Page 54 of Dare To Break

I tap his shoulder. He turns, and I bury my fist into his stomach. The bag above his head drops and Kellan darts forward to grab it. He shoves it at Lewis, while I smirk at Jace.

“Want to try tormenting someone who isn’t scared of you?”

“Fuck you, Travers,” he gasps, clutching his stomach.

“I’ve seen the size of your dick. You’ve probably already tried to fuck me, but it’s so small I didn’t even notice.”

The people surrounding us erupt into laughter. Jace turns red. I turn my back on him and walk across the room to my seat, Kellan at my heels. A shadow falls across my desk, and I lift my gaze to find Lewis hovering beside it.

“Thank you.”

“Fuck off, Lewis. We’re not friends. I just don’t want to be stuck in here after class ends.” I twist on my seat to face Kellan, dismissing Lewis from my attention.

“Alright, class, take your seats. Jace, why are you holding your stomach?” Mr. Davis walks in, tossing his briefcase onto his desk as he moves past it. “If you’re sick, go and find the nurse. If not, sit down and let’s get started.”

“I’m not sick,” the football jock mutters, and I turn to look at him, lifting one eyebrow.

His eyes meet mine, then jerk away, and he stumbles back to his seat just as Arabella and Lacy walk into the room.

As always, Arabella’s gaze seeks out mine, checking to see where I was. I’m not sure if she’s aware of it, but she does it in every single class we share. Not that I can say anything, because I do the same.

I hold her gaze until she drops her lashes and looks away, then settle back into my seat and reach down to pull the textbook out of my bag. Four more hours to go, and then it will be time to play again. I wonder idly if she’s missed getting dares this week, or whether she’s relieved.

I guess we’ll find out tonight.

Chapter 35

Arabella

Eyes closed, head resting against the wall where I’m sitting on the floor, the lyrics of ‘In my Blood’ by Shawn Mendes curl themselves through my thoughts.

It’s been a week since my last dare.

The punishment.

Each day I check my locker, but there’s no note waiting for me.

Did I do something wrong? I did everything they asked. Maybe the game is over? Maybe they moved on to someone else? Wasn’t I good enough to continue?

Doubts and questions circle in my head. It only adds to the heavy weight that’s gradually settled over me as the days stretched on.

Elena hasn’t bothered to leave another message. I suppose the vague information I gave her was enough to keep up with appearances. I’ve had a few random texts from Amanda, mostly about how wonderful Darren is. He’s all she talks about now.

My phone vibrates, I check my messages. An image of Miles pulling a goofy face fills my screen.

I chuckle, amused at the silly selfies he’s been sending me all week.

Miles: Why aren’t you in the cafeteria?

Me: I’m not hungry.

Miles: Have you eaten lunch?

I frown at my phone.

Me: No.

I’m not in the mood for Lacy and the others today. Or Eli with his icy death stares. I’ve been avoiding them all week. Mostly spending time buried in the art project I’ve started working on for Mr. McIntyre’s class. I stare at the drawings of the fantasy ball gown in my sketchbook. It’s everything a princess could desire. A piece of make-believe that I’m already itching to bring to life. It’s not like I have anything else here to keep me distracted. I can pour all my attention and focus into creating this over the next six months instead of seeking validation from those around me.

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