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So yes, I would lie. I would cheat and bring my friend’s character into question if it kept her off my father’s radar. Riley may have thought she was protecting me, but it was the other way around.
She should’ve never sat down with me in the cafeteria that day. She should’ve walked right on by and picked a different table.
“Perhaps we should bring Riley in here?” the sheriff suggested.
Louis intervened before I could say anything. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”
If looks could kill, then Louis Kessler would’ve dropped dead right then and there. I thought I’d seen hate before. Nothing came close to the look Riley’s dad was currently giving Mr. Kessler.
“Well, I think it is,” he ground out through gritted teeth.
“The girl said nothing happened.” If Mason’s dad was bothered at all by the sheriff’s glare, he didn’t show it. “Perhaps your daughter is overreacting?”
“Are you calling my daughter a liar?”
“Yes,” Louis stated flatly.
The sheriff’s face flooded with insult. “Maybe we should see these bruises. Then we’ll see who’s lying.”
A pang of hurt swam through my chest at his words. What would it be like to have a father willing to stand up for you? How good would it feel to know that just once, he wouldn’t come down on you for putting him in that situation? To have a father that actually cared.
I used to have that. Once upon a time I had two parents that cared, but that was so long ago it seemed like a dream.
Maybe it was that jealousy that drove me to bark out, “I don’t have to show you anything.”
“I’m the sheriff, Harper,” he argued.
“That doesn’t give you the right to examine her.” Louis cocked a brow at me. “Go back to class, Harper. You’re done here.”
That was all I needed to hear. Before the argument could start, I was out the door, hoping that none of them noticed the angry tears in my eyes. I wasn’t mad that Riley tried to help me.
I was mad that she’d risked something so precious for someone she barely knew. I hated her for that. Just like I hated others who took that special bond for granted.
That festering seed of darkness had been brewing for years. It pushed me further into solitude every time I watched Lana dance around the kitchen with her Nan, or when I saw Shelby arguing with her mom.
Misery was easy. I lived there for so long I embraced the sadness and pain. My day wouldn’t be normal without it. But these tears burned down my face like acid, because in that moment I knew exactly how Mason Kessler felt. And I was the one that pushed him there.
Swiping the streaks off my face, I stormed down the hall towards my first class.
My anger didn’t get any better after I stepped into the room. Everyone stopped and looked my way, but it was the smile underneath a pair of sparkling green eyes that made me ball my fists.
Mason didn’t need to say anything to taunt me. The arrogance coming off him was so thick I could taste it as I walked past to take my seat.
“What’s wrong, Freckles? You look a little mad.” His gaze dropped down to my fists. “Did you forget to put your big girl panties on?”
I paused for a second to rear back the ugly voice in my head telling me to lash out. It might be relieving to vent my anger, but nothing good would come from it. I wasn’t strong, or brave, or free to speak my mind. I was surviving.
“Oh, that’s right.” The smirk that spread across his lips caused my stomach to drop. “Virgins don’t wear big girl panties.”
“That’s quite enough, Mr. Kessler,” the teacher barked out.
I tried to ignore the heat flooding my cheeks and slid into the empty desk as snickers rolled around the room.
“Oh come on, Mr. March, it’s not my fault no one wants to fuck her.” Mason twisted his neck to glance back at me. “I don’t think anyone’s that desperate.”
Our teacher was not impressed. “Alright that’s it. You can meet me back here after school for detention.”
The rest of the class, however, broke out in a fit of laughter that Mr. March had to calm down.
