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You can do this.

“Fuck you!” I choked out. “Fuck you both.”

“Fuck me?” Bella sneered. Pulling her phone out of her skirt pocket, she flipped it open and started to take pictures. When she was done snapping her photos, she slid her phone back into her pocket and cupped my face, digging her nails into my cheeks so hard that I winced from the pain. “Fuck. You.Bitch.”

Every ounce of fight went out of me, right along with my fickle faith in humanity. She thought she was hurting me, but she didn’t know what pain was. Shivering violently, I remained perfectly still, just waiting for it to beover.

“Come on, Kel,” Bella said when she had given me the final once-over, clearly admiring her handiwork. “Let’s leave the bitch here.”

“I’m so sorry,” the blond girl named Kelly whispered in my ear before hurrying to her feet and following Bella out of the bathroom.

Numb to the bone, I remained exactly where I was for several minutes, counting the ceiling cubes above me before finally dragging myself to my feet. Every inch of my body ached, my lungs were burning, but it was my pride that had taken the hardest blow. Humiliated and trembling, I pulled my phone out of my shirt pocket and sobbed in relief when I realized it hadn’t been soaked along with the rest of me.

Clutching my phone in my hand, I staggered over to the sink and heaved violently until everything inside of my body was swirling down the drain. Panting, I clutched the basin with my free hand and forced myself to look at my reflection. Tiny trickles of blood tinged my cheeks from where her nails had been, and I wasn’t even surprised to see what she had written on my face.

BJ-13was scrawled across my forehead to matchKav’son my left cheek andSluton my right.

Tearing my gaze from the mirror, I focused on my phone, and with shaky hands, I dialed the number I knew by heart.

Please pick up.

Please pick up.

Please don’t be in class and pick up…

“Shan?” his familiar voice came down the line. “What’s going on?”

“Joey.” Clenching my eyes shut, I shuddered violently. “I n-need you to come g-get me.”

60

Flying Fists

Johnny

I was used to seeing a lot of strange things go down at Tommen. Hell, I couldn’t count the weird encounters I’d had in this place down through the years. But the sight of a lad in a BCS uniform stalking through the school car park toward me after the last class of the day was definitely a new thing for me.

It took me a few moments to register the lad wearing the gray jumper with the public-school crest as Joey Lynch, and a second too long to register that the arm he was rearing back was intended for me. His fist connected with my face so fast that my head snapped sideways.

“What the fuck did you do?” he demanded, looking livid. “If you hurt her, I’m going to burn you alive and piss all over your bones.”

“What are you talking about?” I roared, spitting out a mouthful of blood. I was about done with this whole family, and while up until the punch to the jaw I actually liked Joey, I had a feeling that was about to change. “I didn’t do anything to anyone!”

A huge crowd was forming around us, cheering and hollering like bleeding eejits.

“She’s inside that school somewhere crying,” Joey snarled. “She called me to come get her.” Slamming his hands against my chest, he lunged toward me. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that now, would you?”

“No, I fucking wouldn’t,” I snarled, shoving him away from me. He needed to step back and fast because he was pushing my patience out to sea and I was packing about four inches of height and four stone of muscle on him. “Back the fuck up, Lynch.”

“Or what?” he sneered, moving for me again. “What are you going to do, Kavanagh?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Hughie commanded as he jumped into the mix, running through the car park to step in between us. “Just calm down, lads.”

“I am calm!” I roared, clearlynotcalm. “He’s the prick who walked over here and hit me in the face.”

“Because you hurt my sister,” Joey shot back.

“I didn’thurtyour sister,” I snarled. “I wouldneverhurt her.”

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