The Way You Love Me: A High School Bully Romance

by Lannah Smith

  "Shut up," Leon said through gritted teeth.

  "I keep telling you, no relationship lasts forever. Hell, if that happened, my Mom wouldn't have four ex-husbands and my Dad wouldn't be divorcing his second wife. John's parents wouldn't keep fighting all the fucking time. Skull's parents didn't last very long because they're dead. And your father wouldn't have left your mother."

  Leon began to lunge forward towards Rohan, but John quickly moved and shoved Leon away with his arm, keeping it pressed against his chest, holding him back.

  Shit, but he was going to strangle the brat, John thought angrily. But first he needed to calm Leon down. Thinking that, he gestured at Skull to keep Rohan in check and Skull quickly moved to push Rohan away from Leon.

  "Jesus, Rohan. Why is it so hard to keep your fucking mouth shut?" Skull snapped at Rohan.

  But he wasn't listening. "Wake up, Leon," he yelled with frustration. "She's just another piece of ass."

  "You don't decide for me, Rohan," Leon said, attempting to control the trembling anger in his voice. "None of you do."

  "I'm so fucking sick of this! I'm so fucking sick of seeing you look so pathetic. You're making a mistake. Didn't you learn anything from your mother?"

  And that was when Leon broke through John's grip and pummeled Rohan to the ground. And John had half the mind to let Leon beat the kid to death, he was so fucking pissed at Rohan, but he knew he'd never forgive himself if something happened to the kid.

  When Skull managed to finally yank Leon off Rohan, John quickly pulled his best friend outside to calm him down. When Leon finally did, Skull told him that they had to take Rohan to the hospital. Rohan had passed out and Skull was worried because he was unsure how to treat him.

  So here they were.

  Rohan was unresponsive and wasn't talking to any of them. Leon was at home and had locked himself in his room. Skull was watching over him. He'd wanted to come but he didn't want to see Rohan. He was pissed at him for saying the things he'd said and Skull wanted to show Leon he wasn't angry for beating Rohan up. Skull knew Leon was already regretting his actions and knowing where he was coming from, Skull didn't give him shit for doing that to Rohan.

  "I know you meant good," John muttered to the unresponsive blond on the bed. "I know you care for Leon. But what you did was wrong."

  He still didn't say anything and John let out a sigh. He let his head fall on the high back of the chair and closed his eyes. Maybe he should just go...

  "I was just saving him from future heartbreak."

  Rohan said it so low John almost thought he'd imagine it.

  Opening his eyes, he leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees, and looked at him.

  "You can't be sure he'll break up with her," he told him quietly.

  "If he won't then what about her?" Rohan's gaze cut to him and his expressionless face cracked. "She might break up with him."

  "Haven't you seen the two of them? She likes him. She's probably already in love with him."

  "Then you should have seen my parents back then." The raw emotion in Rohan's tone and the stark pain in his eyes made John's chest tighten painfully. "She loved my father too. But then she didn't. Not anymore."

  "Rohan..." John started but then Rohan's face turned hard and he kept on talking.

  "They're getting a divorce you know."

  John sucked in an audible breath. "What?" he whispered.

  "My mother and stepdad."

  "Why?"

  Rohan shrugged. "The usual shit. She fell out of love."

  Fuck.

  He didn't know what to say to that.

  John tore his fingers through his hair, dropped his arm and looked back at Rohan.

  "I keep telling you, no relationship lasts forever. Hell, if that happened, my Mom wouldn't have four ex-husbands and my Dad wouldn't be divorcing his second wife."

  Jesus.

  Is this why he was so fucked up? Did his parent's divorce and mother's short-lived relationships do this to him?

  "Don't tell Leon," Rohan went on and John's head jerked back. "Not even Skull. I don't want Leon to feel guilty. And Skull, well. I don't want him to treat me any different. You're right. What I did was wrong. I shouldn't have done it."

  "Then why did you tell me?" John asked in confusion. They may be friends but they weren't exactly tight.

  Rohan gave him a wry smile. "Because you don't really give a fuck about me. All you care about is Leon."

  "If I didn't give a fuck about you, I would have made you disappear the moment you started fucking up and hurting Leon," he retorted. "I do care about you, kid. But you piss me off. You're like the rebellious, insensitive, mouthy little brother I never had."

  His words seemed to have embarrassed Rohan because he cleared his throat and looked away. "And Skull?" he asked.

  John sat back and smirked. "The slow and stupid brother I never had?"

  Rohan laughed and his ribs must have hurt him because he cringed. "So Leon's what? Your soul mate?"

  "I'll do anything for him. I'm willing to even go full homo for him."

  "You just disrespected all homos in the world."

