Page 81 of Fire Fight

“If it makes you feel better,” he growls, “I’d throw you one for free.”

And the allure passes in a wave of outraged laughter. “Sure. That makes me feel a thousand times better.”

“All in a day’s work. Where’s your phone?” I mistakenly glance at my pocket, and he snatches it with glee. “Here’s my number in case you ever have the itch. You know where I live, right?”

“Don’t want or need to know.”

“At the base of your hill, right on the beach. Just a few along from Gretchen.” He passes the device back to me, immediately sending a text from his to confirm the number. “If you don’t appreciate my moves, you can just stare at the view while I go to town.”

“He says from experience.”

He appears so ridiculously offended that I double over with laughter. Drake turns my way, glaring.

“Why does your stepbro look like he’d enjoy gutting me with a fish knife?”

“Setting you on fire is more his speed.”

The retort is out of my mouth before common sense calls a halt. Viliami’s interest turns up a few notches. “Okay, I’ll bite.”

“Don’t worry.” I spear the last of my penne Alfredo with excess aggression. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

He steals my fork. “Nuh-uh. You can’t dangle a teaser like that without following it up. Confess or starve.”

Trying to appear casual, I shrug. “At our last school, he set fire to my locker. That’s all.”

I snatch my fork back, but Viliami isn’t convinced for a second. “That is notall.”He tilts his head to the side, broad smile in place. “You’re the worst liar I’ve ever seen.”

“He might’ve splashed water on me, pretending it was fuel, then thrown a lighter.”

“Dude!” He snorts out a laugh, then looks uncertain. “That’s a joke, right?”

“You’d have to ask him. I certainly missed the humour.”

“You’re a fucking psycho, mate,” he yells across the cafeteria to Drake and it’s hard to tell if it’s a rebuke or respect. Either way, it’s obvious discretion isn’t taught at this school.

I sit back, appetite gone. “You know, you’d be much more attractive if you learned to keep your mouth shut.”

“Strange because you’d be far more attractive with yours wide open.”

It’s no different to any of the other jokes he makes at lunch. They’re always crude, always containing a sexual component.

But it hits different now I understand no one at this school has been honest with me aside from Drake. A wave of self-pity is lost to a stronger wave of embarrassment, for ever thinking a cute rich boy like Hudson could be genuinely interested.

Pieces of his behaviour change shape with the knowledge of his betrayal.

The anger when I postponed the movie date. His verbal attack on me following the vandalism of his car. The apology he made that I then turned around and threw in Drake’s face, not knowing the joke was on me.

If I’d gone for that drink with him that night, was his plan to take advantage? To buy me alcohol until my resistance lowered or threaten me into it, using the leverage of stranding me in some strange bar if I didn’t comply.

It was never about me at all and the knowledgehurts.

A tear slides down my cheek.

“Shit. Sorry.” Viliami scoots closer again, giving me a warm hug. Next thing I know, he’s lifted from his seat and slammed against the wall.

“Stay the fuck away from my sister.” Drake’s thunderous glare does a circuit of the room before he bellows, “That goes for everybody here. Whether or not you’re playing this shitty game.”

He moves his face a hairs’ breadth from Viliami, pinning him by the throat.

---