by Bella King
I cleared my throat, trying to keep my voice from cracking when I spoke. “I wasn’t willingly receiving notes. Jared is bothering me.”
Her eagle eyes dashed from me to Jared but came back to me equally as fast. “Work this out with Jared after class. If I catch you sharing notes again, both you and Jared will be spending the evening in detention.”
I nodded, containing my rage. Now wasn’t the time to blow up in class. I had avoided getting into trouble, but I was rightfully pissed at Jared over this. If he would just leave it alone and accept that I don’t like him anymore, then things would be easier. Then, I would only have one man on my case at Granite Hills. I could handle Atlas.
I didn’t bother looking back at Jared once the teacher turned back to continue the lecture. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of acknowledging him further. I needed to have a quick word with him after class, one laced with threats, and that would be it. He deserved nothing more.
Once the lecture was over, I threw my books into my black bag and zipped it up, throwing it over my shoulder and charging out of the room. I waited beside the door for Jared to come out.
The second he left the room, I pulled his by the shirt collar and threw him up against the white painted wall. His eyes widened in surprise, and grew even bigger when he saw the furious look on my face.
“What the fuck was that?” I asked, letting go of his shirt.
“I just wanted to talk,” Jared said, holding his hands out like he had done nothing wrong.
“I already told you that I don’t want to talk to you anymore. We’ve been over,” I said.
“Yeah, but-”
I didn’t let him finish. I jabbed a finger into his chest. “One more word and I’m going to hurt you, Jared. Stop talking to me.”
Jared began to chuckle, but his face turned back to worry in a split second and his eyes darted to my left shoulder. I smelled the cologne before I saw the beast. Atlas had decided to join us.
“Why did you run from me before? I wasn’t done talking to you,” Atlas said from behind me.
Jared squeaked and raced down the hall away from us, running from Atlas like he might actually kill him. The funny thing was, I was the only one who had a problem with Jared.
I turned to Atlas and crossed my arms. “I had class.”
“Well, you don’t now,” Atlas said. “I asked you a question before. I don’t think you answered it.”
“I don’t have to,” I said smugly.
“Do you actually think that you can work for my father’s company? You’re a failure like your dad is. You won’t last a fucking minute,” he said, shaking his head.
Had the word slipped that my father was given a pay cut at work? Impossible. This happened a while ago, and I hadn’t told a soul at school about it, not even Jessica. If Atlas knew about it, it wasn’t through me.
I ignored his statement, not wanting to reveal information that he might not actually know. “I was hired at H & H, so I intend to do my job and work there. I think that makes perfect sense,” I replied.
Atlas seemed out of rebuttals for now, looking left and right as though searching the air for ideas. He huffed, crossing his arms and glaring at me like he might suddenly become violent. “We’ll see about that,” he said after a moment.
“Sure,” I said in return. I didn’t give him anything else to go on. “Are we done?”
Atlas didn’t say anything, but he let me leave when I stepped away. My black hair hung over my face as I skulked away down the hallway toward the lunchroom. I didn’t usually eat lunch until after swim practice, but I was craving sugar again. The stress was getting to me earlier in the day than usual.
Chapter 4
There are even lights in the dead of night if you’re willing to lift your head up for a moment.
I spotted Jessica sitting with two other girls from the swim team at a long lunch table on the far end. Groups of students would keep several seats paced between them until the lunchroom got too crowded to maintain that level of segregation. If you wanted it, you had to come early.
I was probably one of the few people that preferred to come to a more crowded room for lunch because it allowed me the opportunity to disappear into the noise. Nobody undesirable could sit beside me either because the seats would already be occupied.
Jessica waved me down when she noticed me, and I plopped down in the seat across from her with a can of cola in my hand. I decided not to get food. I didn’t really want it.
“What are you doing here so early?” She asked, turning her attention to me. The other two girls looked at me expectantly.
