Being the Bad Boy's Victim

by Claire Monette

  A mischievous glint lit up his eyes, and his signature smirk appeared, which made me blush and bite my lip nervously. He began to advance upon me, only stopping once our bodies were pressed up against each other. His spearmint breath fanned across my face.

  “Remember when I first marked you?” Connor asked, his lips now hovering over mine.

  My heart was fluttering like crazy that I couldn't even think of a response to his question. Connor knew exactly the effect he had on me, and his smug grin proved it.

  “We had some pretty good times, huh?”

  I nodded my head slightly, my face felt like it was on fire.

  “Come on, Bells,” Connor whispered, his voice husky and deep, triggering feelings of lust to take over my common sense.

  “Fine,” I managed to whisper, “I'm all yours.”

  He pulled back an inch or two, and then gave me the most genuinely loving smile, his eyes twinkling and a light blush tinting his cheeks.

  “You've always been mine.”

  And with that said, I put my arms around his neck and kissed him with everything I had.

  “Grab a bathing suit, too,” Connor called out to me from the bed.

  I frowned at his lazy figure while I finished organizing all my books and flash cards. Then, walking into my closet, I grabbed a change of clothes, along with a bathing suit and flip-flops. After tossing them into a bag, I walked over to my bed and hit Connor on the head.

  “Come on, let's go.” I smiled down at him and he dramatically grasped his head.

  As we walked down the stairs, I noticed my parents discussing something in hushed tones.

  “What's going on?” I asked, frowning.

  “Pumpkin, we have something to give you,” my dad said, nodding towards my mum.

  When I looked at my mom, her face broke into a brilliant, wide smile.

  “We received this a while ago. But we decided to wait until the right time to give it to you,” my dad continued.

  “What is it?" I asked, looking at them both in confusion.

  "Congratulations!” my mum shrieked, jumping up and down in excitement, and thrusting a large envelope at me.

  I stared in amazement at the letter, my body freezing up as I realized what it was.

  “Did I…?” My breath got caught in my throat.

  “See for yourself,” my dad said, motioning towards the letter in my trembling hands.

  I held in my breath as I slowly turned it over, only to end up snorting in a very unladylike manner.

  “You opened it already?” I laughed out loud, taking notice of the very poor way it was resealed.

  My parents looked at one another, sharing a knowing smile.

  Well, I must have gotten in, or else they wouldn't be acting that way, I thought to myself. Right? Or… my eyes widened, perhaps, they aren't my parents at all. Instead, they're evil clone replacements whose sole reason for living is to make my life miserable by dangling precious hope in front of my face and then snatching it up moments later!

  “Oh, would you just open it!” my mum cried out, throwing her arms up in the air for effect.

  My hands grew clammy as I began opening the letter, and my heartbeat quickened at the sound of tearing paper.

  Now or never, Bella.

  I slowly slipped out the piece of paper through the opening, glancing at the UPenn crest at the letterhead. It was then that I truly realized how badly I wanted to go there. Due to all the stress and studying, I must have completely forgotten about my application to the school of my dreams.

  I let out a soft laugh as I allowed my nervous eyes to actually read what the letter had to say.

  February 24, 2013

  “Hold up! This arrived…”

  “Just read it!” my mum bellowed.

  There was an awkward silence as I shared a look with my dad and Connor, before I looked back down, in a failed attempt to hide my laughter.

  “You sounded like an ogre,” my dad snickered.

  “Charlie!” my mum gasped, and she slapped him playfully on the arm and pouted like a child.

  Smiling, I dropped my eyes back down to the piece of paper in my hands.

  Bellatrix Brown

  3206 Oliver Street

  Washington DC 20015

  Dear Ms. Brown,

  Congratulations! I am pl——

  I let out a gasp, and looked up at my parents and Connor with shining eyes. I felt the tears build up as they answered my look with proud smiles. Then, I lifted a shaky hand to my mouth as I continued to read the rest of the letter. While my eyes trailed down to the very last sentence, I felt a mixture of emotions brewing inside me.

