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"You're free from her now," I say softly. "Just like I'm free from my father. They can't hurt us anymore."
Dex smiles, but it's rigid, and I wonder whether there's anything else he's hiding from me. I don't dare ask, too afraid of his answer.
We settle on the bed together again, and I find my way into the crook of Dexter's arm. He holds me close. Neither of us speaks. The silence is companionable, though, and I find myself relaxing into his embrace, slowly drifting deeper and deeper into slumber with the thought of revenge playing on my mind, over and over again.
The next morning, Dex and I get ready for school together. We put on our uniforms, and my heart rate accelerates as Dex drives us to school himself. He parks one of his cars, an Audi A8, in the school parking lot, and we head up the steps to the ivy-covered school building together. He doesn't hold my hand, and I don't ask him too, though I want it badly - just as a sign of reassurance.
I know we'll get teased to hell and back, and I'm right. The moment we step on the school courtyard, the stares begin to follow us all the way into the classroom. The sound of snickering is ever-present, and Dex must sense my unease, because he does take my hand then, holding it firmly in his. I glance at his face, but his expression is troubled, unreadable.
We find desks next to one another just as Caspian strolls into the room, a shit-eating grin on his face when he spots us.
"Well well well," he drawls. "If it isn't Eden Falls' happiest couple."
"Fuck off, Caspian," Dex growls, getting up and standing in front of my desk protectively.
"Or else what?" His former friend scoffs. "You're going to fight me? Doesn't seem like you can do much else, does it? Not when you're broke as a fucking church mouse. All that money, Dex, all gone straight down the drain. And for what? Her?"
I feel his eyes on me, making me blush deeply as he stares me down. I refuse to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.
"Keep moving," Dex grunts. "Nothing to see here."
Caspian smirks. "Damn right there isn't. Just a little slut and the guy she's got twirled around her little finger. How long before she gets sick of you, Dex?"
Dexter glares him down, but Cas doesn't take the hint. I'm worried, the tension in the room palpable as the two guys face off. Everybody's looking.
"Don't talk about her like that," Dex finally orders him.
"It's not like you can stop me," Caspian laughs. "What, you really think she'll stick with you now that you're fucking broke? Just watch. She'll go back to one of us in no time. She just used you to get out of her father's prison."
"Why don't you say that to my face?" I speak up, surprising everyone by standing up for myself. "You think so badly of me and yet you can't look me in the eye to insult me. I wonder who the weak one is here?"
"Pandora." Dex's tone carries a warning I choose to ignore. Cas and I glare at one another, and I dare him to say something else. Just then, the school bell rings, and the professor strolls into the room, telling us to take our seats.
"This isn't over," Cas mutters and I smile sweetly in response.
"Damn right it's not," I say in return.
The lesson is tense, the promise of more trouble hanging heavy in the air. But I'm not afraid of the boys anymore. Let them fucking come atme. I can take it, and I can fight them off and make them regret ever crossing me in the first place.
I barely pay attention to the professor. My thoughts are spinning with ideas on how to get back at the inhabitants of this awful, prestigious little town. I'm going to make them all pay. Even Dexter.
After the class is over, we make our way to the gym together. We don't share any other lessons together, and I can tell Dex is hesitant to leave me by myself. I take his hand in the hallway, and his troubled expression meets my determined one.
"I'll be fine," I say. "They can't get to me anymore."
"I won't let them." His voice is fiercely protective, and it makes me shake my head.
"I don't want you to do it. I can take care of myself."
"But..."
"No." I press a finger against his lips. "Don't worry."
I stroll away, throwing him one last smile over my shoulder as I add, "They can't hurt me anymore."
I come to realize just how untrue that is during PE class. Audra is still just as determined to make my life a living hell, and she spends the better part of the lesson making me her bitch. Even the professor is afraid of her, so he doesn't stop her - nobody does. They throw basketballs at me, they push me so I stumble, they treat me like a punching bag for the next hour, and I take it all, because I know when revenge comes, it'll be so very sweet.
"Wish you had your boyfriend to protect you, don't you?" Audra mocks me in her signature syrupy-sweet tone.
