Page 109 of Jump on Three
“Oh my god, you’re so mean,” Veronica snickered. “You can’t, like, call autistic people creepy. It’s ableist or whatever.”
Layla scoffed. “Oh, please. She’s all, like, ‘I’m so neurospicy, UwU.’ No one cares, and anyway, she’s probably self-diagnosed like half the internet and uses that as an excuse for her extreme creepiness.”
“I haven’t noticed her being creepy…”
“Shut up,” Layla hissed, slapping the door again.
I expected Evelyn to ignore them, so I was surprised as hell when the door swung open. Layla pushed into the room while Veronica lingered right outside.
I’d seen enough. No one talked about Evelyn that way, and Layla sure as hell didn’t get to push her around like that.
Veronica squeaked when I appeared from my secret spot, her hands flying up in a defensive gesture.
“Hi, Ivan. I was just—”
I jerked my head to the side. “Get the fuck out of here.”
I pushed right into room three, not sticking around to make sure she left. Evelyn was cornered against her desk as Laya shoved a stack of papers at her.
My girl’s face was red, her eyes wide and panicked.
“What the fuck’s going on in here?” I gritted out.
Layla whirled around, instantly transforming her expression from vicious to contrite.
“Oh, hi, Ivan. It’s no big deal. Ev and I are just having a disagreement. If you could give us some privacy…?” She fluttered her lashes as if that would have an effect on me.
“That is not happening.” Sniffing, I gave my attention to Evelyn. “Are you okay, angel?”
“I’m fine.” She swiped her flushed cheeks and smoothed her hair from her face. “I was going to text you in a minute or two. I’m almost done. You can wait for me in the lobby.”
Since neither seemed willing to tell me what was going down, I snagged the papers from Layla’s hand. A quick scan confused me more. It appeared to be some kind of sociology or psychology essay, poorly written as it was.
“Why were you giving this to Evelyn?”
Layla squared her shoulders. “Not that I have to tell you, but Evelyn agreed to help me edit my essay. I was just dropping it off to her.”
She went to grab it back from me, but I kept it out of her reach. My eyes narrowed on her, giving her a hard, impenetrable look.
“I heard what you were saying about Evelyn to Veronica. I fucking witnessed you pushing her off the high dive. You are not friends. Evelyn would never have agreed to help you on her own. Tell me what the fuck you are doing to my girl to get her to work on your shit when she barely has time for her own.”
Two dots of red appeared on Layla’s cheeks. “I don’t know what you think you heard—”
“I know exactly what I heard,” I growled. “Don’t play me. I am not anywhere near as nice as Evelyn.”
“I’m not playing you. She agreed to do my papers for me. We’ve had this arrangement a lot longer than you’ve been at SA. You just don’t get it.” Layla flipped her hair behind her shoulder, aiming for nonchalant, but her shaky hands gave her away.
“The arrangement is over,” I intoned. “You will stay away from Evelyn from now on, or I will take it upon myself to ruin you. And, Layla, I have…connections that make ruining you as simple as a phone call.”
Her eyes rounded, and she let out a panicked gasp. If she believed I was part of the Bratva or another criminal network, it wasn’t my fault her imagination was running wild. Besides, my father was mostly aboveboard, but like any man with his level of wealth, his hands were not squeaky clean. If I tried, I could undoubtedly find a way to ruin Layla and all her family members.
When it came to Evelyn, there was no line I would not cross to keep her safe.
Layla’s rapid blinks held no seductive quality. “I think Evelyn and I should speak first. I’m sure she’s fine with helping me. Teammates do things for each other—for the good of the team.”
I scoffed, shaking my head. “No. She no longer exists to you.”
I’d had enough. Taking Layla by the elbow, I guided her to the door. Once she’d crossed the threshold, I brought her to a stop and dropped my voice low, my next words reserved for her alone.