Page 75 of Mad As Hell

He was making sure that I was untouchable. At least at school.

Some of the tension knotting my back relaxed, and I felt like I could actually take a deep breath.

Ryan sat down beside me and waved a hand. “Get them their food.” The people who had removed the table and chairs stood up and headed for the food line.

Brylee stood up on shaky legs before looking around dumbly. “Can we have our chairs?”

Ryan simply glared at her.

“P-please?” she stammered.

He shook his head. “You haven’t earned them back yet. But, I did arrange for you and your friends to have a special dinner.”

The people who’d gone to the line came back with cups.

I frowned. “What are you doing?”

He turned and smiled at me. “Giving them a taste of their own medicine.”

Ash chuckled beside Bex. “Literally.”

Still confused, I turned to see the cups being passed out to Brylee and her friends. When Brylee tentatively removed the lid, I got a whiff of the contents. Even from several feet away, it was impossible to miss that vomit-inducing scent.

It was like the disgusting smoothie she'd poured over my head, but somehow worse. I’d smelled garbage dumpsters in the middle of summer that seemed more appetizing.

“Ew!”

“Gross!”

“I’m going to be sick.”

People turned away and covered their noses and mouths from the sight of the prettiest girls in the academy holding a concoction of the nastiest shit they’d ever smelled.

“I can’t… What…” Sweat broke out on Brylee’s forehead as she held the cup away from her body with a trembling hand. One of the girls behind her turned and started gagging.

“Tell you what,” Ryan said in a generously teasing tone, “I’ll give your friends a choice. Either they all take a drink from their cups, or they can vote to have you drink your entire cup while they watch.”

Linc started laughing and glanced back at Ryan. “That’s fucked up, man.”

Ryan shrugged. “Let’s see if she actually has any friends.” His brows raised as he looked to the girls behind Brylee. “Any takers?”

“W-what’s in it?” Kayleigh asked hesitantly, eyeing the cup with contempt.

“Nothing that will kill you,” Court promised savagely. “Pureed pig brains, some pickle juice, a few fish eyes, spoiled milk, and grasshoppers for a little added crunch. And a shit ton of the world’s hottest hot sauce.”

I pushed my plate away, sure I would be sick, too.

“Should we vote?” Ash drawled, waving his fork. “I’d like to eat my dinner.”

“All in favor of sharing a toast with Brylee?” Ryan called.

No one lifted a single hand. In fact, they all stared at the floor like it held the answers to the world.

Ryan laughed. “All in favor of Brylee drinking the whole thing?”

One by one, hands from her so-called friends lifted. To their credit, Haley and Kayleigh were last.

In one brutal move, Ryan had cut off Brylee from her friends and the only safety net she had at this school. She was as alone as I had been when I’d first stepped foot in Pacific Cross.

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