Pushing the Limits by Brooke Cumberland Read Free Book Online Page A

“Thanks.”
    His lips curl up even higher, showing off his dimples again. Lord, those dimples are like fresh strawberries covered in melted chocolate. They look so delicious and perfect that you can’t deny the explosive flavor once it hits your tongue.
    Oh my God …did I just compare my professor’s dimples to chocolate covered strawberries?
    I seriously need to get some fresh air. Or perhaps a second pair of panties.
    He walks to the front of the classroom, setting his briefcase down on the desk. I clean up my area and put my supplies away before the first few students walk in.
    “How’s it goin’?” Ellie asks in that southern twang of hers as soon as she sits down in the chair next to mine.
    “You’re surprisingly early…” I narrow my eyes at her suspiciously.
    “Not that early…” she denies, her cheeks turning a soft red.
    “Does this have anything to do with that guy over there eye-fucking you?” I noticed it during our first class. He stares at her every chance he gets.
    “Who? Kyle Simmons?” She pretends to not notice him as she digs through her supplies bag.
    I playfully scowl at her. “I don’t know his name! But it’s apparent you do.”
    “We might’ve had a couple classes together last semester.”
    “And?” I prompt, knowing there’s so much more to the story.
    “And…” She lingers. “We might’ve hooked up at a party.”
    “So you came to class early to what? Have a staring contest?”
    She wrinkles her nose at me. “No…I don’t know. It’s just once class starts, the easel will block my view.”
    “So…go sit next to him. Wouldn’t that solve your problem?”
    “Oh, bless your heart, Aspen.” I furrow my brows, confused. “He should come sit next to me. It’d be the gentlemanly thing to do.” She crosses her legs and folds her hands in her lap.
    “Ah…” I say, it finally clicking. “So what you really want is to eye-fuck him and play hard to get until he makes the initiative to come talk to you?”
    “Is that too much to ask?”
    I laugh at her sharp-witted southern accent. “Oh, so you were ready to jump on the professor in a heartbeat, but Kyle needs to be a southern gentleman and come to you?”
    “That’s exactly right,” she answers sharply. I shake my head and smile at her.
    Soon, class begins, and I watch Professor Hampton walk around the front of the room and discuss our assignment. I should be listening, but my mind wanders to the abstract I painted earlier. The one that portrays her inner demons…
     
    It’d been raining all night long, and eventually, the storm woke me up. A flash of lighting temporarily blinded me as I squinted, trying to see if Ari was awake. Her bed was empty and the light in the hallway peeked under our bedroom door.
    I threw the covers off and opened the door, deciding to tiptoe down the hallway to see where she had gone. “Ariel?” I whispered. I stood in front of the bathroom door that was closed, but I knew she had to be in there. “Ariel, you in here?” I knocked lightly.
    Silence.
    I slowly opened the door, hoping I wasn’t interrupting her, but when I stepped in, my entire world stopped.  “Oh my God, Ariel!” I ran to her where she lay on the cold bathroom floor, blood running down her hand and fingers. “Ariel, wake up!” I screamed, pulling her into my lap.
    I grabbed a towel from the hook and wrapped it around her wrist. A razor blade lay next to her, covered in dried blood. Tears fell down my cheeks faster than I could wipe them off. I couldn’t understand what was happening…why had she done it?
    Why hadn’t I known she was hurting?
     
     
    The sound of chairs sliding on the floor knocks me out of my past nightmare. Everyone’s hustling to grab their easels and spread out their supplies. I grab my project that we started last class after our memory exercise and drown in my thoughts as I keep my eyes down and to the canvas in front of me. Professor Hampton continues walking around, but I