I didn’t sleep long when Becca started to call my cell phone. It was almost 10 pm and I was veryconfused as to why she was calling me so late at night.I knew something must have been wrong. “Becca?” I asked, groggily into the phone.I knew right away that she was crying before she even spoke. “Something happened,” she said, her words trembling. “Rachel disappeared… but then I found her. She was passed out in the bathroom…”“What?” I gasped, jumping up from my bed, startling Brianna who had fallen asleep beside me. “What do you mean she passed out? What happened, Becca?”“She had a needle in her arm,” Becca cried. “She OD’d.”I needed to get back to Higala and as soon as possible. I must have been making a ton of noise while grabbing my things because my mother came into my room with a worried look in her eyes. “Sheryl, where are you going? What’s wrong?”“I have to go,” I told her quickly. “Something happened in Higala.”“What is it?” My father asked, running in behind her. “It’s Ra
Sheryl’s POVThe rest of the car ride was quiet, which was probably a good thing. As soon as we got to the hospital, Ijumped out of the car and began to run toward the main entrance.I saw Becca right away and she was already talking to one of the doctors. It looked like I was arrivingjust in time. Becca looked relieved to see me and waved me over to join in on their conversation. “What’s going on? How’s Rachel?” I asked as I approached them. “I was just telling Becca that your friend is going to be okay,” the doctor said. “However, it could have been a lot worse. I have some pamphlets on rehab facilities if you’d like to take one for her. I suggest she seeks the help she clearly needs.”I didn’t think Rachel would ever want to return to rehab; not after the last time she went. But I wasn’t going to say that to the doctor. I gave him a fond smile and thanked him as he went back to do his work.I looked over at Becca who gave out a long sigh of relief. “I can’t handle this…” she said
Sheryl’s POVThey were both staring at me when I came through the door and into the waiting room. I was shockedto see Brody; I didn’t think he even knew about Rachel. Becca must have said something to him in passing.It was sweet that he brought her a bouquet. Although Rachel didn’t like flowers. But I wasn’t going totell Brody that. “Hi,” I said to him, forcing a smile on my face.I was feeling all sorts of drained, and I just wanted to return to my dorm and get a little bit of sleep. I was planning on coming back to the hospital in the morning anyways. “I brought these for Rachel,” he said sheepishly. He seemed a little shy and awkward and I wasn’t sure why that made me almost laugh. He picked out a bright purple flower and brought it to me. “But I picked this one out for you…”I raised my brows at him, surprised.I felt Ashton tense and I wasn’t even standing near him. It must have been the vibe and energy he was portraying. My wolf picked up on it right away. He didn’t like that
Third Person POV“Welcome back to the school, Sarah,” Miss Laurence, head of the board, said as she handed Sarah her curriculum and dorm keys. “You were missed. Let’s try to do better this time around.”“Yes, mam,” Sarah said with a broad smile. “I won’t let you down. I truly apologize for my behavior previously.”“I’m not the one you need to apologize to,” she said in return, eyeing Sarah carefully. Sarah had to admit that she was dreading apologizing to Sheryl. But that was the deal. She could returnearly if she gave Sheryl a heartfelt apology. The thought was nauseating for her. But she was going to do itif it meant she could return to the academy. The first thing she did after meeting with the board upon her arrival, was seek Sheryl out. She knew she would most likely be sleeping because it was so late at night. At least, she hoped that she would be that way she could get out of apologizing. Or she would be too tired to remember. But as soon as she realized Sheryl’s dorm room, w
Sheryl’s POV“Sarah?” I said, standing to my feet. “What are you doing here?”“I just wanted to check out the new art gallery that just opened,” Sarah said, raising her brows. “But my question is, what are you doing here?”“I work here,” I explained. “As Cassidy-Ann’s assistant.”“You?” Sarah nearly scoffed. “What would she want with someone like you?” That sounded like an insult, but I ignored it, allowing it to brush off my back. “She liked the portrait I made of Professor Ashton. She said I have real potential and wanted me to start here as her assistant,” I said in return. At that point, the other girls had disappeared to continue their own work. They were Cassidy-Ann’s artists, so they stayed in their own section of the studio, painting for the next art show. Which I knewwas going to be held soon and I would have to help with that. “I see…” Sarah said, almost bitterly.It was like she was disregarding the entire apology she made to me a few days ago. But I knew she wasn’t being
Sheryl’s POV“Absolutely not!!!” Val growled with fury boiling through her. I had to clutch the desk to keep her tameand not lose control. “We will not be introducing these whores to our mate!!”“Maybe he would finally reject us if we did though,” I said, trying to reason with her. Yes, it was painful to think about, but this might be a blessing in disguise. Perhaps this was the pushAshton needed to finally reject us and let us live our lives without the burden of being his mate. My stomach was in a complete knot as I stared around at the eager faces that stared back at me. They were waiting for an answer and Val wasn’t letting me say anything to them. “We know he’s unmated because he hasn’t found his mate yet. We heard through a grapevine that he’s on the market for a chosen mate,” one of the chuckled. “Yeah, that famous singer Bethany is staying with him, trying to get him to choose her. She has a better chance than anybody, but we would also like a shot.”I couldn’t believe what
Sheryl’s POVThere was a part of me that was hoping that Ashton wouldn’t show up. Emily and Kate were especially happy to meet him when I told them he agreed to come. We spent most of the morning setting up the gallery for the show. The caterers arrived just in time toset up their stations for food and drinks and per request, Brody arrived with his guitar. After talking with Brody over time, I discovered that he was huge into music and that it was a passion of his. I heard him playing in the student lounge and I knew he would be perfect entertainment for the art show. “Where should I set up?” He asked, holding up his red velvet guitar case. “I’ll show you,” I said, walking toward a secluded area where a few paintings were set up. “You can set up your station however you want,” I told him with a kind smile. “Hey, Sheryl! Can you help me place napkins around the tables?” Cassidy-Ann asked from across the room.I nodded to her and went to grab the napkins in the back room. As I was in t
Sheryl’s POV What did he just say?I stared up at him with wide and shocked eyes. I could hardly breathe standing in front of him. We were outside and the air was starting to get brisk.It was growing late in the evening and only the faint lighting of the moon, hidden behind a few clouds, lit up the ground around us. “I can’t seem to get you out of my head,” Ashton repeated, keeping his eyes locked on mine. “And that’s a problem.”I wanted to say something to him, anything, but no words were coming into my head. I couldn’t believe he was saying such a thing. “Ashton, I—” Before I could utter a single word more, he stepped closer to me, closing the small gap that sat between us. He wrapped his hand around the back of my neck to hold my head in place as he paced hisforehead against mine. His breathing slowed down to match mine and his eyes shut for a brief moment before he openedthem and gazed down at my lips.I wanted to stand on my toes and kiss him; I didn’t know what else to say o