by Lylah James
“Maddox, I’m going to need you to stay back for two minutes,” Mrs. Levi announced, with a hard look.
“Can’t, Teach. Got stuff to do.”
“You either stay or you have detention for two weeks. Decide, Mr. Coulter.”
There was one very important fact about Mrs. Levi, and it was why she was my favorite teacher: she took no bullshit from anyone. She wasn’t intimated by Maddox or who he was.
All the students looked back and forth between Mrs. Levi and Maddox, holding their breath and waiting.
“Class, you may leave for lunch.”
There were groans and whispers as everyone got up and started piling out of the classroom. Everyone had been waiting for drama – with Maddox in the middle of it. Ha!
I stood up too, following the herd. Curiosity got the best of me, and I looked back over my shoulder, one final time. Maddox was still sitting back in his chair, his arms crossed over his broad chest. His gaze followed me as I walked out of the class, and by me, I meant my ass.
I noticed Colton Bennett, twin number one, standing beside Maddox’s chair. They muttered something to each other, and Colton’s gaze found mine before he chuckled at something else Maddox said.
Maddox might be on my shit list, but… I had a feeling I was on his now, too.
***
Riley waved at me as I stepped into the loud cafeteria. She was already sitting at a table, and I smiled, walking to her. “Hey!” She spoke through a bite of her chicken sandwich. “I got you one, too.”
“Thanks, babe.” I settled opposite her and took the sandwich she offered. It was our thing. Sometimes, I would buy her lunch, and other days, she’d return the favor.
“So, what exactly do you need help with in Math?” I munched on my cold sandwich and watched Riley pout.
“Everything,” she mumbled, pouting even harder. “It makes no sense to me! The only genius who can help me is you.”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Why do I have a feeling this friendship is only one-sided?”
“Bitch, yes, I’m using you for your abilities to teach me Math.”
It was a lie; we both knew that. Riley and I stared at each other for a second before we chuckled.
We became friends during junior year, after Jasper – another football star of Berkshire Academy -- broke her heart. That was a tamed way of putting it. They dated for six months; he was the perfect gentleman at first. When she finally gave him her virginity, he broke up with her two days later. She later found out Jasper had been cheating on her all along, and he only dated her to win a fucking bet. He spent the rest of the year spreading stupid rumors about her. She lost her cheerleader friends and sweet Riley…? She became another outcast. I was there and watched her crumble – going from Miss Popular to a nobody.
What happens when outcast number one meets outcast number two? Of course, they became best friends. I was the new student, and Riley was my first friend. It was a done deal.
“So… I heard whispers in the hallway,” she started, eyeing me closely.
“Huh?”
“About a girl who dumped coffee on Maddox Coulter this morning.” Riley left the sentence hanging before taking another bite of her sandwich.
My heart thudded in my chest, so hard and so fast. Choking back a cough, I quickly sputtered, “Dumped coffee on him? Excuse me! He bumped into me and spilled my coffee down the front of me.”
Riley sat back in her chair, taking the last bite of her lunch. “I didn’t say it was you, but thanks for confirming that,” she replied around a mouthful. “Your name was mentioned once, but I didn’t want to believe anything until I heard it myself from you.”
Sweet Lord! Rumors were already going around?
“So, he bumped into you?” Riley pushed, looking quite amused at this sudden turn of events.
“Yes,” I hissed under my breath. “He didn’t even apologize! My shirt got wet, but thank God, I had a spare in my locker.”
“Why am I not surprised? Do you think Maddox is the type of guy to apologize? Think again, babe. I’ve known him since elementary school. Coulter doesn’t apologize. Ever. Everyone bows down to him.”
I huffed in response, and Riley shrugged. “He’s the golden boy.”
To the people of Berkshire Academy, he was a god amongst mortals.
To me? He was just another boy who had too much power in his hands and didn’t know how to use it. Maddox was no hero to me.
If he expected me to worship the ground he walked on, like all of his fangirls, he was about to be thoroughly disappointed.
