Page 57 of The Venom We Bleed

My hands fall to my sides and I take the first step towards the trio. Megan leans away from the lockers and moves to the front of her posse. My eyes remain on the third, nameless, girl. As if they all share one brain cell, the three of them straighten and meet me halfway down the hall.

I don’t stop until I’m right in front of them.

“Do you remember what happened the last time you did this?” I ask, tilting my head to the side.

The third girl flicks her BIC between her fingers, glancing from me to her friends. On Megan’s other side, Lindsey sneers, “You got off easy because the teachers got involved.”

I switch my gaze to her, my eyes dropping to the off-brand Mexican soda clutched in one hand. It’s half-empty, but that’s not what catches my attention—it’s the fact that the bottle is pure glass. I file that information away in the back of my mind before turning my gaze to Megan.

“Don’t start this shit again,” I snap. “You won’t like how it ends.”

Megan scoffs. “I wouldn’t have to do this at all if you would take the hint.” She leans close enough for me to smell the scent of spearmint on her breath. “Get out of Silverwood, Donovan. No one wants you here.”

“I’m well aware of that fact.” It’s not like they’ve kept it a secret thus far. “But I’ve got a lease to live out,” I continue, “and I need my diploma if I’m going to go to college. So, like it or not, I’m here, Megan. Deal with it. This is your final warning; leave me alone or else.”

Her hand slaps my shoulder, sending me back a step. “Or elsewhat?”

I tamp down the rage that threatens to boil over by reminding myself that they feel wronged. Their anger is valid. If someone ruined my family’s finances, I’d be pissed too. Hell, my own father ruined our family. Iampissed. We’re the same, the students of Silverwood Public and I. They just can’t see it, and they can’t get to the one responsible, so here I am, taking them on simply because, in their eyes, I’m guilty by association.

“Just…” I take a long breath as two shadows appear around the corner, catching my attention. My entire body goes stiff when I spy Gio and Lex and Nolan round into the hallway and stop. Fuck, I do not want to be around them right now. I might not be able to escape them in my dreams, but reality is different. Even if it means giving up on beating Megan’s face in, I’ll give in just to get the hell away from the trio of assholes that won’t let me fucking rest.

I focus on Megan again and straighten my shoulders. “Just let it go,” I snap. “You don’t fuck with me and I won’t do anything that we’ll both regret.”

The last part is a lie. If she stops her bullshit, I won’t have to do anything, but if she doesn’t, well, the only one of us that will regret my actions will be her.

Another breath and another step back. I turn away, wiping off the crust of whatever nasty trash they’d thrown at me against my jeans. Five feet. I get maybe five feet before I feel nails digging into my scalp and a hand locks onto my hair, tightening and yanking back.

Game. Fucking. On.

The feeling in my limbs goes dead as I spin, giving her no warning. A rushing sound slams into my ears as my fist flies toward her stunned face. Why she’s so surprised when she attacked me first, I won’t ever understand. Cartilage collapses under my knuckles and blood runs red from both her nostrils. Megan’s eyes widen and she stumbles back, running into thetwo girls behind her. Lindsey’s soda bottle crashes to the floor, orange liquid smearing across the flat surface as she breaks Megan’s fall. The third girl jumps forward, a snarl on her face as she reaches for me, dropping her lighter that clatters to the ground.

Oh, hell no. I dive away from her grasping hands, turning and slipping around her back when she tries to grab ahold of my hair like Megan had. The strands flutter against the base of my throat as I take the nameless girl down to the cold, tiled hallway floor.

“Lindsey!” She immediately starts screaming as several students nearby take out their phones. I already know this is going to end up on the internet before Lindsey’s hand wraps into the back of my shirt and yanks me up.

The nameless girl swivels, getting to her feet, and I grin as I slam my sneakered foot into her gut before I twist out of Lindsey’s hold. The BIC lighter catches my attention where it slid up against the wall of lockers. Before I can think better, I dive for it.

“What the fuck!” Hands grasp at me, yanking me back as my fingers close around the cylindrical object. I shake it, checking to make sure there’s actual liquid inside.

Fingers dig past my neck, wrapping around my throat and my lips curve upward. Flicking my thumb over the wheel and depressing the button as I shove the flame that sputters to life right against the hand on my neck. Heat warms my own skin, but the responding scream and the sudden release is music to my ears. My chest heaves up and down as I slowly get back to my feet and turn to face the trio of bitches that started this whole thing.

Megan’s still clutching a hand over her nose as she glares at me. The twin lines of red dropping past her fingers over her chin are far too familiar to her face.

“I warned you,” I say, sucking in a breath. “I told you not to fuck with me.”

The first day had been a warning—this isn’t that. They’ve had enough warnings. I switch my attention to Lindsey, who’s staring down at her shaking hand as if she can’t figure out how I burned her. I shake the lighter again and smile wide when she finally lifts her gaze to mine. Her features contort into a mask of rage, her too-big nose scrunching up as her thin lips scowl back at me.

“You fucking bitch!” she screams.

When she launches herself at me, it’s easy enough to take a single step to the side and let her run face-first into the lockers. Not that I’ll let her punishment stop there. Oh no. I grip her by the back of the neck and hold her against the rusted metal doors before glancing over my shoulders. “I tried to tell you,” I say, the words dark and wicked. “I tried to warn you—told you to let it go and leave me alone, but did you listen?” I switch back to where Lindsey bucks under my hold.

Depressing the button on the lighter again, I hold the flame right up against her cheek. She immediately goes still—the threat of being burned enough to stop any further resistance. A pitiful whimper escapes her.

“I don’t want shit from any of you except to beleft. The fuck. Alone.” I grit the words out through clenched teeth.

Lindsey shakes under my hold, her slender body trembling against the lockers as she tries to edge away from the fire in my hand. I glance at it, watching the flame flicker and sway, dancing in my grip…

It wouldn’t be hard to put it closer to her face, to hold it down against her flesh until her skin bubbles and splits. A scar would show her—would show them all—what happens when they fuck with me. Hurting her won’t take back all the shit they’ve done. It won’t erase my father’s actions, or my mother’sabandonment. Hell, hurting her probably won’t bring me more than a single moment of satisfaction—of the knowledge that I’m stronger than the ones who are trying to take me down.

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