Page 4 of Tyson (Ariel Kimber 4.50)

Hindsight, they say, is always twenty-twenty.

Chapter Two

Six months later

I looked down at the phone in my hand in disbelief as I tightened my grip around it painfully. I could feel it biting into my hand and knew there’d be red marks left behind but didn’t care. I didn’t feel anything.

I reread the text message for a third time as a muscle in my jaw ticked.

That fuckingbitch.

Would I never be rid of her and her toxic bullshit? It was becoming clearer the more I stared at that text message that the answer to that question was a big, fat,fuckingno.

She wanted to make my life a living hell because of what my Uncle Quint had done to her face and I almost couldn't even blame her for it. If someone had destroyed my face the way hers had been ruined, I didn't think I would ever be able to turn my back on them and walk away without first seeking out vengeance and raining my particular horror and pain down all over their asses. But, then, I wasn't the type to let things go, I held a mean grudge that worked just fine for me. I didn't enjoy it coming off of other people so much. Seeing my own flaws on other people wasn't exactly making me feel real good about myself at the moment.

I read the text message for the fourth time as I sighed heavily and rubbed my fingers into my forehead bitingly.

Belle: I'm at the Motel with the Council and I really want to see you. Either you come here or I go there. We both know you don't want me to go there. Text me a time and an address and I'll be there.

Belle?Really, Tyson?

I flinched at the sight of the nickname I'd used for her since the day I'd first laid eyes on her. Apparently, I'd never removed her from my contact list.

I didn't do the smart thing and block her number now. I wanted to but I knew better. If I blocked her and didn't meet up with her then she'd do as she said she would and she'd show up at the big house, the house where I lived with my Uncle and Abel and Addison. She never bluffed. It was something I used to find highly attractive in her, but now I found it nothing more than annoying.

Trapped, I felt trapped.

And I fucking hated it. I hatedherfor it. Hated her fucking guts.

I thought I had hated her before, but I hadn't been doing it right because this was so much more than what it had been before receiving that text. This was hate, and it was a horrible, all-consuming feeling that burned in my gut.

There was no getting her out of my life and she could destroy everything. Absolutely everything.

And Ariel...

My stomach clenched painfully at the thought of Ariel knowing about Annabell texting my phone and seeing the nickname I had saved in it for her. She was so vulnerable and incredibly guarded when it came to her heart that it was a fight just to get anywhere with her. She fought against every feeling, every little damn thing, because she didn't want anyone to hurt her worse than she'd already been hurt. I couldn't blame her for it but it was incredibly frustrating at times and very disheartening at others. If she were to find out Annabell was texting me or that I went to meet up with her, there was no telling how she'd react, but I was willing to bet it wouldn't be good for me. It would likely turn her away from me.

I'd sooner gouge out my own eyeballs than hurt her or unintentionally push her away from me.

I couldn't risk Ariel finding out that Annabell was staying with the Council and I definitely couldn't be seen out in public with her. And, I sure as hell didn't want to go somewhere private where it would end up being the two of us alone where she could do something hideous, like, say, try to come on to me and make me vomit all over her because of it.

No, this needed to be dealt with now and before she could do something unfortunate that I would end up living to regret. It's not like she would regret anything, the bitch didn't have feelings or a heart capable of regret.

That meant, I needed to make the long drive out to the Motel and confront her there before she showed up here. If she came here then there was no telling what would come out of her mouth or what would happen to her because Uncle Quint hated her even more than I did. And that crazy asshole was capable of damn near anything. When it came to our family, he lacked a moral compass of any kind. Sometimes, I envied him his lack of morals. Other times, I wanted to strangle his ornery, pigheaded ass.

He couldn't know that the bitch was back and wouldn't be learning it from me, that's for sure.

Dreading what I had to come face to face with, I grabbed my car keys off of the nightstand I had carelessly tossed them on to when I'd last come home after driving my car. Where I always carelessly tossed them. If I didn't put them in the same spot always I would lose them. I could keep track of everyone else's shit except for my own.

I pulled open the nightstand drawer, shut down my phone completely, and dropped it inside the drawer.

My lips curved upwards in a half smile as I reached for the only other thing in the drawer. It was the papers Ariel and I had written about each other on the second day of school when that jackass teacher had proclaimed us as partners and forced us to write an entire paper about each other. I didn't think she knew I had hers and I had no plans on telling her I'd kept them both like some love-sick sappy asshole that I actually was but didn't want anyone else toeversee me as.

Just because, I picked the one on top up and stated reading.

Ariel Kimber is my partner for this semester in Mr. Franklin's class even though she very much wishes not to be partnered with me. I can't say I blame her because, along with my fellow classmates, I wasn't very nice to her yesterday. Granted, I wasn't as ruthless and horrible to her as the rest of the others had been, but it was no excuse for the way that I had treated her. I was rude and I treated her in an inexcusable manner that I feel like I will probably be spending a whole lot of time apologizing for.

I consider myself lucky for having her even speak to me today instead of slapping me across the face for even daring to breathe air anywhere near her. That taught me something else about her that I hadn't know before, she was a better person than me, that's for sure. Likely better than the rest of these losers who go to school here. That's really no surprise to me either because everyone was a loser long before their actions marked them as such yesterday.

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