BULLIED

GINGER:

Without wasting time, I dress up and leave the room. I know Caspian will be here any moment, and the last thing I want is for him to know I had sex with his best friend. Trying to steady my breath, I make my way downstairs as I text Hana.

“Where are you?”

“Downstairs. At the back of the house, and I just saw Caspian now. He is heading inside.”

I dash out the front door as I read the text. At that moment, my mother’s text comes in with the address of the new house.

“My mother texted, and she is angry. I am leaving now, and I am so sorry she has to do this,” I text Hana as I flag down a taxi. The moment I get into it, I give the driver the address of the house and then throw my head backward.

**

The next day, I wake up a little sore, and when I turn on my phone, it is flooded with notifications. I pray they include a text from Hu, apologizing for leaving abruptly and making me feel filthy. But when I check, it is all Caspian. This heightens the guilt in my chest.

“What happened last night?”

“Did I do something wrong?”

Taking a deep breath, I reply to his text.

“Nothing is wrong. I had to leave early because of my mum. See you in school.”

After this, I push myself out of bed, hurriedly dressing for school. Then I rush downstairs to have breakfast with Mother and Daisy.

“Are you excited about your first day?” she asks, and I give a half smile as I munch my toast. “Looks like someone is gloomy, but we are excited, right?” She looks at Daisy, tickling her slightly, which makes her giggle.

Daisy is seven, and I would give anything to be her. I mean, she didn’t find her mate, have sex with him, and watch him leave without a word.

Shortly, we are done, and we pile into the car. Mother drives off, making a stop at Shadow Pelt High first.

“Have a great day, baby, and remember to call me when you dismiss,” she says, and I force a smile onto my lips as I wave her goodbye.

The moment she drives away, I turn around, and the first person I see is Hu coming out of a sleek black car. My pulse races and my throat feels dry as my heart hammers in my chest. I don’t want to confront him, but my wolf won’t stop disturbing me. It wants its mate.

Hurriedly, I make my way toward him as he walks away toward the school courtyard.

“Hu.” I call out, and he turns toward me, pulling me in with his gorgeous blue eyes, which suddenly become ugly as his face draws down in a frown.

“What do you want?” His voice comes out cold and loud.

I swallow hard, noticing students around staring at us. I know he is popular, but people in this school almost can’t mind their business.

I lower my voice. “Last night we...”

“Made a mistake, and we should keep it that way. If you don’t have anything important to tell me, then you should leave,” he says, and I stand there with my mouth ajar. He walks off, and I take a step back, mistakenly stepping on someone.

I barely have time to apologize before I feel their hands shove me hard, causing me to stumble, and I try hard to maintain my stance.

“Watch where you’re going, fatty!” the red-haired girl spits, her voice dripping with venom.

The surrounding crowd erupts in laughter, and I look around, taking in their cruel faces. My wolf growls low, urging me to fight back, but I freeze, staring at her smug face as she pushes past me.

“Hu,” she calls out in a seductive tone.

The laughter from the students becomes a blur as I watch in silence while she throws her arms around him, and he leans down to kiss her. The sight is a knife to my chest, cutting through my heart as my wolf cries, watching her mate choose her bully over her.

With tears clouding my eyes, I rush into the school building. I try to block away what I just saw, but the tight feeling in my chest doesn’t allow me. Things get worse in the middle of the hallway. The students around look at me, whispering to one another, making the air unbreathable. Every glance and sneer makes my stomach churn. I lower my head and hurry to my locker, desperate for some kind of shield from their stares.

My hands tremble as I fumble with my books, trying to shove them into the locker. The metal clangs shut, and I take a deep breath, leaning my forehead against the cool surface.

The moment I turn, a face pops into view, and I let out a startled scream.

“Hey, what gives?” I question Hana with my face coiling in a frown. Then she let out a chuckle. Close to her stands another girl about her height with black curly hair.