Riley leaned forward and tapped me on the nose with her index finger. “Stay out of his way, Lila. He’ll fuck you up so bad and leave you broken. Boys like him can’t be trusted.”
Her voice was thick, and I could see the emotions playing on her face. Jasper really broke her. Her scars were not visible; she hid them with a pretty smile, but I knew she still hurt inside.
“Don’t worry. I have no plans to play his game.”
Riley squinted at me. “I don’t believe you. You’re competitive by nature, Lila. If he pushes, you’re going to push back twice as hard.”
I bit my lower lip and gave her a sheepish look. She was right…
“How about this? I promise not to fall for him.”
“One less girl in Maddox’s harem,” she agreed.
I rolled my eyes. “Okay, today is Thursday. How about we meet up on Saturday? I’ll go over whatever you need help on with you then.”
Riley nodded before her cheeks flushed. “You’ll have to start at the beginning. Don’t kill me.”
“This is going to be a loooong Saturday.” She kicked me under the table, and I hissed out a laugh.
“Bitch.” Riley threw her empty plastic bottle at my head, laughing.
The rest of my day was uneventful. I stayed out of Maddox’s way. There were a few whispers in the halls about me, but I ignored them, too.
I felt pretty confident that, after today, everyone would forget about the coffee shop scene, and Maddox would most definitely forget about my existence. He had plenty of girls to distract him.
Except… I had never been more wrong in my life.
The next day, my nightmare began.
CHAPTER THREE
Lila
The next morning, I found Maddox outside our English class. He was leaning against the wall, his long legs crossed at the ankle with his hands stuffed in his pockets. His expensive leather shoes were shiny and wrinkled free. He was missing his navy blazer, but his pristine white shirt was rolled to his elbows, exposing his strong forearms. His tie hung loosely around his neck.
He was pretty to look at – I had to admit, but the sight of him annoyed me.
There was a curvy blonde girl attached to his side, practically plastered against him. She whispered something into his ear, but he wasn’t paying attention. Maddox looked bored, and the poor girl was trying too hard. Run away, don’t fall for his charms. I wanted to shake some sense into her.
The moment his gaze fell on me, he slowly grinned.
My blood simmered, and I pressed my lips firmly together, refusing to acknowledge him. I tilted my chin up and marched forward. If I ignored him, he’d go away – I told myself.
Too bad it was nothing but false hope.
When I tried to walk into the classroom, Maddox pulled himself away from the girl. She protested, but it died in her throat when she noticed it was useless.
He shifted sideways and placed his arm out, blocking the door and effectively stopping me from stepping inside. “Hey, Garcia.”
Maddox threw me his signature smirk in an attempt to melt me. I rolled my eyes. “Coulter,” I said in acknowledgment. “You’re in my way.”
I tried to push past him, but he didn’t budge; granted, he was a whole foot taller than me, but Maddox was an immovable wall. “It’s quite comical that you think you can move me.”
There was just something about Maddox that irritated me. It was like he h
ad hit a nerve I didn’t know I had. He made me feel edgy. I didn’t know why I felt like that, but I was defensive around him.
“A knee to your dick will move you alright. So, either you move with no injuries, or your baby making machine will be in danger.” I cocked my head to the side while holding my bag over my shoulder and waiting for him to move.
My lips crooked up in my fakest and sweetest smile.
Maddox stared me down for a second before he eventually moved, bending slightly to his waist and putting his arm out to motion inside the classroom. “Ladies first. After you.”
I rolled my eyes a-fucking-gain because he was so goddamn annoying. Pushing past his hard body, I walked into class with a huff and settled in my chair. He sauntered inside like he owned the room and walked past me to his desk at the back of the classroom.
Maddox purposely brushed against my shoulder as he did so. “Whoops, my bad,” he muttered gruffly. I could hear the laughter in his voice.
My fingers clenched into a fist, but I held back.
My days continued like this.
