Hating You

by Beck, J. L.

  “I thought you’d be gone by now,” I tell her. “Figured I made myself clear with what would happen if you decided to stay.”

  “You don’t scare me, Parker,” she barks while gathering up her things and shoving them into her bag.

  “Maybe not right this second, but you were the other night. You were trembling, probably close to pissing your pants,” I taunt, wanting to lure her into the darkness. I stare down at her, at her throat, my gaze drops to the swell of her breasts that peek out of her shirt. They’re big, perky, and I wonder what color her nipples are, a dusky pink like her cheeks were earlier?

  Clenching my hands into fists, I dig my nails into my palms to stop myself from reaching out to her, to mark her.

  “You know, I reported you to campus police,” she blurts out, and I can’t help but laugh, the sound echoing through the room.

  “Did you now? I’m sure that went over well,” I chuckle and shake my head. Such a stupid girl. Stupid, beautiful girl. Doesn’t she know my father basically owns this school?

  She swings her purse over her shoulder and turns to me. Her eyes lock with mine, a fire flickering deep inside of them, and all I want to do is stomp that fire out.

  “They told me it didn’t matter. That they couldn’t help me.” Her throat bobs as she swallows. Not afraid, my ass. “What kind of officer can’t help a woman who was assaulted?” Those dark green eyes of hers pierce my heart, and for one single second, I see her as the girl she was before she pulled the rug out from underneath me. Before she destroyed me.

  Leaning against the table, I shrug, “Personally, I would say a smart one. One that doesn’t want to lose his job. And assaulted? Seriously? I didn’t even hurt you.” Not like I wanted to anyway.

  Willow grits her teeth and takes a step toward me. If she’s trying to intimidate me, it’s not working. “Yes. You. Did. And you don’t own this place, and you definitely don’t own me. You can’t just come into my room. You can’t threaten me or try and hurt me. It’s illegal, there are laws to protect me.”

  The balls of this girl. It’s time I knock her down a peg or two. Lifting my hand, I bop her on the nose, “But I can, and I did. And no one here would dare cross me. Or my family. So, spoiler alert, there isn’t anything you can do about it.” I lean in a little closer, doing my best to intimidate her, “Why don’t you do us both a favor and use that lying fucking mouth of yours for something other than speaking.”

  I look around the room, realizing that we’ve talked long enough for it to clear out. We are the only two people left. She follows my gaze, realizing the same.

  I smirk, flicking the button on my jeans, I wait for her to start screaming, for the panic to set in, but instead, I find she’s still standing here, a determined look painted on her features.

  “I didn’t lie,” she snarls, and fuck, I’ll be damned if that doesn’t make my cock even harder. I wonder if she’s ever given a blow job, hell, I wonder if I can go through with this. I guess we’ll find out. Her anger mixes with my own, and it’s like a nuclear battle is taking place inside me. Hurting her is going to be my next favorite past time.

  “You did, you lied, and now my brother is paying the price.” I speak through my teeth, “An innocent man’s life is ruined and all because of you. Funny how one single lie can change an entire person’s world.”

  Reaching into my pants, I pull my steel hard cock out. I’m not worried about anyone walking in. They’ll turn around and walk out when they see what’s happening, and if they don’t, then I guess we’ll give them a show.

  Willow’s green eyes widen, and her pink lips part at the sight of my length. An audible gasp fills the room, and the fact that it’s come from her makes me wonder if this is her first time seeing a cock. The look on her face almost confirms my assumption. I can’t stop my lips from curling into a sinister smile.

  I’ll break her. Take all her firsts. Ruin any future she ever had.

  I’m done talking, nothing she says now will change what’s happened.

  “Have you ever given a blow job?” I reach for her with one hand, pinching her chin between two fingers, while I use my other hand to stroke my cock.

  She blinks, her mouth hanging open in shock and for a moment she just stares at me. Full-on stares, those big emerald eyes of hers bleed into mine. Time stands still for half a second, and it seems like I’m catching a glimpse into her soul.