  John chuckled. "But seriously, though. He's my brother from another mother."

  Humor died as sadness took its place in Rohan's voice. "What was his mother like?"

  "Nothing like my mother," John answered, briefly lost in his memories. "Or yours for that matter. She was kind. Selfless. Loved roses and filled their house and garden with them. She thought the world of her husband and son and that went both ways. They were a perfect family. They were so happy that I wished I was really his brother and his parents mine too."

  "But then shit happened."

  John clenched his fists. "Yeah."

  They held eyes and the remorse in Rohan's eyes were painful to see.

  And that's when he decided to tell him everything.

  He told him about Leon's father and why he left his wife and son, because he thought she cheated on him with his brother and thought that Leon wasn't really his son. He told him about Leon's mother, how she died, raped and beaten to death. He told him about Leon, how he was there to witness everything, how he eventually had PTSD and how he never got over his beloved mother's death. And he told him about Leon's uncle. The man who tore their family apart. The man who further destroyed Leon by physically abusing him.

  Somewhere along his story, Rohan's eyes had turned red and his hands had clenched tight around his sheets. And when John was done telling him everything, Rohan lifted his hands and buried his face in his palms.

  "Shit," he muttered in a thick voice. "I really messed up."

  John got up and approached the bed. He sat on the edge and patted Rohan's head. "I'll fix it up for you, kid. Just rest."

  Rohan lifted his hands and stared at him.

  Then he said, "Somehow, I know you will. You always do."

  He grinned and patted him once more. Hearing voices outside the door, he stood up and told him. "It must be your mother. I'll get going now."

  Rohan nodded and hurriedly wiped his eyes. Just as John was about to open the door, Rohan called him again. He looked back at him over his shoulder.

  And immediately wished he didn't when Rohan spoke.

  "You always fix things for us. When will you start fixing yours?"

  I'd never punched a girl in my life.

  Even when I was doing karate in my grandfather's dojo.

  Even when I was being bullied when I started school here in the US for being new and Asian.

  Most of my grandfather's students were boys so I never got a chance to fight with a girl. And the bullying actually ended before the week was over when Haru knew about it. I didn't know how he did it exactly. I was just glad it was over.

  Now, my hands were clenched but for a completely different reason.

  I was restraining this urge to punch the bitch who was standing in front of me and who also had ruined pizza with Sophia and Hannah. We were hanging out in a pizza place ne
ar school and I had to make up an excuse to go out for a moment when I saw this girl lurking out the bistro.

  And this bitch's name was April Locke.

  "Hello, April," I said coolly.

  April glowered at me. She must have come directly from her school because she was wearing the North High Academy school uniform. The upper half of her strawberry blonde hair was pulled back into a barrette, the lower half going below her shoulders. Her looks gave the impression that she was sweet, charming and innocent girl when in fact, she was the complete opposite. A viper.

  A bitch.

  I'd known her since we were in grade school. So believe me when I say she was nothing but a total bitch.

  "Hello, Terry," April returned, her voice not containing its usual false syrupiness but hints of acid. "What a coincidence seeing you here."

  I glanced back to the pizza place then returned my gaze to her. "Is it?"

  Her eyes widened in mock innocence. "It is."

  I bristled.

  Coincidence, my ass. She was here for Sophia.

  It was clear she found out that Sophia was Leon's girlfriend. It was also clear Leon had stopped sleeping with her. She had the impression of a woman scorned and she was out for blood.

  Sophia's blood.

  As beautiful and alluring as she was, April was no match for Sophia's striking loveliness and casual glamor. And the moment I saw her face through the window, which had been turned to Sophia and filled with unconcealed spite, I knew that April knew that too.

  She was also no match for me, no matter how exquisite she was.

  She also knew that which was why her body tightened, instinctively going on guard, when she saw me come out.

  "Why don't we talk for a moment?" I suggested. I needed to get her away from the bistro and away from Sophia.

  She frowned. "What for?"

  "You have questions."

  "And do you think you have the answers I need?"

  "You won't know unless you ask."

  April stared at me. Her eyes were carefully blank but I could see her mind working. She looked like she was planning to use all the time in the world to think my suggestion through. I, however, did not have time to waste.

  "Let me go," April hissed as I pulled her arm and led her to the end of the building. "How dare you—?"

  "No," I interrupted her harshly. "How dare you show your face here?"

  Finally shrugging me off from her, she took a step back. "And who are you to tell me what to do?"

  "Someone who once knocked you down your pedestal back in middle school." I took a step forward and she took another step back. "Someone who will literally knock you down again if I have to."

  Sneering at me, she muttered, "You think just because your John Steele's slut you can frighten me and order me around?"