They were twins, Beth and Rachel, but they dressed completely differently. Beth would always have something simple on, like a black dress or a t-shirt and jeans, while Rachel donned the most colorful and elaborate things she could find. It could be an eyesore at times, but I admired her boldness.
I only talked to the twins when they were in the same group, and usually most of my comments were directed toward Jessica. Still, I had nothing against them, and they probably knew more about me than most of the other people at the school through secondhand conversation.
“I wanted something sweet,” I said, lifting my drink up.
Jessica raised an eyebrow. “You’re not going to eat? You need energy for the swim meet.”
“I’m not that hungry today,” I said.
“What’s wrong? Is Atlas bothering you again?” she asked.
The twins shook their heads in unison, a look of disgust on their pretty faces.
“Not just him, but Jared is flicking his stupid notes at me again. I can’t get rid of him,” I said, gesturing wildly with my arms and splashing cola on the table. I mopped it up with my hoodie. Black was resilient to stains.
“We could beat him up after school,” Jessica suggested, tossing a soggy tater tot into her mouth.
“Or stab him,” Beth chimed in.
“Or kill him,” Rachel added.
I smiled. “All of those sound charming, but I really just want him to stop acting like we’re still a thing. I regret ever dating him.”
“Sounds like all of my ex’s,” Jessica said. “They only want one thing.”
“Pussy,” Rachel said, pounding the table.
Everyone laughed.
“Yeah, that’s right,” I said, unable to hold back a cheesy grin.
“So, but the man a silicone vagina so he can jerk off instead of bothering you,” Rachel continued. She was the only one who was actively having sex in our group, and I could see why. I think her mind was always on the subject, and she found whatever way she could to bring the conversation back around to it.
I nearly spat out my soda at her suggestion. Beth shook her head, not at all amused by her sister’s behavior, but I always found it hilarious when she delved into such crude things.
“No, I don’t think I’m going to give him something to jerk off with,” I said, placing my can down on the table so that I didn’t spill it again.
“Better not to. He’s probably already jerking it to your pictures,” Jennifer said.
I held up a hand and batted my lashes. “I don’t need that image. Thank you very much.”
“But seriously. If he keeps bothering you, maybe you should get Atlas on his case. You know, pit them against each other. He’s scared of him, right?” Jennifer asked.
“Oh yeah, deathly afraid of the guy, but that’s only because he things Atlas and I are dating.”
“Are you?” Beth gasped.
“I said that he thinks, not that we are,” I said firmly. “I would never date someone like that. He hates me, anyway.”
“Still. Get them to distract each other,” Jennifer suggested.
I knew she was trying to be helpful, but she didn’t understand that Atlas could easily squash Jared to a pulp. There wouldn’t be much to pit against him. It would be a short-lived and lopsided battle. One which Jared wouldn’t even attempt to participate in.
I sighe
d. “I don’t know what to do, but I’m starting work at H & H Legal Services this evening after school, and do you know who owns the place?”
“What are you going to be doing there?” Rachel asked.
Jennifer silenced her with her hand in the air. “Sorry, Virginia. I don’t know who owns it.”
“Atlas’s father,” I said, speaking with a punch to my syllables. “And Atlas works there too, just not in the same department. I’ll just be sorting mail.”
Rachel leaned back, having gotten the answer to her initial question.
“Oh, so that’s what you’re so stressed about,” Jennifer said, rubbing her pointed chin. “I think you had just better work somewhere else.”
If only she knew that it wasn’t that easy. I refused to tell anyone about how much I was struggling, not even Jennifer. If people knew, then it would leak out to people who I definitely didn’t want to know about it. I would be ruined within the week.
“It pays well,” I said lamely, trying to cover my true reasons with something short of a lie.
Jennifer shrugged, not pressing me further on it. I was thankful, because I didn’t like lying. My mother had taught me that honesty was the best policy, but I was quickly finding that it might not be the whole truth. Sorry mom, but your girl is an adult now, and adults are shrouded in lies.
