Page 54 of Tis the Season to be Bullied

I imagine, anyway. I’ve never seen one. I’ve never had access to the Internet without parental supervision. The dirtiest book in the library I was allowed to use was Pride and Prejudice.

“The book,” Zachary says evenly, when I don’t make a move.

I hand it over reluctantly as my cheeks grow hot.

Zachary flips open the front cover and goes to turn the page. His hand freezes and then drops to the bottom of the page.

“Surprisingly accurate,” he murmurs just loud enough for me to hear.

My ears start to buzz. “What?”

He flips the cover closed and sits back in his seat. Slowly shaking his head, Zachary studies me with magnetic eyes. “What are we going to do with you, Miss Malone?”

“It’s not my book,” I say.

He cocks his head. “You stole this from someone?”

“What? No!”

“Then how did you come to be in possession of it?” His eyes narrow with irritation.

The name is on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t say it. Which is ridiculous—if Zachary and Sister Sharon knew what Cassius had done, he’d be the one facing off with Zachary right now.

He’d be the one about to be punished.

He’d…

No, nothing would happen to him. It’s obvious Sister Sharon has a soft spot for him, and I’m pretty sure I saw him visiting Zachary on my first day here. It was only a glimpse as we passed in the hallway, but I’d recognize those blue eyes anywhere.

I could accuse him, but I was the outsider.

The outcast.

No one was going to believe anything I said. It burns like righteous fire inside me, the fact that telling the truth would only get me into more trouble, but I’m not stupid enough to believe I’m capable of convincing these strangers.

Maybe I’ll go talk to Gabriel. If anyone would believe me, he would.

So I drop my gaze and hang my head like I’m overwhelmed with remorse.

“Take your seat,” Zachary says.

When I reach for the textbook, he lays a hand on it to stop me. “We’ll discuss this after class.”

In a weird, hallucinogenic moment, I think he’s talking about the drawing. What was there to discuss? The drawn-on expression of ragged bliss on my face as he pounds me from behind? The fact that I’m bent over this very desk?

Or how the longer I think about the drawing, the more I can’t stop thinking about what it would feel like, being with him.

I don’t think I’m going to make it to the end of class.

Chapter 18

Zach

God damn it, it had been almost impossible to keep a straight face when I’d seen what Cassius had drawn inside that English textbook.

I hadn’t wanted to risk a face-to-face meeting this soon after our last one, so I’d sent out a group text to my brothers early this morning. I hadn’t mentioned much about what Rube had said, just that our goal today was to make Trinity’s life pure hell.

I should have known Apollo and Cass would take it as a challenge.

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