Page 80 of These Pucking Boys: Part Two

“They seemed fine to me. Why do you ask? Do you think they’re jealous of Jake?”

I open my mouth to reply but decide against it. We’re surrounded by people. “Never mind.”

The door in the far corner of the gymnasium opens, drawing my attention. My stomach drops through the earth when I see who came in. Fucking Bill.

“I can’t believe it,” I whisper.

“What?” Katrina follows my line of vision. “Are you kidding me?”

Panicking, I glance at Jake, Ryan, and Lachy. If they see Bill, things might become unpleasant, to say the least.

“Did he know about today?”

“If he did, he has a death wish.”

Maybe he came today on purpose to cause a commotion. My heart is beating so fast I can’t breathe right. I stand up suddenly.

Katrina’s eyes widen. “Where are you going?”

“To deal with Bill before he makes a scene and gets me in trouble.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“No, stay. You need to keep the boys from following me.”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

“You’re an eighth-grade teacher. Be creative.” I run before she can get another word in.

It’s impossible to make a stealthy escape when I’m sitting in the front row, but I’m hoping that by making a beeline towardthe exit, I’ll make the boys miss Bill, who’s already half hidden in the corner. I stalk past him and through the exit, barely making it into the hallway when Bill catches up with me. I was hoping to put more distance between us and the gymnasium.

He grabs my arm and spins me around. “You’re not running away from me again.”

I pull my arm free from his grasp. “Don’t touch me. You shouldn’t have come here.”

He frowns. “You gave me no choice, did you? You won’t answer my calls, and you got me kicked out of the arena. That was a fucking bitch move.”

My brows shoot to the heavens. “Oh, you want to talk about bitch moves? How about you screwing my friend for God knows how long? Or letting me make a fool of myself in front of thousands of people? Or kicking me out of my own apartment and putting my things in trash bags?”

His face twists into a scowl. “How was I supposed to know you were going to propose?”

“You know what? It doesn’t matter. That humiliation turned out to be the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

He sneers. “Oh, because you think you landed a rich hockey player? He’s gonna dump you just like I did.”

A burst of laughter goes up my throat, bringing tears to my eyes.

“Go ahead... laugh. I’ll be proven right sooner rather than later. All hockey players cheat, June. He’s probably screwing ten other chicks on the side.”

The old June would have believed that, but I won’t fall for Bill’s BS now. Grinning, I come closer. “Only if he doesn’t sleep because every second of his free time, he’s in my bed, giving me the best sex I’ve ever had.”

His eyes bug out, and hatred oozes from his body like a disease. I step back, but he grabs my arms. “You’ve fooledeveryone in Baron, including my great aunt. Poor June, how I could have done such a despicable thing to her? You’re nothing but a whore?—”

Jake is suddenly there, yanking Bill away from me. Bill staggers back, but Jake doesn’t give him a chance to catch his balance properly before he punches his face, sending Bill to the ground. Then he straddles him and continues to pound Bill’s face.

“Jake, stop!”

He doesn’t. He’s beyond listening to anyone.

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