I gulped down the rest of my soda, crushing the can in my hand. “I’m out of here,” I said, bouncing up out of my seat.
“See you at practice,” Jennifer said.
“See you,” I replied, giving her and the twins a quick wave before leaving.
I felt better after being able to vent to them. Sometimes all you need is a quick conversation with some friends to make you feel better. It was either that or the cola. Who knew?
Chapter 5
Some people just don’t know when to quit.
I swam laps in my navy blue swimsuit, beating my previous best by a few milliseconds. It was amazing what a bit of hatred did for your competitive motivation. It certainly wasn’t my lake of lunch that pushed me into a new personal record.
Jennifer gave me a high five as she left the pool, heading back with the other women on the team to change. I stayed behind, wanting to swim for longer so that I would have an appetite before my final class. It would help me eat dinner when I got home. I didn’t want to push away a plate full of food from my father. I wasn’t fair to him, and honestly, I needed to eat.
I tried to beat my record again, but I quickly ran out of energy. Two colas weren’t nearly enough to give me the strength to swim for at my full potential. Frustration could only drive you so hard. I gave up trying to swim more after my fourth lap across the pool, and pulled myself out of the water.
Dripping wet, I walked to the locker room to change back into my school clothes. I had one more class to attend, and then I would be starting my first day of work as a mail sorter. I felt nervous about the job even though I knew it would be easy. I tried to brush that feeling off, but it kept returning to the bottom of my stomach.
I stepped into the locker room. Someone had grabbed my towel from the pool, so I had to get the spare one out of my locker. I twirled the dial on the red lock that hung from the thin locker door until I had the combination correct. I was good at it, getting there in just a few seconds. I always raced myself with those kinds of things. I was a competitive woman.
The spare towel I kept in my locker had been there so long that the folds in it had to be pulled open. It was a little crispy, but it still felt nice against my cold, wet skin. I toweled myself off and pulled off my swim cap.
My black hair fell down against my shoulders, flowing like silk on my skin. I had straight hair that would never form into so much as a wave, no matter what I tried. Even in the most humid and hot weather, it would remain straight, like a limp noodle.
I pulled the tight straps of my swimsuit down and yanked it down past my breasts. It was getting tighter than it should have been, which probably meant that I had gotten larger. I didn’t think I weighed much more, so it was probably my breasts. I was on birth control now, and it did odd things to my body.
I liked the way I looked, but that was about as far as I went. I wasn’t so vain as to admire myself in the mirror every day. I felt average, but I knew a lot of guys thought I was above average. That was fine. They could believe what they wanted to.
I pulled the swimsuit down and stepped out of it, keeping the damp towel over my shoulders. I brought the wet swimsuit up onto the bench below the lockers with my foot, clutching the stretchy fabric between my toes. With a flick, I tossed it onto the pale wood.
A noise from behind me caught my attention. I snapped around to see what it was, and my heart nearly stopped when I saw that it was Jared.
“Jesus Christ, you scared me. You’re not supposed to be here,” I said, my heart pounding in my chest already.
Jared shrugged, looking unusually casual for a man in the women’s locker room. “I thought I would stop by and see how you were.”
“Get the fuck out of here, creep. I’m going to tell a teacher if you don’t leave,” I threatened, clutching the towel tight against my nude body.
Jared laughed. “How are you going to do that? We’re alone.”
I felt a sudden urge to run from him, but he was blocking the exit. I tried to calm myself down, but inside I was panicking. Something very bad was about to happen. I could feel it burning in my gut.
“Get out,” I barked again.
Jared came toward me, walking quickly with an outstretched arm, as if to grab me.
I stepped back and my knees buckled against the bench, bringing my ass down hard on the wood. My back slammed against the lockers, sending a loud rattle echoing through the room.
