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“What’s your damage, Matt?” I growl.
His grip hurts and I pull against it. He releases my arm, but his hand squeezes my throat, and he pushes me against the shelving, the sharp edges digging into my back. Fear slithers through my stomach as I try to gauge his intentions.
“My damage?My damageis that Trey Walker is still sniffing around you like a horny dog. I told you to stop acting like a little slut.” His grip tightens until I can barely get in tiny sips of air. Then, he lets go, and I fall back, gasping.
“What are you going to do?” I pant. “Rape me like you did that girl?”
He grits his teeth, and it occurs to me that I probably shouldn’t push him, but I hate feeling like a victim. I was under his thumb for years, and I refuse to let him make me feel small anymore.
“Either stop fucking him or the pictures will go to Rosewood, Charlie. I fucking mean it.”
I raise my chin, glaring at him with more courage than I actually feel. “Then send them. I’d rather be slut-shamed than allow you to manipulate me.” Then I duck under his arm and open the door, slamming it behind me. It catches on his foot as he tries to chase me into the hallway.
I round the corner and run into Fiona coming the other direction.
“Whoa, you okay, babe?” she asks, eyeing the expression on my face.
I look back as Matt turns the corner, looking as cool as a fucking cucumber like he didn’t just try to choke me.
“Is he bothering you?” Fiona glares at Matt.
I haven’t told her about the pictures, so she doesn’t see him as any more than my creepy ex-boyfriend, but I don’t want to get her involved in my drama.
“No, it’s fine,” I say quickly. “He just had a question. Let’s go get some pizza.”
Fiona nods, watching Matt over my shoulder with narrowed eyes. As we walk away, I shiver, feeling his gaze like a knife to my back.
Matt’s threat echoes in my head. It’s frustrating how hard it is to actually catch someone incriminating themselves.How do people in the movies always have their phones ready to record?
The aromatic cheesy smell of pizza fills my nostrils as we enter the cavernous dining hall, and my stomach rumbles loudly.
“Down, boy,” Fiona says with a giggle, giving me the side eye, and I elbow her playfully. “It’s a shame that Matt is ruining hockey for us this year. It’s such a hot sport to watch.”
I roll my eyes as I grab a few slices of pizza from the buffet. We walk through the line and scan our phones to check out.
“You just want to watch Brantley grunt on the ice with a bunch of other guys. Honestly, Fi, just admit that you like him.”
“Wow, you’re grumpy when you’re hungry,” Fi says, snickering as we take a seat at our normal table. Trey looks up as we join them.
“Oh yeah, she can be a hangry bitch,” Trey comments, and I give him a dark look. “See?”
Link is at the other end of the table, suddenly very interested in doing homework while he scarfs down his pizza.
I sigh, my appetite fading.
“Three-day weekend coming up,” Brantley says, popping a piece of pepperoni into his mouth. “Everyone have epic plans?”
“Link and I are going to Brighton,” Trey says with a shrug. “Some high school buddies are going to be around.”
“Right on. What about you two?” Brantley asks, giving Fiona a wink. She rolls her eyes. Ever since we all started sitting together in the dining hall, Brantley has been trying extra hard to get into her pants, and she’s been trying extra hard to put him in his place.
“Well, my mom was actually a decent person over Christmas, so I’m helping her move into a rehab center,” she says matter-of-factly, as if that’s a normal thing to do for a parent.
“Jesus…,” Brantley mutters.
“I’ll be in Brighton, too,” I say, and Link looks over, his eyes hopeful for the first time since that December night. My lips part as we stare at each other, and the world blurs around us for just a moment.
God, I feel like I’m in a Taylor Swift song.
