Page 24 of Bullied By The Bad Boy

He swipes the bangs off his forehead, but it only drops back into his eyes. I take out an old clip from my hair to keep his stubborn curls off his face. “Thank you. Do you have a big brother?”

Loneliness crashes over me, and I hug myself. I miss Hayden. Ben hasn’t returned the necklace. “Yes.” Asher notices the slight change in my mood. He pats my leg, and I smile at him. I would never leave him out this late if he was my kid brother. Benny deserves a beating. “He’s in college.”

“Do you do stuff together when he’s around?”

“Yes, plenty of stuff.” I want to mention our fights and how Hayden introduced me to Coach Greyson, but I don’t want to spook the poor kid. “We bake together. I baked the cookies you ate.”

“Wow.” A laugh tunnels out of my mouth at the pink spreading to his cheeks. His eyes are even more pretty when he is surprised. “Benny can’t bake, but we play video games together. He spoils me all the time.”

The Benny he is talking about sounds like someone else. Only an asshole leaves his brother in school this late without a backup plan. “Where might Benny be? And what about your parents?”

“Dad’s dead.” My chest tightens. We look up at the rumbling sky. “Benny is never this late.”

“Is there a way for us to contact him?” I ask.

“Benny would not be happy that I was talking to a stranger.” A yawn escapes him. His eyes droop, and I draw him close so he can rest his weight on me. “I liked the cookies. Very tasty.”

His compliment warms my heart. I squeeze his arm. “I can make you another batch.”

Baking was a bonding exercise with Hayden. I barely do it now because the kitchen feels empty without him complaining about the amount of sugar I sprinkle all over my donut. Mom can cook up a delicious storm, but she has no idea the first thing about baking. Dad is only good at tasting.

Asher sits up. His eyes pop wide open. “Really?” My head jerks in a nod. I am more than willing to please this kid. “I would love that. Um, can you make cake?” he asks after a minute of silence. “Benny’s birthday is next month. I don’t have enough money saved up to buy him a real cake.”

My mouth opens to ask about his mother and to deliver a lecture on why Benny doesn’t deserve a cake or anything nice, but his smile sucks the speech out of me. “Okay,” falls out of my lips.

“I will pay in installments if that’s okay.”

“You don’t have to pay,” I answer and squeeze his shoulders. “We are friends now. Friends help each other. You just have to tell me what you want on the cake, and it’s done.”

His smile shows I said the right thing. He takes out a note to write down the details for the cake.

“How old will Benny be?” I ask.

The sound of a revving motorbike cuts him off. Asher flings his note and rushes to hug the guy getting off the bike. My jaw almost hits the ground when the biker removes his helmet. This is just fantastic. I take a step out of sight, away from the nemesis who torments me in school. Ben.

Benjamin Carter is Benny.

Sixteen

“Benny!”Asher screams and jumps on his big brother. Ben catches him mid-air like he weighs nothing.

Ben is a bigger asshole than I thought. The two are lost in their little world as I escape to my car. I insert the key into the ignition without starting the car. Ben slides his helmet onto Asher’s head and hooks the strap under his jaw. He pats the helmet twice with a grin, his eyes gleam, and the harsh lines around his lips soften. I’ve never seen him this relaxed or smile this way with Olivia.

They fist bump. I smile at how easy it is for them to get along. Ben climbs the bike, and Asher gets in behind him. I have never been on a motorbike. I’m not sure I want to be on one with Ben in control. If he is anything like the royal jackass I know him to be, he will throw me off his bike.

With his leg on the brake, he throws his brother a look over his shoulder. “Ready to go, Champ?”

“Yes.” Asher’s eyes flit to the curb. “Wait. My new friend.”

I slide down my seat, breath held in, and eyes closed. For once, I’m grateful for my weight because I fit in the tiny space. There is a brief moment of silence, and the engine dies off.

“I think she left.”

The disappointment in Asher’s voice is palpable. I almost give out my location, but the reminder of Ben’s presence shuts me up. Someone needs to give him a talk for keeping his brother out this late, but it won’t be me.

“Who?” Ben asks, a note of exasperation in his voice.

I place a hand over my mouth to stop myself from getting out of the car to yell at him. He has only been here a few minutes, and he’s already annoyed. He kept his brother waiting for hours.

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