Now I’m getting mad. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Sure I do. You’re a man-stealing slut, that’s all I need to know.” Rylie shoves at my shoulder, propelling me backward into a couple of people walking by. One of them catches me before I fall on my ass, and I scramble to right myself, anger and fear sending me straight toward Rylie.
“He wasn’t yours to steal,” I tell her and the rage that fills Rylie’s eyes is enough to make me take one step back.
“You’re such a bitch,” she screeches, rearing her arm back, fingers clutched into a fist.
Like she’s going to hit me.
“Stop!” My cheer coach Brandy appears out of nowhere, coming in between Rylie and me. Brandy’s facing me, her expression full of fury, and I take another step back, my entire body shaking. “What the hell are you doing, Autumn?”
I gape at her. “I’m not doing anything. She started it!” I point at Rylie, who’s slowly backing away.
Brandy turns to look at Rylie. “Go to the office.”
“But—”
“Now.” Brandy’s voice is firm. When she’s like this, I know I never want to mess with her.
Rylie gives me the finger from behind Brandy’s back and then takes off.
“What are you two fighting over? Please don’t tell me it’s it something stupid, like a boy.” Brandy lifts her brows, sending me a knowing look.
With a sigh, I glance around before I grab her hand and pull her over to the side of the hallway so not as many people can overhear us. “Ash Davis broke up with her last night and now she’s accusing me of having sex with him.”
“And now what? You’re causing drama between them? Is that what’s going on?”
My cheeks go hot and I try my best to keep my expression neutral. “Of course not.”
“Why does she suspect you two did it?” Brandy asks.
I shrug. “I don’t know.”
“Autumn…”
With a sigh, I lean in close so I can murmur in her ear. “He’s staying with me, okay? No one really knows, but my dad brought him to our house the night he got beat up and he’s been there ever since.”
When I pull away, I see Brandy is slowly shaking her head. “Your father better watch it or he’s going to get in trouble.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“Ash Davis is a minor. And I’m thinking his mom reported him as a runaway. Not that you heard that from me.” Brandy sends me a pointed look, and I’m guessing she’s telling me without telling me that his mother did report him as a runaway.
Will she give me other information too? “He’s afraid if he goes home, they’ll have him arrested,” I tell her.
“That could happen,” she says with a nod.
Fear makes my heart knock against my chest and I rub at the spot between my boobs absently. “He wants to come back to school.”
“He should probably get in contact with his mother first.”
“That is the absolute last thing he wants to do.”
“I advise before he returns to this campus that he do exactly that.” She makes a tsking noise and shakes her head. “The longer he’s gone, the more behind he’s going to get with his schoolwork.”
“Can I get his homework for him?”
“I can help make that happen.” Brandy’s in good with the vice principal. As in—that’s her mom.
I breathe a sigh of relief. “That would be so great. Thank you.”
“I’m serious, though. Ash needs to get into contact with his mother. The longer he stays away, the worse it’s going to get.” Brandy pats my shoulder just as the bell rings. “Now get to class.”
“You’re not going to make me go to the office like Rylie?” I ask incredulously.
“Did you call her a slut first?”
“No.”
“Then you’re fine. For now. If Mrs. Adney calls you up, just tell her what happened,” Brandy says, and I take off, hustling into my classroom before I can be marked late.
The moment I get home from cheer practice, I go in search of Ash. Mom is in the kitchen making dinner for us, and I call out a greeting to her as I pass through the room, but otherwise I don’t stop.
I need to find him. I need to talk to him.
At lunch, Rylie sent me death stares from across the quad but otherwise left me alone. I had to explain to Kaya what happened between Rylie and me in the hallway, while leaving out the pertinent detail that Ash and I actually did mess around last night, which proved difficult. And the only reason I explained myself is because the rumors about our confrontation had already spread like wildfire and everyone knew about it by the start of lunch, though the details were, of course, exaggerated.
“I always thought she was such a sweet girl,” Kaya said sadly when I was done with my story.
“A sweet girl who called me a slut,” I reminded her.
It was awkward. The entire afternoon was awkward, thanks to Rylie. Mrs. Adney ended up calling me to her office during seventh period, just like Brandy predicted, and I explained exactly what happened. Even gave her a few names of people I knew were in that hallway with us who could be witnesses.
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Adney said when I was finished. “I would suggest you avoid Rylie Altman as much as possible for the rest of the week. Getting into a physical altercation on campus is grounds for suspension.”
I didn’t bother explaining myself. What was the point? I’m sure Adney would’ve just brushed me off and told me to get back to class.
Music comes from the guest bedroom, and I stop in the doorway to find Ash lying on the unmade bed in only a pair of navy blue sweatpants, tapping a pencil against the edge of a white binder that’s next to him. I don’t know what inspired him to attempt schoolwork when I have his latest homework assignments in my backpack, but I sort of don’t care about that at the moment.
All I can do is stare at his rippling abs with longing. He has the best body I’ve ever seen, and it’s hard for me to grasp that I had my hands all over it last night.
If Rylie hadn’t confronted me, I would’ve been a daydreaming mess all day long, thinking about what happened between Ash and me last night. But his stupid ex had to ruin it all with her jealous outburst.
“Callahan.” He smiles when he sees me, and it’s like a ray of sunshine being shot straight at me. “I didn’t hear you.”
“Your music is loud.” It’s some rap song that’s vaguely familiar. A few years ago Mom tried to stop all of us from listening to that kind of music because she hated the foul language, but after a while, she gave up, admitting that when she was our age, she liked that music too.
He hits pause on his phone and the music shuts off. He must have it hooked up to a speaker—where did he get it? And where is it?
I’m so concerned with a stupid speaker I don’t realize he’s slid off the bed and made his way to me until his arms are around my waist, pulling me in close so I make contact with all that gloriously warm, hard skin that’s on display.
“Missed you,” he murmurs just before he kisses me.
I try to wiggle myself out of his arms. “I’m all sweaty from practice.”
“I don’t mind.” His hands slide over my butt and tug me in nice and close. I can already feel his erection beneath his loose sweatpants, and this time I do manage to get myself out of his hold.
“My mom is in the kitchen,” I whisper-hiss. “Ava and Beck are home too.”
“So.” Ash shrugs. “No one comes back here.”
He’s not wrong, but I don’t feel right messing around with him when my mother is right there, making dinner and chatting with Beck. I can hear them. They’re really not that far.
“Something happened today,” I start, but Ash interrupts me.
“I heard.”
I’m gaping at him for a long, confused couple of seconds before I snap my lips shut. “What do you mean, you heard?”
“Rylie tried to start a fight with you and called you a slut. I heard.” He shrugs again, and I’m starting to hate those shrugs. He’s so nonchalant, like it’s no big deal, yet his psycho ex-girlfriend or whatever he calls her tried to fight me and she called me a slut.