the rain lull me to sleep.When I wake up in the night around eight o’clock, it is still pouring outside and the room is freezing because I had left the window slightly open. I glance over at Rhett’s bed, expecting to see him awake, but he hasn’t even moved an inch. He’s still sleeping heavily.My stomach rumbles, so I pull out my phon
Rhett I needed to get away from Blackridge.Between feeling suffocated by my father paying me surprise visits, the rumors spreading around the hockey team, and Cassian constantly finding new ways to drive me insane in that dorm room, I just needed to breathe.So, I packed a bag and decided to take
Cassian Three bubbles appear on the screen as soon as I send the text, dancing for a few seconds as Jacob starts to type a response, and then they suddenly disappear. I wait for a few more minutes for a response, hoping it’s because of a bad Wi-Fi connection on his end or mine, but there is noth
CassianRhett walks into the room just as I am putting away my laundry I have just received from the dry cleaners. He sighs when he sees me and rolls his eyes, dropping his helmet on his bed. “So, what’s this about, huh?”“What?” I ask, blinking innocently at him. I cross my arms over my chest as I
RhettCassian is up to something, and I need to know what.First, he had been playing nice with Savannah by the bleachers, and as soon as practice was over, she had come to tell me that my roommate was nice and cared about me. Now, I am walking into the locker room to see Jacob sitting and talking







