Being the Bad Boy's Victim

by Claire Monette

  “And?”

  “And? And I’m seeing some——”

  “I heard you. You’re seeing someone. But you’re not in a relationship, right?” he said.

  My jaw dropped and I narrowed my eyes, forgetting that he couldn’t see me.

  “Bye!”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Fuck no,” I spat out, hanging up. I threw my phone to my chair across the room, and fell face first back onto my pillows. After letting out a muffled scream, I turned back over and faced the ceiling. Then, I wiped my tangled hair from my face as I let out an exasperated sigh.

  So many things were running through my mind, but I refused to be defeated. I had one priority at that moment—and that was to find out what was going on with Jess and Connor.

  Chapter 16

  “I don’t know!” I cried out, throwing my hands up in the air for a split second before returning them to the safety bar of the cart.

  “It’s okay, you don’t have to make a choice now,” Liam said quietly.

  “No, it’s not okay. You need to make a choice,” Connor said, his eyes burning into mine.

  “I… I can’t,” I whispered. I found myself being jerked forward as the Ferris wheel came to a sickening halt.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, please hold on tight. We are having some technical difficulties at the moment. But we already have people working on it. So just sit back and relax,” the intercom crackled.

  I felt my blood run cold, my heart stop beating, and my breathing get cut off.

  “You have to now,” Liam said, staring at me with such intensity.

  I, Bella Brown, was stuck at the top of a Ferris wheel with two now very impatient boys. And I had to make a decision, whether I liked it or not.

  Oh, and did I forget to mention? I have acrophobia—the fear of heights.

  24 hours earlier

  It was a Sunday evening.

  We were having dinner with the Michaels… again.

  It was almost as if the two previous times didn’t convince them enough that this was pointless. First, Connor ran off, taking me with him. Then, there was that whole Liam and Connor debacle.

  Take a hint, people!

  I was exhausted. And the best part? Guess what I did this entire weekend? Absolutely nothing! Well, I did do some thinking, some self-reflection, and made some tough decisions.

  First, I was going to let go of whatever happened between Connor and Jess. Second, I wasn’t going to tell Liam about the kiss. It was not like we’re a couple… yet.

  “Pumpkin, at least smile,” my dad said as I slowly walked down the stairs, inwardly groaning at the set-up of the table.

  “Let’s just get this over with,” I muttered as I sat slumped into my seat. I frowned as my skirt rolled up, exposing my upper thigh. I wasn’t about to let Connor harass me again. I took a deep breath as the doorbell rang, dragging my feet with each step towards it.

  “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Michaels,” I said politely, stepping to the side as a sign of welcome. As they walked past me, I dropped my smile and narrowed my eyes. “Connor,” I all but spat out.

  He smiled at me, stepping through the doorway.

  “You are as kind as you are beautiful,” he said, leaning down so that his hot breath tickled my neck. He walked off, causing me to fume with pure anger and hatred. Did he seriously just call me ugly? That son of a…

  “So, are you excited for Halloween tomorrow?” Mrs. Michaels asked, her eyes shining.

  I shrugged casually, and continued to eat my pasta. She frowned slightly, glancing at Connor and my parents.

  “Haven’t you heard about the carnival?” she asked in a poor attempt to spark my nonexistent interest.

  “Yeah, but with school and…”

  “But, Bella, you don’t have school tomorrow,” she said, looking confused.

  I put my fork down, unsure of what was going on. “What do you…?”

  “We take Halloween very seriously here,” Connor cut in, making me turn to look at him. “There’s no school because of the carnival, which lasts the whole day.”

  “Oh,” was all I could say. Sure, I was surprised not knowing about the whole no-school-on-Halloween thing, but I didn’t exactly care.

  “So are you going?” Mrs. Michaels asked, leaning forward, her eyes now shining again.

  “I don’t think…”

  “Nonsense,” she said, cutting me off. “You can go with Connor. You’ll take her, right?” she asked as she turned to look at her son.

