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Zoe and Marne didn’t say anything for a second, but they shared a look, like they were making sure they heard me right.
“Charli,” Zoe said carefully. “I’m not sure that would be a great idea.”
“Poking the bear,” agreed Marne. “Besides, didn’t you just say you wouldn’t even go in the woods to begin with? That corner of the cafeteria is the woods.”
“He’s not a bear. He’s just a high school guy, and maybe his real problem is that everyone around here thinks he’s some kind of god. They’re too scared to call him on his bullshit. Not me. I’m not going to put up with it.”
I ignored Zoe and Marne’s attempts to talk me out of it. I got up and walked across the courtyard, never taking my eyes from him.
I was chronically introverted, but I also had a temper. The world had dealt me more than one shitty hand, and Cassian seemed to think he could shove a few more shitty cards in for his own amusement. He’d told Zoe to ask me about my scar yesterday after track practice. And once he’d turned to walk away, I’d been puzzled to see a gnarled, diagonal strip of his back was laced with scar tissue. It ran all the way from his shoulder blade to the middle of his back and was a few inches thick.
I’d recognized it as a burn scar immediately, but I couldn’t wrap my mind around how he could’ve wound up with an injury like that. Eventually, I’d convinced myself it was my imagination.
I still couldn’t believe him. What the hell had happened to make him so cruel? He knew I got that scar the same day I lost my mom, and he had to know how much it hurt to think about.
Of all people, I would’ve thought Cassian would be the last one to tease me about my scar, even if he had turned into a raging dickhead.
Well, I’d been too stunned to say what was on my mind yesterday. I had a full day to stew on it and get more pissed, though.
I yanked open the doors to the cafeteria and headed straight for his table—straight for the four guys who looked like they belonged on Mount Olympus with thunderbolts and tridents in their hands.
Hopefully, I wasn’t about to get zapped or impaled. Or whatever Marne had suggested with the whole deformed bear cub thing.10CassianLogan and Gage both lifted their eyes to look at something behind me. I turned and saw Charli walking toward us. Tristan and Kennedy had been in the middle of a conversation, but they stopped to look, too.
“Hi,” Kennedy said cheerily. “You’re new, right? I’m Kennedy.”
Charli shot her a confused look, then flashed a quick smile and breathed, “hi.” She turned her focus back on me, like she was pepping herself up for something. “You’re an asshole, Cassian.”
The delivery wasn’t bad, but it came out a little strained. Like an invisible hand was clutching her throat and forcing her voice a few octaves too high.
Gage and Logan turned their eyes to me without moving their heads. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Gage looked like he was trying to hold back laughter.
“Is that all?” I asked.
Charli looked like she had been expecting something else. She shifted slightly, then seemed to regain her anger. “No. It’s not. We used to be friends. I know it was forever ago, but we were inseparable. What happened to you?”
The way she half-whispered the last question stirred something in me. I shoved it back down a moment later, letting the anger boil back up. “You happened to me.”
“Damn,” Logan said. He popped a peanut in his mouth, chewing happily. “Didn’t realize we’d get a soap opera with our lunch today.”
I stood up suddenly, gripping Charli’s arm. She tried to squirm free, but I reached up and pulled her hair back, exposing the diagonal patch of puckered skin from her temple to her eyebrow. “See that?” I asked, holding her tight even as she squirmed and tried to kick at me.
“Let me go,” she said. I could tell she was already fighting to hold back tears, but there was anger in her voice, too.
Good. This wouldn’t be half as satisfying if she just rolled over and took her punishment. I wanted her to fight it tooth and nail, because it’d be all the more satisfying when I finally broke her.
“Tristan,” Kennedy hissed. “Do something!”
With a sigh, Tristan stood and faced me. “Do you have to play with your food before you eat it?” His voice was almost bored.
Kennedy gave him a little jab in the side.
He gestured to me. “Come on. Let her go, or you’re going to get me in trouble with Wheels.”
I gave Charli one last look, then leaned in close so only she could hear me. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to bother with you, Scarface, but yeah. I think I will.”
