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Slowly, those volatile dark blue eyes lift to me and his mouth tilts into a heartless smile. “Chill. You can keep your stupid rocks.”
“You don’t scare me anymore,” I whisper, cradling my bracelet safely out of his reach. “No matter what rumors you spread, or what nasty pranks you pull, or the degrading names you spray paint on my locker.”
Fox huffs sardonically. “That’s what you think.”
Going back to the essay, I don’t take my attention off the notebook in front of me. “Shaking in my boots.”
“You will be when I’m through with you.”
I turn to him and smile sweetly. “Does it involve cornering me in a bathroom again?” I bite my lip. “I don’t know, that turned out pretty good for me.”
His jaw clenches, accentuating how sharply chiseled his features are while his gaze drags down my body, lingering on my lips when it travels back up. “Tch. What is it about looking danger in the face that gets you so hot?”
“Must be those handsome eyes of yours,” I sass.
He swipes his fingers over his mouth and I hide a smirk. Some of the teasing nature leaves him as he leans closer, the harsh threat clear in his tone when he murmurs, “Watch it, or the next time you’re alone in the dark in your yoga studio, I won’t stop at a single touch.”
My lips part. Abandoning the essay, I put down my pen and turn in the chair to face him.
“So that was you. I could report you for that.”
“You don’t have shit on me that would stick. And even if you did, I’d make it go away. You might have powerful parents, Maisy, but I’m no good boy. I like to live in the shadows.” He grasps my chin and angles my face up. “I’ll do anything to get what I want.”
I swallow, steeling myself to keep from shying away from the ice in his dark blue eyes. Hearing him say my name in that cold, detached way drives a spike into my heart, leaving me bleeding out all over him and the table. I thought we were making some progress, but the banter from a minute ago has disappeared.
Leaning closer, Fox’s voice drops lower with a chilling promise. “Or maybe you should be more careful of the roads you take.” His mouth curves without a trace of humor. “You wouldn’t want to get in an accident. You could get hurt…or worse.”
“Are you threatening me to scare me?” I hiss, my eyes widening.
He squeezes my chin harder, bringing his face inches from mine. A tiny inkling of fear skates down my spine, followed by a spark of excitement. My body has its wires crossed.
“If you got in an accident, you could lose everything. The good grades, your perfect life, your future. How would that feel, to have that ripped away?”
My heart beats wildly as he pulls away. For several minutes I sit there trying to get my breathing under control. The danger in his gaze is burned into my brain. I feel his stare as I gather my composure.
I still don’t know why he hates me so much. I have to find out before he crosses a line he can’t come back from. So far his bullying and lashing out at me have been tough, but a storm I’ve weathered.
My mind shies away from the thought of him actually hurting me. That’s not the Fox I know. No matter what people say about him, I don’t believe he’d do it.
“All right. You’re free to go,” the teacher finally announces.
After I gather my things, he pauses in the door before he lets us leave. “I’ll expect the behavior of model Silver Lake students from now on. Especially from you, Miss Landry.”
I ball my fists against the unfair bias. “Yes, sir.”
“I mean it. This is not the kind of thing we expect from you, like we do—” He glances at Fox warily. “Anyway, don’t allow your personal differences to bleed into your time here on campus.”
Fox huffs behind me, the strong lines of his chest practically pressed against my back. If he takes another step forward, we’ll be touching.
Once the teacher moves out of the way, I hurry past. Fox passes me with a grunt, striding ahead with his phone pressed to his ear. Suspicious of who he’s always talking to, I try to stay close to listen, but I can’t keep up and he easily loses me.
On my way out, I remember that I don’t have a ride home. I take out my phone and text Thea.
Maisy: Can you give me a ride? Detention just ended, but Holden has the car today.
Thea: Sorry, babe! We’re both busy.
When I try the others, they’re also unavailable.
