Part 79 (2/2)

”Answer your phone,” he says.

”It's okay. I'll answer when I leave.”

”I'll answer it then.” Slowly, Shaun slides his hand behind, taking his time to grope my a.s.s as he pushes his large hand into my pocket. I put my hand behind and grab his as he takes hold of my phone.

Shaun glances at the screen and with a sly smile. he looks up at me. ”Aww, it's your rock star.” He swipes a finger across the screen. ”h.e.l.lo. Who? Just a sec.” He pauses. ”He wants to know where you are. Should I tell Will you'll meet him when we're done here?”

”Give me my phone, Shaun!”

”We're a bit busy right now. She'll call you later.”

”Give me my phone so I can talk to Will!”

Shaun ends the call and throws my phone onto the desk next to the half-empty bottle. ”Okay, I'm bored now.” He crosses back to me, grabs my wrist in one hand, and shoves me hard against the wall. ”You came here to offer me something; you don't walk away this time until I let you.”

Shaun slides his other hand beneath my s.h.i.+rt and along my side. ”How does your rock star like to f.u.c.k you? Is he rough? Is that what you like?”

My anger morphs into fear. I'm out of my depth and sinking deeper by the second. I attempt to move, but Shaun's fingers dig into my side and I wince. ”I am. I like girls who do what I say.”

”Let me out of this room or ” I'm interrupted by Shaun covering my mouth with his hand and pus.h.i.+ng my head against the wall.

”And I don't like girls who won't do as I say.”

WILL.

My palm sweats as I stare at the phone.

What the f.u.c.k? Shaun? After everything she said about him? Is this why she stopped talking about him?

But the anger is edged by something else. Fleur wouldn't do this, and if she did cheat, it wouldn't be with him. I couldn't hear her properly, but she sounded stressed. And why would Fleur say the name of the guy she was cheating on me with if she knew I could hear?

Something weird is going on.

”What's up, man?”

I look up at Sam as he sets a couple of drinks on the table. I met him when I arrived at the pub for a beer; we shared a couple and when he left to buy the next round I s.n.a.t.c.hed my chance to call Fleur. She's all I can think about anyway. ”I gotta go.”

”Everything okay?”

”Yeah, need to catch up with Fleur.”

”Oh. She sick? She missed cla.s.s today.”

”Did she?”

”Yeah, she missed a few recently.”

I tap my phone against my chin. ”I didn't know that.”

Sam lowers his voice. ”I heard a rumour, not sure how true it is.”

”What?”

”Someone said she's up in front of the Board for plagiarism. I don't believe them; that's not something Fleur would do.”

I shake my head at the information. ”Man, I gotta go. I'll ask her.”

As I stride across campus, back to the department, my mind reels. Is Fleur that desperate to succeed that she'd risk her future by plagiarising? No, she's smarter than that. Why the f.u.c.k hasn't she said anything to me? What happened to our trust?

Shaun and Fleur.

They could be at his place. Out together. On campus. I stride through the dusk, if I pa.s.s his office I can check if the light is on and go from there. Go where? Do what? My head f.u.c.king hurts as the confusion strangles my rationality. She lied. Fleur is with Shaun and made up some bulls.h.i.+t excuse.

I look up. Shaun's office is on the second floor and there are two windows lit. Is one of them his? The department is quiet, only the desk staff left and they're preparing to leave, chatting, and not paying attention as I pa.s.s. Jumping up the stairs two at a time, I pause as raised voices come from a room nearby. Light filters beneath one of the doors and I stride over.

”Get your hands off me!”

Fleur.

The anger I held the night she went into his flat is nothing compared to the fury flooding my system now. I yank the door handle and step into the room.

Fleur's cornered and obscured by Shaun's frame as she struggles against him. Shaun twists his head around and the rage flashes red across my vision.

Words won't come and my mind blanks as I pull my hand back and hit him straight in the face with all the force I have. Shaun drops his grip on Fleur and attempts to strike out at me. I duck, grab his s.h.i.+rt with both hands, and slam him against the wall opposite Fleur.

”What the f.u.c.k is going on?” I yell.

”Ask your wh.o.r.e of a girlfriend,” he says wiping blood from his nose.

Fleur. She's immobile, frightened, and when my eyes rest on her ripped s.h.i.+rt, the last civilised part of me leaves.

”f.u.c.k you!” I pull Shaun back and smack his head against the wall. The thud sounds good, the shock on his face deserved, and I smack his head again. Harder. His head lolls forward.

”Will!” screams Fleur as I let Shaun go and I watch with satisfaction as he slips to the floor. ”What are you doing? Stop!”

I don't hear. I don't give a s.h.i.+t, and I don't know what the f.u.c.k comes over me; but I lay into him, punch after punch, each one releasing the pent up fury. Don't. You. f.u.c.king. Hurt. Fleur. I don't stop until I'm aware of Fleur grabbing my arms and pulling me away.

”Will! He's unconscious! Stop it!”

I stumble back to reality and grip my hand to stop myself doing any more damage. Shaun's face is a mess and Fleur's right. He isn't moving. ”s.h.i.+t.”

Fleur kneels over Shaun and with a shaking hand pushes his shoulder. ”Shaun.” No response. When she touches the back of his head, her fingers smear with blood to match that on his face. ”What have you done, Will?” she whispers.

Breathing heavily through the ebbing fury, I stare at the surreal situation in front of me. ”What did he do to you?”

”Nothing. He tried.” She gulps back a breath. ”But this! How can you do this to somebody?”

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