  Happiness.

  Relief.

  Joy.

  And then came, sadness.

  "I'm going to college," I murmured, looking up at everyone.

  Their bright smiles seemed to falter when they saw my expression.

  “Babe,” Connor said, cautiously stepping towards me. “What's wrong?”

  “I'm happy,” I said quickly to reassure them, but couldn’t entirely shake the dumps because it just feels so real then.

  “Don't get too upset yet, Pumpkin. You could always end up failing your finals, get your spot taken away, and live with us for the rest of your life!” my dad joked with a grin while I stared at him in horror.

  “Peachy, Dad, real peachy.”

  We all laughed as I placed the letter back in the packet and back onto the counter.

  “You know, we don't have to go out now if you want to stay.”

  “Heavens no!” my mum cut off Connor. “Bella, you have been in this house for much too long! Out! Go celebrate with your friends!”

  I grinned back at her and allowed Connor to grasp my hand and lead me to the door.

  “Is there a specific time I should have her back?” Connor asked politely.

  “Eh. You don't have to bring her back at all.”

  “Charlie!” my mum scolded him, although amusement danced on her features.

  “And the award for the worst parents goes to…” I held out for suspense while Connor dribbled his hands on his legs for a drum roll, causing my parents to laugh even harder.

  A couple of minutes later

  “Bye!” I yelled out obnoxiously while grinning.

  Connor and I were still laughing as we made our way to his…

  Mother of… Oh, no! No way in hell!

  “You son of a bitch!” I gasped.

  “Oh, come on.” Connor smiled, nuzzling his head into the crook of my neck.

  I clenched and unclenched my fists as I watched him climb up on his motorcycle while flashing me a cheeky grin.

  “I mean you can always walk to my house…”

  My jaw dropped open, and I narrowed my eyes at him. Angrily, I made my way over to the “death machine,” all the while grumbling about my undying hatred for him and his toy bike.

  Connor must have overheard me because his booming laughter rang out around us.

  “Oh, don’t be dramatic! It’s no secret that you’ve always wanted to wrap your arms around this, the second you saw me.”

  I tried to hide my tomato red blush as he secured the helmet on my head. My breathing picked up as I managed to sit directly behind Connor.

  “Hold…”

  “Shut the fuck up,” I mumbled at his muscled back. I squeezed my eyes shut as his body shook and rumbled with laughter.

  “Babe, you’re as enchanting as a siren, but you’ve got yourself the mouth of a sailor.”

  I wasn’t able to curse him to the fiery pits of hell like I had planned to, due to him choosing exactly that time to take off down the street.

  Riding a motorcycle is like riding a rollercoaster, but worse. At least with a roller coaster you have some sort of shelter since you’re in a cart. But when you’re on a motorcycle, it’s basically death with a slight chance of survival.

  “Alright, you can let go now.”

  I rolled my eyes at Connor’s teasing tone. A
nd in an attempt to act like I hadn’t just peed my pants multiple times, I gracefully slid off the bike, or so I thought. But what really happened was this. I slipped off the bike head first, my legs going straight up in the air. Then, I collapsed on the damp ground, and ended up in a crazy heap.

  “Beautiful!”

  I heard Matt’s awful attempt at a British accent ring through the moment of silence that followed after I fell. Without even bothering to lift my head from the grass, I raised my middle finger up in the air and saluted him, causing laughter to erupt around me.

  “Oh, so you could make time for Connor but not me?” Jess drawled out in the most fake British accent I had ever heard.

  “I’m going to give that landing a ten! What do ya say boys? And Jess”

  I heard more laughter before I felt two large hands grip my underarms and haul me up before gently setting me right on my feet.

  Not caring that I probably had dirt and grass stains all over myself, I managed to keep a straight face and hold my head up high as I approached the front of the house, with Connor right behind me—where James, Matt, and Jess were standing.

