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“Don’t fuck with me, Heidi.”
“Don’t fuck with me, Bryce.”
His mouth twitches, like maybe he finds my defiance amusing or something.
He takes another step, and I grip the pepper spray tighter. It’s still inside my backpack, but I’m confident I can get it out and spray him in time. Maybe whack him with the heavy metal keyring a couple times for good measure.
Try to diffuse the situation and get out of there. That’s what Jake would say.
The idiot who’s supposed to be monitoring the lab should be back soon. Students are in and out of the building all the time. While we’re alone at the moment that could change at any second. Bryce would be nuts to touch me.
Still, I don’t like how he’s closing in and blocking my only path of escape.
“Back off, Bryce. I’ll talk to Dawn. But you need to do some of the project.”
“I’m a busy guy, Heidi. How about you two do the project and just add my name. Like a good girl.” He flashes a party-boy grin that I’m dying to unleash a stream of pepper spray into.
Why are so many boys my age such utter fucking assholes?
I quietly lift the pepper spray out of my backpack. Bryce’s gaze doesn’t leave my face. I tuck the spray in the pocket of my hoodie and zip up my backpack.
“Where are you going?”
“None of your damn business.” I heft the backpack over both shoulders and jam my hands back into my pockets.
As I brush past him, he wraps his hand around my bicep, jerking me backwards.
Panic explodes inside of me. His painful grip keeps me rooted in place, even though every part of my body is begging me to run.
“Get off me.” My words come out a hell of a lot calmer than my jack-rabbiting heart feels.
He squeezes my arm until I wince, then gives me a shake. “I’m not fucking around, Heidi.”
That’s it. With my free hand, I whip out the pepper spray and aim it at his face in one smooth motion. “Neither am I.”
“Oh fuck.” He removes his hand and backs up a few steps. “What are you, crazy? I’ll turn you in for carrying a weapon on campus.”
“Keep your hands to yourself,” I explain in an even voice. “I have a right to defend myself, Bryce.”
“Defend yourself?” He touches his chest in a poor-innocent-me gesture that would have me rolling my eyes if I wasn’t scared to take my gaze off him. “All I wanted to do is talk, you crazy bitch.”
“You haven’t seen crazy bitch yet.” Unwilling to take my eyes off him, I back up to the door slowly.
“We’re not finished with this,” he seethes.
My ass bumps into the metal handle. With shaky hands, I reach behind me and twist hard, flinging the door open.
“Well, that’s too bad for you,” I say over my shoulder. In a louder, firmer voice, I add, “I’m done.”
Nine
Heidi
My heart’s racing as I nope on out of the building and book it across campus to my car. When I’m finally locked safely inside, I grip the steering wheel and press my forehead against it, taking slow, deep breaths to calm myself.
“It’s okay. You did okay. You’re okay,” I whisper to myself over and over.
When my hands finally stop shaking, I start the car.
My gaze scans the parking lot and the campus in front of me.
There’s Bryce, storming across the lawn.
I slide down in my seat. Not that he appears to be searching for me. Maybe he made good on his threat and reported the pepper spray incident to campus security. I couldn’t give a fuck less.
Frozen in place, I watch him fling open the door of his diagonally-parked, sherbet-orange BMW. I only know it’s a BMW because he talks about his “beamer” as if it’s his girlfriend. Seriously, he calls it “tiger,” but with the black “racing stripes” on the hood and the ugly color, it looks more like a moldy orange Creamsicle.
Dripping with douchebaggery, he slams the door and revs his obnoxiously loud engine. Tires squeal and pebbles fly as he peels out of the parking space. The buzz of his exhaust climbs as he shifts gears, actually driving on the grass to bypass a line of cars waiting at the stop light to exit the campus.
Slowly, I shift into reverse and back out of my spot, thankful he’s gone.
My need to see Blake is strong, even though I can’t possibly tell him what happened. He’ll hunt Bryce down and kill him for sure.
And nothing really happened, right?
Maybe I overreacted?
Sure, Heidi.
Sometimes the biggest lies are the ones we tell ourselves.
