LOGINChapter Three – Are you Scared of me ?
“Who the fuck are you?” The man whom Zane had just tossed aside says, annoyed that he was being completely ignored.
“Stay out of our business, school boy.” The injured man adds. Zane turns to look at them. Their faces changed immediately they recognised him.
“Ah, Mr Volkov, it's you. Forgive us, this East Rivers girl was talking trash about your team. We were just teaching her a little lesson. We support the West Rivers Titans, you know.” One of them quickly begins to lie through his teeth.
“Yes, yes. We do.” the others join in like baby ducklings.
What a bunch of cowards.
“Really ?” Zane asks. His tone gave nothing away. I can’t tell if he believes them or is being sarcastic.
“Yes, of course, man. Exactly. You know how those East Rivers folks are. They walk around like they're royalty. They think they're better than us. We had to –”
“They’re lying.” I cut him off, tired of his blatant lies already.
"Did I ask you?" Zane turn towards me. My mouth snaps shut. Bastard!
The men laugh a little, getting more confident. “If you want, we can make sure she knows never to mess with the West Titans again.” They say eagerly, hoping he lets them continue with me.
Zane’s expression changes. It turns into something colder. “You’re not fans. You're drunk idiots hiding behind my team's name.”
“We are on your side.”
“Walk away. I don’t want to bloody my knuckles.” Zane warns once.
Is he stupid? There are three men here. He’s going to be the one getting the short end of the stick. I didn’t know how to fight even if I wanted to help. Plus, I was injured.
But to my surprise, the men listened without a word. Quickly scrambling away in fear. I sigh. To be honest, even I was scared of Zane. He was unpredictable and very ruthless.
“Why are you in these parts of town. What are you up to ?” I asked. Was Zane involved in something shady?
“Just came to dispose of a couple of dead bodies.” He shrugs.
“What?” My eyes widened.
“Don’t be so gullible,” he chuckled, giving me a look that said I was stupid.
“Well its not hard to believe. You’re a little nototrious guy, and even those thugs were scared of you.”
He walks towards me. I pressed my palm into the sand, trying not to back away. I don’t lower my eyes. I stare back, even when it feels like my pupils are begging to look away. I don't know why Zane always has this effect on me.
He crouches in front of me. He’s so close that I get a scent of his cologne. It smells of cedarwood and dark musk..
Expensive.
“Are you scared of me?” he asks, piercing eyes searching mine.
Yes
A hundred per cent, and thousand per cent yes
“Don’t flatter yourself,” I shot back quickly. Too quickly.
I need to put some distance between us.
I try to get up, but he doesn’t back up to give me space. My skirt is too short. The now ripped skirt exposes my legs way too much. If I tried to cover up, he’d know I was being conscious of him. He gives me a once-over before getting back up.
He looks amused at my state. "Interesting," he says. My cheeks heat with anger. Maybe it's a little bit of embarrassment, too. I can’t really identify the emotions this guy manages to bring out of me.
“This isn’t a place for the likes of you, princess. You should go home.”
“I can handle myself, thank you.”
“You drove a bright pink G- wagon into these parts of town in your cheerleading uniform. You were basically putting a gazelle on a hungry Lion’s plate. Be lucky I got here before these men actually started with you.”
“I’m not a pussy bitch. As I said, I was handling it myself. I didn’t ask you to butt in and then rub it in my face.”
“Okay.” His lips curl up with that same amusing look.
I sigh. I’m not even going to bother. It's not worth it. I walk back towards my car.
It’s totaled. The tires have been removed. Windows gone, slurs scrattched into the fine colors of my car.
“NO no no no… What the hell !?” I move around the vehicle , inspecting the damages. Everything in my car is gone. My cute little decorations, my Chanel purse and bag, my phone and even my spare shoes. My parents are going to kill me. What a shitty day.
“Okay, someone got really lucky shopping.” Zane says from behind me looking at my trashed vehicle.
“It’s not funny. My parents are going to kill me.. How do I even explain ?”
“Well, it's getting late and those thugs might return. I’d take you home.”
“Are you crazy ? I can’t be seen with a West Titan.” I cross my arms. That is like commiting social suicide.
“Okay.” He turns to leave.
“Wait, umm .. your um windows um the win windows..are tinted right ?” I murmured, having no way of getting home if he leaves me here. My car was basically scrapped, the area was dangerous, I had no phone, I was dirty, exposed, bleeding and starving.
He pauses for a second. “Speak up.”
Douchebag
“Are your windows tinted ?” I spat out quickly, fidgeting with my fingers whilst my eyes darted around.
“Why ? what ungodly things do you plan to do there?” A smirk appears on his face.
“Oh my gosh shut up! I wouldn’t even want to touch you with a five hundred inch pole.” I roll my eyes.
“Sweetheart, trust me, prickly bitchy princess is not my go to. You can’t handle me, baby. Just wait here.” He gives me a once over and scoffs in dissapointment before turning away.
His words stung a little. I was everyone’s type. Well, apparently except him. Zane has never shown interest in me. I was just the annoying neighborhood girl his mom was besties with. I hated that I couldn't wrap him around my finger like I did to every guy. It bruised my ego a little. He just genuinely didn’t give two fucks about me.
I wish I could say the same but the guy was built like a Greek god from heaven. You can’t blame me for looking. I'm glad he has a terrible cold personality that deters me from even being in his presence.
Zane drives a black mercedez benz around the corner, perfectly safe. How is his car perfectly safe when mine is barely standing ?
“Get in.” He says.
He doesn’t even open the door for me.
