My foot slips dangerously when I take a step back.
Shit.
There’s a patch of ice right there.
I consider that, my eyes going to their feet.
Their shoes don’t look nearly as waterproof as mine. One of them is wearing regular sneakers. They didn’t dress for this outdoor weather like I did. I guess being a wuss about the cold benefits me.
That gives me an idea.
When Marcus’s friend throws another punch at me, I duck down and throw my arm around his side, pushing with all my strength. He lets out a surprised yelp, trying to steady himself—buthis sneakers slide over the ice, and he falls head-first into the bus sign.
“Rich!” Marcus goes to him, careful in his steps.
I could warn them off here. I could let them go, and we could pretend this never happened.
I think about Pandora’s meltdown—meltdowns—and I know I was responsible for what happened. She’s already gotten her revenge on me, but not all of them have paid for it.
No better time than right now.
I grab Marcus before he can get too far, spinning him around and slamming him into the side of the enclosed bus stop.
“You will leave her alone, and you will stop being fucking stupid,” I hiss at him. “All of you. Back the fuck off.”
I shove him back against the glass, getting a cry out of him.
“A-Asch!” he wheezes. “Okay, we get it. We get it! But you need to tell her?—”
“I don’t need to tell her anything,” I say, and even though I’m breathless, my voice is far steadier than his.
I slam his head into the glass, harder this time.
There’s a satisfyingcrunchas the glass fractures. The first hints of red spread out across the lines.
Rich gets up, and he warily approaches me, but he’s swaying on his feet.
“Don’t,” I snap at him. As little as I want them to walk away from this in one piece, I don’t want to escalate the situation any more than it’s already been escalated.
But why not, a dark part of my mind whispers?
Pandora got away with it.
Blaze gets away with it.
It’s my job to protect them. I could erase Marcus entirely, and what the fuck is his family going to do? Cry about violence on campus? That’s what they signed up for when they enrolled at Dyschord and joined Kappa Alpha.
I see motion out of the corner of my eye. It’s the bus, finally, and I—reluctantly—release Marcus.
“Get the fuck out of here,” I snarl. “And don’t forget that I’m not some helpless little bitch.”
Rich and Marcus practically cower before me.
I understand why Blaze enjoys doing this.
I get on the bus, swipe my card, and pick the seat farthest in the back. My breath is coming in fast and uneven.
Blaze loves this side of me.Pandoraloves this side of me.
