Page 210 of Vile Boys

Suddenly, she jumps off the table and rushes at her dress, fishing out the knife she’s so desperately clung to all this time, and within two steps, she lunges at me.

“Crystal, no!” Caleb growls, grasping her arm.

Right before the knife punctures my neck.

“What the—” Caleb mutters, shock riddling his face. “What the fuck are you doing?”

But all I can do is look up at the face of the girl who’s haunted my nightmares for years.

“She’s finally doing what she’s wanted to do since the first time she saw me.” I lean into the blade. “Kill me.”

“You fucking liar!” she spews.

Caleb wraps his arm around her flailing body to keep her awayfrom me. “Crystal, stop!”

“Let go of me,” she grits at him, thrashing around. “He’s a fucking liar! Not killing innocents? Bullshit! What about the men who tried to enter the Tartarus property?” she rebukes.

Those men were anything but innocent.

“They were from the Bones Brotherhood. The same underground organization Wayne Ferry belonged to,” I reply, staying still against her blade. “And they were going to try to drug girls at my party to capture them.”

She winces, confused. “What?”

“You think shady shit doesn’t happen on this campus?” I laugh. “You don’t even know the half of it.”

“Fuck that. You’re still a goddamn liar,” she retorts, shoving the blade into my skin.

“Why do you suddenly want to kill him?” Caleb asks. “Just because of this deal we made?”

I tap my fingers against the chair. “No. It was never about that, was it, Crystal? But we both knew that already.”

“What is he talking about, Crystal?” Blaine asks.

I laugh. “I’m surprised she hasn’t told you. After all the training you gave her.”

His eyes widen.

“Didn’t think you sneaking off wouldn’t alert me?” I growl at him. “You’ve been teaching her how to fight behind my back.”

“I did what she asked me to do,” Blaine responds. “You were hunting her, and I couldn’t say no.” He turns his attention to Crystal. “I taught her how to defend herself.”

Crystal slowly begins to laugh, the menacing sound behind it catching everyone off guard.

“Don’t you see the truth?” I tell him. “She was manipulating both of you.”

“What?” Caleb mutters, his grip on her slowly waning. “What does he mean, Crystal? Tell me.”

“Your mother dating his father wasn’t by accident.” My eyes narrow as hers lose every hint of happiness. “You orchestrated it.”

She’s laughing uncontrollably now. “That’s right, I did. I fucking did. I dropped my fucking drink so she would get some tissues and talk to your dad and butter him up.”

Caleb lets go of her and steps back, bumping into the table. “Youtold me you had nothing to do with it …”

“You call me a liar, but you’re the only one who’s lied,” I say, eyeing her before I focus on Caleb. “It wasn’t about you or your father,” I tell him, leaning back against the chair as she aims the knife at me. “She needed to find a way to get closer tome.”

Blaine steps in the second she tries to stab me, grasping her wrist midair. “Don’t. Don’t do it.”

“You should’ve thought of that before you taught me how to wield a weapon,” she growls. “Now let go of me before I hurt you too,” she grits.

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