Rude
“Don’t soil my seats. Put this on.” He throws a hoodie at me, hitting me square in the face. I shoot daggers with my eyes, glaring at him but not daring to say a word. He was trying to get a reaction out of me. I refused to give him that. He'd use it as an opportunity to abandon me here.
I put on the hoodie. It felt nice and warm and smelt like him . For some reason, I expected it to be cold and freezing like its owner.
He revved the car, causing my whole body to vibrate. My finger tips buzz with excitement as he zoomed away from the area and back towards our part of the city. I rolled the windows all the way up and lifted the hood of his hoodie over my head.
We sit in silence the whole ride. He doesn’t play any music. It's just dead quiet. I stare out the window at the trees. We are moving so fast. Night has fallen now and street lights have come on.
My stomach suddenly grumbles. Very loudly at that.
Chapter Twelve - UninvitedNobody moves for a second. The whole crowd is just watching, phones already creeping up out of pockets because of course they are, because nothing happens in this town without someone filming it first.Maddox looks at Zane like he's trying to figure out if this is actually real. "You've got to be kidding me.""Wish I was." Zane's hand is still at my back, warm through the thin fabric of my dress, and I'm too rattled to shake it off. "You were saying something about her being a bad person? Go on. I want to hear this.""This isn't your business, Volkov.""Made it my business the second you cornered her in front of a crowd." Zane's voice doesn't rise. It doesn't need to. There's something about the flatness of it that makes people go quiet faster than yelling ever could. "Or is that your thing now. Ganging up on girls with an audience."A few people laugh, quick and nervous, and Maddox's jaw tightens in a way I recognize from years of dating him. He hates being
The East High exclusive party happens twice a year, hosted at whoever's parents happen to have the biggest house and the least interest in actually being home that weekend. This year it's at the Whitfield estate, and it's the kind of event that used to be mine by default, an invitation I never had to ask for because my name did the asking on my behalf.This year, I almost don't get one at all.It shows up two days before, slid under my locker door instead of mailed to my house like it used to be, no note, no fanfare, just proof that I still technically exist on the guest list even if my social standing has taken a nosedive since the breakup. I stare at it for a long moment before shoving it into my bag, unsure whether I even want to go.Zane, predictably, has other ideas.Zane: heard about the partyAva: how do you even hear things this fastZane: i have people. bring meI nearly drop my phone.Ava: absolutely notZane: why notAva: because it's an exclusive east rivers party, zane. w
Chapter Ten - Damage ControlI don't sleep. Not really. I spend most of the night staring at my ceiling, replaying the sound of Maddox's voice in that hallway, cold and threatening in a way I've never associated with him before. Two years of dating someone and apparently I still didn't know what he sounded like when he thought no one who mattered was listening.By morning I've made a decision, even if I'm not entirely sure it's the right one.I find Freddy before homeroom, catching him at his locker before the halls fill up. He flinches when he sees me coming, folder practically forgotten in his bag, like he's spent the whole night regretting ever handing it over."I'm not giving this to anyone," I tell him quietly, holding up the folder just enough for him to recognize it before tucking it back into my bag. "I promise.""Then why do you still have it?"That's the question, isn't it. "Because I think you need it more than I do. Proof that you paid some of it back, or a plan to. Someth
Chapter Nine - CracksThe assembly fallout is instant and delicious in the worst possible way.By lunch, half the school is whispering about the mystery sponsor question, replaying the way Maddox's easy smile had frozen, the way he'd stumbled through some vague non-answer about "restructuring" before the principal mercifully moved things along. Nobody quite has the full story, but everyone senses there's a story to have, and that alone is enough to knock a little shine off his golden-boy armor.I should feel victorious. Instead I feel like I swallowed a rock.I find Freddy again after sixth period, tucked into the same corner by the equipment room, looking paler than usual, a folder clutched to his chest like it might combust."I got the numbers," he says quietly, glancing around like the hallway itself might report him. "I don't know why you want this stuff, but something feels off about it, Ava. Some of this doesn't add up. Like, at all."He hands me the folder, and I flip through i
Chapter Eight - The QuestMy phone buzzes against the bathroom counter while I'm doing my mascara, and I already know who it is before I look. Nobody else texts me this early. Nobody else has the audacity.Zane: morning princessI set the phone down and continue with my makeup like I didn't see it. It buzzes again almost immediately.Zane: i know you saw thatZane: your read receipts are onI curse under my breath and consider, briefly, turning off read receipts entirely, moving to another country, faking my own death. Anything to avoid whatever is coming next.Zane: don't ignore me. we both know how that endsThat's enough to make my stomach drop. I pick the phone back up, thumb hovering, torn between wanting to throw it across the room and knowing full well that ignoring him has consequences I can't afford. Not after last night. Not after the ice in his voice when he told me to try harder.Ava: what do you want. i'm getting ready for schoolZane: good. that's actually relevantZane:
“I'll see you tonight,” he says, already walking toward the far exit the one, I realise belatedly, that he clearly already knew existed. “Don't forget our deal, princess.”He disappears before I can throw something at him.I sit back down on the cold bleacher, pulling my knees to my chest, trying to remember how to breathe normally. My reputation is safe. For now.My peace of mind, unfortunately, is a different story entirely. I return to class after a while and powered through the day.Okay fine, maybe tolerated is the better word.I'm halfway through brushing my teeth when I hear it. A soft scrape against my window, like something dragging across glass. I freeze, toothbrush still in my mouth, and stare at the curtain like it's about to attack me.Then the window slides open.I nearly choke."Oh my god." I spit into the sink and spin around, heart hammering. "Are you insane?"Zane climbs through with the ease of someone who has clearly done this before, like my second floor window is