  Connor looked back to me, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Of course!”

  Before I could protest, she clapped her hands, turning to my mum. Immediately they began talking, while I tried to think of an excuse.

  “What about Sophie and Luca?” I asked, my eyes wide at my own outburst.

  Everyone became silent, looking at me in surprise.

  “I… I mean, who’s going to take them, trick or…” I stammered.

  “I’ll take them,” my dad said with a wave of his hand. “I don’t want you missing out on any fun. So you can still go with Connor.”

  I bit my lip in an attempt to hold off the frustrated scream.

  “It’ll be fun, a night you won’t forget,” Connor said, winking.

  I narrowed my eyes at him as our parents began talking again.

  And you want to know the worst part?

  He was right.

  It was a night I wouldn’t forget.

  Monday afternoon

  “I cannot believe you didn’t buy a costume!” Jess snapped at me as she parked her car with a piercing screech of the tires.

  Thankfully, my seatbelt saved me from what would have been an unfortunate bruise to the head.

  “I didn’t think…”

  “That’s right! You didn’t think!” she shrieked, slamming her door.

  I rolled my eyes as I got out of the car. “Chill your tits, mum,” I said, walking alongside her. As soon as I said that, she froze, staring straight at me.

  “Jess? Are you…?” I jumped back as she burst out laughing, her brown hair shaking wildly as she threw back her head.

  “I’m crazy,” she said after she finished laughing, pretending to wipe the fake tears from her eyes.

  I laughed and nudged her with my shoulder.

  “Yes. Yes, you are,” I said, giggling as she punched my arm lightly.

  But then, her face turned quite serious as she glanced at the mall doors.

  “Now, listen to me, Bella. Inside there,” she gestured to the mall. “Inside that hellhole, it’s survival of the fittest, especially around this time of the year.”

  I raised an eyebrow at her, shaking my head as she glared.

  “Whatever you say,” I said with a sigh. I let out a gasp as we walked through the automatic doors. People were freaking out and grabbing everything they could find.

  “What the…!” I let out a yelp as Jess smacked my arm.

  “This is all your fault!” she exclaimed, holding my arm as we walked further inside.

  I frowned as I looked out at the chaos spread out before me. “Let’s just get this over with,” I muttered, letting a furious Jess drag me off into some costume store.

  After trying on numerous costumes, most of them more appropriate for three-year-olds, I was close to giving up.

  “Are you serious?” I asked incredulously as I pulled the hem of the skintight dress. It was a black leather dress with no back and the bottom barely covered my ass.

  “What?” she asked as she looked me over. “I thought you wear things like this all the time.”

  I frowned and crossed my arms, watching as Jess realized her mistake. Her eyes widened and her hand flew up to her mouth. “I didn’t mean it like…”

  “Whatever,” I said, shaking my head as I pulled the bottom down awkwardly. “I don’t need a costume.”

  Ignoring Jess’ shocked look, I walked back into the dressing room, pulling off the scrap of leather latex.

&n
bsp; As she drove me home, we stayed silent, not even attempting to talk.

  “I’m sorry,” she said as she parked.

  I took a deep breath, trying to push away the guilty feeling that was creeping inside me.

  “I’m sorry,” I murmured, dropping my head into my hands. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that.”

  “Look, I know you’re still hung up on that…”

  “It’s not that,” I said quickly. “Well, not anymore, that is.”

  She turned her body so that she was facing me. “Is it because Connor is taking you to the carnival?” she asked.

  “No, it’s just…I’m overwhelmed. I can’t take this anymore,” I said, sitting up.

  A confused look crossed her face.

  “It’s just… Never mind,” I cut myself off, putting a fake smile on my face.

  Jess stared at me, obviously seeing through the act.

  “When you want to tell me what’s going on…” she paused, but then quickly continued, “I’m always here for you.”

  This time, the smile was real as I gave her a small hug, getting out of the car.

