Page 42 of Mayhem

She says goodbye to Mr. Labeau and rushes out of the classroom. His eyes do not leave her until she is past the threshold.

Odin and I pushed away from the door and took a few steps back, hoping she didn’t see us watching her. Her eyes are down, not watching where she is going. She bumps into Odin. His hands reach out to grab her. She steps back so his hands can’t touch her. Odin smiles at her, a pure smile of adoration. He may be seething underneath it all, but for Serena, he can’t help but smile.

Serena gives him a weak smile back. Her body is trembling a little. I don’t even think she notices it. I want to say something, anything, to her. I should have apologized for everything, but the words are stuck. My father raised me to never apologize for anything, that I am a king, and we don’t bow down to peasants.Thanks for that lesson, Dad. I can’t even apologize when I should.

Serena steps around Odin and makes her way down the hall. We both watch as she walks away, never looking back at us once. I know I hurt her -more than once- but I was begging the universe for her to look back. Let us know if there is still a chance.

I look at Odin. She isn’t in sight anymore, but his eyes never waver from where she was. I can see the stillness in his body, the hurt that she wouldn’t let him touch her. I clap him on the shoulder in solidarity. I feel it too, and it fucking sucks. Wanting the same girl my friends do is just going to end messily. We can’t all have her, can we?

A thought for another day. I nod my head in the direction of the class. Odin steels his spine and turns his crazy back on. We walk back into the classroom. Mr. Labeau is sitting behind his desk, his head dropped into his hands. A sick sense of satisfaction rushes through me. Whatever he wanted with Serena, she turned him down.That’s my girl.I clear my throat to get his attention. He perks up, his face hopeful, until he sees the two of us standing by the door.

“Gentleman, how can I help you.” He asks, trying to keep his voice professional.

“Serena.” My voice is deadly calm and intimidating.

“What about Ms. Gold?” He tries to act confused.

“I’ve seen the way you look at her. You pathetic sick fuck. Don’t pretend you aren’t interested in her.” Odin scowls back at him. I know he wishes he had one of his knives right now.

I wish he did. I bet he could make a masterpiece of this pathetic sack of shit. Mr. Labeau looks at the two of us. He continues looking confused, but I can see through it. He can’t hide how he feels from me. We are similar in that aspect. He wants her, but I want her more. I want to win my bet.

“If I ever see you near her again, I promise you will regret it,” I growl back to him.

With that, Odin and I leave his room. I have one destination in mind, and I know Odin is thinking the same thing. I text Zeus, telling him where to meet us.

Serena

I rushed out of the school to catch my breath. Evan’s voice is still in my head, whispering everything I don’t want to hear. All the things he would say to me to keep me under his thumb. He knew how to manipulate me, how to make me think I wasn’t worth anything. Not anymore. I am not the weak girl he wanted me to be. I am strong. I subconsciously rub the crown tattoo on my shoulder and smile. I am a queen. I need to start acting like one.

Mr. Labeau is another thing. He is nice enough, but I swear he was flirting with me. He asked me if I needed any private tutoring lessons with him. I quickly declined, but he was insistent on it. I turned him down once more before running out of his room.

I get in my car and drive. The world whips past me as I drive to my destination. It’s not a long drive to the lake that has suddenly become where I feel the calmest. I park my car and walk along the shore until I reach the little pier. I walk to the end and stare at the serene water.

I scream as loud as I can.

Letting out all the fear and pain.

Letting out the anger and betrayal.

I scream until my lungs give out, and nothing else is left. I bend over, my hands on my knees, my head down, and inhale deep breaths.

I know it’s time to let everything go and become the person I want. I won’t let Evan ruin my life any more than he has. I will finally start taking what I want and becoming the person I crave. I won’t let another man tell me what to do or who to be.

When I feel like I can breathe again, I stand back up. I look around, but no one is around. I take the chance and strip down until I'm only wearing my bra and panties before diving into the chilly water. I stay under for as long as my lungs allow me. When I surface, I almost expect someone to be on the dock. It feels like every time I turn around now, someone is watching me.

I float along the water for a while, enjoying the serenity. The water is cold against my skin, but I savor it. I feel weightless and happy, something I haven’t felt since I was a little girl. The sun is still high when I emerge from the water. I don’t have a towel to dry off with, so I lay on the dock and let the sun warm me up. There is a bit of wind that send chills across my skin, but I enjoy it.

My mind wanders to the Kings. I hate to admit it, but even after learning about their stupid game, I want them.

I barely know them, but something inside me wants to know them more. I feel this pull that I never felt with Evan. When I was avoiding them, I felt this weird, empty sensation. I felt like something was missing. Now that I have spent time with all of them, I want more.

But their stupid bet. It hurts to know that I was just a game to them. That I meant nothing more than a prize to win, but I don’t believe it. I know there is more with Odin and Zeus, maybe even Midas. I see how he looks at me, the want in his eyes. When Valerie is all over him, his eyes never leave me.

The way Odin looked at me and danced with me that night. There is no way he was faking his feelings for me. He held me so close and didn’t want to let me go. He chased after me and made sure I was all right that night. When he came by the house, it felt so natural and right, as if he was supposed to be there. Then there was that kiss he gave me, and the butterflies I instantly felt were like nothing I had ever felt before.

Zeus has always been the one to take care of me since we met. He was the one who told Valerie off when she pushed me. He makes sure I eat enough every day at lunch. I’ve seen him lurking around, even at the coffee shop in the morning. He is always there, silently watching and protecting.

Maybe I am going crazy feeling things for these three. I’ve heard the rumors of what they do. I know they are a part of the Kings of Chaos. I think I know the general stuff they get into- drugs, guns, destruction. If the rumors are correct, there is so much worse that they do. Some girls were talking about a missing girl from Richmond. They were gossiping about how she got abducted into the skin trade and that the MC was a part of it.

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