Breaking Her Bully: The High School Bully Romance Box Set

by Bella King

  I could have been paranoid and tainted by my past experience with men, but I wasn’t ready to let something like this go. The fear that I had felt all those years ago was beginning to creep back into my life, and I was desperate to find an escape from it.

  The only thing that threw me off about all this was the fact that Oliver didn’t want people to know that we had kissed in his room on Saturday. With my ex, he had wanted people to believe that we were still together, going as far as telling my own parents that we were in a long distance relationship.

  He was a crazy guy, no doubt, but at least he was predictable to some extent. The emails, the stalking, the prevailing possessive attitude, none of these were surprising to me at this point. For the most part, though, I had left him behind, and I would hopefully never see him again.

  Oliver, on the other hand, was a harder nut to crack. I couldn’t figure him out, but that’s where Mia came in. She would help me uncover his true intentions, because I didn’t believe he wasn’t into me, and I didn’t believe that he had a crazy ex. He would have acted differently.

  Chapter 15

  School doesn’t stop just because I get wrapped up in some social bullshit. I had classes back to back on Thursday, with little to no breaks in between them. I ran from classroom to classroom, taking notes and wiping any thought of Oliver from my mind. There was simply no time to be thinking about guys.

  I slammed back an iced coffee in the morning, but by midday, I was jonesing for another. Heart health be damned. I was going to have what I craved. Between classes that were an hour apart, I hurried out to the coffee shop on campus to get a refill.

  It was raining again, but this time I came prepared. I had an elegant black raincoat on with a red and black checkered interior that was sort and warm. It had a hood, but I didn’t wear it unless it was pouring outside, and today was just a light sprinkle.

  My matching black rainboots splashed on the pavement as I walked quickly to the coffee shop. I loved the smell of rain, but the warm smell of roasting coffee beans was even better as I approached the shop. Combined, the two smells would make the most kickass candle.

  It had been a few days since the incident with Todd, and I hadn’t seen him since. I doubted he wanted anything to do with me anymore, but that was probably for the best. To him, I was trouble, and to me, he was nothing more than a distraction from school.

  I pulled open the heavy door to the coffee shop, shaking the droplets of rain off my jacket as I entered. It was warm and smelled wonderful in the shop, the gentle glow of yellow light illuminating the interior. I wished every place was like this.

  There were only two people in line, an old man and another student. I got behind them and waited with my coffee thermos clenched tightly in my hand. I felt a little like an addict lining up for my daily fix, expect for this was one I needed several times a day.

  I wondered what happened when you reached your tolerance limit for caffeine. Does your heart just explode one day, or could you just keep increasing the amount you consume until you were gulping down whole pots of coffee to no effect? Surely there was an upper limit, but I hadn’t reached it yet.

  As I stepped up in line to order, I heard the rumbling of a truck pulling up in the parking lot outside the building. I recognized that sound as Oliver’s truck almost immediately, being iconically shitty in that it sounded like his vehicle was putting out a metric fuck-load of pollution into the air behind it.

  “One tall vanilla iced coffee, please,” I announced to the young man behind the counter.

  He punched a few buttons on the screen in front of him. “5.99,” he said dryly.

  I pulled out the ten dollar bill that Mia had returned to me, sliding it across the counter to him. I received my change in return, including the one cent, which would end up between my couch cushions by the end of the week. I bet the copper in those were worth more than the purchasing power of the coin itself.

  The sound of rumbling stopped as I walked to the end of the coffee bar, waiting for my drink to arrive. I looked toward the parking lot to see the red truck sitting across the lot. After a moment, Oliver stepped out, wearing a leather jacket and a white t-shirt tucked into jeans, a classic look, but undeniably fitting for Oliver. The trick there was to be smoking hot, then everything would look good on you.

  The iced coffee arrived as Oliver entered the coffee shop. His eyes found mine immediately, and he smirked, walking directly over to me. I nervously pulled off the lid of the plastic coffee cup, preparing to pour it into my thermos as Oliver stepped up.

  “Everyone has their vices,” Oliver said, glancing at my thermos. “I thought you drank water from that. Now I see why you hold it like it’s the only thing keeping you alive during class.”

  I smiled and shrugged. “We do what we have to, to survive the college experience.”

  Oliver smiled, but his smile was off putting, almost bitter. “Yes, we do what we have to.”

  “I assume you’re here to get your fix, too,” I said, changing the tone.

  Oliver’s face relaxed. “Yeah, it’s been a tough week. Professor Lyche is driving me insane, having me grade so many papers. I’m not cut out for grading.”

  “You can give me an A,” I said with a wink.

  “Actually, I gave you a C on the exam,” Oliver replied seriously.

  My stomach dropped. “What?!” I spoke so loud that even heads with headphones turned to us.

  “I’m joking, Lydia. Jesus, you need to relax about the whole grades thing. You know they don’t give you grades in the real world,” Oliver said, completely breezing over the fact that my grades were the only reason I was able to afford school.

  “And I suppose this isn’t real life to you, just a game,” I said, my toes curling up in my rainboots. I poured the cold coffee into my thermos aggressively, splashing some over the side.

