Page 66 of King

“You weren’t the one humiliated.” He’s calm, still in his uniform and it only makes me more livid. “Lea was.”

“The fact that you think she deserved that speaks volumes.” I try to walk away but my feet lift off the ground. “What the fuck? Put me down!” I wiggle my legs and pound on his back. I’m not usually this frantic but it helps me get the stress out. “Put me down!”

“Will you shut up?” He sounds more annoyed than angry before I hear him open his car door and I’m thrown into the passenger’s seat. I try to climb out but the door closes and I can’t open it from the inside.

I scream in frustration, not even taking in how exquisite the interior is. Or how it smells like a new car and Damien. “Damien King! Let me out!”

He gets in on the other side, looking at me like I’m the one who’s insane. “Will you stop?”

“No!” I pull on the door again, banging on it as he pulls his car to the far end of the lot. Then he sits there while I let it out on his interior. Kicking the dash, stomping my feet against the floor.

When I get enough out of my system my nerves settle down, and when I turn to look at him he’s staring with a raised eyebrow. "Done?”

“Tell me.” I move closer to his face. “What’s your fucking problem?”

He comes to meet me above the middle of his console. “You’re my problem, Medusa.” Then he kisses me like it’s a thing we do. Like it’s normal.

And I fucking fall for it.

As I start to wrap my arms around him, he pulls away before starting his car.

“Where are we going? I’m supposed to be waiting for Henry.”

He chuckles with a glance at me, “You’re choosing now to listen to the adults in your life? Here’s a spoiler, they’re even more fucked up than we are.”

We drive in silence for a few minutes until he turns onto a dirt road. He stops in front of the lake at a clearing, surrounded by a bunch of evergreens, like the one in my tattoo. He turns the car off and looks at me.

“What? You’re gonna kill me and throw me in the lake?”

“You really think I carry out my own hits? I’m not as cold-blooded as you are, Medusa.”

“Fuck you,” I spit. He chuckles but I don’t find it funny. “And stop calling me that. It’s embarrassing.”

“Is it?” he smirks.

“You tell me. You’re the one who gave me that name.”

“I gave you that name because—” he stops himself but I don’t interrupt. I want to see where he’s going with this. “Because you turn everyone into stone with that glare.”

I give him that glare and he laughs before he bites his lip.

That look. His laugh. It makes flutters in my stomach, a tingle in my core. I don’t even know if I hate it anymore. “Why’d you bring me out here?”

“You didn’t answer my text. If I knew you were going to be this hard to reach I wouldn’t have bought you that phone.”

“Why would you think I want to talk to you when you treat me like shit? Is that why you brought me out here? You don’t want anyone to see you talking to me? Is that why you ignore me at school and send me stupid texts instead?"

“I thought you preferred it that way. I didn’t think you’d want everyone knowing you're sleeping with the high and mighty Damien King.” He says that name like he’s pleased with himself.

“I…”

“Thought so.”

He’s right. If I wanted to be with Damien, I would have said something. I’m bold enough. There’s a reason I didn’t tell Nate and Allie until the entire school found out. There's a chance he’s not as embarrassed by me as I thought. It could be that I’m the one embarrassed of him.

“Don’t have to be such an asshole.” I fold my arms.

“Don’t I?” He reaches out, a stroke of his finger under my chin.

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