  “Jess, don’t act like you didn’t plan this out.” I cocked an eyebrow as if I were challenging her to argue. “Matt and James—oh and you too, Jess—your accents are proper shit.”

  Tossing back my tangled hair, I threw a look at Connor, who seemed ready to burst into laughter at any given moment.

  “Now, if you and your lot of ‘tossers’ don’t mind, I’m going to go take a shower,” I snapped, gesturing to the mess that was me.

  They all stood there speechless as I pushed past them and into the house, or as I tried to anyway. Unfortunately, the door was locked. So my dramatic exit crashed and burned as I ricocheted off the door and nearly fell on my butt.

  Despite trying desperately to mute himself with a hand to his mouth, Matt couldn’t help letting a boyish giggle escape audibly.

  “Well, uh, we’ve been locked out for a while,” James explained, rubbing the back of his neck.

  “Idiots.” Connor laughed as he pulled out a set of keys from his back pocket and made his way to the door.

  They watched as Connor gave me a peck on the nose and leaned down to unlock the door, without ever breaking eye contact.

  “He’s got the moves,” Jess whispered to James, making his eyes widen.

  “Jess!” James gasped, feigning hurt.

  I let out a small laugh as I managed to pull away from Connor and enter the house.

  Right when I was halfway up the stairs, Connor decided to open his stupid, sexy mouth and talk.

  “Bells, aren’t you going to tell them the good news?” he asked with a playful look on his face, and I frowned as all eyes were now on me.

  “Bella! What is it?” Jess asked, her eyes wide with excitement.

  The feeling of dirt and dampness were starting to get on my nerves, and I was beginning to feel disgusting. I really needed a shower, and I knew that if we would talk about this now, a shower would not be happening any time soon.

  “Oh, yeah… IgotintoUPenn.” I rushed out, “Yay me!” And without even giving them time to react, I shot up the stairs and hauled my ass to the bathroom, making sure that there were towels already there.

  “Bella! Oh, my God, Bella!” Jess’ shocked voice echoed throughout the house and I quickly locked the door before finally releasing the breath I had been holding.

  In the shower, a light sigh left my lips as the water soothed my tense muscles. I was, however, still very aware of the dull ache in my lower back, which had been bothering me since I stood up from studying. After my shower was over, I wrapped my body in a fluffy towel before stepping out… into a crowded room.

  Yes, you read that right. I said “crowded.”

  Matt was lounging in the bathtub while Jess stood a mere six feet away, her arms crossed over her chest.

  “Best friends for nothing, huh?” Her expression was blank, and it remained that way until I noticed her lips start to quiver.

  “Jess, I’m sorry. But in all fairness, I just found out today,” was my pathetic excuse. Fortunately, that seemed to be enough for her.

  “I’m hurt, too!”

  At that, both of us instantly turned to look at Matt, who was pretending—albeit, rather badly—to ignore us.

  “Wait, how did…?”

  “You underestimate me, Fatima!” Matt exclaimed.

  Fatima? Who the hell is Fatima?

  Jess and I glanced at each other, evil grins beginning to spread across our faces. Then we mouthed to each other. “Three… two… one.”

  We lunged at Matt, which made him let out a high-pitched, girly scream. And then, ignoring his cries for help, I quickly set the nozzle to coldest and let it rip.

  “Oh, my God!” Matt shrieked.

  Helping Jess hold him down, I laughed loudly as the water began to fill up the tub.

  “Still hurt?” I teased him.

  His eyes widened, “Are you fucking kidding me? You’re trying to kill me!”

  Jess snorted and laughed, but I could tell it was getting harder for her to hold him down—as it was for me.

  “Aha!” Matt cried out as he broke free and darted out of the half-full tub, splashing the icy water onto Jess and me.

  “What the hell…!” Then we turned towards the doorway, where Matt and Connor stood.

  “Uh…” I awkwardly stood up, clutching the towel tightly to my body, as Connor’s eyes darkened and he looked me over in obvious appreciation.

  Sweet baby Jesus! This boy will be the death of me.

