Page 3 of Wicked Waters

“It means.” Gazing down at the floor, she took a deep breath. Then she straightened her shoulders and met my gaze head-on, her eyes completely expressionless. “It means that—that I’m not the same person as I was. I’m over my rebellious phase. I’m here to get good grades and surround myself with good people. And that—” Her voice cracked, and she took another deep breath. “—that doesn’t include you. You’re bad news, Roman, and I want you to stay away from me. Far away from me. In fact, forget I even exist. I don’t want to know you.”

With that, she shoved past me, wrenched open the doors, and was gone before her words even had a chance to sink in.

I slumped against the wall, rubbing my hand over my face. My head spun, and I sucked in a deep breath, trying to push away the sudden hurt that had shocked my body like a fucking lightning bolt. What the fuck?

“I take it that didn’t go well.” Tristan pulled the door open, eyeing me with what looked suspiciously like concern. And that was not a look I wanted directed at me.

“You think?” A humourless laugh fell from my mouth.

“She ran out of here like the fucking hound of Hades was after her or something,” he informed me. “Lost your touch?”

“Apparently, I’m not good enough for her. She doesn’t want to know me.” The hurt that I’d felt only seconds before was fading away, replaced by a hot rush of anger that burned through my blood.

“Seriously?” Tristan stared at me for a second, his mouth open, and then he punched my arm lightly, which I guess was his form of comfort. “She can fuck off. If that’s the way she thinks, you’re better off without her.”

The anger burned brightly, a ball of fire inside my chest.

“She thinks she’s better than me? Wants me to stay away from her? To forget she exists? I’m going to make sure she regrets ever saying those words.”

Triston studied me warily. “What does that mean?”

“It means…that Quinn Farrow is about to find out just what happens when you make an enemy of me.”

2

QUINN

“And finally…our captains. The blue team captain…Quinn Farrow! The red team captain…Penelope Byron-Chopard! Alright, ladies, take your places!” Mrs. Cox, the netball coach, blew her whistle, and we lined up on the court. Penelope stood opposite me, shooting me a quick smile, her high ponytail bouncing as she shook out her arms and legs. Just behind her and to her right, Freya stared at me, unsmiling. My attention was only partly on them, though. Because there was someone else looking at me. A boy with deep blue eyes and raven hair.

Roman stood in the shadow of a tree, leaning back against the trunk with his hands in the pockets of his school trousers. His tie was loosened, and his blazer was crumpled in a heap at his feet, on top of his school bag. From here, I couldn’t make out his expression, and I couldn’t afford to take a closer look in case anyone saw. Still, my entire body grew warm, and I couldn’t keep the smile from my face.

That warm, bubbly feeling lasted throughout the netball match. Maybe Roman watching us was my lucky charm because my team won, the final score 38–31. After the customary team captain handshake, I made the most of the teams being distracted—the blues by their celebrations and the reds already making their way back to the changing rooms. I jogged off the court in the opposite direction to everyone else.

Roman was no longer in sight, but I headed towards the tree anyway. As I rounded the corner of the large trunk, I saw a shoulder, and then a second later, I was standing in front of him, watching as a gorgeous smile spread across his face.

“Hi. You played well today.”

I bit down on my lip, feeling my cheeks heating. “Thanks. You played well, too.”

His brows rose. “When?”

“Um. Yesterday. I watched your lacrosse practice.”

“I didn’t see you.”

Scuffing at the leaves under my feet with the toe of my trainer, I nodded. “I know. I stayed out of the way. Didn’t want to distract you, you know.”

He shot me a look that was far too knowing. “Or you didn’t want anyone to notice you looking at me.” Stepping closer, he lowered his voice. “No one knows about this side of you apart from me, do they?” A grin curved over his lips. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. Just as mine is with you.”

I knew exactly what he was referring to. My need to escape…with him, and for him—his softer side that he only ever showed to me. We were only fifteen years old, and yet it sometimes felt as if I’d found my soulmate.

“Always.” We smiled at each other, and I felt that bubbly warmth again, that heady feeling I only ever got around him.

Tears filled my eyes as I stumbled blindly away from the boat sheds, barely even seeing Tristan as I passed him. It had taken everything in me to hold my composure while I’d thrown those horrible words at Roman, and seeing the look on his face…

A sob tore from my throat. I’d thought it would be easy enough to follow the rules my parents had set out for me, but I’d just been fooling myself. The second Roman’s eyes had met mine, everything I felt for him came rushing back.

But he’d believed me. I’d seen the way he’d shut down and hardened, his hurt and confusion replaced by hatred.

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