Jared grabbed my towel in his hand, trying to pull it away from my body. He jerked it, but my grip was strong. I kept it against me while raising my leg, then I kicked Jared with enough force to knock him back several feet.
“Fuck,” he exclaimed, stumbling back. He clutched his lower abdomen, wincing in pain. It wasn’t enough to bring him down though, and he lurched at me again, grabbing my leg and lifting it up in the air.
I fell back, banging my head against the locker behind me. I used my other legs to kick him again, this time in his face. My heel met his jaw, pushing it up against his skull and smashing his teeth together so hard that I nearly knocked him out.
Jared fell back, unable to keep his balance this time. His heavy body crumbled back onto the tiles, elbows smacking against the floor loud enough for me to hear his bones suffer from the fall. Those bruises would take weeks to fade.
I wasn’t sure what to do after that. I couldn’t just run out in my towel. I would be embarrassed in front of the whole school, and it would show weakness on my part. The last thing I wanted was for people to think I was helpless.
I hesitated long enough for Jared to get back on his feet. He looked pissed, like he intended to snap my neck instead of groping me. I could see in his eyes that he was out of control. They were burning with the devil dancing in his pupils.
“Help!” I shrieked the words as Jacob flew toward me again.
I ducked his charge, rolling over on the bench and springing to my feet. I fled to the exit, my bare feet slapping against the tiles. I would have to kill Jared to get him to stop, and I wasn’t about to get thrown in jail over murdering some stupid rich boy. I would have to suck it up and run out in my towel.
I almost got to the door to taste freedom when Jared grabbed me from behind. I let out a yelp as his arms wrapped around me and lifted me into the air, spinning me back around toward the lockers. He began to carry me while I flailed. My arms were pinned against my sides, stopping me from being about to hit him.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I heard a deep voice bellow from behind us.
The pressure on my rips eased, and I dropped down on the floor in front of Jared. We both turned around to see Atlas standing in the doorway with a scowl painted on his fac
e.
I had never been so happy to see that asshole. I pointed a finger at Jared. “He attacked me.”
Jared bolted, running into the back of the locker room to evade Atlas. He should have known that it was no use. Atlas was captain of the football team, nearly 300 pounds, and able to run down a cheetah. If you were his target, then you were as good as dead.
I watched in amazement as Atlas charged Jared. Both men disappeared from view, followed by a yelp as Jared’s body was tackled against the lockers. The rattling of metal and the sounds of punched being throw was nearly deafening. I grabbed my hoodie from the bench, throwing it on to cover my naked body before running to see what had happened.
Jared was slumped over against the wall, limp and lifeless while Atlas climbed back to his feet. I was relieved and horrified at the same time to see Jared in a crumpled mess on the floor.
“You killed him,” I said, my voice shaking. My brain was racing. Would I be blamed for this? What would happen now that a student had been killed at Granite Hills? Would the whole school have to be closed down?
“I didn’t kill him, idiot,” Atlas said, kicking Jared in the ribs.
Jared cried out, curling up into the fetal position to nurse his beaten body.
“Jesus, okay, stop it,” I said, trembling like a leaf.
“He was trying to fuck you or something?” Atlas asked, gesturing to Jared.
“I don’t know. He attacked me,” I said, pulling my hoodie down over my legs. I was afraid that Atlas might be able to see my pussy.
His eyes didn’t so much as flicker downward though. He frowned, looking back at Jared. “You’re dead meat, buddy,” he said, shaking his head.
“Can you just call the principal?” I asked.
“Sure,” Atlas said. “Or we can just leave him here.”
“Why would we do that?” I asked.
Atlas waved a hand, walking toward me. “Because there are no cameras in here, and I just beat up some guy on your word.”
“So what? He attacked me,” I said, repeating myself again.
“So, I don’t trust you,” Atlas said, squinting at me. “And that’s none of my business anyway.” He was standing right in front of me now, leaning down as he talked like I was a small mushroom growing in his otherwise pristine front yard.