AllFreeNovel
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I’m aware of how skinny I am. Of all the comments I ever received.
You’re too skinny, Rose. Eat something.
You’re anorexic.
I can see your ribs.
Put some meat on those bones.
When was the last time you ate?
I don’t think any of them had ever experienced what it feels like to be hit repetitively with a stiff ruler while lying on your stomach. I learned quickly that if I didn’t want to be sick on myself, it was better not to eat too much or too often. I have memories of Bianco hurting me and vomiting on his desk after he’d left me alone and told me not to move. How he’d make me clean it afterward and humiliate me further.
I don’t like eating. I don’t appreciate food. I don’t get hungry. And yeah, I’m skinny. But I’ve always been, and I’m still fucking alive, so I do appreciate it when people keep their comments to themselves.
“Congratulations,” I deadpan. “You know how to use your eyes. I haven’t had anything all day and I’m hungry.”
“Okay,” he shrugs. “Fries it is.” He leans over and opens the passenger side.
Before I get in, I check my phone. Rachel didn’t reply to me. What else am I going to do anyway?
He drives us to the nearest drive-thru, and we end up eating in his car in the middle of a random parking lot. The night is starless, the sky black and gray as the moon reflects on the clouds. Lik’s brown eyes are dark and seem to absorb his car’s yellow light.
“So,” he says, chewing around a bite of his burger. “Where are you from?”
“Stoneview,” I tell him, staring at the small bag of fries on my lap. I push it to the side and grab a cigarette instead.
“No smoking in this car.” He stops me. “You said you wanted fries. You better eat them.”
I roll my eyes at him. “Fine.” I grab a single one and bite the tiniest bit of it, looking right into his eyes. It makes him snigger.
“You’re such a brat,” he cackles. At the word, a shiver crosses my entire body. I grab another few fries and stuff them into my mouth, not trusting what I’d say next. Why can’t I stop myself from hitting on anyone who shows the slightest interest in me?
“Stoneview,” he repeats. “Why would a rich girl like you come to our shitty community college?”
Laying back on the seat, I take a deep breath through my nose, trying not to choke on the fries. I take my time to swallow. “I’ve been away for a couple of years. Didn’t really know what to do, so I just went to the first college that accepted me.”
He nods but doesn’t ask more about that. “Did you like Stoneview?”
“It’s a horrible town. A place for the rich who constantly get richer. A nest of bitchy girls and spoiled boys who can’t take no for an answer. But, I had a great family and even greater friends.”
I only realize how true those words are after they pass my lips. I miss my old life. Everything was simple. It used to balance the dark thoughts in my head.
“Stoneview is a myth for us here,” he tells me. “Some guys like to say they’ve seen what’s under your nice uniforms. But the rich girls weren’t exactly my type.”
“Rich girls? Or just girls?” I smile before putting more fries into my mouth.
“Touché,” he chuckles.
“What about you? Are you from here?”
He nods. “My parents both immigrated from Maghreb, but I’m North Shore, born and bred.”
“NSC.” I don’t have to ask him. If he’s Billie’s stepbrother, he has to be the North Shore Crew.
“Yeah,” he huffs. “I’m sure our petty gang shit is not as interesting as the Stoneview gossip, though.”
“Girls at my school used to drool over guys from the North Shore. They loved a bad boy.”
