Page 8 of Cruel Titan

“There’s plenty of other really great schools around here,” Nathan says knowing the conversation between Candace is going downhill fast, as usual.

If I decide to go, “around here” won’t be at the top of my list. Right now, everything just reminds me of pain and misery. “I’m gonna head to school.”

Snatching my bag, I hurry out the door, and as I slide into my car, I avoid looking over to the Corvette. It’s another reminder of my dad and Asher, of course, since he took it upon himself to butt in and fix it up after I’d told him not to. The thought of going away for college, or just moving away period, is becoming more appealing by the minute.

Swinging into my usual parking spot, the Audi comes to an abrupt stop as I flop back against the seat. So much for getting my mind off of my dad. Nothing will settle it until I find out why he lied to me. Jerking the strap of my messenger bag, I step out of the car. I’ve taken only a dozen strides when Victoria falls into step beside me.

“Hey,” she says hesitantly, “I tried to text you.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry. It was just a long weekend and—”

“Quinn, it’s okay. Please don’t apologize. I was just worried about you.” She pauses for a moment before continuing, “And concerned about whatever happened between you and Asher.”

Stopping abruptly, I turn to face her. I trust her enough to know she isn’t playing here on his behalf but he’s still her brother. “Nothing happened.”

“I’m not so sure about that. And you don’t have to tell me, but I know something is going on with him. He’s been in a mood since you dumped him. He came home again fuming, but this time with a swollen jaw, before he trashed his room, destroying everything that wasn’t nailed down.”

A slight pang of guilt tugs at me until I shut it down. Asher made his decisions, and I won’t feel sorry for him. “It’s all by his own doing, so he’ll have to tell you.”

“I’m not sure I even want to know. I guess I was more worried that you weren’t going to speak to me again because of whatever went down between the two of you. Especially since you’ve seemed so distant lately, which I totally understand.”

“No, really. It was just a long weekend, and I didn’t respond to any messages.” This time, I don’t shove the guilt away. Victoria has been a good friend to me, and it’s not her fault that her brother is a psycho. She’d befriended me when I knew no one, welcoming and nice, without asking for anything in return. “I’ll see you at lunch. Okay?”

“Okay,” she smiles, pulling me into a quick hug. It’s nice to see her a little more cheerful than she’s been recently too. She hasn’t been acting much like the upbeat person I’d met on my first day at Golden Olympus.

“Quinnster!” Elliot calls out from down the hallway. The way Victoria tenses before pulling away as we watch Elliot make his way over to us does not go unnoticed.

“Yeah. I’m late for class.” She gives Elliot a look of disgust when he smirks at her, giving her a quick wave as she hurries off.

“Same,” I mumble, knowing Elliot and Asher usually come as a pair, so that’s my cue to move along. But Elliot never has been good at taking a hint, so he walks beside me while I make my way to class. Thankfully, his sidekick is nowhere in sight.

Elliot mumbles something as I move to step through the doorway of my first period class. When his hand lightly grasps my arm, I turn to see a serious look on his face which doesn’t happen often. “Quinn, I’m sorry about your dad. I was going to stop by your house, but I wasn’t sure if I should. Then I was going to send you a text, but I didn’t know what to say.”

“Thanks,” I choke out, biting back tears at the thought of my dad and the sincerity in Elliot’s voice.

Looking behind Elliot, I spot Asher in the distance headed our way. Elliot is another victim of an unlucky connection to Asher. It’s unfortunate for everyone that Asher is involved with, since he is seemingly the source of almost every problem. Avoiding Asher is the only way to make it through this hell.

“I’ll see you later,” I say to Elliot as I break away from enticingly infuriating emerald eyes before making my way into the classroom. Asher is nothing but a cruel hellion lurking beneath a heavenly surface, and it’s more than evident that I’m not immune to his toxic pull. With any luck, Asher won’t destroy everyone around him, pulling us down with him into his underworld.

7

Asher

“What was that about?” I flick a finger towards the door that Quinn disappeared through. I’m irritated, though unsurprised, at having spotted her holding a conversation with my best friend, which is something she refuses to do with me.

“Talking. Why, you jealous?” Elliot teases.

Under normal circumstances, he’s one of the few people I can tolerate a joke from and he’s never in short supply, but this is different. It’s taking everything I have not to knock the smirk off his face. Just another thing that makes it evident that Quinn has too much control over me.

“Whoa! What the hell is that about?” Elliot asks, noticing the slight bruising and swollen lip left behind by Nathan’s punch.

“Just another night,” I reply, not wanting to explain any further. Elliot won’t question it unless he finds out it was Nathan. And if I had to guess, he’d side with Quinn because that’s what he’s done since she appeared at Golden Olympus. I know him well enough to know his feelings for her don’t go past friendship, but it’s clear she got to him, too, because he always defends her. The one who was usually down to torment people and make them suffer has some ridiculous soft spot for her. Maybe I can change that too.

“Damn,” Elliot shakes his head, accepting that it was nothing more than another run-in with my father.

“So, what was that about?”

“We were just talking. Maybe you should try it.”