Page 48 of Bullied By The Bad Boy

“It’s a boy, yeah? You know you can always tell me anything, right?” I do know that, but this is something I don’t want to share with her. I manage a nod. She squeals and claps like the dramatic cheerleader she truly is. “I knew it was a boy. Is it Ben? You didn’t tell me what happened.”

My head snaps in her direction so fast that I feel dizzy. “Ben? Ew, no.”

“Ben is not ew. He is just an idiot.” That he is. An idiot who blatantly ignores the girl who was stupid enough to offer him a ride after he punched her. “What happened? What did he say? Tell me everything that happened, or I’ll think myself to death. Did you punch him? Did he hit you?”

Maria tries to tickle the information out of me, but I swat her hands before they do any real damage. “No. No. None of that happened, but I’m not telling you anything because you left me. It was your idea, and you fled the second I got caught.” Maria pouts. I cannot believe this girl. I tug harshly on my shirt. “But why would you think the letter is from him? Ben hates my guts.”

“Can’t blame him. He missed two weeks of lectures because of you. Now he has a bulk of notes to copy,” she says while inspecting her nails coated in red polish. “And you are a bit annoying—”

“Hey.” I pinch my best friend’s arm, and she laughs. “I’m not annoying,” I whisper. “And he deserved to be suspended for punching me. It’s not okay to hit a lady, not okay to hit anyone.”

Maria agrees with a nod. I lean over my seat to pick up the papers on the backseat. She is quiet as I slip the letters into my bag. I have to drop my reply at the library later. When I am settled in, I turn to her. “You didn’t answer the question, Maria. Why do you think the letter is from Ben?”

She might know something I don’t. But I can’t imagine anyone molesting Ben. That boy can fight, and I don’t see anyone overpowering him in a battle without rules, especially a female.

“I don’t know. Because you have a crush on him?”

I fake a shudder and force a frown to my lips. I don’t have a crush on him. Before he punched me, I did, but not anymore. Besides, almost every girl in Broadway Heights has a crush on him. I’m not special. I’m not his type, nor is he mine. He’s dating Olivia, and I don’t need her drama.

“Maria,” I warn when she makes kissy faces at me. Ben will never kiss me.

“Fine. Sharon saw you drop him at her school last week. You were smiling with his brother,” she says, and my cheeks burn. I wipe my sweaty hands on my sweatpants, and she wiggles her brows suggestively. Her sister is such a little snitch. “Why was the guy who punched you in your car?”

“Um, he apologized,” I lie.God, please forgive me. Maria makes a disapproving sound but does not interrupt me. She leans back on her chair and throws her leg over the dash. This girl. I slap her foot off my baby. This car cost my dad a lot of money. “He needed a ride, and I was there.”

She casts me a long suspicious look and hums. “That’s all that happened? Do you forgive him?”

“Yes, I do. There was nothing to it. I only helped because we share a few classes. That’s it. The boy can’t stand the sight of me, and that’s okay.” The scowl he passed my way when he saw me and Curt flashes in my mind. I shake it off. “Even if I have a crush on him, nothing can happen.”

“We should have slashed his tires,” she mumbles.

“You can do that yourself,” I tell her with a big smile. Maria brings out her phone, I am not sure what her plan is, but I say, “Don’t even think about it. Maria Vega, stop typing immediately.”

Maria slides her phone into her shorts, and I sit straighter. She conceded too quickly.

The warning bell rings. We share a glance and shrug. We should get back to class since lunch break is over, but I don’t feel like it, and from her composure, neither does she. I push my seat back to create more legroom, and she does the same.

“I asked Daniel out,” she blurts out after a moment of comfortable silence. My eyes round to saucers, and she throws her hand over her eyes. I open my mouth and close it without a word. When I told her to ask Daniel about the Halloween party, I didn’t mean this. “I think it was a bad idea.”

So do I, but I don’t say it. They will make a power couple, but their relationship will not happen if that video is still out there. She might not recover from it. Curiosity prickles my skin. I throw one leg over my seat and pull her hand between mine. She offers me a smile, and my heart skips.

“What did he say?” I ask quietly. Maria is hot, any guy she asks out should be excited, but Daniel is not any guy. He has a lot at stake. She pulls her hand back. “Maria, what did he say?”

“He didn’t say no, but he didn’t say yes,” she says with a shrug. My muscles relax. That’s okay, I guess. But the look on her face says otherwise. “He said he has to show me something first.”

“When?”

“Didn’t give a date,” she replies. Sitting up, she folds her arms across her chest. Her focus is on her boots until she cuts me a look. “What do you think he wants to show me? I swear to God I’ll kill him if it’s something stupid. I’ll be done with his stupid ass for good.” Her back connects with her seat, and she frowns. “It better be worth it. What do you think? Should I be bothered?”

Bile rises to my throat as that video replays in my mind. “I don’t know what to think.” Her laser gaze fixates on my face, and I rotate my shoulders. I promised to keep it a secret until Daniel resolves it, but it’s hard to uphold my end of the bargain. “Maybe you are overthinking it. He likes you.”

“Who wouldn’t?” The sound of our laughter fills the car. I cross my legs, and she leans back until her head touches the window. Fifth period should be starting. “Halloween is almost here.”

We both know she’s only interested in it because Daniel’s presence has been confirmed. On the bright side, I can strike it off my list. It’s a costume party, but still a party regardless. “Yeah,” I say. Ben’s birthday is also around the corner. I already got the ingredients for the cake. Baking it is the only thing left. I’ll do that on the morning of the seventeenth. “We should get back inside.”

Maria’s lips twist in a frown, she nods, and we hop out of the car with our backpacks. Linking our hands, we stroll to the front door and push it open. Today is not the day we will miss classes.

Twenty-Nine

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