  Then, as if she’s composed herself, she closes her mouth and straightens her spine. The shock and fear in her eyes morph into something different.

  Determination? Lust? Is she turned on by this?

  My suspicion is confirmed when she jerks from my hold and takes a tiny step toward me, closing the distance between us. Lifting her hand, she places it on my chest. Her touch burning into my skin through my shirt. I try my very best to keep my face blank, not to show any kind of emotion, but on the inside, I’m a fucking tornado wreaking havoc.

  “A blow job, hmmm? That’s what you want?” She lets her fingers trail down my chest, and I wonder if she can feel how fast my heart is beating. I can’t believe she is fucking okay with this. I’m shocked, flabbergasted. I figured she would be running the other way as fast as she could. Now that she’s making a move on me, I feel like the tables have turned.

  Like I’m the prey, and she is the predator.

  “Would you let me stay at this school with you if I suck your dick?”

  “It would be a start,” I shrug, as her hand trails down, and down, and when she looks up at me with them fuck me eyes, I swear, I nearly come unhinged.

  “Okay…” She whispers, her fingers grazing my cock and the pre-cum that beads at the tip. For a split second, I close my eyes, giving in to the feeling, the desire. I’ve wanted this for so long. Every chick I’ve ever fucked, I’ve envisioned to be her, and now that something is happening, it’s almost as if it’s a dream.

  With my defenses down, Willow takes that moment to pull her hand away, and before I can open my eyes all the way to ask her if she’s changed her mind, she jams her knee into my balls. The force of the blow sends me to my knees in an instant. Black spots form over my vision, and my stomach churns, acid rising up my throat.

  Anger as hot as the fucking sun vibrates through my veins, and I grit my teeth, trying everything I can to push through the pain.

  “Don’t ever threaten me again, asshole. I’m not like everyone else, I’m not going to do what you want just because you say so. You can try to hurt me all you want, but I promise you, I won’t break easily,” she yells, and before I can get my tongue to work or my vision to focus on her, I hear her scampering out of the room.

  “You bitch!” I slam my fist onto the ground, and seethe into the empty room, hoping maybe she has heard me. Fuck. She’ll pay for this. I’m done. I’m not going to just scare her anymore. I’m going to be the nightmare she fucking knows I can be.

  Run, Willow, run as fast as you can….

  5

  Willow

  My feet pound against the pavement, the intensity of each step jarring my bones. Oh, god. I shouldn’t have done that. I really shouldn’t have done it. Air rushes into my lungs as I suck in a deep breath and sprint down the sidewalk and back to the dorm.

  I know I’m not safe, not even there, but I do know one thing. Parker won’t do anything in public. He isn’t that stupid. But that doesn’t mean he won’t be able to come after me, find me in a dark corner of the campus, or just break into my room again.

  I’m so screwed. I never should’ve let him get to me. All I did was feed right into his hate. I’m so disappointed in myself. Taking the steps two at a time, I run up them and down the hall, my key card already in hand. Sweat beads my brow as I swipe the thing with shaking fingers, surprised when it actually opens on the first try. Thank God.

  Stepping inside quickly, I slam the door shut behind me and twist the lock into place before slumping against it. Like some flimsy lock is going to protect me? Pfft, I’m stupid. Black strands sti
ck to my face, and when I hear a creak, I lift my eyes in the direction of the noise.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Alice’s voice pierces through the air, and my already strained heart starts to thump out of rhythm again. Holding a hand against my chest, I press my palm to my sternum, as if my touch there could somehow calm the erratic beat.

  “Sorry, I didn’t see you there,” I answer breathlessly.

  Alice’s brow furrows, and she frowns deeply, “Are you okay?”

  “Yes… no, no, I’m not okay,” I whine. Dragging my feet, I walk over to her bed and flop down next to her. “I’m so screwed, Alice. I really messed up this time.”

