Page 220 of Tis the Season to be Bullied

“Really, I’m fine. I don’t want to go?—”

Ms. Parsons turns to me, her little rosebud mouth pursed with disapproval. “Horses are very therapeutic.”

“I don’t want?—”

“Well, I insist.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “Lavish expects its students to be fully involved in everything the school has to offer.” She gestures toward Briar with a limp hand. “Briar’s a wonderful rider, and I’m sure you’d love to see?—”

The class erupts into fits of laughter. Ms. Parsons blushes furiously, but surprisingly, stands her ground. “To see the rest of the school.”

Goddamnit Parsons. It would be a real dick move for me to refuse and embarrass her further. I mean, I’m even starting to blush just imagining Briar and willowy Ms. Parsons rutting like animals against the blackboard with their?—

Woah, Indi! No.

Now my cheeks are on fire too.

“Okay,” I say in a strangled voice. “I’ll go.”

“Good.” Ms. Parsons nod firmly, makes a point of not looking in Briar’s direction, and then goes back to her desk and starts eating an apple with such determination, I wonder if she’s maybe a closet stress eater-cum-bulimic.

“I’m gonna enjoy riding you,” Briar says, just loud enough for me to hear.

“You mean ridingwithme,” I correct him, my focus still on Ms. Parson’s squirrelly little bites.

“Not even a little.”

I turn to him, but he’s decided something on his phone is more important than being the subject of my wrath.

I glance at my class timetable. Two classes, a free period, then one class before lunch.

Oh wait. There’s a typo on my schedule. I tilt my head to the side and shove the timetable into my blazer pocket. Free period is meant to say ‘horse riding with Briar’.

Don’t get me wrong—the thought of getting in a few minutes on horseback sounds like heaven. It wasn’t just me being smarmy on my transcript—I do love horse riding. And, luckily, it was an elective at my last school. I refuse to do dressage or jumping or any of that craziness, but just riding was an awesome experience.

Maybe I can race away from Briar, lose him on the grounds, and get the rest of the period to myself.

I risk a quick glance behind me. Briar’s got his arms crossed over his chest, muscles bulging against his blazer and a smirk all over his face. Is it just me, or his hair a little more tousled than normal? It would be nice if he had a sleepless night too.

A girl can dream, right?

Briar

I must admit, I’m kinda surprised when Indigo arrives at the stables. I thought she’d hide in the bathrooms until the period was over. I even messaged my crew, putting them on alert in case I needed them to go root her out. This couldn’t have been a better way to get Indi’s guard down than if I’d planned it myself. I think I’ll send Ms. Parsons a gift when I get home. I do so love to make that teacher blush.

“Pick your poison,” I say, sweeping my arm over the row of stabled horses. These aren’t your teenage girl’s ponies. Everyhorse in the stable is a thoroughbred with more certifications and paperwork than a surgeon.

Lavish Prep takes three thingsveryseriously.

Football.

The chess club.

And their horses.

Bit of a mixed bag, agreed. But the faculty is pretty eclectic, so I guess it makes sense.

Indigo looks past me, crosses her arms, and gives me a smug little smile. “I forgot to mention…” She tugs at the hem of her skirt, showing off an extra inch of her thighs.

I swallow, and force myself to keep my gaze fixed on her eyes instead of letting them slide down her dainty little body. “That you’re a girl?” I say, cocking an eyebrow at her. “I believe I’ve already confirmed that.”

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