Page 229 of Tis the Season to be Bullied

“He, uh…” I glance away and will myself to form a lie out of nothing. “It was my fault. I, I trespassed. I went onto his property.”

“And?”

“He…chased me off.”

Addy’s eyebrow quirks up. “That’s it?”

“What?” I snap. “It was fucking dark. I was terrified.”

She lets out a little snort, and then shakes her head. “This is what I mean. He’s fucking dangerous. Stay away from him, got it?”

I shrug. “Why wouldn’t I?”

The corner of Addy’s mouth crooks up. “Briar has a way of…getting under your skin. Trust me, it’s best if you just pretend like he doesn’t exist.”

She leaves the restroom with a final glance back in my direction.

Easy for you to say, Addy. But, if anything, I’ve gotten under his skin. And all he seems to want is to destroy me. Kinda difficult to ignore the damn school bully.

Chapter Fourteen

Indi

Briar doesn’t show up to our Psych class, and he’s not in the cafeteria at lunch either. Addison and I sit in our usual seat by the window, and take turns keeping an eye on Briar’s table. Addy toys with a French fry, dipping it repeatedly in her little plastic tub of ketchup as she idly glances over to Briar’s table.

For someone who told me to avoid him like the plague, she can’t seem to stop thinking about him.

“This is ridiculous,” I mutter, shoving away my plate. “I can’t just stick my head in the sand and wish this all goes away.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Briar.” I point in the direction of his table with my chin. “If he’s guilty, then there must be something we can do to prove it.”

Addy drops her eyes. “Like what? The police closed the case, Indi.” She shrugs and drops her fry back onto her plate as if her appetite disappeared.

“We gotta dig up some dirt on him. Maybe someone saw something. Maybe one of his friends?—”

“That’s the point. They’re his friends. They won’t rat him out.”

“Unless they don’t realize they’re doing it.”

She frowns at me. “What?”

“All we need to do is catch one of them out in a lie.”

Addy lets out an expressive sigh. “You have a plan?”

I drag my plate back and shrug as I pop a fry into my mouth and wash it down with some soda. “Who was there that night when you left?”

Addy starts counting on her fingers, the glitter on her nails catching the fluorescents.

“Briar, Marcus, Dylan, Zak, Jess. I think one of the cheerleaders too…” Addy squints, and scans the cafeteria. “Don’t look now, but there’s a girl with a blond bob a few benches away. Tiffany. She was there.”

I chew on another fry before glancing around. I spot Tiffany a few seconds later. “You friends with her?”

Addison snorts. “I’m not friends with anyone after what happened.”

“What do you mean?”

---