Page 48 of Sweet Punk
Lux fidgets next to Hawk, and he pulls her close to his side, kissing the top of her head. He clears his throat. “So, what are we going to do about this? We can’t have this guy terrorizing Star or the rest of us, for that matter.”
At the opening of my creaky door, everyone’s attention diverts to Star, who’s got her bag and backpack. “I’m going to go. I’ll stay in our suite by myself. I’m done dragging the rest of you into my shit.”
There’s some murmuring from our friends behind me, but all I can do is stare at her, seeing all the same fear that I painted on the canvas sliding across her features. She’s terrified. And there are so many things I could say. Should say. But all I can get out is, “Star. Don’t. Go.” The words scrape over my throat and out of my mouth.
Her sad eyes reach into me and tear at my soul. “No, Kellan. Out of everyone, you’re the one who least deserves to be mixed up in this. I don’t want to be another source of pain.”
And just like that, the girl I’m falling for walks out the door, taking my heart and everything I thought we’d been building toward with her.
TWENTY-FIVE
STAR
My heart is so heavy. It’s one thing to know that my mother has the wool pulled over her eyes and my stepfather thinks his son can do no wrong, but I hadn’t realized how shitty it would feel to have my friends hear them react like that. That phone call was nothing short of humiliating.
Because what’s wrong with me? How am I the one supposedly spouting lies? Whether my friends are wondering why I’m not believable or they’re simply sad for me that this is the family I’m stuck with, I don’t know. But what I do know is that I don’t want any of them in harm’s way. I need time alone to figure out how to deal with Milo. Maybe there’s something I can track down. Put my hacker skills to good use.
* * *
Hours later,I give a look around from where I’ve been hiding in a remote, seldom-used computer lab on the top floor of the library. I’m due in Computer Science 159 in thirty minutes, but I wish I could keep at this for a while longer, keep digging. I think I found something, but I want plenty of evidence to back it up. First semester exams are coming up in a few weeks, and I can’t afford to start skipping class now. What Iwantto do is curl up in my bed all day—but wait, I can’t do that either because who the hell knows if I’ll be safe in my own goddamn room. With a resigned sigh, I gather my book bag and take off for class.
The new Integrated Science and Technology building is the farthest from the quad and all the original academic buildings. I hurry along the sidewalk between the language and history buildings with my head down. I have zero desire to see anyone at all.
As I enter the ISAT building and take a right toward the lab, out of nowhere, a hand clamps around my bicep and yanks me through a doorway and into a seldom-used stairwell. I suck in a breath, already bracing myself. Milo’s got me firmly in his grasp, his fingers digging into my upper arms. His face is inches from mine as he sneers down at me. “Hey, sis. Funny you’d be right here when I want to talk to you.”
A troubled laugh bubbles from my mouth.Act normal. Don’t let him know how his proximity is making your heart race in the worst way and your lungs fight for every breath.I tilt my head to the side, studying the psycho. “Not so weird, because one, I have classes here, and two, you have my schedule. I’m not an idiot, Milo. I know you’ve been following me around. Doing all of this crazy shit to scare me.”
He slowly shakes his head. “Your fear is simply a byproduct. This is revenge. Payback for your interference.”
I wet my lips. Wrong move. His gaze zeroes in on my mouth like a heat-seeking missile. I swallow hard. “What was I supposed to do? Let you burn the school down?”
“That’s the first fucking time you’ve admitted it.” He chuckles darkly. “But I’ve always known it was you who submitted the tip. That judge put me away in that hellhole to let them poke around my head. They said it’d help me. Well, guess what? I didn’t need help. I don’t need to change for the better. I like myself exactly the way I am.” The air heaves from his lungs, and his eyes wander back to my lips. His head dips down, lips brushing mine as he finishes his thoughts. “After everything we’ve been through, you tried to have me put away. Why would you do that? My pretty Star. You do remember what I told you I’d do if you ever told anyone what I was up to.”
Oh, I do. And this is what I’ve been afraid of ever since I realized he was stalking me.
Milo pushes me up against the wall at the bottom of the stairwell, the full length of his body pressing to mine. I shudder. As usual, his dick’s hard, and he rubs it against my body, like he’s done so many times in the past.
* * *
“Hey,pretty Star. Are you awake? Brother’s got something for you.”
Roused out of a sound sleep, my throat immediately catches. There’s a solid body behind mine and arms wrap around my torso like tentacles of an octopus. One leg is thrown over mine. I can’t move. My heart rate ratchets up, the thudding in my chest almost unbearable. No.I told him no. That the two of us weren’t a good idea. But he won’t stop.
“I know you’re awake. It’s okay, you don’t have to talk. No one has to know what we like to do. It’s just you and me.” The subtle shift of his hips forces his erection up against my backside. And then he starts to move in earnest, grunting and thrusting as he holds me locked against his body.
Tears stream down my face.Think about something else. Anything but this.I have a test in my French II class tomorrow. I begin to conjugate verbs in my head, like I know I’ll have to do tomorrow.Madame Drury will be so proud.
Milo’s ragged breathing clues me in that he’s almost done. His hands squeeze my breasts roughly, kneading them like he’s handling a pair of stress reliever balls. It hurts. I cry out in pain, but he doesn’t stop because he’s grinding into my ass like he can poke a hole through my pajama shorts with his dick. “Oh, fuck yes. Fuck. Yes, pretty Star. You’re all mine. You’ll always be mine.” He jerks, then pumps a few more times as he groans and writhes with pleasure behind me.
I lie on the bed, shuddering, his cum seeping through his flannel pj bottoms all the way to mine. I can feel the sticky mess on my backside. I cry and try not to vomit.
“You won’t tell anyone. Because you know me now. You know what I’m capable of. And you aren’t going to say a damn thing to anyone. You know what I’ll do. You tried to tell your mom about us. And look at what happened to that poor cat of yours. Next time you try to tell, it’ll be worse. I’ll take these little shorts off and stick my dick inside you.”
* * *
I take a deep breath,willing my nerves to calm so I can get myself out of this mess. “Milo, this needs to stop. I’m sorry you feel like I’ve betrayed you. But I couldn’t let you hurt people. Those gym bleachers were full that night. Never mind the fire, people would have been crushed in a stampede trying to get out of the building. And you had already blocked the doors. I did the right thing. And I know you don’t understand that because it’s all twisted up in your head.” I look into his crazed eyes. “Leave me and my friends alone.”
“Pretty Star, we’re just getting started. You want to make sure I don’t mess with your friends anymore? Maybe you should stay the fuck away from them. Otherwise, I’m gonna rain terror down on them. Your little friend who was in the car accident? I’ll run her and her boyfriend off the road. Make it a wreck that neither survives. And the other? The pretty cellist? I met a lot of unhinged individuals during my time locked up in that loony bin.” His lips twist. “It’d be a shame if she had to relive what happened to her at the hands of her TA. And I’ll tie up her boyfriend and make him watch. Can you imagine?” He snorts. “Yeah. I’ve been doing my research, pretty one.” He yanks me forward, then slams me against the wall.
