13
Iwas still floating on a cloud by the time my head hit the pillow that night. I’d gotten home from the library and went right to work. It had been tempting to take Riot up on his offer to go back to his room, but I was in a good space to get some work done.
I wrote most of the night, got a pile of words done, and even treated myself to one of the ice cream bars I keep in the freezer for emergencies. In any other school I’d have been lucky to have a secondhand mini-fridge in a cramped dorm room, instead of a near fully equipped kitchenette in a vast open concept living space. VIP College certainly was an institution unto its own.
After putting my work away, I snuggled down into bed, safe inside my covers, feeling like it’d only be minutes before I drifted off for a change. I still felt some stress, but it was almost like it was for a different Aubrey to deal with on a different day.
As my eyes slid shut and my consciousness began to slip away, my phone buzzed. I thought about ignoring it, but wondered if it might be one of my boys checking up on me. The thought made me smile. I rolled over to the nightstand and grabbed my phone.
hello slut
My heart slammed into my stomach. I looked around, suddenly paranoid they could see me. Maybe they were looking in through my window or were just outside of my door.
The phone buzzed in my hand again.
lets review how much you fucked up
Before I could react, my phone buzzed harder, and harder, over and over in my hand, as a flood of messages came in. I could barely keep up with them as I read.
thought no one would notice you walking with the prince over to the dining hall? bet he loves it when your whore mouth is wrapped around his royal dick
getting in jaesons car, probably sucking more cock for a ride around the block, wow that was a long ride too, you werent back for a while
did you wake up any ghosts in the abandoned music building while you fucked riot silly?
im sick of your face and im sick of your bullshit and i promise im going to show everyone who you really are if you dont leave
LEAVE NOW OR THE WHOLE SCHOOL WILL KNOW
I finally broke down and threw my phone across the bed.
I felt like my chest was in a vise, being crushed slowly with the flood of pressure rushing back into me.
The tears came all at once. I grabbed at my sheets, trying to calm my shaking body.
Why the hell was I still here? Why did I keep taking this? Was anything worth putting up with all this shit?
My heavy breathing came in fits and starts. I worried I would start to hyperventilate. I ran to my bathroom, wet a cold towel and held it to my face.
Between the blackmailer, and the demands from the readers, and the stares from the haters, and the gala, and being a dirt-poor outsider on top of it all…
Why the hell did I think I could make any of this work?
Enough.
There was no reason to put myself through all this torture.
I had to drop out. I had to leave VIP College.
Still crying, still shaking, I pulled the chair out from my desk and sat down heavily. I brought up the school website on my computer, clicking into the class portal. My courses were all listed neatly in a row, all so carefully planned and scheduled. I remembered doing this when I first got accepted, thinking how amazing it would be to take these classes, and how much I’d learn.
I hovered my mouse over the first row, lingering over the DROP button.
I hesitated.
Was I really going to do this?
Was I really going to quit everything I’d worked so hard for?