I noticed him following me around. Sometimes, he would call out my name loudly in the hallways, bringing everyone’s attention to me. Other times, he would purposely bump into me in class or the cafeteria. I often caught him doing nothing but following silently behind me. He knew it annoyed me, and he did it on purpose. To. Irritate. Me.
A week ago, I was completely invisible to Maddox Coulter.
Now, I was the center of his attention.
The deal breaker was when he broke into my locker and stole my spare shirt. He even left a note: What’s the color of your bra today?
Actually no, that wasn’t the worst part.
The worst part was when he decided to reenact a scene from Romeo and Juliet in the cafeteria…
He was Romeo, standing on the table, and loudly confessing his undying love to Juliet for the whole room to hear.
Who was Juliet?
Oh me…
He was being dramatic and overly exaggerated his performance for one reason only: to embarrass me.
Everyone stared… snickered… laughed, until Riley and I were forced to leave the cafeteria; we ended up having to eat lunch under a staircase. I hated hiding, I hated the attention, and Riley… she was about to blow up.
Maddox was waiting for a reaction, he was egging me on… pushing and pushing, waiting for me to snap, like I did in the coffee shop. But I vowed I wouldn’t play his stupid games.
He would eventually stop, I convinced myself. He’d grow bored of me soon enough, I told myself. I was wrong again.
On Thursday, a week after handling his nonsense, Maddox still hadn’t given up.
“Uh-oh. He’s here. Maybe we should make a run for it now.” Riley went to stand up, taking her lunch tray with her.
“Sit down,” I hissed. “We’re not running away. We’re going to eat lunch, and we’re going to ignore him.”
“He’s coming our way,” she reported, shaking her head. “Oh fuck, here we go again.”
My back straightened, and I prepared myself for what was coming. I nodded at Riley, letting her know it was okay. Her eyebrows pulled together with a frown before she leveled a hard glare at whoever was standing behind me.
I felt Maddox before I saw him. His presence surrounded me, and I locked my jaw, gritting my teeth together. He grabbed the chair beside me and turned it around before sitting down, straddling it. Maddox leaned forward, using the back of the chair as an armrest. His friends settled around our table, grabbing their own chairs and joining us. Riley released a long, exasperated sigh.
Without speaking to me, he reached for my tray and grabbed my apple. With great annoyance, I forced myself to look at his face. His long dirty blond hair was pulled back into a small, messy man-bun. The rest of him was immaculate. The small diamond stud in his ear glinted in the light, briefly catching my attention. Maddox locked eyes with me, before taking a bite of my red apple. “Hmm juicy.”
“That’s my apple.”
“It was lonely. I’m giving it some attention,” he said, taking another huge bite.
I dropped my fork with a loud clank. “Put. The. Apple. Down.”
Maddox was unfazed. “Or what?”
“You’ll regret it, Coulter.”
He let out a deep chuckle, as if my threat meant nothing to him. “You’re all bark and no bite, Sweet Cheeks.”
Sweet Cheeks? Excuse me…?
“You know what you remind me of? A little chihuahua trying to fight a bigger and stronger dog when she knows she can’t win. Careful or you’ll end up with a nasty bite, Garcia.”
I snatched my apple from his hand and leaned forward, bringing our faces closer. “Did you know that chihuahuas are known as an aggressive breed when they’re moody, and when they do bite, they bite hard. Careful, or you’ll end up with a nasty bite, Coulter.”
I brought the apple to my mouth and took a bite before I realized what I was doing. Maddox’s eyes flared before his lips quirked up. “I think we just shared our first indirect kiss.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake!
Colton snickered before stealing a brownie from Riley’s tray. She hissed, and her eyes hardened with a glare. The girl before Jasper would have exploded. The new Riley? She stayed quiet.
“That was a lousy kiss. You can do better than that, man,” Colton said, his six-foot-something frame shaking with mirth.
Maddox grabbed my chair and pulled me closer to him, the four legs making a loud screeching sound. The whole cafeteria was watching now. I could feel their stares burning into me.
“What do you say, Garcia? Shall we put on a show for these asswipes?” His voice lowered, holding a suggestive tone.
