Page 44 of Dare To Fall

“But you can be so cruel, and the jocks … they…” I shudder, my voice hitching.

He brushes a lock of hair out of my face. “You let me worry about them. We have four weeks until spring break, and then we can get some time away from the eyes watching us.”

The next twenty-eight days stretch out endlessly in front of me, and my throat locks up. I struggle to breathe for a second. “That’s a long time.”

He grips my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Here’s the deal. I’ll bully you in public, and you can fuck me like you hate me in private. Bite me. Claw me. Mark me. Take what you need to take the pain away and give yourself pleasure.”

His lips meet mine, but I pull back from the kiss. “You just want to fuck me again.”

His lips curve up. “Don’t deny you want me.”

“You’re such an asshole.” But the words lack bite. I wiggle out of his arms and move to lay beside him beneath the blanket.

He doesn’t try to stop me. Instead, he reaches for something to his right. I eye the metal tin he picks up. Opening the lid, he plucks out a hand-rolled cigarette and a chunky metal lighter, then closes it and puts it to one side.

He lifts the joint to his lips, and flicks open the lighter. Touching the flame to the end, he inhales deeply, then offers it to me.

“Here.”

I take it from him. “A joint?”

He shrugs. “It’ll help you to relax. You need it after the last couple of days. It will take off the edge of what you’re feeling.” He smiles. “I’ll make sure you don’t float away.”

Chapter 27

Eli

I finish my circuit of the football field, ‘Oblivion’ by Palaye Royale playing in my ears, and stop next to the bleachers where the cheerleaders are all crowding around the players. Propping one shoulder against the stand, I twist the cap off my water bottle and take a mouthful.

Arabella’s contact has been silent since Saturday. My guess is that they’re happy with the shit they’ve made her do and my responses to it all. A small part of me hopes that’s the end of it, but I know it won’t be. Whoever it is will be watching, waiting, looking for another opportunity.

Earlier this morning, Kellan managed to finally track the access history of the cloud storage we were using and found a masked IP address, which he’s been trying to trace. So far, it’s bounced him all over the world. He tried to explain it to me, but I zoned out when he started talking about pings, proxies, and host addresses. When he saw me staring at the wall, he sighed and said it meant he had more work to do.

My cell’s ringtone cuts off my music, and I tap an earbud to connect the call.

“What?”

“Hi, son. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”

The sound of my dad’s voice snaps my spine straight. We haven’t spoken since I returned to school. We seemed to be in a good place when I left, but with all the shit going on, that could easily change.

“Hi. Sure. I’ve just finished a run.” Nothing of my concern sounds in my voice.

“How’s school?”

“Same old.”

“Principal Warren called. He says you’re going to all the counseling sessions, but that things don’t seem to have gotten any better between you and Arabella.”

“It’s fine.” Fuck. The last thing I need is my dad sniffing around. “She’s working through some shi—stuff, that’s all.”

“Elena is wondering whether we should move her to another school.”

“What’s the point? There are only a few months left until we graduate. Have you mentioned it to her?”

“No.”

“Don’t. She already feels like she’s not welcome here. Having you or Elena tell her you’re looking to take her out will only emphasize that.”

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