Fooling myself won’t work. Bryce didn’t have good intentions. I’m proud of myself for standing up to him. On the other hand, I don’t want to be the kind of old lady who tattles to her biker husband every time someone pisses her off. With the possibility of taking over as Vice President, Blake has enough to worry about. He doesn’t need the added stress of some silly college drama nonsense.
My lips curve into a semi-evil smile as I picture the shock in Bryce’s eyes. The surprise of a girl standing up to him? If he takes it further and tries to get me into trouble, that’s when I’ll tell Blake and let him handle it.
Confident that’s the right choice, I make my way to the new and improved Furious Fitness. The more distance I put between the campus and me, the sillier the whole incident seems.
Pride glows in my chest as I turn into the parking lot. Blake’s worked hard since Wrath made him a partner in the gym. Business was slow for a while after the grand re-opening, but tonight, the parking lot is full. So full, I reconsider my visit.
But if Blake finds out I was this close and didn’t stop in, he’ll be upset, so I drive up and down the rows of parked cars until I find Blake’s bike and park next to it. Wrath spared no expense when rebuilding. The new gym is not only larger but modernized as well. I have to let myself in the back door by punching in a code.
“Look who it is,” Jake greets me with open arms and a friendly smile. “Murphy and I were talking about you earlier.”
I tip my head. “What was that conversation like?”
His lips curl into a devilish smile. “Well, it ended with the usual ball-busting. You here for a class?”
“No, I was nearby, and I just wanted to drop in and see him for a few minutes.”
He pats my shoulder and turns me in the direction of the main floor where Murphy’s probably supervising clients.
My breath catches. There he is. Not the sweet, gentle man who made me see stars earlier. Nope, this is Blake O'Callaghan, part owner of Furious Fitness, busy glaring at a couple of college-age bro-type guys. His frown and posture make him about as approachable as a growling polar bear. Can’t blame him, really. I recognize a few of those guys from school. Guess Blake has to put up with the jerks, too.
He drops the scowl when he spots me and strides over.
“What are you doing here, beautiful?” He pulls me in and gives me a quick kiss. In his arms, the turmoil clinging to me from my encounter with Bryce melts away.
“I was on my way home and wanted to see you.”
“I’m glad you did.” He lifts his chin in Jake’s direction. “Keep an eye on those assholes. They were offering ‘tips’ to some of the girls earlier. Making them uncomfortable. They should be leaving soon but I don’t want them harassing our clients while they’re here.”
Jake cracks his knuckles an
d nods. “No problem, brother.”
After Jake takes off, Blake hugs me tighter. “Really happy to see you.”
“Even though I saw you earlier?”
“Never get enough.” He takes my hand and leads me back the way I came. “You know that.”
It’s a cool evening with enough of a breeze to keep the bugs away. We drop down onto one of the picnic benches behind the building. Blake reaches across the table to take my hands.
“I should’ve brought you dinner or something.” Now that I’m here, I’m anxious for some reason. The thing with Bryce rattled me more than I want to admit.
“I ate earlier. Wrath was finishing a forty-eight hour fast, so he bought dinner for everyone.”
“Impressive.”
“How was school? Get some work done on your project?”
My mouth goes dry, and I glance away. “A little.” Not only do I not want to discuss my confrontation with stupid Bryce, I don’t want to let Blake know that I’m dancing on the edge of not graduating on time, again, if this project isn’t completed. Not after everything he’s done to be so supportive. I’m still hopeful Dawn and I can get the work done on time.
“What’s wrong? You look upset?”
“Just feeling overwhelmed.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
More guilt thumps me in the chest. “You already do enough for me,” I whisper.
Behind us the door squeaks and slams shut. Blake glances up. “You need me?”
Jake answers, “Nah, you’re fine. Just wanted some air.” He lets out a yawn and stretches as he approaches our table.
“Air. Right,” Blake grumbles. “I thought I asked you to keep an eye on those guys?”
Jake jerks his thumb over his shoulder. “They just left.”
A few seconds later, a shiny red Jeep Renegade glides into the parking lot, pulling into a spot not too far from my car.
I recognize Aubrey’s tiny stature and wave to her. Her sister, Celia, steps out next.
Jake takes a few steps toward them.
“Jesus Christ, really, bro?” Murphy says under his breath.
“Celia, you’re looking lovely as always,” Jake says.
