ASHER
When we got back to campus, Reed went straight to his room without a word and I followed because the rage pouring through the bond was so intense it made my chest tight and because Reed's hands had been shaking on the steering wheel the entire drive because the blood on his split lip had dried dark and ugly and he hadn't even wiped it away.
Something was very wrong.
Reed's door slammed open. He walked inside and I followed, closing it quietly behind me.
Then I watched him fall apart.
He paced back and forth across the big space like a caged animal. His hands ran through his hair over and over until it stuck up at odd angles. His breathing was ragged and harsh.
A lamp went flying and it shattered against the wall.
Books followed, then his desk chair and everything within reach.
"Reed—"
"Don't." His voice was raw and sharp enough to cut through me and it did, because everything I wanted to say was completely gone. "Just don't, Asher. I can't—I can't do this right now."