  Taken aback, I said, "What? What the hell are you talking about?"

  She didn't answer. She simply smiled.

  Then she dropped the smile to say, "Now get out of my way. I have someone that I need to talk to."

  I glared at her.

  The bitch.

  "Leon won't be happy about this, April," I told her, my emotions well in hand now. April Locke was not going to intimidate me no matter what she knew.

  "I don't give a damn," she said stiffly, her clenched hands shaking. "I want to talk to her."

  "No, you won't."

  "Let me pass, Terry. You really don't want me as your enemy."

  I lifted a brow. "Do you really think I care what you want? Go before Leon finds about this."

  "He's mine!" she shouted. "He's always been mine. We belong together, Terry. I won't let some unknown bitch take him away from me."

  I smirked. Was she for real?

  "First of all, you don't own him and he is not your property," I answered her. "Second, you sleep around as much as he did so you really don't have the right to say that you belong together when you keep spreading your legs for anybody who has a penis. And lastly, she didn't take him away from you because he was never yours."

  A few seconds of silence, then she whispered, "You'll pay for that."

  "Bring it," I countered.

  "I'll ruin you, you bitch!"

  She lifted her hand to strike but I caught it easily.

  "Careful, April," I warned as I tightened my fingers around her tiny wrist before throwing her hand away. "You do know my family owns a dojo, right? I can karate-chop you down to the last circle of hell before you can even touch me."

  Massaging her wrist, she took several steps back from me, spitting daggers through her eyes. "You're going to be begging me for mercy before I'm done with you. You just wait and see."

  I rolled my eyes. "Oh, joy. I can hardly wait."

  April's lip curled. Then she whirled and marched away from me.

  I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. Then I turned to go back to my friends, only to see Sophia hiding around the corner. I stiffened. How long was she standing here?

  How long was she listening?

  "What are you doing here?" I deadpanned.

  Sophia shifted nervously under my stare then glanced down at her hand. "Your... your cell phone was..." She lifted her gaze back up. "Who were you talking to?" she asked instead.

  I pursed my lips. "Nobody. She was just asking for directions—"

  "I heard everything, Terry," she interrupted softly. "Who was that girl? Was she Leon's ex-girlfriend?"

  Studying her, I answered, "She's not an ex. She was just a girl Leon used to sleep with. Used to, Sophia. Past tense."

  Her features turned into pain. "How would you know he's not sleeping with her anymore?" she asked.

  I rolled my eyes. "I thought you heard everything? She wouldn't come here to confront you if Leon still was. And do you think Leon would seriously do that to you? Sleep with another girl while he's with you?"

  She stared at me. I stared back at her.

  It hadn't been long ago when she'd been weirdly lethargic, always spacing out in class. The reason was, of course, Leon. Strangely enough, it made me uncomfortable, seeing her so cheerless. Maybe it's because we kept spending time with each other?

  And somehow, as the days went by, I didn't feel like I was forcing myself on her. I was beginning to feel at ease with her and doing things that I thought I wouldn't do with her. Try as I might to maintain some distance, it was getting difficult because of her easygoing personality and thoughtfulness. Unlike Hannah, she minded my personal space. And unlike Hannah, she knew when to shut her mouth and knew when to back off.

  So she wore me down.

  Just like that.

  Haru had already made arrangements with her grandmother and soon, he'd have her sign a contract with our company. It made me guilty about using her. And it made me guilty and regretful, not befriending her by my own when I had the chance.

  Sophia expelled a long sigh then muttered, "Leon... Leon's hasn't slept with me yet, you know."

  My eyebrows rose. "And what? You think he'll dump you after he did or are you whining because he hasn't?" I shook my head with disgust. She'd just made up with Leon. Was she going to mope around and ignore him again because of something as stupid as this? "Sophia, I've listened to you and Hannah gush about Leon a lot and if you think I'll listen to you complain about your non-existent sex life, then I'd rather shoot myself right now."

  "Hannah did the gushing. I merely did the informing," she pointed out.

  I scowled at her and she shut up.

  "And as far as I know, Leon never had a girlfriend before," I went on, still scowling. "He never came to school with a girl, never waited outside a classroom for a girl, never ate lunch with a girl. Imagine our surprise when out of the blue, he got himself a girlfriend. So believe me when I say Leon wouldn't bother with a girl if it wasn't someone he truly cared about. I don't know what happened that day you came back to our classroom with you looking like you've been crying. But you should have seen Leon. He was in much pain as you were. So I know you mean the world to
him, Sophia. Don't mess that up by doubting his faithfulness to you."

  Her expression turned in total awe and I stopped ranting.

  Wait.

  What was I doing?

  Why the heck was I defending Gage?