Mated to alpha triplets at all-boys school Chapter 25

Ashley pov

The days slowly pass by and thankfully, nothing of importance happens.

Occasionally, I run into the professor we met on our first day here, but whenever his eyes catch me in the halls, I do my best to avoid him.

Seriously, the guy knows something. The gaze alone is so damn unsettling, I don’t know how to react to him for most part.

Other than that, I suppose everything is fine. Well, except the fact that Anno has been accepted in a magic only program. While Ethan and I are taking a course that focuses on battle babilities and Elias with Everett are the planners - Anno just does nothing but learns cool magic stuff.

Hence why we don’t see each other nearly as much as I wish we would. Also, this is why I’ve been forced to spend more time with Ethan too.

Truth be told, the stunt he pulled off the last time isn’t cool either. Everyone still points their fingers at us and pretends we are together.

Need I say Ethan is fully enjoying the situation and I’m drowning in misery?

“Come on, Ash, you can’t avoid me forever,” he grunts, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Watch me,” I mutter and punch the boxing bag again, a little more aggressively than I started.

Now, we’re stuck in the gym, warming up for the next training session, but the asshole isn’t doing anything. At least what he is supposed to do.

No, Ethan can’t just let me be and focus on his supposed to be responsibilities. The moment our coach and professor left the gym, he made a b-line towards me and hasn’t left ever since.

“I told you I’m sorry a million times already? What must I do for you to forgive me? I don’t get it,” he whines and runs a hand through his hair. “Why can’t you look at me the same as you did the first time we met? Did I really kill the adoration I saw in your gaze? I didn’t mean to, damn it! It was a mistake, a heat of the moment slip-up! I swear, I don’t think any of those things about you.”

I stop punching the bag and turn to glare at him. “Silent thoughts are usually spilling out in anger, so don’t start with me. I’m being very civil, just let me be and focus on your own issues.”

Pulling back my fist, I prepare to punch the bag again, but Ethan stops me by grabbing a hold of my wrist. “Please, just talk to me. That’s all I’m asking for. And I don’t mean this civil bullshit, I mean as friends. You’re treating me as if I’m a stranger.”

I snort out a laugh, “you mean I’m treating you exactly like what you are? We are strangers. Roommates at best. We don’t have an obligation to become friends.”

“But I want to be your friend. Desperately,” Ethan hisses, tightening his hold around my wrist.

“Ew, get a room, you two. This is public space, at least have some decency to deal with your relationship issues elsewhere,” Craig calls from across the gym.

The guy can come across as an absolute asshole, but in reality, he’s actually pretty nice. He showed me some techniques and gave me tips and tricks to deal with some stuff easier.

I’d describe him as rough around the edges. He is straight forward, no nonsense guy with the warmest heart ever.

“Sorry, Craig. Ethan is trying to talk me into doing his laundry, but you know how socks sometimes are, no way I’m touching them,” I call back and grin.

The rest of the guys start laughing at me. Craig rolls his eyes, but I can see the corner of his mouth twitch, if only just a little.

The rare flash of emotion that guy shows makes me grin like a maniac, which seems to only annoy Ethan even more. “I don’t care what you tell them, but seriously, why can’t you smile at me like that? Why, just fucking why?”

I have no intention to get under Ethan’s skin, even despite the fact that he seriously has started acting weirder than ever. Almost like I’m his property, not a so-called friend, or whatever he claims to want me to be.

“Because you’re being an ass. I told you to forget what happened and move on, but you refuse to do that and keep bugging me about it. Haven’t I been acting like it doesn’t happen? Just watch how I do it - forget and let it be,” I try to keep my voice steady and calm.

“No, you haven’t, Ash. In fact, you make me remeber my fuck-up every goddamn day. Don’t you think that I see how you look at me? The disgust and anger you’re hiding, huh? Punch me, kick me, fucking scream at me, just do something to get that out of your system and be my friend again.” Ethan nearly pleads with me.

I wish I could. His words don’t replay in my mind anymore, nor does the look on his face when he was screaming, but I’ll be damned if I won’t use this chance to pull away from him.

Ethan knows nothing, he doesn’t even suspect what the truth might be, and it’s not like I can just tell him ‘hey, I’m your mate, but I’m pretending to be a guy to hide from my past, so please let me be and forget about my existence.’

What sucks even more is how adamant Ethan is to always pair up with me during training. Each touch, each look and ‘accidental’ caress are driving me insane.

While I’m proud that the coach and professor often speak highly of my abilities and potential, all I want is to drop everything and run as far as I can.

The physical contact isn’t just that as it might be for Ethan. For me, it’s so much more, even if we’re fighting. He doesn’t understand how much he is hurting me - the damage he’s doing.

Not that I have a right to blame him, right? After all, I am the one who has secrets, not him. And once all of them spill, once I’m faced with the consequences of my own actions, I will be the one left behind, stranded, with no one in sight to hold me.

But that’s exactly what I deserve. A punishment for doing what I do now.

“Can we bring personal issues home? Just let me be, I don’t want to fight with you, especially with the audience,” I whisper and look away, trying to pull my hand out of his grasp.

Reluctantly, Ethan releases my wrist and steps away. “As you wish. But you can’t escape this. We will have this conversation whether you like it or not.”