Page 69 of Fueled Hate

My fingers cling to the desk as I keep facing forward. He says my name again. I can’t do this. I can’t concentrate with him lurking behind me, but I won’t let him run me out of this classroom. Glancing over, I see Dylan’s murderous stare directed behind me to where Kyle is seated.

“Shut your mouth or I’ll shut it for you. Again.” Dylan keeps his voice monotone, sounding so calm that if I didn’t know what was lurking beneath, I’d never have guessed. A few students look his way, suddenly aware of the tension in the room that’s been suffocating me.

“Everything good up there, fellas?” the professor asks as the entire class focuses in on Dylan and Kyle.

“Your call,” Dylan states, still zoning in on Kyle.

Kyle cusses under his breath but my name doesn’t leave his mouth again as the professor begins the lecture.

Hopefully, it’s a sign that Kyle has given up, but I know I’m not that lucky. He has to have the last word. Always.

The minutes tick by excruciatingly slow though I somehow manage to focus on the lecture, pushing out the tension until class is over. Slowly gathering my things, I wait as the students clear out, hoping Kyle goes with them. Dylan remains in his seat as I stand, turning to get a good look at Kyle’s mangled face for the first time. His lip is swollen, there’s a cut across his cheekbone, and both eyes are encircled with bruises.

Tearing my gaze away from him, I begin walking up the stairs as Dylan stands, following a few feet behind Willow and me.

Willow is strangely quiet as we make our way into Coyote Café. I tell her I’ll grab us some coffees—any task to keep me focused on something other than his presence, other than the distraction seated a few tables over. Is he really going to follow me everywhere I go in pursuit of defending me from the Big Bad Wolf?

Yep. He is. It’s clear from his reclined position at the table. He makes no attempt to hide that he’s watching me. Walking over, I stop across from him, keeping the table in between us. It’s a dismal strategy, but I need some barrier between us. Anything to fight the pull he has on me even if I know it’s pointless, I’ll surrender to him not because I have to but because I want to. And I know it’ll happen. I’m just not ready yet.

Placing one of the coffees on the table, I reach in my bag, and pull out his key fob, setting it next to the paper cup. “Here. Two less things I owe you.”

He doesn’t say anything as I step back, walk to my table, and drop in the seat. Something as simple as a cup of coffee and as generous as his stupid car feel equally heavy when indebted to him. Even more, the thirty thousand I need to pay back to him sooner than later. First step, getting my damn car from my dad’s house. Easier said than done, because that means facing my dad and maybe Levi if he’s even around.

I slide the remaining cup of coffee across the table to Willow, retrieve my phone, and message Levi.

Me: Can we talk?

“I think you need this more than me.” Willow holds up the coffee.

“No, I’m fine.” The word fine echoes in my head as I pull out my things to get started on my coursework. My phone chimes with a message. Holding my breath, I look to the screen.

Levi: Nothing to talk about.

“I’m fine,” I utter, dropping the phone back on the table and resuming my studies.

38

Dylan

She’s here, but she’s still hiding. Literally and figuratively. She hurries to her seat at the table with Willow, ducking her face so I can’t see her eyes. Being in the same room with her, watching her, but not feeling her, it’s worse than sitting on Bryce’s couch all morning craving to be with her.

Less than five minutes later, the motherfucker himself walks into the café. I prepare to stand, thinking he’s heading over to bother Sadie, but he bypasses her, sitting at the table across from me instead. He leans back in the chair as he looks across the café at Sadie.

His maimed face should bring me satisfaction, but it doesn’t because his grimy eyes are still on her.

“I don’t get it.” Kyle turns back to me, his busted lip curling into a sleazy smile. “She surely isn’t a good fuck, and even when she puts out all she does is lay there like a dead fish.”

My fists ball up, pushing against the table as I get a clear visual of him using her like a worthless object just to get off before tossing her aside. If I move, I’ll wrap my hands around his throat to shut him up, and I won’t let go until the evil light in his wicked eyes goes out.

“So, what was it? Was it just because she’s mine?”

“She never was yours.”

“Keep telling yourself that. But I know your game. You just want what’s mine. And tonight, I’ll take what you can’t hold onto.”

“You won’t ever touch her again.”

“Oh, it’s not her I’m after tonight. That can wait … she’ll wait,” he snickers, glancing back to her before looking to me. “It’s that piece of shit STI that I’ll be claiming tonight. We race for pinks or we don’t race at all.”