  Oliver raised an eyebrow. “Maybe you should drink more. I’m having another get together this weekend. You’re welcome to join.”

  “No,” I snapped. “I’m busy.”

  “I didn’t say when,” Oliver replied coolly. He wasn’t showing any reactions to my mood swings, and it made me angrier. He had no right to be so relaxed all the time.

  “I’m busy all weekend,” I clarified.

  “Your friend Mia is coming,” Oliver said, reaching out an arm and propping himself up on the counter, leaning toward me.

  I could smell the heavy scent of his cologne, mixed with the smell of rain and leather. It drove me wild, but I would never admit that to him. I barely wanted to admit it to myself. His blue eyes screamed innocence and guilt at the same time, and I was so caught up in his gaze that I forgot what he was even saying to me.

  “So you should come,” he said, his voice turning to a low grumble like the engine of his truck. “It’ll be fun.”

  “I’ll think about it,” I breathed, the words slipping out like sand between my fingers at the beach. I couldn’t stop myself.

  Dammit, Lydia. This guy is trouble.

  Yeah, I knew that, but he was making me feel hot and bothered. I put my thermos in between us, separating myself from him with the serotonin inducing effects of fresh coffee. That would cool me down.

  The last thing I needed was another addiction. Oliver would have to take the back seat to coffee.

  Oliver leaned in a little more, his eyes fixed on mine. I looked down at my coffee, trying not to get sucked in. His leather jacket creaked as he moved in close. I had to be stronger than that to survive an entire semester of him in my class.

  “I really think you should come,” He said. Something in his voice made that sound more like a command than his opinion.

  I gripped my thermos tightly, bringing it to my lips and taking a sip. I looked up in his eyes, which were swirling with something dark. “I said I’ll think about it,” I replied firmly.

  Oliver leaned back, nodding. “Good, I’ll see you then,” he said, turning around and walking to the counter to order.

&nb
sp; I rushed out of the coffee shop, not looking behind me as I rushed to my next class. I didn’t want to come to his place and risk another incident like last time, but for some reason, his voice sounded like he would be very angry if I didn’t.

  I juggled the pros and cons in my head as my rain boots hit familiar grass on the way to the science building. If I was with Mia, then she could keep an eye on me, and I could always turn down booze when offered. It wouldn’t be so bad.

  Plus, if Oliver and his friends got drunk again, I might be able to pry some truth out of them as to what was going on.

  I was so caught up in my thoughts that I almost didn’t notice Jordan standing across from the science building, watching me as I walked to class. It could have been another coincidence that he was there, but I wanted to confront him this time to see if he had any reason to be there.

  I changed course, ignoring the fact that class would be starting in five minutes. As I began to approach Jordan, he disappeared into double doors. I stopped walking, standing between the two buildings, watching the doors to see if he would come out again.

  He didn’t.

  I sighed heavily, changing my course back to the science building and rushing in with my thermos of iced coffee sloshing around in my hand. My ass hit the seat at the precise moment the professor walked in.

  Chapter 16

  “I think that Jordan is stalking me,” I said to Mia in the dining hall at dinner.

  Mia snuck a plastic bottle filled with a clear liquid that could only be vodka out from her bookbag and unscrewed the lid. “Really? He seemed pretty normal when I talked to him,” she said, pouring a generous amount into the thick translucent plastic cup half full with cola in front of her.

  “Remember what happened with Todd? Well, I caught Jordan watching me on the way to class,” I said, fully realizing that I sounded a bit loopy.

  Mia shook her head. “You want some?” She asked, holing the mixed drink up to me.

  “No, thanks. I just think something is going on,” I said.

  “You’re really stressed out about school. Are you sure you’re not just letting your anxiety get the better of you? Remember when you freaked out last year about your ex,” Mia replied, taking a sip of her drink and making a face. “Now, that’s what I call a drink.”

  I breathed out of my nose in amusement at her behavior before becoming serious again. She was referring to the time last year that I thought my ex had driven all the way to the school to see me because I saw a car that looked just like his parked in the guest parking lot. It had a different plate though, and I never saw it again.

  “You never know. That could have been him,” I said.

  “You see what I’m saying? You’re getting paranoid again, and it’s probably stress. Did Oliver invite you to the party this weekend?”

  I nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Well, you should go. I’m going. We can play poker again or something, maybe win some more money,” Mia suggested.

  Now with both Oliver and Mia suggesting that I come to the party, it was harder to say no. “I told Oliver I would think about it. He was really intent on me coming, even though he told me that he wasn’t interested in me.”

  Mia laughed. “Oh, he totally is. Also, I talked to him about this crazy ex-girlfriend thing, and his story doesn’t hold up. Maybe he’s just shy.”

  Oliver wasn’t shy. He was abrasive and had no issue barging up to me even when I didn’t want him to. If he was lying about his ex, then there was something else weird going on that had nothing to do with being shy.

  I picked up a french fry from my plate and took a bite, expecting crispness but getting a soggy squish. I should have known by now that the fries would never be good at the dining hall, but I was always hopeful when I scooped them onto my plate.

  “He’s not shy, but there’s definitely something up. I think we should go to the party and do a little investigating,” I said.