  “See you at the carnival!” I called over my shoulder.

  “Look for the angel!” she cried out.

  I laughed, remembering the costume she had bought months before.

  “Will do!”

  He was here.

  I glanced at the mirror, looking over my outfit. I had kept it low key, only wearing skinny jeans and a loose top with a drawing of a pumpkin on the front. See? I still managed to dress up! Well… as best as I could.

  I hid my disgust as my mum hugged Connor, who was now standing inside the living room.

  “Let’s go,” I said, my voice tight. My fists clenched in anger as Connor’s eyes raked over my body, a smug grin appearing on his face.

  “Ready for our date?” he asked, his eyes gleaming.

  I felt a sly smile of my own cross my face, a bit of smugness filling me. “Actually, I’m meeting Liam there,” I said.

  I saw something flash through his eyes, his expression faltering. Although he quickly composed himself, I beamed, letting him know I had noticed it.

  “Bella? Can I see you in the kitchen for a moment?” my mum asked.

  I gave Connor an annoyed glare as I followed my mum, who was slightly confused at what was going on, into the kitchen. The second the kitchen door was shut, my mum cornered me.

  “I thought you were dating Connor!” she said.

  My jaw dropped open. For at least a good minute, all I could do was stare at her in complete and utter shock. “Are you serious?” I asked, my voice not even audible.

  She opened her mouth, then shut it, tilting her head to the side as she thought something over. When she finally opened her mouth to speak again, she mumbled, “But I could have sworn you chose…”

  “Liam, mum. Liam,” I said cutting her off. “Why else would we have been constantly going out lately?”

  Once again she was silent, as if the realization was just dawning on her.

  “That does make sense…”

  I rolled my eyes and let out a small laugh. “Bye, mum,” I turned to walk out, but was held back by her hand on my elbow. Surprised, I turned back to her.

  “But really? Liam? Connor is hot!” she gushed, showing faint signs of disapproval.

  I stared at my mum as she sighed, obviously still thinking about how “hot” Connor is.

  “Bye, mum!” I said for the second time, pulling away and walking out of the kitchen.

  One look at Connor’s expression told me that he heard every word. Narrowing my eyes at him, I stalked towards the front door, flinging it open.

  “Let’s go,” I snapped.

  He chuckled and walked by me, towards his car—much to my relief. I had spent a good amount of time worrying if he would be bringing his motorcycle, which thankfully, he didn’t.

  “Sooo, looks like mummy doesn’t like baby Liam so much,” Connor stated as he slid into his seat.

  I gritted my teeth in annoyance as I slammed my door as hard as I could, which really wasn’t much.

  “Don’t call Liam a baby,” I snarled, the defensive side of me coming out. I stared angrily out the window, even though Connor hadn’t started the car.

  By the time we got to the carnival, it was around eight o’clock and it was already pretty dark outside. The minute he parked the car, I reached for the handle to let myself out.

  “Connor, unlock the door,” I hissed out through gritted teeth.

  He unbuckled himself and inched closer to me instead.

  “Get baby Lia——”

  “Liam is not a baby!” I snapped, clenching my fists together.

  “You deserve a man,” Connor whispered out, his hot breath tickling my ear and the side of my neck.

  When I realized how close he was, I knew what was going to happen next. So I yanked his keys from his hand and unlocked the car, jumping out as quickly as I could. I made it two steps before I got shoved up against the hood of a nearby car, my chest pressed against the cold metal.

  “Where did you think you were going?” he murmured as he bent his body against mine, his crotch cradling my ass.

  I squirmed to try to escape, only to find myself flipped over so that I was facing him.

  “Give up, Connor,” I spat out, placing my hands on his toned, muscular… Nope, on his flabby, hairy chest. Yeah… flabby and hairy, my eye! Ignoring the feel of his hard chest underneath my hands, I struggled to stand up straight.

  “I’m not even trying.”

