Page 188 of Dare To Break

No one cares.

Elena is more interested in home decorating than she is in me.

When has she ever been interested in me?

Loneliness hits me, and I bite my lip hard to stop the tears threatening to fall.

I don’t want to go back to Churchill Bradley Academy. Not with Jace holding that photograph over my head. Tina hates me, and I’m pretty sure Lacy is just using me to make herself look good.

My life is a dumpster fire, and I feel like I’m losing control. I don’t know if I want to laugh or cry.

Finishing off my third drink, I leave the glass on the bar. My head is spinning, and I sway to the stairs. Maybe now I can get some sleep.

It takes me a second to realize there’s someone in my room.

Eli.

What the fuck?

The anger frozen inside me cracks through the ice. “What do you want?”

He turns at the sound of my voice, and stares at me. “I—”

I step inside and close the door behind me. “What?”

His eyes stay on mine, and he huffs out a breath. “I wanted to return this to you.”

My gaze falls to the book clasped in his hands. I recognize the pink cover but not the little gold lock holding it closed. He’s holding out my diary. The old one I thought I’d left here in my room.

He’s still talking, but I can’t hear him past the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears.

He took my diary.

He read my words.

My innermost private feelings.

My darkest fantasies.

Everything.

Something molten and destructive crashes through me. A reckless fury that splinters the torment that’s been eating away at me for weeks. Eyes snapping up to his face, I lunge at him, filled with the wild, desperate need to see him bleed.

Chapter 120

Eli

Her lunge takes me by surprise, and I stagger back a step under the force of her blow against my chest.

“Why do you hate me so much?” she screams and slams her fist against me again. “What did I ever do to you?”

“I don’t—” But I can’t get another word out before she hits me again.

This time she strikes my face. Her palm connects with my cheek, snapping my head sideways. Before I can stop her, she lashes out with her other hand, and I feel the sting as her nails rip into my throat.

I grit my teeth and face her. “Listen to—”

She curls her fingers into a fist and takes another swing. But this time, I catch her wrist before she makes contact. I step forward, twisting it up behind her back. The position puts her flush against me.

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