Page 257 of Tis the Season to be Bullied

“Guess that’s why we’re friends.” I stare at her until she gets what I’m saying and her imperious expression finally cracks into something resembling a smile.

“Fuck you, Indi.”

“Thanks, but I don’t swing that way.”

Addy jerks her arm out of mine with an exasperated sigh and then brushes off her clothes. She stabs a manicured nail in my direction, frowning. “I’m not gonna keep reminding you how dangerous he is. You promise me you’ll be careful.”

I nod, and grin.

Well, I try to grin.

Of course I know how dangerous he is. He’s a savage wolf, and I’m a baby lamb parading around him without any wool on, going on and on about how tender my flesh is.

I feel like a traitor thinking this, but out here in the glaring fluorescents of Lavish Prep’s hallways, all that sentimental shit that happened back there feels more like the memory of an acid trip than real life.

Addy’s right—I keep forgetting that Briar gets off on pain. But if I’m fast enough, nimble enough, I can get what I want out of him before his teeth can break skin.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Briar

I can’t concentrate on a single word Kruger is saying, but I don’t need to. I’ve read the whole textbook already, and memorized most of it. I only bother paying attention when Kruger goes into detail on something, and that happens rarely. I’m not a fan of Business Studies, but I prefer learning at my own pace. That is, a month or two, not twelve.

If this were psychology, of course, I’d be paying attention. As much as I loathe Veroza, he drops nuggets of his time as a practicing psychiatrist all the time. I think it’s technically unethical, but he can never remember his patients’s names, so I guess it’s cool.

I can’t wait until I get real world experience in that field. I’m keeping my options open, but I decided a long time ago that I want to work with people. I’ll probably intern as a social worker for a while to build up my experience, and then move onto something else. I’m easily bored, so I can’t imagine myself settling down long enough to open a practice or anything like that.

With my trust fund maturing on my twenty-first birthday, I don’t have to do anything. But that would be boring as fuck. What’s the point of traveling around the world and merely existing for the sake of being alive, when there’s no one to do it with you?

A yawn cracks my jaw. I stretch into it, rocking back on my chair until it creaks. The gesture makes the note in my pocket crumple.

I snort softly to myself.

Detention.

I don’t think I’ve ever had detention. Why the fuck Denard thought my abscondence was bad enough to punish me, I can’t begin to?—

My chair legs thump back onto the carpet, jarring me.

Addison.

The bitch.

No one else would have bothered to report me. But she’s got a fucking stick up her ass of late. Probably thought I was out there raping her friend. Explains why Denard was being such a asshole to Parsons. Ms. Parsons is a wallflower, but I’ve seen her standing her ground before. She obviously knew she was in the wrong, because she gobbled up Denard’s bullshit with a spoon and asked for a goddamn second helping.

I thump my fist down on the desk before I can control myself.

Kruger stops talking, and stares at me for a long moment.

Don’t come over. Don’t come over. Don’t?—

My mental plea works—Kruger gives the class a haughty once over before carrying on with his lecture.

I haven’t eaten yet. Should let Marcus know we’re stopping for food somewhere before heading home.

I pull out my phone, but before I can open my messenger app, a new notification comes through.

Told you to stay away.

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