Page 43 of Arctic Titans of Northwood U: Volume 2

I had thought the movies had been Gray’s idea, but I didn’t have time to think about that. Gray went crazy. “Are you even my friend? Huh? I can’t fucking believe you’re having a fit over me bringing my boyfriend to our movie night. What’s with the exclusivity? Do you feel this way, too, Cole?”

“No,” Cole said. He looked at me with a sorry expression. “I really don’t.”

“Thank you,” Gray said, emphasizing the words. “See? That’s what friends should be like. Seriously, Spencer, you’re making it impossible for me to remember why I was even hanging out with you. What the fuck’s your problem?”

“Gray,” I said in a dry, tight voice. “Gray, stop. I’ll go.” I tugged his arm.

Gray turned to me, fury ablaze in his eyes. “You’re not going anywhere, Avery. I want you here. Whoever’s got a problem with that isn’t welcome to stay.”

Spencer snorted with pure contempt. “It’s my room, too. And you can drop the act, asshole. You won the bet. You don’t have to keep rubbing it in.”

Cole jerked violently at those words. “What the fuck?”

“Shut up,” Gray shouted. “Shut the fuck up.”

“Wh-what?” I asked. All warmth abandoned me. Blood was leaving my limbs and cool tingling set in. My head hurt with how tense the muscles in my neck grew. “What’s he talking about?”

“Nothing,” Cole supplied.

Gray turned to me. “Nothing, baby. I swear. It’s nothing.”

Spencer wore a smirk as he sat up. “You didn’t tell him?”

Gray rounded on him. “Get out. I swear to god, Spencer, if you say another word, I’m going to…”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Spencer said as he got up. “If you need to talk to your target, maybe you can take it outside.”

Gray’s fist tightened and my heart dropped. He pulled his arm back as if he was about to strike Spencer, but I grabbed his wrist before he could move. “What does he mean?” I demanded.

“You’re such an asshole, Spencer,” Cole muttered.

“I’m not done with you,” Gray threatened while he slowly turned away from Spencer. When his scared gaze met mine, I knew he had done something horribly wrong. I let go of his wrist like it was a viper’s neck.

“What did you do?” I asked, barely keeping my voice flat and emotionless. The storm was picking up inside of me and I wiped my palms against my pants. The fear I felt in the seconds of silence, Gray’s face struck with horror, was immeasurable. I had never known such dread.

“Avery, baby,” he whispered, “it’s nothing. It’s nothing.”

“If it’s nothing, just tell me.” I tried for a hopeful smile, but my lips were hardened like stone. I couldn’t control any of my facial muscles. My heart was skipping every other beat, sinking lower into my stomach, and I wanted to get away from the audience.

“I can’t believe you’d say that,” Cole hissed in a low voice. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“He deserves to know,” Spencer said.

Gray’s frightful expression changed to anger. “Oh, you let your mouth run wild because of some moral high ground.”

He wasn’t going to tell me. He wasn’t going to admit whatever it was, but his anger dug the hole deeper. It was important. Something was very wrong here.

I stepped back from Grayson, walls rising around my heart. He’d won the bet? Spencer had “picked this one?” I was starting to see. My resolve hardened and I took another step toward the door. Grayson looked at me pleadingly but then turned to Spencer again. “This friendship is over, Spencer. You are nothing to me.”

Grayson stepped after me, but I was quicker. I opened the door and walked out. His footsteps followed me quickly as I rushed down the hall and turned to the staircase. Echos filled the stairwell as my boots stomped each step quickly. His sneakers followed me just as fast.

As I barged out of the building into the freezing night, Grayson grabbed my arm. My speed was such that once he gripped me hard I spun around. Pain shot through my shoulder and I snapped my arm free of him. “A bet?” I demanded, my voice as emotionless as I could make it. I never should have lowered my guard. I never should have laughed or smiled or allowed emotions to guide me. “Tell me,” I said. “Was I just a bet you had?”

“No,” he insisted. “It’s not…it’s not like that. Avery, please. Come back inside.” He shuddered, his fine sweater not thick enough to keep him warm against the winter’s bite. “I can explain everything.”

“Go on,” I said flatly. “Explain how this was all some bullshit frat dare.”

“It wasn’t a frat dare,” Grayson said. “I swear, Avery, I didn’t mean any harm. It meant nothing. Just a challenge. A dare. Nothing. I was boasting that we were on a winning streak and Spencer dared me to take you on a date if we lost.” Words poured out of his lips and I was disgusted with myself. All those times I had wondered why someone like him would be interested in someone like me and it had never crossed my mind that I was the butt of a joke.