Page 283 of Tis the Season to be Bullied

Now all I want to do is taste her again.

Indi’s my new coke. One kiss was all it took to get me hooked, and now I can’t go a few hours without experiencing withdrawal.

Fuck that.

Indi

That’s a shit load of eyes on me all of a sudden. I shift my feet a little, and do my best to stare down every guy at the table. I can’t wither up like a wallflower now—if I don’t show them some backbone, they’ll walk all over me.

Briar stands and comes over to me. There’s a soft light in his eyes like he’s thinking back on some fond memory, and I don’t like it. It’s not what I’ve come to expect from him. Then again, he’s about as predictable as a goddamn tornado.

Before he can reach me, I take a step back. “I have to study,” I blurt out, lifting a hand as if I would stand any chance at stopping him.

But surprisingly, he does. A frown touches his face, but in an instant his smug smile slips back on. “So why the fuck did you come all the way over here to tell me that?”

The condescending tone of his voice brings heat to my cheeks.

Motherfucking prick.

I turn on my heel, but his voice halts me a second later. “You know what, forget it. You weren’t that good a fuck anyway, virgin.”

I whirl to face him, eyes almost popping from my fucking skull. “What?”

All around me, students start laughing. Most of the guys at Briar’s table are openly smirking at me, and he turns back to them to accept a round of high-fives.

I stumble over my feet in my rush to back up and get the fuck out of this place. Why the hell would he say that? We never?—

But he probably told all his friends we did. That’s what dickheads like him do, isn’t it? They lie and they exaggerate…

And they rape and they murder.

I stop in my tracks. My cheeks are on fire, blood pumping so hard through my veins I barely hear the laughs and the catcalls. I haul in a huge breath, fist my hands, and turn back to Briar.

He’s about to sit again, but when he happens to glance over his shoulder and spot me, he pauses and then slowly straightens again.

All that smugness melts from his face, leaving only wary anticipation behind.

Congratulations, you fucking psycho. You landed yourself a wild card.

I cross my arms over my chest, and cock my head. My cheeks are still warm, but I ignore them just as hard as I ignore the murmurs around me.

They grow quiet, and it seems like the entire cafeteria is straining to hear what I’m about to say.

Better make it good.

“Really? You didn’t enjoy it?”

Briar’s head dips. Now there’s open challenge in his eyes, a tiny smile teasing his lush mouth.

He’s waiting to see where I’m going with this.

I’m filled with an overwhelming sense of pride in myself. Fuck you, Prince Briar. You don’t scare me.

I shrug expressively, even lifting my hands a little. “Maybe next time you should be on top. Might last longer than a minute.”

I drop my eyes to his junk long enough that everyone can see where I’m looking. My heart’s pounding like a fucking drum, but I feel more alive than I have in a week.

Briar smirks at me and opens his mouth, but I pivot and head for the cafeteria door before he can get a word in.

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