Page 32 of The Wallflower

She escaped againlike a mouse barely missing the trap. She’s much more than I anticipated, and the challenge she provides only makes me want her more. When I return to The Mill after my shenanigans with Bel, I find Lee curled up in my bed, my covers mussed and tangled around his bare legs.

My eye twitches with annoyance.What the actual fuck?I kick the side of the bed, the edge of my boot lands close to his junk, and like a smart man, he jerks away from the edge.

“This whole, I’m quirky and wait in my friend’s beds for them to come home like a creepy asshole, might have been endearing the first time you did it, but now it’s just fucking weird.” His eyes pop open, anger shining bright in their depths before shifting to the playful playboy he shows the world. I raise an eyebrow as he rolls onto his back and stretches the length of my bed like a lazy cat.

With a roll of my eyes, I throw myself into the armchair by the empty fireplace. "Pretty sure you have a room of your own, which, in fact, has a bed. I know it. I've seen it."

Lee hums in his throat and rolls on his side, shifting my comforter between his thighs. I have to wonder if he has a death wish?

"Dude," I complain. He’s only doing this to annoy me or get some reaction out of me. Without an audience, Lee is nothing.

Instead of answering, he snuggles in deeper. "How was your night? I saw you with that nerdy little library girl. How did she do? Was the change worth it? I mean since she’s not really your type and all.”

My gaze turns cold, and slivers of my rage fracture through my expression before I can stop them. "And what, exactly, is my type?"

"Calm down, Hulk. I'm not trying to start some shit. It’s just an observation. We don't see you with many girls, but the ones wedosee you with don't typically look like they are late for a study date or the host of the mathletes."

I keep my face blank. I don't share shit with anyone because feelings, emotions, and opinions are the exact ammunition that can and will be used against you. Everyone is your friend until the day they become your enemy. "No one needs to worry about what I’m doing or, better yet, who I’m sticking my dick in. Unless you’re riding my dick, you shouldn’t be worried about it.”

Lee rolls onto his back and grins up at me. “If you’re offering, then I’m more than willing. I’d let you fuck me.”

Lee is open to anything and everything, and while I have no problem with that, it’s going to be a no from me. I stare blankly at him. No reaction is still a reaction, I remind myself.

"Look, you’re like a brother to me, Drew. I’m just curious. It isn’t like you to restrict yourself to just one girl during The Hunt, and I'm sure the guys weren’t the only ones who noticed. We had some charter members here tonight from Blackthorn and Prescott, and they always try to model their hunt after ours. They don’t have the balls to go all out like we do, but it’s cute of them to try. What I’m saying is, the fact that not many saw your face last night will lead to questions.”

It's a statement and warning all in one. Rage burns in my veins. I won’t be questioned by the men I lead.Fuck that.I get enough of that shit from my father. And with my mother bedridden in the other family estate, I can only do so much. I wish I got more pushback from her. I’d take her gentle chiding over my dad’s beatings any day. I clench my fists tightly and grit my teeth, my jaw aching beneath the pressure. Reacting with violence would be my first move, but it wouldn’t change anything. Ultimately, everyone, even my friends, reports to my father.

The best thing I can do is bury the emotions beneath the mask and wait for the opportunity to expel them. "We both know you aren’t here to discuss some girl. What can I help you with, Lee?"

My friend shifts to the edge of the bed, and I'm relieved to see he's at least wearing a pair of basketball shorts. "Nothing, really. Just wanted to let you know that others had noticed, and if others have noticed, then we both know it won’t take long for word to travel.”

He's asking, without asking, how long it will take to get back to my father that I'm interested in one woman, onespecificwoman. And if that woman doesn't rise to my father's ridiculous standards, she'll quickly be off-limits. As much as I do what I want around this school, my fucking father pulls more strings than I'd like to admit.

I glance away and stare at the rug near the window. Lee takes the hint and stands, edging closer to the door. "Anything I can do? Anything any of us can do to help?"

I shake my head, still staring at the ground. “No, nothing. This is something I have to deal with."

"Deal with? What’s that mean?"

"The girl. She's not a problem. Just a form of amusement. I'll make sure everyone knows that."

He salutes me and walks out, shutting the door behind him. I grimace, my gaze moving back to the bed. He better not have brought anyone back here. I curl my lip, pull out my phone, and text our cleaner to change my sheets as soon as possible. The things I put up with at the mercy of friendship…

I navigate from my texts to the app I set up with the thumb drive to spy on Maybel. It’s so fucking stupid to be obsessed with an ordinary girl when I could have any pick of them that I want… But Bel is different. She chose to stand up to the bully in a room full of people. She trembled with fear but still held on to her pride. She provided me with a challenge I didn’t realize I needed.

I check the history in the app and browse through it. Simple. Mundane. She's gone to the library and opened her banking application about a hundred times. Based on the balance, she still hasn’t deposited the check I gave her.

A part of me is enraged at her audacity, but the other part of me carries satisfaction in the fact that even with a check in hand, she still refuses to accept help. Perhaps Maybel is more of a wildflower than a wallflower.

I sit back and watch as she scrolls through tabs. She navigates between her class schedule, tutoring schedule, and an essay she’s supposed to be writing. I smile to myself.How can something so simple be so interesting?

I’m not surprised to find that she has a full schedule on top of the tutoring appointments she does in her limited free time. I think that might be why I’m so intrigued by her. She’s nothing like I’d expect. Careful, boring, normal. Even worse, she’s caring. Caring enough that she’s willing to give herself to a beast like me to help her mother.Her very sick but in denial mother.At least from what I can tell from their numerous texts. I scan through the remaining messages checking each, one by one.

My finger hovers over the next text from one of her many tutoring clients. A rush of irrational anger floods my veins, making it difficult for me to breathe and my vision blurry.

Stewart: I was thinking maybe you might want to go out sometime?

What the fuck?Rationally, I know I have no stake or claim over her. We fucked one time, and that’s it. She isn’t anyone or anything to me, just some girl with a nice pussy, but in many ways, I already know it’s more than that. This makes me want to demand she drop him as a client altogether, but I doubt she would do that. I make a mental note to look into this fucker, and leave it at that for now.

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