Page 82 of Bullied By The Bad Boy

No, it’s not.

Fine lines appear on his forehead. I rush out the rest of the words before I chicken out. “I’ll give you a ride, and we’ll pretend today never happened. You don’t have to talk to me in school, and I won’t even be mad. We’re not friends, so it’s cool.” I know I’m rambling, but I can’t stop. I don’t even have the confidence to look him in the eyes as I say this. I’m talking to the roof. “People like you and people like me can never be friends. It’s expected. I don’t expect you to…”

I don’t finish my statement because Ben slides a hand up my cheek. His forehead touches mine.

“Ben—”

He kisses the rest of the words out of me. I groan against his lips. Why does he have to be such an excellent kisser? He breaks the kiss before I have time to process it. “I like you too, Gracie.”

Forty-Six

Me:He likes me back. We kissed. Oh my God. We kissed not to prove a point but because he wanted to. We seem to be doing a lot of kissing but I like it. I don’t really know him, but I want to know him. I don’t know what to expect. What do you think I should do? As a guy, would you appreciate it if a girl asked you out? Should I ask him out? Does that make me desperate?

Me:It does, right? I will wait for him to ask me.

I shove the phone into my drawer without waiting for his reply. Lett was right. It’s easier to chat with a phone. He hasn’t replied to my letters, and I have stopped checking. If he replies, he will let me know. I grab my stuff, rush out of the house and make the journey to school. It still feels odd walking down the hallway without Maria, but the memory from my last kiss with Ben has me smiling.

We kissed again when I dropped him off. He made me walk him to the door of his house, and we kissed a second time. I blush from thinking about all the kisses. We kiss a lot. I like it, and I don’t like it. I want us to have regular conversations. Like me, did he start fighting to protect himself or for the money alone? I round the corner leading to my locker, and my arms tighten around my bag straps.

Maria is at my locker with her books in one hand. I stop in front of her and muster a smile. Her little frown makes me hopeful. At least she’s not ignoring me. Am I forgiven? I miss my bestie.

“You should have told me,” she says. There’s no anger in her voice. I take it as a sign we will be best friends again in no time. Holding her book to her chest, her eyes narrow to slits. “You lied.”

To protect her feelings. “I’m sorry. He made me promise not to tell you.” She scowls. I pull her in for a hug before she protests. “I missed you. I will never, ever keep a secret from you again.”

“You better not, Theresa Grace Mower,” she says against my chest, voice muffled. We break apart, but I rest an arm on her shoulder. I missed her hugs. My smile is so big my cheeks ache. “I missed you too. God. Life was so boring without you. Don’t do that again, or I’ll never forgive you.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I open my locker to get my books, but she grabs my wrist and rolls up my sleeve to reveal the name bracelets. Tessa. Mower. I haven’t thanked Asher for them. “It was a gift.”

“A gift?” she asks. I hide my face in my locker as I murmur my reply to her. “From who?”

“Asher,” I reply. No more secrets from my best friend. “Ben’s baby brother.”

The whispers in the hallway grow louder. I don’t bother to check out the source of the noise. It has to be one of the jocks or cheerleaders doing their thing. My gaze returns to Maria, who hasn’t said a word yet. I close my locker and sling my backpack over my shoulder. I have a class with Ben.

Her head lowers. “I’m sorry,” she whispers.

“For what?” I raise my wrist with the bracelets. “Because of this? But you give me stuff all the time.”

Maria bites her lips, and a smile flits to mine. If I did that in front of Ben, he would chide me. He likes my lips. He likes them without bruises. I like his too. Pouty. Soft. I tug on her arm, and we start for our classes.

“I left you at the party. I was supposed to be your ride home,” Maria says.

Bile rises to my throat as the memories from that night flash through my mind. I shrug to appear nonchalant. Something good did come out of it. She stops feet away from my class to look at me.

“I tried calling your mom when I was a bit calm, but she wasn’t picking up. She probably hates me now, doesn’t she?” I can’t help my smile. Mom was on her side. “How did you get home?”

This will be the best time to tell her about the kiss and everything about Ben. “I got a ride.”

Her perfect brow shoots up. “From who?”

My friend circle is tiny. We both know it. Maria folds her arms on her chest, but my lips remain sealed. I want to tell her about Ben, I really do, but I have no idea how or where to start the story.

“Me.”

Our heads snap in the direction of the voice. Ben. He leans close to plant a kiss on my cheek and another on my temple. My insides turn to goo. I hear a few gasps, and heat crawls up my neck. People are watching. Maria questions me with her eyes, I duck my head, and Ben takes my hand.

To Maria, Ben says, “It was me. I gave her a ride home.” Stunned into silence, she can only nod. I inhale a whiff of Ben’s cologne. He smells nice. “Next time, don’t leave your friend stranded.”

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