"Declan. Declan, stop. You're done."
I'm breathing hard, my chest heaving. Connor's being held back by his teammates, blood trickling from his nose. His eye is already starting to swell.
And Sutton is standing in the middle of it all, staring at me like she doesn't recognize me.
"What is wrong with you?" Her voice is shaking. Not with fear. With fury. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
“He put his hands on you.”
"I don't care!" She steps closer. “You don't get to do this. You don't get to throw your life away because you're angry. Hetouched my back. Are you going to punch out everyone who touches me?"
"I'm not throwing anything away."
"Yes, you are!" She gestures wildly at Connor and the room. People are staring at us with their phones out. "You think Seattle's going to want you when videos of you brawling at a party show up online? You think Coach is going to let this slide? You're going to ruin everything, Declan. Everything you've worked for."
She pushes past me.
“You’re such an idiot,” she hisses. “Ashton, get him home. Sober his ass up.”
And then she’s gone.
Chapter Eight
SUTTON
Istorm out of the house without looking back.
The cold hits me like a slap, but I welcome it. The sting on my cheeks feels better than the suffocating heat of that party. Connor was just being nice. That's it. And now he's bleeding because Declan can't control himself.
I don't call an Uber. My building is less than a mile away, and honestly, I need the walk. I need to feel something other than this churning mess of anger and hurt and guilt that's threatening to tear me apart from the inside.
I knew going to that party was a bad idea. I just knew it, and I let myself be dragged there anyway.
I’ll never go to another campus party again. I cannot deal with that drama.
My breath comes out in white puffs as I walk fast. I didn’t wear a coat to the party, and I’m seriously regretting that choice. Just when I thought there was a chance Declan and I could coexist on the same campus, this happens.
He’s not going to just let it go. I was a fool for thinking he would.
Tears are streaming down my face, freezing against my skin before I can wipe them away. I'm crying, and I hate it. I hate that he can still do this to me. I ended things. I made my choice. I'm supposed to be moving on, but instead, I'm walking through the freezing cold at night, sobbing like a pathetic mess.
My phone rings. I pull it out with shaking hands—whether from the cold or the adrenaline, I don't know.
Keira.
I answer. "Hey."
"Where the hell are you?" She's practically shouting. "I've been looking everywhere. Someone said there was a fight, and then you were just gone. Declan is bleeding. The guys are freaking out. It’s hockey against lacrosse in here."
"I'm walking home."
"You're what? Sutton, it's freezing. Why didn't you call me?"
"I just needed to get out of there."
"Okay. Okay, that's fine. But you can't just disappear like that. You scared the shit out of me." I hear movement on her end, probably pushing through the crowd. "I'm coming to your place. Don't argue. I'm already getting an Uber."
"Keira, it’s fine. I just want to be alone."