  “These two crazy-ass girls tried to drown me!” Matt was pointing at us like crazy, his face a deep shade of red.

  “A little war, eh?” James asked.

  Jess and I looked at each other before backing away at the exact same time.

  “No! No!” Jess said all too quickly, making the boys smirk. “Uh, we were just… Well, you see…”

  “Just having some fun!” I laughed nervously as they began to advance towards us.

  “Naughty, naughty girls,” Connor growled, all the while his eyes never leaving mine.

  Squeak! Squeak!

  We all took a moment to look down at Matt’s now sopping wet, squeaky sneakers.

  His eyes narrowed and he said in warning, “Don’t you dare!”

  I burst out laughing, exactly the same time as Jess. Doubling over, I attempted to quiet my loud laughter with my hand, but realized that it was completely futile.

  Now, maybe if we weren’t laughing so hard we would have heard their plan. Unfortunately, we were howling like hyenas.

  “Your turn,” Connor sang out, causing me to shut up.

  “Wait!” My eyes bugged out as he picked me up and carelessly tossed me over his shoulder. I yelped and began hitting his back with as much force as I could muster with my weak, scrawny arms.

  “James, put me down!”

  I looked up to see that Jess was now in the same situation as I was. It was also then that I realized I was still in a towel and felt myself go red at the thought. I reached back to hold down the ends of it, and was surprised to feel my hands being smacked away.

  “Connor!” I began to hiss out.

  “Calm down, I’ve got you!” he laughed, placing one of his large hands directly on my bum.

  “You jerk!” I shrieked.

  Connor merely chuckled and saluted Matt before speaking. “Best be off, boys! I’ve got this firecracker to deal with.”

  I could practically hear the cockiness in his voice as he exited the bathroom and carried me downstairs and then outside.

  “Wait! Connor! No! Please, I just took a shower!” I begged him as he came to a stop just before the edge of the pool.

  He shifted me in his arms so that I was now being cradled bridal-style.

  “And what do I get if I don’t toss you?” His glinting eyes told me exactly what he was hinting at, and I felt myself gulp nervously.

  Although Connor and I had
gotten back together, we were never really able to… Well, you know… we haven’t had sex, yet.

  “C-Connor.” I shivered at the cool breeze that whipped by.

  “Relax, Bells, I won’t,” Connor said softly as he grinned down at me while he carried me back inside, all the way to his room.

  “Here, let me get you a change of clothes so you can be more comfortable,” Connor said before disappearing into his closet.

  He returned with a pair of black sweatpants and a large white shirt that said “The Beatles.” Smiling gratefully, I looked around for a place to change. Knowing that Connor wasn’t going to budge, I settled with pulling on the sweatpants under the towel.

  Now, for the hardest part—the top. I might, or might not have, spazzed out as I tried to pull on the t-shirt because… yes, you guessed it, my head got stuck in the hole. So, I swallowed my pride, bowed my head in defeat, and helplessly muttered, “Please help.”

  “No.”

  I gritted my teeth. Son of Balthazar!

  “Co—”

  Then, with a swift tug, the shirt slipped over my head, and I was finally able to see again. Giving Connor an annoyed glare, I huffed and tried to walk past him, only to be pulled back.

  “And where do you think you’re going?” The smug smile was back and his eyes twinkled.

  An animalistic growl came out from within me and I pushed Connor backwards, towards the bed.

  “Would you just stop?” I nearly hissed out.

  His eyes were wide with shock and he looked like he had no idea what was wrong with me, and was probably wondering what the reasons behind my insane mood swings were.

  It was only then that I realized what was upsetting me so much.

  “We’re breaking up.” My voice cracked and I quickly looked away. I could feel everything build up inside me and teeter on the edge.

  Connor finally spoke, “Bella, what do you mean?”

  My eyes widened and I felt sickened by the words I knew I had to say. “Don’t you get it? I’m going off to college! You’re going off to college! How in the world are we going to stay together? I–I–I just got you back and this isn’t okay.”