  Alice looks horror-stricken, “Oh, god, what happened? Did you sleep with someone’s boyfriend? Hit on one of the hot, professors? Please say it was the second. I don’t know that I could handle a scandal as big as—”

  Interrupting her before she goes on a tirade, I say, “What? No! No, I didn’t sleep with anyone’s boyfriend or a teacher.”

  She visibly sighs, her eyes losing some of the surprise that mirrored in them, “Okay, spill the beans then. What did you do?”

  Sucking in a panicked breath, I try and think about where I should start.

  Peering down at me curiously, Alice waits while I try and catch my breath.

  “Okay, so long story short, I know one of the other students that go here. Our families have known each other for years, and well, there is a lot of bad history between us.” I continue but watch Alice’s face with each word I speak. “The other night he threatened me, said some things that scared me. The next morning, I went to campus police, but they told me they couldn’t do anything.”

  Her pink lips part and her mouth pops open, “Threatened how?”

  “He told me I needed to leave, or he would make my life hell here.”

  “Wait, why? I don’t understand. Am I missing something?”

  I resist the urge to roll my eyes. None of this is Alice’s fault. “He hates me… he hates my whole family, and truthfully, it’s a long-ass story.” My hair falls into my face, and I’m half tempted to leave it there, to let it shield my face from Alice’s gaze, but I don’t. If anyone is going to believe me here, it’s going to be her. “Anyway, obviously, I didn’t leave. So today, I saw him again, and he cornered me after class. I let him think I was going to give him a blow job, and then I busted his balls together, and I mean literally busted them together.”

  “Oh, my god,” Alice tries not to laugh, but she can’t do much to hide the grin on her face. “What’s his name? Maybe I know him.”

  “Parker Rothschild.” As soon as the name falls off my lips, Alice’s smile completely vanishes.

  “Willow,” Alice grumbles and then presses her hand to her forehead as if she has a headache or something. “If your families hate each other, then why get involved with him?” Saliva turns to cement in my mouth, and Alice continues talking, “There is a reason the campus police did nothing and why no one will help you, not even if you beg and plead for it.”

  I chew on the inside of my cheek until I taste blood, “What do you mean? He can just hurt me, and no one will care? I don’t understand how that’s possible.” Have we suddenly gone back in time?

  Alice’s hands fall from her face, and when our eyes meet, I see the fear and nervousness there. “He can do whatever he wants. His dad funds half the school programs and helped buy a new science lab last year. There was even a scandal a year or two ago where the assistant principal stole a bunch of money. He bailed them out, and so essentially the school, and all of the people who work here are indebted to him.” Christ. My lungs start to deflate like balloons. There is no escaping him, and I’ve just gone and poked the bear. I’ve literally started a war with the one person I wanted to avoid most.

  “They own this school and all the people who work here. If Parker tells someone to do something, they do it.” Alice frowns, and doubt like I’ve never felt before starts to take root.

  What have I done?

  “What do I do?” I question nervously.

  Alice shrugs, and her eyes move to the floor, “Lay low, and stay out of his way? I don’t really know. But what I do know is that I don’t want to get involved in this. I’m your friend, Willow, but Parker is bad news, and being noticed by him is even worse.”

  I’m not just shocked. I’m flabbergasted. It’s like someone has pulled the rug right out from underneath me. Like they’re standing on the sidelines watching as I slip, waiting for the moment when I fall, so they can attack.

  This is wrong, so wrong, and all over again, I feel trapped, just like I did with the incident with my sister. Boiling with anger, I get up from the bed and move away from Alice. She’s supposed to be my friend, but it feels like she’s anything but that right now. As if she can feel my anger, she pipes up.

  “Look, I’m sorry, but I don’t want anything to do with Parker; he’s dangerous, and I’ve heard horror stories about girls that get involved with him and his friends.”

  She visibly shivers, and I want to tell her she has no idea, but I bite my tongue.

  “I just don’t understand how they can get away with hurting people. How teachers can turn a blind eye to that behavior?” And I don’t. I truly don’t understand it.

