And for the first ti, I saw sothing shift in Dominic’s expression. A flicker of tension. Not fear...Dom didn’t do fear, but maybe... restraint. Like Liam’s words mattered in a way no one else’s did.
A few people shifted, suddenly unsure if they should still be recording.
"Just grab another shirt," Liam said. "Co on. He’s not worth the headache."
And that was it.
No threats. No warnings.
Both of them turned around and walked away like none of it mattered anymore. Like he hadn’t just stopped a full-blown public execution with a sentence.
For a mont, it felt like I could finally breathe again.
Like maybe that was it.
But the feeling barely lasted a second.
Ian leaned in close, I could feel his breath hot against my cheek.
"You’re lucky he said sothing," he muttered. "But don’t get it twisted."
And before I could move...
His fist slamd into my face.
Everything went white for a second. A ringing shot through my ears.
Pain burst behind my eye. My vision blurred. My legs gave out and I crashed to the floor, tray clattering beside . Sothing tallic hit my lip. Blood.
Laughter.
The the worst part wasn’t the pain.
It was the sound.
Cheering.
Applause.
Phones rose again, like I was so kind of tragic clown in a circus.
"Holy sh*t, did you see that hit."
"Did you get that on cara?"
"Replay it, bro!"
The floor was freezing against my cheek, but my face burned.
And then...just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, I heard it.
They started chanting.
"Ashlicker."
"Ashlicker."
That was it.
And just like that, the nickna was born. By Monday, it’d be on every locker, every bathroom stall, every group chat, every mouth that wanted soone to laugh at.
I didn’t cry.
Not there.
Not in front of them.
But God... I wanted to.
Minutes later, they were all gone.
The laughter, the chanting, the jeers...just echoes now.
But the caras were still rolling.
So people kept filming like they were hoping I’d cry next.
I didn’t give them the satisfaction.
I clenched my jaw, swallowed the pain, and stord off toward Mr. Sun...my boss. He was already waiting near the bar with a look I hated. That kind of awkward pity people give you when they don’t know what to say.
His eyes flicked down to my face...my bloody nose, bruised eye...and he winced.
"Kid," he sighed, sucking his teeth. "They’re all assholes. Don’t let them get to you."
He tossed a folded white shirt at .
"Change into this. You don’t have to finish the shift. I’ll still pay you for the night, alright?"
"Thanks," I mumbled, barely getting the word out as I caught the shirt with my shaky hands.
He nodded toward the far end of the room. "Restroom’s over there."
I followed the direction he gave, stumbling down the hallway.
My fingers lightly pressed the spot just under my left eye..sharp pain. Ian really got .
Blood trickled from my nose and I sniffed hard, trying not to make a ss of myself before I even found a place to breathe.
I needed to clean up, fast.
There were three restrooms lined up next to each other. Who has three restrooms on the sa floor? What is this, a nightclub?
I opened the first door—
"Yo! What the hell, man?"
Only to see a group of kids crouched around the sink, they had white powder under their nose.
"Shit...sorry!" I blurted, stepping back instantly.
"Get the fuck out!" soone snapped as the door slamd in my face.
Okay. Not that one.
Tried the second door...
Oh. My. God. My brain practically short-circuited.
Two guys.
One of them was on his knees,his mouth wrapped around the other guy’s dick. The other had his hand in his hair, head thrown back like they didn’t even care who walked in.
"You joining or just gonna watch?" one of them chuckled, like this was so kind of joke.
Bang! I slamd the door shut, my face was literally burning.
What the actual hell is this place?
I stared at the third door, praying it was just a regular, boring bathroom. Opened it—
Nope.
And yep. I was right.
"Ever heard of knocking, freak?!" she snapped when she noticed .
A girl I recognized from school was humping two guys, fully naked.
"Get the fuck out!"she scread.
I backed away, shutting the door quickly as she hurled another insult.
Do rich kids not believe in door locks or is that just a skill money can’t buy?" I muttered under my breath, rubbing my eye.
Now I didn’t even know where to change. I sighed. The whole place felt cursed.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted two people coming down a narrow stairwell I hadn’t noticed before.
"The rooftop’s so peaceful," one of them said, laughing. "Best part of the house."
They disappeared into the crowd.
My heart thudded. Rooftop. Peaceful. Quiet.
Exactly what I needed right now.
Just as I turned to leave, my phone started ringing in my pocket.
June.
I swiped to answer and pressed the phone to my ear. "Hello?"
I couldn’t hear a damn thing. The music was pounding, bass shaking the floor, people shouting.
"I can’t hear you...hang on," I said, pressing the phone tighter to my ear as I rushed up the stairs.
When I stepped out onto the rooftop, everything changed....it was like stepping into another world.
It was quiet.
No music. No noise. Just a soft breeze and the night sky full of stars. The city lights blinked in the distance.
"June?" I said, nervously.
She was crying. I could hear it in the way her voice cracked.
"June, what’s going on?"
And then I heard it.
Sirens.
An ambulance in the background.
My stomach dropped.
"I’m so sorry, Ash..." she whispered, her was voice trembling. "I thought she was sleeping..I swear I really thought she was asleep."
My blood ran cold. "June, what’re you talking about?"
"She stopped breathing."
The words hit harder than Ian’s punch.
Everything went still. The rooftop. The sky. My breath.
Just that sentence. Over and over.
She stopped breathing
The phone slipped from my fingers.
I fell to my knees.
Everything blurred.
I didn’t cry. Not yet. I just knelt there, completely empty.
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