Page 62 of Bullied By The Bad Boy

My brows furrow. He’s not making sense. I thought those two hated each other. Asher yawns. I slide into the bed and pull the cover over both of us. “Olivia told Tessa to make the cake?” I ask.

Laughing, he says, “No.” I wait another second for him to say more, but he doesn’t. He rolls on his side, and I do the same with my hands tucked under the pillow. “Will you ask her to be your girlfriend? I have a girlfriend. You should tell Tessa you like her, so we can go on double dates.”

I sit up and kick the cover off me as his words drive a stake through my heart. Asher frowns, then pulls the comforter back over us. He has a girlfriend. I thought I told him that girls have cooties.

“I don’t like Tessa,” I say with my eyes clenched shut. I force myself to think of the match I lost to her, that or anything that will grow my hatred toward her, but nothing happens. My mind decides to punish me with images of her with tears in her Bambi eyes. Tears I put there with my words. My eyes jerk open. Asher is also seated, watching me. “I don’t like her. And you can’t have girlfriends.”

“Why not? I know you like her. You are making another apology bracelet for her. What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything. She’s just annoying. Go to sleep, Champ.” I slide down the bed and flip the switch. Darkness descends over the room. A hush falls on us. “You can’t have a girlfriend.”

“Yes, I can.”

I sigh. “No, you can’t. Listen to your big brother. I’m older and wiser.”

“Mom is older and wiser, but you don’t listen to her,” he whispers. The truth of his words guts me. I roll onto my stomach and bury my face into the pillow. Asher inches close. “I like her.”

Who? His girlfriend or Tessa? I don’t reply or ask questions. He tickles my side to get a reaction out of me, but I remain stiff like a log of wood. His heavy sigh carries around the room, and I almost turn to him.

“Goodnight, Benny,” he says into my hair. I laugh when he kisses my temple. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Champ,” I say into the pillow.

* * *

I walk into the school with stiff shoulders. To make it up to Asher, I had to carry him everywhere until he was ready to leave the house. When I asked this boy how he knew for sure that he liked his girlfriend, he said: she brings me cookies daily and also makes me smile.

Tessa annoys the shit out of me. And she is too quiet sometimes. That’s the only reason Olivia and the others mess with her. She needs to borrow some of her best friend’s confidence, not to talk to boys, but to be a little less awkward around others. What do I care anyway? It’s her life.

The phone vibrating in my pocket draws me out of my thoughts. I pull open my locker door and grab some textbooks. We don’t have a class together until much later today, and I’ll sit with Abigail. Does Tessa miss our sitting arrangement? I’ll need that patience and tolerance she has for Olivia because I can’t sit through an entire class with ‘the queen B’ talking about giving up something I’m starting to like for her sake.

Speaking of the queen B, where is Olivia? Thankfully, her parents haven’t had any new fights, but she should be here waiting for me. I slide my vibrating phone out of my pocket and hit the answer button. Mrs. Stella, Asher’s class teacher, clears her throat. I jam the door close and start toward the exit. If it’s bad news, I need to be able to get out of here immediately.

Mrs. Stella says something, and my feet stumble to a stop. An invisible hand closes around my throat, my breath hitches, and I stretch my free hand to the side to grab anything sturdy.

“Did you…did she…” I stutter. I can’t get the words out. She went to Asher’s school. God, why? What the hell is her fucking problem? My vision blurs. I stagger toward a door and prop myself against it to keep standing. The hand eases around my neck. “Did she… Where’s my brother?”

“In class.” I suck in a shaky breath, then let it out through clenched teeth. He’s fine. She can’t get to him. Asher is in good hands. But my heart lurches against my ribcage. “Do you know her?”

“Unfortunately. But I did not authorize the visit,” I say. “Please keep her away from him.”

“Will do, Mr. Carter.”

“Thank you,” I whisper. After a long pause, I ask, “Why didn’t you call my mom?”

“I did, but she was unreachable.”

Of course. She’s never there when we need her. I nod and straighten up. “Thank you.”

The call ends, but I don’t leave the spot. My forehead touches the wall, and the weight around my neck creeps into my chest. I take deep breaths, but it’s not enough. I need to leave this place.

“Benny?” I whip to face Olivia. I told her not to call me that. But it’s not Olivia who waves at me. It’s Tessa. She waves again, and I remember how to use my hand. Why does she have to be her namesake? I stare down at the shy girl waiting for me to speak. She clears her throat. “Hi, Benny.”

“Hi.” I pat my pocket to retrieve the bracelet. Tessa hides her hands at her back, and I bark out a laugh. She’s cute. And she looks prettier today. Did she dress up for a boy? Olivia always does that when she’s trying to grab someone’s attention, not that it’s necessary. “It’s from…Asher.”

“Another one?” she squeaks out. I nod and stretch it to her. She looks up at me. “Mower?”

“Yeah.” Tessa rolls her sleeve over her wrist, and I see the first one. When she slides the second bracelet below the first, my heart does that odd thing it likes to do around her. “It’s a companion bracelet for the first one you received. Asher asked me to give it to you. It’s a gift to his friend.”

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