Page 14 of Bullied By The Bad Boy

I cover my mouth to muffle my gasp. He threw my necklace out the window. A sob hitches in my throat, and my voice breaks when I say, “Benjamin. You didn’t have to do that.”

Trying to locate the necklace with my eyes only leads to more frustration. I don’t see anything in the thick shrubbery outside my window. I’ll kill him if I lose that necklace. I request permission from Mr. Sam to use the bathroom, but he refuses on account that his class is almost over.

My eyes sting with tears that drop to my cheeks. The necklace is one of the biggest ways I can be close to Hayden. We might call each other frequently, but it’s not the same as having something from him close to my heart. I glance at Ben, and the idiot shoves his hands into the pockets of the hoodie pulled over his head. He stares at the board like the most exciting lecture is ongoing.

“Why are you such a jerk?” I whisper loud enough for him to hear.

This behavior can’t be a result of Saturday night. Would he have preferred an opponent who didn’t fight back? He doesn’t react to my question. I release a shaky breath, exhaling slowly until the tears rushing to my eyes dry up. I won’t let him get to me. I won. He’ll have to deal with that.

“Why are you such a liar?” he says at last, and I roll my eyes. Real mature.

The bell finally goes off. Ben waits behind after the class empties. I ignore the dick as I pack up. My movements are a bit slow due to the mild throbbing in my stomach. His gaze follows my every move. I might have seen remorse in his eyes, but it’s gone before I can confirm it. He exits the class silently, leaving me alone to sort out the mess he created, and I collapse back into my chair. I can’t continue the rest of the semester that has barely begun this way. I deserve better.

Ten

BEN

Virtual reality glassesare the real deal. They change everything. I kind of understand why Asher desperately wanted Josef to get him a set. Adrenaline swims through me as we start a new level, and I adjust my goggles. My body vibrates when my opponent strikes me in the shoulder, a searing pain shoots down my arm, and I almost drop the gamepad. Asher jumps in on that chance to fire again. He points his gun at me. I know the moment he releases the trigger, but it’s too late for me to duck out of range. A sting rockets my entire frame. They told us we would be able to feel the pain in the game, but I didn’t think it was this intense. I wrench the headset and glasses off me.

“Fuck!” I grit out. I can’t believe a nine-year-old is whooping my ass.

“No cussing in the house, Benny,” Asher murmurs.

The figures on the big, flat-screen TV stop moving when I hit pause on the gamepad. It’s game over. I rub my shoulder where the pain lingers, and Asher frowns at his big brother. “Sorry, Champ.”

“Want to go again?” he asks.

“No, thank you.”

I sit on the floor and lean back on the couch. Asher joins me. I run a hand through his hair as he changes the settings from dual to single mode. It took a while for them to let me have him, but he is here now, and I will always protect him. I leave him to his game while I tidy up the mess he made with the popcorn and soda. Having Asher for the week means encouraging his excesses.

The other phone rings while I’m cleaning up. Only one person from school has that number. Olivia. She has it in case of emergencies. Recently, there has been a lot of that from her end. I skip to the dining table to grab the phone, and a sound of discomfort tears out of my lips before I answer the call.

“Hey, Liv,” I say into the phone.

“Can you come pick me up?” she asks right away.

I tuck the phone between my ear and shoulder and jog upstairs to grab my lighter and a new top. The other phone beeps while I’m searching for my bike keys. I smile at the text from Noah. He wants to set up a bet for the games. The soccer timetable is out. I may not play anymore, but I’m actively involved. I lean my hip against the wall and type in my reply. Hell yeah. I never say no to money. The idiot replies will a thumbs up emoji. I nod and toss my phone on the bed. It’s on.

Asher is still playing his game when I return to the living room. From his stance, I know better than to disturb him. I scribble on a note to let him know I’m headed to Olivia’s, then rush out to my bike. There’s a pack of cigarettes in the pocket of my sweats. I pull out a stick and light it up.

Almost immediately, Mom’s face appears to reprimand me. I blow rings of smoke on her face till she is nothing but a figment. She can save all that talk for when I take Asher back to their house. I toss the lit cigarette to the floor and stomp on it. Smoking isn’t cool anyway. I do it mostly to annoy her, but having a pack comes in handy during winter or when I’m slightly nervous or idle.

The bike purrs under me. I grab the available helmet and shove it down my head. The streets are as busy as they always are at this time of the night. Chill air seeps through my fingers, caresses my neck, and slithers into my skin. I pull up in front of Olivia’s family house. I don’t have to call her because she is outside waiting for me. She looks nothing like the queen B from school.

“You look normal,” I say as my way of greeting.

Olivia laughs and accepts the helmet I offer her. Her face is free of makeup, and she is spotting a genuine smile. “Well, you don’t look like the guy who threatened a student in front of everyone.”

I guess we are both out of our element. In school, everyone acts so tough. “I didn’t threaten her.”

“Hmm-mmm.”

Olivia climbs onto the bike, and I rev the engine. She hits my back for us to leave. I stare at her mansion one last time, then zoom off into familiar streets. She is quiet until we are near the streets of my house.

“They were fighting again,” she says when I stop a block from the house. Her parents fight more than any family I know. To be fair, I don’t know a lot. I like to stay indoors, except I have a fight to prepare for. “I don’t understand why they won’t get a divorce and move on with their lives.”

“I don’t think a divorce will solve the problem,” I say.

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