  “I don’t know either, but I don’t want you to get hurt because of Parker and his friends. Maybe he’ll forget about what happened today?”

  “Doubtful…” I mutter.

  “What if you apologize to him?”

  “Me, apologize to him?” What is this? Opposite day? She has to be insane if she thinks I’m going to apologize when I’m the victim in this.

  “I get it, Willow. I know it’s not right. In a perfect world, he would be the one apologizing to you, but we both know that this is not the way it works. Not anywhere, and especially not here at Blackthorn. Here, money and power are everything, and that’s exactly what Parker and his family have, so while I’m sorry and you might hate it, I think tucking in your tail and apologizing is your best option right now.”

  I can’t fucking believe this. Like I’m actually shocked. There are a thousand things I want to say, but none of the words come. The worst part of all is that there isn’t one person in this entire place that would take my side over his. Alice might, but she wouldn’t vocalize it. She wouldn’t actually stick up for me.

  “I know you don’t want to do it, but you should. Just bite the bullet, apologize, grovel a little, and he’ll probably leave you alone.”

  I blink, staring boulders through her face. She has to be high, or on some sort of drug.

  “You can’t be serious?”

  She nods, “I am. If you want to remove the target from your back, then you’ll have to apologize. It’s that or walk around campus worrying that he’ll come for you at any turn…”

  My teeth grind together so hard my jaw starts to ache. Alice doesn’t know anything; she doesn’t understand that there is no stopping what I’ve done. Apologizing won’t fix this. This kind of hate, this kind of anger, it’s something that’s been building for years.

  I’ve essentially dug my own grave by provoking him. Now it’s all about surviving, getting to the next day without being noticed. Flopping back on my bed, I stare up at the ceiling.

  What the hell am I going to do?

  * * *

  Three days have passed since I decided to sign my own death certificate. Like a crazed person, I watch over my shoulder waiting for him to strike, but so far, nothing’s happened.

  By the afternoon, I’m dreading every class I go to because I know; eventually, he’s going to be in one of them. I can’t outrun him forever. That point is proven when I walk into Biochemistry and see Parker sitting at one of the tables. A shiver runs through me from the top of my head all the way down to my toes.

  I’m surprised to see another familiar face sitting right next to him. It’s the guy from brunch, Warren. I stop mid-step and stare at them as they laugh at something together. Their laughter is
like acid raining down on me. I doubt him talking to me that day was a coincidence.

  I can tell the moment that Parker notices I’ve entered the room because it seems to grow quieter, the air becoming heavier. He looks up at me then, not an ounce of emotion showing on his beautiful, cruel face. He expected me to be here. Somehow, he knew I was going to be in this class. I just know it.

  With my throat in my stomach, I make my way to a nearby open seat. I feel vulnerable with my back to him, but there isn’t anything I can do about it. Steeling my spine, I tell myself I can do this. He’s one person, in a sea of thousands. He isn’t the first person to bully me, and he won’t be the last. I’ve considered what Alice and I talked about. Apologizing, groveling, as badly as I don’t want to, and I really don’t want to, it might be my only option.

  The hair at the back of my neck stands on end, and even though there are people talking around me, all I can hear and feel is him. My body is hyper-aware of his presence like an invisible rope is tethering us to each other. Barely being able to pay any attention to the professor, I almost miss what he is saying.

  “For the first half of the semester, we are going to be working in groups. Divide the work evenly. Grades will be given to groups, not individuals,” Dr. Dawson goes on, explaining how to set up and divide work within the group. I look around and watch as people are already moving and building groups of three or four people.

  Shit. I must’ve been lost in thought for a lot longer than I thought.

  Getting up, I walk over to the closest table. It’s a group of three girls, and they’re chatting quietly about how the class is a real pain in the ass.

  “Hi, room for one more in your group?” I ask, in the friendliest way I can muster.

  “Yes, but not for you,” one of the girls mumbles without even looking up at me. Blinking slowly, I take a step back toward my table. What the hell?