Page 33 of Burning Embers
But I can’t focus on any of that, though. Not when I have agoddamn Calculus test in exactly two hours that I need to pass or risk getting benched for the rest of the season.
School has never been my strong suit, not like it is for Ethan and even Ashton. I honestly don’t see the fucking point of learning about X and Y and imaginary numbers. Teach me something that will benefit me in the future, like how to calculate taxes and apply for loans. Don’t teach me how to do multiplication with numbers that don’t truly exist. What’s the goddamn point in that?
Irritation thrums through my veins as I move towards my locker, grab achange of clothes, and then head towards the showers. I want to take my time under the spray of blistering water, but I know I need to head to my first period early if I have any hope in hell of studying before my second period test.
Cursing, I shut off the shower and quickly change into a fresh pair of clothes. I don’t bother to brush my blond hair. Instead, I simply fork my fingers through the disheveled strands, frowning when they flop back into place in front of my eyes.
Ashton’s waiting for me outside of the locker room, his arms crossed over his chest and his expression carefully blank. A frown tugs at his brows when he catches a glimpse of my face. Almost immediately, he grabs his phone out of his back pocket and begins to type on it.
“I’ll take care of it,” he tells me firmly, not even glancing up from the screen as we maneuver the now-crowded halls, heading towards our lockers.
I scowl. “You don’t need to do this for me, Ash. It’s not fucking worth it. It’s just one test.”
“And if you fail, you’re going to be benched,” he points out, his tone almost absent as he continues to keep his gaze glued to his phone.
Somehow, he’s able to traverse the halls without bumping into anyone, despite his attention elsewhere. I wonder if it’s his skills as a wolf…or the bright neon sign that seems to hang above his head, warning everyone to stay clear of him. The other students part around him like a boulder resting in the middle of a roaring river. Fear, awe, and caution splay across their faces as they eye him with barely veiled curiosity.
I’ve seen firsthand what Ashton can do just with that damn phone of his. He could probably take over the world if he felt so inclined to, all while never leaving our cozy town in the middle of nowhere. I don’t know who heplans to blackmail, bribe, or threaten now, but it’s a pointless endeavor. Ashton can’t fix all of my problems for me just because I’m a stupid motherfucker.
Maybe if I ask Ethan for help…
Almost as soon as that thought enters my mind, I dismiss it in a tidal wave of anger. Hell would sooner freeze over than I’ll ever ask that piece of shit for help.
Ethan may be my twin brother. He may be my packmate. Hemay be the other half of my soul…but he’s also the man I hate most in the world.
I wrench open my locker with more force than necessary and quickly sift through the textbooks there, deciding which ones I’ll need for the day. Ashton watches me with cold, calculating eyes, his phone now dangling loosely in his grip. One of his dark brows quirks upwards in a silent question, but I shake my head.
“No. I don’t want your help with this.” I grab my enormous Calculus textbook and glare at the cover—a smiling woman holding a calculator like she’s having the time of her goddamn life. “Fucking math.”
Ashton’s lips purse, but he chooses not to argue with me. Yet, despite his silence, I know that he’ll intervene if I do fail and find myself benched during the next game. It’s in his blood to help the members of his pack, regardless of what we say or do.
“Have you talked to Ethan at all today?” Ashton’s quiet voice has a chill skating down my spine, like the Grim Reaper himself is hovering behind me and whispering in my ear.
My jaw clenches, and tension reverberates through my body. My knuckles turn almost white from how hard I grip the textbook.
“Why the fuck would you ask me that?” I snarl..
Ashton ignores my outburst. “He’s been acting weird. And he hasn’t returned any of my texts.”
“He always acts fucking weird.”
Once again, Ashton chooses not to acknowledge my outburst. Both Reid and Ashton are keenly aware of the tension between me and my twin, but they’ve made it clear time and time again that they’ll be Switzerland in this battle between the two of us.I don’t know how they can be so goddamn calm knowing what Ethan did, but then again, theyarehis packmates, just as they are mine. The brown mark on all of our skins—the one that looks like a roaring flame—proves as much.
At one point, I wanted nothing more than to be in a pack with my twin brother. He was my best friend, my confidant, my partner in crime…
Until everything changed and he became my enemy.
I squeeze my eyelids shut to hold back the onslaught of emotions that threaten to drown me. That seems to be an ever-present constant in my life whenever I eventhinkhis name.
Because of him, my life has been forever changed.
Because of him, our pack no longer has control of our future.
Because of him, we’re tied to someone we can’t stand.
As if theuniverse has heard my silent fuming, the she-devil herself appears at the end of the hallway, her two flunkies trailing a few steps behind her.
Ashton doesn’t even bother to say goodbye to me as he hightails it out of there, his gaze never straying to the woman striding towards us. I quickly try to slam my locker shut and follow after my best friend, but I’m too damn slow.