“Not interested. Your lips probably hold more disease than a pig’s asshole.” I handed him back the apple, giving him my best smile. “Consider this charity. Next time, I won’t be so gracious.”
The boys hollered at my response.
Maddox stared, his blue eyes pointedly holding mine. He was still grinning. I didn’t know why he kept doing that – smiling like he was having the best time of his life verbally sparring with me.
I found it neither entertaining nor funny.
Pushing away from the table, I stood up and grabbed my empty tray. Riley followed suit, and we left the cafeteria.
Maddox and his buddies didn’t follow.
***
Mrs. Levi gave me a nod of approval, and I let out a relieved sigh. “That was a fabulous explanation, Lila.”
“Thank you.” I started to take my seat, feeling quite pleased with myself. I had spent two hours last night writing my essay, rereading all my notes and writing out this analysis.
“I disagree.” A deep baritone voice interrupted my happy moment.
Heat crept up my neck, and I flushed under the sudden scrutinizing stares coming from the rest of the class. Including his.
“Excuse me?” I said through gritted teeth, turning around to face Maddox. He was sitting, laid-back, in his chair.
Maddox leaned forward in his chair, crossing his arms over the desk. When he spoke, his tone was flat and disinterested. “Sometimes we’re thrown into a difficult situation where we need to make a difficult choice. Sometimes, it’s not the best or the right choice. But maybe, it’s the only option we have.”
“Could you elaborate on that, Maddox?” Mrs. Levi demanded.
“Throughout Greek history and mythology, Medusa has always been viewed as a villain. You made a good point that Athena is an anti-hero, but you also went ahead and painted Medusa as a villain, yet again. Medusa was once a very beautiful woman - one who was an avowed priestess of Athena. She spent her days and nights in Athena’s temple. Here’s what we all know… she was punished for breaking her vow of celibacy. Athena cursed her, and Medusa became the woman with serpent heads. But… was it really her fault? History said she had an affair with Poseidon. Some say he seduced her, but the article that Mrs. Levi assigned us to read revealed t
hat it was a lie to hide the fact that, in reality, Poseidon had raped her. She was never given the chance to plead her case or to speak for herself. Poseidon said Medusa seduced him, and in a fit of anger and jealousy, Athena cursed her. Once turned into a monster, she brought terror to the temple and anyone who stepped foot inside was instantly turned into stone. Now, it’s easy to categorize Athena as the antagonist. After all, she was the one who gave the magical mirror to the warrior, which was used to turn Medusa into stone and eventually killed her. But could it be an act of mercy?” Maddox paused, cocking his head to the side, thoughtfully. “Maybe Athena regretted turning Medusa into a monster. Maybe Athena discovered the truth about Poseidon. Maybe… killing Medusa was the only way of granting her peace. Neither Medusa nor Athena is a villain. I would say they’re both anti-heroes who were thrown into a very shitty situation.”
“Wow… umm that’s a very interesting way of looking at it, Maddox. A very in-depth analysis, I have to say.” I could hear the shock in Mrs. Levi’s voice. She probably wasn’t expecting that.
Me? My whole body strummed with embarrassment.
“Your analysis would have been better if you took a moment to think outside the box. Consider this constructive criticism,” Maddox said, his gaze on mine. “I hope you don’t mind my little tip.”
I bit on my lip, trying so hard to hold back from saying something stupid in front of the class. “Thank you.” The words tasted bitter on my tongue.
Pressing my lips firmly together, I retook my seat.
I was hyperaware of Maddox staring at me. He hadn’t skipped one English class since he made it his goal to irritate me. Maddox made sure I could feel his presence at all times.
He didn’t want me to forget – I was the prey; he was the hunter.
As soon as the bell rang, I was the first one out of class. It was hard to admit… but I was running away.
Riley was already waiting for me in the courtyard. “Uh oh. That expression tells me Maddox pulled another one of his asshole moves again.”
I threw my hands in the air, holding back a frustrated scream. “He embarrassed me in front of the class.”