Page 22 of Law Of Love

My phone buzzed, and I debated strangling it, expecting Zach to appear on my screen again.

Hannah: Josh has invited me to his house for a party, and I need someone to go with. Meet me at mine at eight and we can walk together?

I tapped my fingers against the screen. Hannah and Josh were slowly becoming an item, and I knew that going to this party would allow her to make her move. What kind of friend would I be if I refused to wing woman her?

Freya: Fine, I don’t see why not. See you then.

Laying back down on the couch, I switched on the TV, losing myself in some cringy and barf-worthy reality show. I enjoyed watching other people try to manoeuvre their way through their messed-up lives. It made me feel better about mine, although the people on TV were getting paid to do it. I was doing it for free.

What felt like an hour or two passed quickly, and the sound of a car pulling up outside sparked my interest. I waited for the joyous melody of Kaleb and Brent’s usual bickering.But I heard nothing.

Snooping, I poked my head up to peek out of the window, my heart skipping a beat when I spotted Zach's car parked outside.

Shit.

I panicked, ducking down so I couldn't be seen. The top of Zach’s head bobbed up and down as he climbed out of the front seat, leaning back against the hood.

My phone vibrated from next to me.

Zach: I'm outside. Can we talk? There’s been a huge misunderstanding, and I think you're just really stressed about everything and have acted impulsively. Let me in so we can talk. We need to sort this out.

Showing up at my house was a crazy move. He was acting deluded.

Freya: Zach, please just go home. I'm trying to work. I meant what I said earlier, but we can talk about it tomorrow before class. Now isn't the right time. This isn't even my house.

Zach: I'll wait here until you change your mind, then. Don't be a coward, Freya. Come and say it to my face.

Was this boy for real? I was more than happy to say it to his face, but I really wasn’t in the mood for his shit.

A gasp escaped my lips when I heard a knock at the door, and I yanked the curtain shut, but after a couple of minutes of incessant knocking, it was apparent that Zach wasn’t going to give up.

“Freya, come on!” he yelled from the other side of the door, the wood creaking as he—what I assumed was—kicked it. “You're just embarrassing me now!”

“I'm embarrassing you?” I growled, grinding my jaw in frustration. Zach had flipped. He’d never acted this way before, but it appeared he believed he had some creepy claim over me.

I flung the door open, adrenaline pumping through my body, making me see red. “What the fuck are you doing? You’re acting like a madman!”

Zach’s eyes blazed, and he jutted his foot out so I couldn't shut the door before getting in my face.

“What are you going to do, Zach?” I seethed. “Force your way in here and demand I explain my reasoning for cutting things off with you? Do you actually believe this is salvageable after you've reacted this way?”

He simmered, and I could've sworn I saw steam puff out from his ears. He grabbed me by the biceps, yanking me into the kitchen with him, his long fingers digging into my skin painfully.

“Zach, let me go! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“You want to treat me like shit for no reason? Why? What did I do to you? I've been nothing but a gentleman,” Zach complained loudly, backing me up against the kitchen counter and trapping me.

“Get out, or I'm going to call the police,” I spat with as much confidence as I could muster. I shoved at his chest, and although he grunted at my harsh whack, he didn’t budge.

Zach snatched my phone from my hand and lobbed it to the other side of the room, the device clattering to the ground.

“You’re fucking paying for that if you’ve broken it.”

“You're just one of those girls who enjoys playing with men,” he snapped. “You used me as a prize. I bet you loved waltzing around campus with a hot guy on your arm, but what did I gain from it? I wasted so much time on you, you know that?”

“Get the fuck off me!” I yelled as he pressed his chest to mine, his eyes smouldering. Gazing to my left, I thanked my lucky stars that the cap to the cooking oil wasn’t on, and I grabbed it and threw it into Zach’s face, profanities escaping his mouth as he frantically wiped at his eyes. It was just a shame the oil hadn’t been hot.

He growled in my face, the liquid dripping from his chin. “What was the point in me treating you so well when you didn’t appreciate it? Do you know how many girls want me?”

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