  Mia’s eyes grew wide, and she slammed the cup down onto the table. “Great, I love it,” she said excitedly.

  “Just make sure Oliver doesn’t get me alone again, please,” I said.

  Mia shrugged. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

  “I mean it,” I said, waving a limp fry in front of her. “I’m only going to find out more about what’s going on.”

  “Fine, I’ll do my best.”

  I wasn’t fully satisfied with her attitude toward helping me stay away from Oliver, but it was better than nothing. I might even have to get him alone to question him in an effective manner. Drunk horny guys will spill a lot more information that people think. If Oliver thought he was getting pussy, he might just tell me everything I wanted to know.

  “Fuck, there they are,” I said, pointing across the dining hall to Oliver and his posse as they walked in.

  Mia craned her next backward, trying to get a good look at them.

  Oliver was at the head of the pack, as usual, with Jordan and a few other guys trailing behind him. They weren’t the only group of guys that traveled together, but they were definitely the most intimidating when they did.

  The men in the group were all over six feet, muscular, and all gorgeous in a bad boy sort of way. One of them had an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips, the dry paper clinging to the wetness of his mouth. People cleared the way when they came in, not wanting to get in the way. They weren’t violent people as far as I understood, but they still looked like they could break you in half if you pissed them off.

  Oliver always dressed smartly, having fresh new clothes all the time and heavy cologne that smelled like it cost more than my monthly paycheck. I wondered how he afforded all that on top of his apartment with the low salary they provided for teacher’s assistants. It was possible that his parents were loaded, but I had never heard him talk about it.

  I guess that was just another thing that I had to ask him about. I had known from the beginning that there was something off about Oliver, and this weekend I was going to find out exactly what it was. I felt like I knew him before he even had introduced himself, and the more I saw him, the most I got the feeling that he had been hanging around for a lot longer than I had noticed.

  Mia and I watched the gang of guys take trays and grab food from the array that was laid out under the harsh food lamps drying everything to a crisp. I never realized how much men ate until I watched a group of them nearly wipe out the entire dinner bar. The only thing that was left was a few soggy green beans floating a vat of oily saltwater and half a bun.

  Mia made it a point to make eye contact with Oliver. I tried to stop her, but she had already waved him over before I could put up much of a protest.

  “You two are still coming to the party, right?” Oliver asked, looking at me when he asked the question.

  Mia nodded. “Totally.”

  I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so.”

  “You really should,” Oliver responded, shifting his eyes left and right as though he were watching out for something. “It’s going to be fun.”

  There he was again, making me feel like he was hiding something. Why did he ant me at that party so bad if he didn’t like me? What was there to gain from me being there, and why was he acting so suspicious.

  Mia didn’t read people the same way I did. I followed my gut because I had experience with dangerous and unstable people before in the past. It wasn’t just my ex-boyfriend who had been a threat to me. I didn’t come from a nice neighborhood, and there was always someone waiting to fuck you up the second they got the chance. I had escaped several instances that could have quickly turned to robbery or rape, and I wasn’t ready to let go of that instinctual defense mechanism just yet.

  Briarwood may have been a nice college, but I was sure shit still went down there. It happened at every college. Try putting a bunch of young adults from different backgrounds in the same place and see if someone doesn’t get groped or stabbed. Shit happens.

  Now, I was thrust into an odd situation with Oliver and
his gang, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I didn’t exactly feel afraid around Oliver, though I had in the beginning. There was something going on that I didn’t know about, though, and I didn’t like that.

  Oliver stood in front of me, arms crossed, something serious behind his warm smile. He wanted me at the party badly, but I didn’t know why. I was going to find out.

  “Should we bring more vodka?” Mia asked, breaking the awkward stare that had ensued after Oliver had spoken to me.

  Oliver snapped out of his gaze. “If you want. I think the guys are all bringing booze. We have music too, and there will be more people there this time.”

  “How many people can you fit in your apartment?” I asked. It would be awfully crowded int here with more people than just Oliver and his group.

  “More than you’d expect. If it gets too crowded, you can always hang out in the bedroom with my cat,” Oliver said, a twinkle of a devious nature in his beautiful blue eyes.

  I had to rip myself from his gaze again. There was no reason why I should be so enamored by him, but I was, and it fucked with me.

  “We’ll see you Saturday then,” Mia said cheerfully.

  Oliver nodded, winking at me and walking away.

  When he was out of hearing range, I leaned over to Mia. “That fucker winked at me. Did you see that?”

  “He likes you. I don’t know why he’s trying to keep it a secret, but he totally does,” she assured me.

  Chapter 17

  Saturday night brought more questions than it answered. Mia and I arrived at Oliver’s apartment, baring gifts of alcohol and potato chips. We figured it was best not to come empty handed although Oliver had given us the option to bring however much or little we fancied.

  Oliver opened the door for us, peeking outside behind us as though there would be more people coming in. There were none. His behavior was markedly different from the first time I had hung out with him. He was more sober, but also seemed more on edge.

  “God, I love sour cream and onion,” Mia exclaimed, heading straight for the bag of chips on the coffee table in the living room.