  My mouth opened slightly as he smiled and pulled me up so that my body was once again pushed against his.

  “Trust me, Bella. I know you want me,” he whispered, his lips brushing against my jaw line. “You need me.” His warm hand then slipped under my shirt and landed on my waist, causing me to shiver with delight.

  “Back off, Connor,” I said shakily, pushing him as hard as I could.

  “Is that what you really wa—”

  I shoved as hard as I could, catching him off guard. I quickly turned, walking towards what seemed to be the entrance.

  “How did you know I like it rough?” Connor asked casually, putting an arm around my shoulders as we walked to the entrance.

  I gritted my teeth and allowed him to lead me to the old man collecting the tickets.

  “Connor, my boy! Is this the girl?” he asked, his blue eyes twinkling as he grinned at us.

  “Hello, Mr. Harris,” Connor said politely, holding out two tickets.

  “Oh,” I blushed. “I didn’t know we had to get t—”

  “It’s on me,” Connor said, his hand rubbing against my exposed shoulder.

  I couldn’t help but smile as I saw Connor talk to the man, being friendly for once.

  “You know, Connor always seems to get all the ladies. But you’re the prettiest of them all,” Mr. Harris said as he stamped our hands.

  “Connor takes a lot of girls here?” I asked, ignoring the tightness in my voice.

  The old man laughed, leaning against the podium. “Of course not, he comes here with his friends… then leaves with the girls,” he said.

  Girls.

  That’s plural… bad images!

  I shook my head in disgust and looked at him. “That’s typical,” I admitted, narrowing my eyes at Connor.

  “Why, you’re the…?” the old man started to say.

  “We should go now,” Connor said quickly, gripping my elbow tightly as he nearly dragged me inside the carnival.

  Just as I was about to protest, I noticed all the decorations, food, candy, and pumpkins.

  “Holy shit!” I muttered, looking around.

  “Yeah, we always go all out,” Connor said, looking at me with a grin.

  I cocked an eyebrow and crossed my arms angrily. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

  “You look like an idiot,” he stated truthfully.

  “Are you serious?” I shrieked, gesturing to
the crowds of people walking around us. There were fairies, cartoon characters, and even some sasquatches.

  Yes, sasquatches!

  Connor shrugged, looked back at me and noted, “I guess I expected more.”

  My jaw dropped open and I turned away, ready to storm off. Then I felt his hand wrap around my wrist, spinning me around so that I was facing him.

  “Maybe if you just slip off your shirt and pants, we could have some fun,” he said with a wink.

  I let out a growl and ripped my wrist away from his grip.

  “You’re not wearing a costume either,” I stated, looking at his tight white shirt, leather jacket, and dark jeans. It was impossible to not notice his perfectly sculpted eight pack. I mean… Well, never mind. It was stupid to try to convince myself that Connor wasn’t extremely attractive.

  Connor scoffed, “I don’t need one. I’m Co——”

  “An egotistical douchebag,” I snapped, walking off. I pulled out my cell phone when I reached the cotton candy station, mentally thanking Jess for returning it back to me. Remembering what happened when I tried to get my phone myself, I unconsciously traced a finger over the healed cuts on my hand.

  Hey, Limmy. I’m at the cotton candy station… meet me there?

  I smiled as I looked over the text. Ever since I met Liam’s niece, the nickname really stuck.

  Turn around.

  I looked up, confused. Turning around, I stood there awkwardly. Liam was nowhere in sight. Then, I let out a terrified yelp as a pair of arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me backwards into a body.

  “Got ya,” he whispered.

  I whirled around, smacking his chest with the back of my hand.

  “You’re a jerk!” I snapped, pouting playfully.

  Liam grinned, leaning down to give me a small kiss on the lips. I couldn’t help but imagine Connor’s voice making fun of the way Liam was with me, which I guess was why I acted the way I did next.

  Without warning, I grabbed the back of Liam’s head, and pulled his mouth to mine.