Page 14 of Wicked Nasty

Through gritted teeth, Danny glares at me before begrudgingly answering. "Yes."

"Good," I reply curtly.

He picks up his pencil and starts scribbling notes down in his notebook as we work on our assignment in tense silence. Danny is an asshole, just like the rest of his group of friends. And I refuse to be disrespected by him any longer.

The self-proclaimed Elites of Edgewood... what kind of pompous assholes would give themselves such a title?

The bell rings, snapping me out of my thoughts and forcing me to gather my things quickly before making my way out of the classroom. Danny calls after me, but I ignore him. Right now, I have more pressing matters at hand - finding a place to stay for the night.

Sighing, I realize that I have no friends in this school. But it's my fault. After Katya left, I withdrew from everyone and became a recluse, building walls around me and becoming cold-hearted. Love means giving someone else complete control over your heart, whether they break it intentionally or not. And I loved Katya with all of mine. Still do. But I refuse to ever let myself be hurt like that again.

Flicking through my phone to find the nearest truck stop, I make my way towards the small stone cloister that leads to the garden area of our school. But as soon as I step outside, I am slammed against the stones by Danny. His towering figure looms over me, eyes radiating with anger.

"Don't you ever fucking embarrass me like that again," he seethes.

I smirk, knowing I've gotten under his skin. "Aww, poor Danny boo. Gonna call mommy to come wipe away your tears?"

He tightens his grip around my throat and leans down until his lips are dangerously close to my ear. "Watch yourself,Rebecca."

Jesus, fuck. Am I... turned on? What the hell is wrong with me?

"No need to watch myself when you're already keeping an eye on me,Daniel." His hand drops from my neck as he steps back.

Danny looks around before pointing a finger at me. "Just shut up. We're partners in this class and I don't need your drama causing me to fail."

"I don't do drama. But your little power couple girlfriend seems to thrive on it."

Danny scrunches his face up in confusion. "Ashley?"

"She's telling all the girls that you belong to her. Might want to handle that before Mrs. Henderson kicks both of you out of class. I'm sure mommy and daddy would be very disappointed."

"Yeah, well, at least I have parents who actually care about me. Unlike you, the bastard child."

I shrug nonchalantly as I grab my car keys from my backpack. "Wow, what a great insult. Never heard that one before."

Rolling my eyes, I walk away from Danny and towards the parking lot. I try to play it cool, but his words still sting.

I know my father loves me. Even if my mother hates me, it doesn't bother me much. What hurts is when people mistake Katya for my mother.

Because that was always my greatest wish - for her to be my mother. The one dream I hold on to with desperate hope, even now.

With a shake of my head, I reach for the door handle of my car when Ashley's hand grabs onto it.

"Stay away from Danny. He's not yours," she growls, her eyes flashing with anger.

I turn to face her, the key still in my hand. "I have no interest in him. He's all yours."

Ashley sneers at me, her perfectly manicured nails digging into the metal of my car door. "I saw you two. Just now in the cloister."

I raise an eyebrow, challenging her. "And what of it?"

"His hands were on you, you dumb bitch!" Ashley practically spits the words at me, her voice dripping with venom.

I can't help but laugh, stepping out of my car and towering over her. She quickly backs up, scanning our surroundings for any potential aid.

"You're so desperate to cling onto anyone with money. And when Danny doesn't work out, who's your next victim? Ryan? Iz? They don't double dip like that," I taunt, enjoying the way her jaw clenches in frustration.

Ashley stomps her foot like a petulant child. "You don't even know what you're talking about!"

---