“Keep your fuckin’ voice down,” he hissed again. His hand landed on my lower back and he continued to guide me to my car.
I unlocked my door, glared at him one last time, and said, “I don’t know what the hell is up your ass today, but I get the message. I won’t bug you again. But let’s just get one thing clear, Havoc. There are much nicer ways of telling a girl you want nothing more to do with her. You really need to learn them.” Without further ado, I got in my car and sped off without a backwards glance.
What an asshole.
* * *
I arrived home half an hour later. I lived with my mother while I was finishing my course, but she was out for the day. Thank God, because I needed some time to myself to calm down. I loved my mother but she always knew when something was bugging me and I didn’t want to discuss Havoc with her. Instead, I ran a bath, poured a wine and sank into the warm bubbles, letting them wash over me. I hoped they would ease the tension from my body.
I’d brought my mail in to read, and quickly worked my way through the five letters. The last letter caused me to sit upright in the bath and shout out expletives. My fucking teacher had failed me after all.
Motherfucker.
I stood and grabbed a towel. After I’d dried off, I hurriedly got dressed again in preparation to go down to the college and give him a piece of my mind. I was walking out the door when my phone rang.
“Hello,” I snapped at whoever it was without checking caller ID.
“Shit, girl. You having a bad day?”
It was Velvet, my brother’s girlfriend. I sighed. “Sorry. And yes, I’m having a bad afternoon.”
“What’s happened?” she asked, and I knew she genuinely wanted to know. Velvet had a heart of gold, and we’d grown close since she’d come into our family a couple of months ago.
“I just found out I failed my semester at school because I wouldn’t sleep with my teacher. And on top of that, a guy I’ve been sleeping with was the biggest asshole to me earlier. Ugh, men.”
“Your teacher can’t fucking do that!” she exclaimed, her anger at the situation matching mine.
“Well, he has.”
She was quiet for a moment, but then came out with the big guns. “Nash will take care of him for you.”
I smiled. Nash was my brother, and was a biker with the Storm Motorcycle Club; he would definitely take care of my teacher for me. He had a violent streak in him and wasn’t afraid to use it. I didn’t know much about his club or his role in it but I sure as hell knew he wasn’t a man to be messed with. And he always looked after those he loved. My teacher was fucked.
“Now to this guy you’ve been sleeping with. What did he do? And who is he? You never told me about him!”
I laughed at her; I told Velvet pretty much everything, but I hadn’t told her about Havoc. I wasn’t entirely sure why not. “It doesn’t matter what he did because he was only a two-night stand. I shouldn’t let him get to me.”
It was her turn to laugh now. “A two-night stand? Only you could dream up something like that.”
“Shut up!” I mentally poked my tongue at her.
She was still laughing. “Oh, God, I do love you, Carla. No wonder you give Nash grey hairs.”
“Well, he shouldn’t worry about me like he does.” Nash was twelve years older than I was and had always been something of a father figure, along with my other brother, Jamison. My sister, Erika, also looked out for me. Our father had left when our mother was pregnant with me and we’d never heard from him since.
“You know he’s never going to stop worrying, don’t you?”
I sighed. “I know.” I had to smile; she’d helped calm me down, and I decided not to go and confront my teacher. “Thank you, Velvet,” I said softly.
“What for?”
“For being you, and for calling at the exact right moment. You’re always there for me when I need you.”
I could hear the smile in her voice. “Well, it was a fluke this time, but I’m glad I could help.”
“What did you actually call for?”
“Shit, I’d nearly forgotten about that! I was ringing to see if you wanted a girls' night out tomorrow night?”
I grinned. Nights out with Velvet were the best thing, and I wasn’t turning that down. “Hell yes!”
“Good. Meet me at my house and we can get Nash to drop us off at the club.”
We said goodbye and hung up. My mood had lifted a little, and I decided to go dancing at the club by myself again that night. Dancing always made me feel better, and it would help me forget my shitty teacher for a few hours.
* * *
The bartender passed me a glass of water and I drank it all in one go. I’d been dancing for the last two hours and was sweaty and thirsty. I was also on a high, and felt like nothing could shake my good mood. How wrong I was.
My phone buzzed in my bag, and I pulled it out and pressed it to my ear. “Hello?”
“Carla, where are you?”