“Wendy, this is Ginger. Ginger, this is Wendy.”

“Hey,” I say shyly, putting a hand up.

“First off, why didn’t you tell me we were next-door neighbors? I saw your mum earlier today before we left.” My mouth falls ajar as Hana says this. “Let me help you,” she says, pushing my chin up. “And what the hell happened last night with you and Caspian? Everyone has your name in their mouth!”

“Nothing happened between us, if it is what I am thinking.” The eager smile on her face falls. “Plus, I don’t think it’s Caspian. Some girl called me a fatty,” I say, trying hard not to cry. She pulls me into a hug.

“They are probably just jealous.” She tries to console me, but Wendy shrugs, crossing her arms.

“If you think of it, she has a little fat. One would wonder why Caspian likes her.” Wendy says, and Hana scoffs, pulling away.

Her words get to me, causing my face to break into a frown as I touch under my arms.

“She dated Caspian, so she is among the jealous train. You look good, curvy, and sexy. I doubt Casp will get over losing you if he fumbles you.” Hana makes me blush with her words while Wendy scoffs.

“And no, she isn’t breaking any rules, Wendy. We aren’t allowed to date people’s exes, but you and Caspian dated when we didn’t know Ginger. It was two years ago, so it doesn’t count,” Hana says, facing Wendy, who rolls her eyes.

Then Hana frowns. “But we take the ‘no dating each other’s brothers’ rule seriously,” she adds.

I shrug because I don’t know her brother, and I have bigger problems at hand than thinking about dating whoever he is.

Suddenly, the chatter in the hallway stops. The hall goes silent, and I turn to see what has everyone’s attention. My heart sinks as Hu makes his way into the room with the girl who bullied me, flanked by Caspian and a few of their teammates. The air seems to shift as all the girls in the hall stare at them. It is like we are in a movie, or some meet and greet with celebrities.

“I hate him,” Hana curses under her breath, and I glance back.

“I know. That’s the girl who called me fat, and...”

“Ruby called you fat?” she interrupts, and I nod. She reaches for my hand. “You have no problem. She is definitely jealous of you being with me because we kicked her out of the group when she thought it was nice to sleep with my brother.”

My heart skips a beat when she says this, and I flutter my lashes

. “You know the ‘no brother dating’ rule, or you are secretly f***ing Hu,” Wendy chips in. I swallow hard, letting out a light chuckle to ease the tension.

“Get over it, Wendy,” Hana tries to defend me, but I search my mind, trying to recall Caspian ever saying Hu and Hana were related. He didn’t. “She’ll be with Caspian. Look, he’s staring at her right now.” I want to tell Hana I have broken the rule without trying.

Instead, I glance toward Caspian, my pulse quickening as his gaze meets mine. I flash him a small smile before looking away, but the guilt embraces with a cold hug. How can I stand here, letting him look at me like that, knowing what happened last night with his best friend?

Hana’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “But seriously, do not go near that ass, Hu. He’ll only ruin you. Plus, he’s cursed. He’s an eclipse baby who can’t even have a mate.”

“Not like Caspian’s any different.” Wendy scoffs.

“But at least he isn’t screwing multiple girls while leading one girl on, and he keeps girlfriends. He is LOYAL.” Hana stresses the words.

“Are you in love with him or something?” Wendy asks.

I am lost in my world thinking of the mess I am in when the loud pop of a confetti popper breaks the silence, sending colorful streamers into the air. Murmurs flow through the hallway, with students stunned as the confetti rains down.

A mix of cedarwood and mint envelops me, unmistakably his, as his hands gently cover my eyes.

“Hey, baby,” Caspian whispers in my ear, causing goosebumps to ripple across my skin.

“Caspian.” I choke out his name, and he plants a quick kiss on the side of my cheek.

He spins me around, his hands still covering my eyes. Then he lets go. There in front of me hangs a huge banner:

“Will you be my girlfriend?”