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Bile is rising again, but I’m able to force it down. Katherine purposefully put the focus on me. Not Rhys. Me! He is probably going to get high fives from his buddies versus I’ll get the incestuous slut title. And Rhys knew.
He. Fucking. Knew.
Something that I haven’t felt since the day he came clean surges up inside of me like a geyser. My body buzzes with rage.
"WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?" I don’t bother remaining quiet. It’s all out anyway; why worry about it now?
"I..." He trails off for a moment before continuing in a whisper. "I wanted to protect you."
Is he serious?
"ARE YOU SERIOUS? Protecting me when I have a crazy stalker monitoring my every move? Don’t you think this piece of information aboutyour psychotic ex"—I enunciate each of the three words clearly—"also stalking me would have been something I should know?"
I register pain in my palms and realize I’ve been clenching my fists so tight that my nails have left deep indentations on the insides of my hands. A voice in my head tells me that he meant well, but the flight sensation is too overpowering. I need to get away from Rhys. I need to put as much distance as I can between me and the boy I love so much that it hurts.
I push Rhys out of the way with all the force I’m physically capable of and take off down the hall. I vaguely realize that the halls are crowded. It’s the middle of third period. Everyone should be in their classrooms. Then, someone steps in front of me, and I halt, coming face to face with Katherine Rosenfield, head cheerleader andQueenBitchof Westbridge High.
"Lilly, I was waiting for you," she sneers at me.
"Katherine." I refuse to cower to her, but the initial adrenaline rush is over, and my strength is draining rapidly. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the group around us increasing in size.
This time when Katherine speaks, she’s addressing me, but really, she’s talking to the spectators that keep multiplying.
"Well, we are all curious about how this little incestuous relationship came to be. Or maybe it started a long time ago, and Rhys just took a break fromhis sisterwhen he met me—"
"Kat, that’s enough," Rhys growls directly behind me.
Before the logical side of my brain has any time to interject, I ball my fist and let it fly, straight into Katherine’s jaw. Right before the impact, she realizes what’s happening, her eyes widen, and her perfectly glossed lips form an O. Katherine’s head wheels to the side, and she falls into Wes, who had just pushed his way through the masses. A collective gasp runs through the crowd, and I realize what I’ve done. Not only am I the incestuous slut, but I also physically assaulted the queen of WH.
Holding her jaw, Katherine’s eyes draw to slits as she faces me again and hisses, "You little slut. It’s not enough for you to fuck your brother, now you also assault his girlfriend?"
She is not only evil, but also deranged.
Her gaze moves behind me and changes into something resembling a helpless doe. "Rhys, do something!"
I can’t believe what’s happening here. I turn on my heels and come face to face with my boyfriend. But all he does is look at me wide-eyed. There is nothing. No defending me, no telling Kat to stop spewing lies. Nothing. He is, for all intents and purposes,frozen. And with that, it’s as if he just hit me in the face with a cross punch.
I’m done. Screw them all. I wrap my arms around my stomach and shoulder past Rhys through the crowd. I don’t bother stopping at my locker; I have my bag with my wallet, phone, and keys. That’s all I need.
Halfway to my car,I hear Rhys yelling my name behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I see him push through the front door, followed by Denielle and Wes.
I start running. I’m fast, and with my head start, I make it to my car before them. Cutting across the lawn, I’m inside my Jeep with locks engaged when Rhys reaches my door.
"Cal! Babe, open up!" His voice is laced with panic. He doesn’t lower his volume. Anyone in the vicinity can hear him.
Denielle and Wes are in front of my hood on the sidewalk, displaying mirrored expressions of concern, and across the lawn, more and more students spill out of the doors, even a few teachers.
What I should’ve done is thinkabout this first.
What I should’ve done is tell them that Rhys isn’t my biological brother.
What I should’ve done is get out of the car and hear Rhys out.
What I should’ve done is let my best friend take me home.
What I should’ve done is calm down before putting my car into reverse and speeding out of the parking lot.
I did none of those things.
