Page 39 of Colton

“Let it go?” She repeats. “Have you lost your mind?”

“I’m assuming that Sinners and Saints have the blurred image? Think about it, they aren’t the ones to spare anyone and no offense, Ava, but you’re the easiest target. If they had the real image, they wouldn’t have blurred it themselves. They thrive on wreaking havoc and you know it. All you have to do is be more careful in the future.”

Silence falls within the walls of the dorm, and I pause, thinking about her words. She isn’t wrong; if Sinners and Saints truly wanted me out of the picture, or to see my downfall, and Colton’s, they would’ve done it already. Those people have no tact, or self-control.

“But then, what about the person who has the real image?” Grace asks. “They’re bound to try and use it against Ava sooner or later.”

“We deal with it when the time comes,” Sophia says. She always seems to be level-headed in these situations, and she’ll never know how much I appreciate that. “If Ava wants them dead, so be it.”

“What? No!” I squeak.

“I was only joking,” Sophia deadpans. “But seriously, we’ll deal with them when the time comes. Take this as a lesson to stay away from the Dean, Ava. Nothing good will come from this.”

I probably would’ve rolled my eyes if it were Grace to warn me. Hell, even Lila. But coming from someone who’s always one step ahead of the rest of us; at times, it feels like she’s running a marathon while the rest of us are merely walking, it means something. Her words hold merit, and they have weight that makes me consider them thoroughly.

“I know,” I breathe out, eyes closing for a moment.

There’s something about Colton that’s been luring me in. Like he’s a siren, and I’m a helpless sailor, destined to be at his mercy. But given the situation, I know I need to take a step back. A serious one, too.

This will only end up biting me in the ass. Colton has coverage, and he has the means to make this scandal disappear, as if it was never there to begin with. I don’t have the luxury of pretending like this isn’t affecting me.

Sophia’s completely right — I need to draw a serious line.

It starts right now.

14

Sophia’s out, again. I can bet my entire left leg, a kidney, and half of my brain that she’s in the library, cramming for the exams. They’re not due for another two weeks, though. Which gives me more than enough time to study, and focus on my little side gig.

It’s almost midnight, and tomorrow is a Saturday. For the past couple of hours, I’ve been receiving messages from Artemis, I’m very tempted to block her, and move on. Our assignment went great, but that is the extent of how friendly I’m willing to become with her.

Besides, she’s my friend’s ex. I would never willingly associate myself with Grace’s ex.

My phone buzzes and my breath hitches. Up until a couple of weeks ago, I didn’t think I had it in me to try something like this. I’ve never been as self-assured as Grace, as confident as Sophia, or as easy going as Lila. I’ve always been more reserved, scared to take risks in case they turned out to be the worse choice.

Then, while I was searching for a possible online job, I stumbled upon this ad for a website. It seemed too sketchy, and a little fishy, but considering how desperate I am to make some money, I decided to look it up.

It took me a couple of days to compile information, and I even searched for online forums where people shared their experiences with the site. It’s a legitimate website, and the money I make is entirely up to me.

Well, how much I price my images.

I never thought anyone would buy them, though.

From the past couple of years, Sophia and Grace made it a habit to buy me lingerie as birthday gifts. Not once did I put them on, and they’ve been collecting dust in the far corner of my closet for the longest time.

The pictures I take of myself aren’t overly exposed, but I can’t deny that they are very, very suggestive and sexy. My face isn’t shown in any of the pictures of course, since I don’t want it to be spread around.

The poses I picked ended up being from models online. At first, I was very, very stiff and awkward. It was difficult to find some free time to take the pictures, since I’m sharing the dorm with Sophia.

I’m a newbie at this — and honestly, whenever someone buys a picture, I do feel good.

Imagine my surprise right now, as I’m staring at my screen with the most baffled expression known to mankind. My prices range between eighty dollars, up to a hundred and fifty, and there’s the option for people to tip if they want.

“This has to be a mistake,” I murmur.

The image was priced at a hundred dollars. They tipped me two thousand dollars.

As in two grand.