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Cayden walked around the school with his head held high, the Ice Gods at his back, and stared anyone down who dared to mention the newspaper article about him. He was the hunter, and I was the prey. I had no power at HHH, and I felt it more acutely than ever.
In gym on Thursday, Selena kicked the bullying up a notch. We were playing dodgeball, and most people were playing as unenthusiastically as I was. It was late afternoon, and no one felt like trying. The gym session was at the same time as another class, and the teacher had split us up by gender. Cayden was there, across the other side of the hall, playing basketball with some guys.
I wasn’t paying attention to the game. I was far too focused on Cayden. I had barely looked at him all week, and now, I could watch him unobserved. Was I the pathetic girl heartbroken over lack of attention from her bully? Yes, it turned out, I was that fucked up. Still, knowing that he believed I’d betrayed him burned at me. I wanted to prove my innocence, just so I could see his expression when he realized what he’d done in retaliation had been completely unwarranted. I imagined all sorts of reactions, but deep down, I feared that he wouldn’t care either way. He’d said I was dead to him, that I didn’t exist, and this week it had certainly felt like that.
“Hey! Watch out!”
A sharp shout came from my left as I tore my eyes from Cayden and focused back on the game. Selena had just taken a shot, and like the bitch she was, aimed right for my face. It was too late to move. I only managed to shut my eyes as the ball sailed toward my face and met my nose with a sickening crunch. Pain radiated through my head as the teacher blew the whistle.
“Selena, sit down over there,” she barked.
“It was an accident! I didn’t know Lily wasn’t really playing, just staring moodily around,daydreaming.”
Her cruel words sent a ripple of chuckles through the rest of the girls watching.
I was so over it. I clamped a hand to my nose as a rush of warmth moved downward quickly. Blood dripped out and splattered my white T-shirt.
“Lily, do you need to see the nurse?” the gym teacher called, distracted by another student asking her something.
I shook my head. “Nope. I’ll just go to the bathroom.” The last thing I needed was to end up in the nurse’s office with tampons stuffed up my nose.
I whirled on my heel and ran to the girls’ bathroom.
“Sorry, Bug!” Selena called behind me, laughter in her voice.
I got to the girls’ bathroom and stared in the mirror. My nose was really gushing.
Grabbing a few paper towels, I wadded them up and held them beneath the flow, then tilted my head back. Was that the right thing to do for a bloody nose?
“Ready to give up, Bug?”
Cayden’s deep voice sent me spinning around, nearly slipping on the wet floor. Blood ran down my arm from where the paper towel had slipped.
He leaned against the wall of the bathroom, arms folded, one foot braced against the wall, looking as uncaring as could be.
“Give up what?” I asked, my voice all muffled.
“Your declaration of war against me… wouldn’t it be better just to pretend that the other doesn’t exist?”
He pushed off the wall and approached me, tutting as he took in the mess I was making of my face. He rested a heavy hand on the back of my neck, and I backpedaled, trying to get away. He simply tightened his grip and guided my head down so the blood was no longer going down the back of my throat.
“Lean forward for a nosebleed, not back,” he muttered, grabbing a fresh bunch of paper towels with his other hand and pushing away the bloodied ones I clutched in my fist. He held a clean paper towel firmly under my nose, the red smearing against his fingers immediately.
“It’s getting on you,” I muttered, unsure what to make of him right now.
“I’m a hockey player. You think I’m grossed out by blood?”
“Nose blood,” I reminded him.
“Any blood. It doesn’t bother me, and besides, I’ve shed blood from far more intimate places from you, Bug.”
I reared back and glared up at him. “Don’t.”
He smirked and raised an eyebrow at me. “Don’t remind you of how we both cleaned your virgin blood off my cock after I fucked you in a room just like this?”
I swallowed hard. The look in his eyes was difficult to read.
“Yeah, well, as I seem to remember, I wasn’t the only one getting their cherry popped on that occasion. Maybe that should be the next rumor to go around school,” I threatened him.
