The day of the private photoshoot, I had been prepared to take the public bus to the stop nearest Coach’s house, but instead, Asher showed up at my door, spinning his car keys around his finger. “You think I’m going to let you go alone?” he asked. “Coach insisted that he’ll only let me in the hous
“You can leave your stuff here on the couch,” Coach said, gesturing to my purse and jacket. I started to slide the jacket off of my shoulders. “I have a dress for you to wear in the bathroom. When you are ready to start, you can go get changed in there.” “Okay.” “The set is arranged in the basemen
“Now, Cynthia. Take off your top.” Fear strangled me in its grip. I really, really did not want to do that. So I froze, deer in headlights, and couldn’t move. This only seemed to make Coach irate. “Cynthia. Do you want these pictures to turn out or don’t you?” I couldn’t speak. I shook my head
“Here.” He lowered the jacket over my shoulders. I immediately closed it at my chest. “Are you alright?” I shook my head. His blank façade cracked, as his brow furrowed with worry. “Did he hurt you?” I blinked back tears, but a few still broke through and tracked down my cheeks. “Just pictures
Asher I got Cynthia into my car and drove her back to campus. But she stayed unnervingly quiet all the way back to her room. It wasn’t usual, her silence. So often, I was the one who didn’t talk and she was the one who would fill the void. I didn’t know how to act if our roles were reversed.
My wolf growled, dissatisfied, but begrudgingly agreed. Cynthia was worth more than the temporary satisfaction of revenge. If I was kicked out of school, I wouldn’t be able to protect her. Removing the memory card, I returned it and my phone to my pocket. Then I checked over Cynthia to make
I woke up in my room alone. It was still daylight and the spot on my bed where Asher had been sitting was still warm. He couldn’t have been gone for long. But he was gone. I wondered where he went, and why. I rolled into the warmth he’d left and tried to quash my swelling anxiety. I was still
“He threatened to expel Asher.” I worried my bottom lip with my teeth. “I don’t know if he’ll try or not.” “Thin-skinned weasel like that definitely will,” Elena said. I couldn’t let that happen. “We should report him,” I said. The group silenced at once. “Things have gotten progressively wo