My Favorite Distraction

EPISODE FOUR

I stiffened, my eyes tearing out of their sockets.

He kissed me with a terrifying, suffocating desperation, as if he were drowning and trying to steal the air straight from my lungs.

I instantly thrashed against him, planting my hands firmly on his chest to push him away, but he was a brick wall.

His upper body pressed harder against mine, pinning me completely in place. No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn't seem to move him.

Then his tongue slipped past my lips, roaming inside my mouth.

I struggled harder, pushing against him, but his grip only tightened, keeping me trapped against him until, eventually, exhaustion forced me to stop. I gave up and went completely still.

My hands, which had been clenched against his chest, slowly loosened.

I didn't realize I'd instinctively closed my eyes until Xavier suddenly pulled away, breaking the kiss and releasing his iron grip on me as he stepped back a single pace.

My eyes snapped open immediately.

Without a second thought, I pulled back and landed a hard punch straight to his cheek.

The force of the blow made his head snap to the side.

I immediately leaned back against the wall, wiping my mouth and gasping for air. My knuckles stung from the impact as I shot him a glare.

"How dare you!" I burst out.

I braced myself for him to strike back, my heart hammering violently against my ribs.

But Xavier didn't yell. He didn't even touch his slightly bleeding lip. Instead, he slowly turned his head back toward me. Then his hands moved to the buttons of his shirt.

My breath hitched. I suddenly stumbled back a step, my eyes darting nervously as he began to strip off his shirt.

"Wh... what are you doing?" I stuttered.

He ignored me.

He dropped the shirt onto the floor, walked over to the wardrobe, and pulled out a fresh shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

Then, without an ounce of self-consciousness, he changed right there in front of me.

If I hadn't quickly looked away, I'd have seen his c**k giggling before my eyes.

Once he was dressed, Xavier walked over and casually sat down on the edge of the second bed.

I stared at him in disbelief.

"Why are you sitting there?" I asked in my trembling, confused voice.

For a split second, I silently prayed in my head that it wasn't what I thought it was.

"Get out!" I shouted, pointing a shaking finger toward the door. "I am not asking you again. Get the hell out of my room right now!"

Xavier didn't even blink. He simply looked up at me with those flat, lifeless eyes.

"Why should I get out?" he asked calmly. "This is my room, too."

"Liar!" I cursed, letting out a shaky laugh. I refused to believe a single word he said.

But then my gaze drifted past him toward the reading desk beside his bed. Resting on the wooden surface was a silver engraved plaque I hadn't noticed earlier.

XAVIER MACAULAY — VARSITY SWIM CAPTAIN.

Stacked neatly beside it were several personal notebooks.

The cold reality hit me like a physical blow, draining every ounce of color from my face.

He wasn't lying. This was actually his space.

"No." I shook my head several times, trying to make sense of it. "No, this can't be true. I can't imagine staying in this school, and now I have to stay with you?"

Xavier simply picked up a book from the table, climbed onto the bed, and opened it. The book rose until it completely covered his face.

Panic surged through me all over again.

I turned on my heel and grabbed the brass handle of the door, desperate to storm out of the building and find someone else to talk to.

Maybe I could talk to President Vance to change my room.

My fingers had barely tightened around the handle when Xavier's voice sliced through the silence. His tone dropped into a chilling, effortless pitch that made my blood run cold.

"Go ahead and step outside."

He didn't even bother to lower the book from his face.

"If security picks you up wandering the halls at this hour, they won't ask for your name or listen to your excuses. They'll classify you as a stray trespasser and beat you until you can't walk straight."

His voice remained frighteningly calm. "And no one on this campus will lift a finger to stop them."

My hand froze on the brass handle. I stared at the wood panels of the door, Xavier’s words echoing in my head.

My fingers slowly uncurled from the knob.

I couldn't risk it. I don't know how the school works yet, and looking at the chillingly calm guy sitting just feet away from me, I knew he wouldn't hesitate to let them hurt me.

I backed away from the door, keeping my eyes locked on him.

Then I slunk back over to my side of the room, my skin still crawling from the memory of his mouth against mine. I sat heavily on the edge of my bed.

The silence in the room stretched between us, thick and suffocating.

Before I could even think about lying down, I needed to set a boundary, even if my voice was shaking.

"Listen to me," I snapped, pointing a finger at him. "If you come anywhere near my bed tonight, I swear to God I will smash that ceramic lamp over your head. I don't care if I get expelled."

Xavier slowly lowered the book.

He turned his head toward me, his expression completely unbothered by the threat. A faint, almost mocking glint flickered in his dark eyes.

"You can try," he said softly. "But you'd better make sure you hit hard enough to knock me out the first time."

His gaze remained fixed on mine. "Because if you miss, you won't get a second chance."

My mouth went dry.

Without waiting for me to respond, he turned his back to me, pulled the blanket up to his shoulders, and closed his eyes.

I crawled onto my bed, keeping my uniform pants on, and pulled the sheets up around me.

There was no way I was letting my guard down.

I lay flat on my back, my eyes straining in the darkness. Every few seconds, my gaze shifted from the ceiling to the shadow of Xavier's body across the room.

I didn't trust him. I didn't even want to close my eyes. But exhaustion eventually dragged my eyelids shut.

I blinked the sleep away, my tired eyes struggling to focus on the figure looming over my bed.

Xavier.

He was standing right there, leaning over me with his face only inches from mine.

He stared down at me like a ghost in broad daylight.

For a second, I simply stared back, too groggy to understand why he was hovering over me like some kind of sleep-paralysis demon.

Then my brain caught up. My eyes widened.

I gasped and shot upright, scrambling backward until my back slammed against the headboard.

"What the hell?!"