Page 32 of King

That’s when I hear Damien call out, “Thanks for the blowie, slut.” I turn around and he’s got that asshole smile back on his face. “Now get the fuck out of my house before I have you thrown out.” He slams the door to his room and I’m too stunned to move.

When I hear chatter erupting around me, I jet for the stairs, jaw clenched.

“Really? Crashing a party while you're blacklisted and sleeping with the King on the first night? Not a good move, trash.” Lea crosses her arms, eyes like daggers. She smiles, but her cheeks glow red. “See you tomorrow, skank."

To anyone else that would be a 'good-bye', but from Lea, that's another threat.

“Jo?” Before I can clap back, Allie calls to me from the bottom of the stairs. Her eyes are wide when she sees the crowd around me. Looking around, she hesitates. “There you are?”

I make my way to the bottom, and I don’t stop as I pass her. “I’m heading home.”

“Wait, I’ll drive you!”

“It’s fine, I’ll call a cab or something,” I say.

“No.” She puts her palms between my shoulders. Her eyes gaze into mine and I hope she doesn’t see them water. “I’m driving you. Let’s go.”

I’m still haunted by the party when the sun rises the next day. That kiss with Damien is impossible to swallow. It’s been playing in my head for hours. The way his lips felt on mine. The way the force of his body made my legs tingle. I’m turned on and disgusted at the same time.

Avoiding Damien and his asshole friends is the thing to do if I’m going to make it through at least one semester. And that’s already proving hard.

That doesn’t mean I’m not ready to fight and I’m hoping the new changes to my uniform reflect that. Cindy Huang has a problem with tattoos but after seeing Damien’s on display, I don’t think the school cares. So here I am, sleeves rolled up to my elbows, tattoo and scar for all to see.

“I have some books to return for Georgina.” Willow slings her backpack on one shoulder. We’re standing in the front yard below the steps when she waves me off before I can protest. “Catch you later." She starts walking up the stairs but calls over her shoulder, “Stay out of trouble!”

Shouldn’t I be saying that to her?

Students pass by and they’re already whispering.

“Did you hear? She slept with Damien King on the first day.”

“Slut.”

“Whore.”

My jaw clenches and I call to my sister, giving these students something more to whisper about, “You don’t have to do that stuff! You’re not a slave to these assholes!”

She turns around, yelling back, “Better off than with you!”

I stick out my tongue and she rolls her eyes before continuing on her way. She’s probably right.

“You look good, Medusa.” Christian's voice turns me around. He's getting out of a black car, driver closing the door behind him. I’m relieved no one else is with him as he walks towards me, hockey stick and duffel bag over his shoulder.

“Thanks,” I say, but I’m not sure if he means that. My Docs are eons old, second-hand. I’m wearing the same blouse I wore yesterday. Buttons undone at the top, tie loose around the neck.

When he gets to where I’m standing, his eyes take a slow look from my shoes to my puffed out curls. There’s a pang in my chest, a flutter in my stomach.

“I mean it.” His chin rests on the top of his stick. Smiling, the sunlight catching his eyes. “This suits you.”

“Thanks, turns out ballet flats aren’t my thing.” My laugh sounds more nervous than usual and I wince.

Christian bites his lip and I swear there’s a sparkle in his eye before his brows furrow. “Hey, I overheard Lea and her mom talking about you. She was asking some pretty weird questions. Everything alright? Besides the obvious.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Weird questions?”

“Yeah a lot of them were about your folks. Not the Archibalds,” he pauses. “They died right?”

This isn’t the first time I’ve heard of myself and the Huangs in the same sentence.

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