Page 144 of Obsession

I tapped her comfortingly on the shoulder, which made Zac laugh.

“If he’s hot and has a cool car, run,” I advised in a whisper, and she looked at me with wide eyes and then laughed.

She jerked her head towards the table of stars. Jay, V, Ty, and a few others I’d met were there, but Harris wasn’t. Amber was also missing. V gave me a sad smile, and I turned my head, not knowing how to react.

“You’re strong though, just so you know,” Kristen commented with her mouth full.

Zac and I looked at her, frowning.

“What do you mean?”

“No girl, I mean, not a single one, has ever sent Stone on his merry way when he’s had it out for her.”

She pointed her head at the cheerleaders’ table.

“Those girls have been lining up for years, some would even sell their souls for what you turned down earlier.”

Zac muttered a curse.

I pressed my lips together angrily and bit into my burger. I chewed and was disappointed. It tasted like shit, some stupid soy patty with tomatoes that seemed to have been grown in a lab.

“Let’s get one thing straight. If you want us to continue to be friends, you must never mention him again.”

“The same goes for me.”

Kristen looked at us with her mouth full and her eyes wide.

“Jeez, I can’t even joke anymore,” she muttered, and I turned my head as he stepped inside.

I cursed every reaction he elicited. Every damn electrical pulse that coursed through my veins, the way it… hurt. It hurt to see him now and compare him to who he was last night, to realize that this was the real him and the previous one was just a mask.

He frowned and grabbed the same burger as me, an energy drink, and a large portion of fries. He plonked the tray on the table and sat down next to his friends.

At the exact same time, two cheerleaders, who I recognized as Amber’s puppies, got up and ran out of the cafeteria.

“Hmm,” Kristen looked at me with a raised eyebrow and I stole a French fry from her tray.

“He looks at you like he’s obsessed,” Zac growled.

I instantly turned my head, then willed myself to look at Harris because I knew that’s exactly who he was talking about. Zac took my chin between his fingers at the last second and stopped me. He was gentle, probably why I wasn’t upset by his gesture.

“Don’t give him the satisfaction, Kath, don’t fuel his madness. You made the right decision by staying away from him.”

Even though I didn’t see him, I knew what Harris’ face looked like at that moment when he saw that. I did not enjoy making him jealous, especially since I knew how he reacted when he was jealous. He had beaten Zac up when I didn’t even give the impression that I liked him.

I pulled back and looked at the food on my tray.

“Zac, don’t do that again…”

“In front of him?” he added in a whisper when I hesitated. He was angry, even though his face remained calm.

I looked at him, the bruises on his face filling me with guilt.

Candice and Kristen looked at us with wide eyes.

“I’m not afraid of him Kath, what happened last time won’t happen again.”

Knowing that would probably result in a police report, I preferred not to go into detail, so I just nodded and hoped he would give up.

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