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But Tizio pulls my hands away and catches my hair, easing me back. His gaze rakes over me, lingering on my mouth. “I’ll warn you again. Don’t go playing with fucking fire.”
“I’ve always loved fire,” I whisper, “and challenges.”
“In this case, don’t. You’ll get fucking burned.”
“Maybe I’m a phoenix.”
“Maybe you’re the world’s biggest brat.” He lets me go and looks ahead. “I’ll be here to collect you when your classes are done. Don’t be late.”
Because I can’t think of anything else to say, I open the door, cheeks scorched so badly the heat radiates like a haze. I get out and go to college.
Mondays are full class load, and that problem I had with the program I’m working on for one of my classes won’t play nice and magically fix itself. And it’s due before spring break.
Cyber security is a big world full of niches, and while everyone here is working to come up with something that utilizes smart house and office tech, I’m doing it a little differently, and maybe it’s not different enough. Maybe I need to go really old school. That tingle I get when I come up with something great starts, but I make a note in the little pad I carry with the stupid troll pen Fallon gave me. The thing is, if this new approach works, I don’t want to use it in school. The real-world applications could make money, yes, but something tells me going exclusive and selective in regards to customers might be better.
Which leaves me with the problem to still solve another way by spring break.
I’m finally finishing for the morning. I’m heading to grab some lunch and meet with Laura to sit on the grounds before the afternoon starts.
“Hey, bitch.”
I hesitate but keep walking.
“I know you heard me.” It’s Hazard, I know his voice and the guffaws of his little crew. “You like, charge by the hour?”
Slowly, I turn and look him up and down. “I’m not exactly sure what you’re getting at here.”
“You, the other night, your big boyfriend?”
“Wait, is he my boyfriend or a client?”
“You tell me.”
“I’m asking because I’m not sure I follow.”
His cheeks go a little ruddy, and the three or four guys he hangs about with laugh again, then stop, gazes swinging between us.
“You’re not making sense, Harold.” I fold my arms and hit him with my meanest stare.
“I only wanted to get in your pants to win a bet,” he says.
His words slap me hard, even though, from the way his friends don’t quite look at each other and shift on the path, he’s lying, it still hurts. Not to have him not want me but to diminish me to nothing at all.
Then I tell myself I don’t care.“He’s very, very protective,” I say softly. “So be careful.”
With that, I turn and carry on walking to the cafeteria, right as Laura appears holding up two sandwiches and some chips. “Was that Hazard?”
“Yep.”
I take my sandwich with a thank you, and we head to one of the big trees to sit there. “What did he want?”
“To hassle me over Tizio. I think we was humiliated.” An understatement if ever I’ve uttered one.
“You haven’t told me about the big, scary guy.”
I shrug. “My brother’s friend. Fallon, my brother, is away, and he’s very overprotective, so he wanted someone to keep an eye on me while he’s gone, and Tizio takes it seriously.”
“He’s got a real mafia vibe,” she says. “You know?”
