Chapter 3

The moment I stepped out of the hall, Vivian caught up with me.

Her expression turned serious. "Mike, you went too far. I want you to apologize to Leon in front of everyone, right now."

I said flatly, "I just told him not to go around exposing your private business. Is that really wrong of me?"

I glanced at the mark on her collarbone.

She looked stunned. "You found out?"

Vivian stared at me like she couldn't believe it. "Why aren't you angry?"

Of course she couldn't believe it. She'd always assumed I would follow her forever, no matter what. My apparent indifference only gave her more confidence, not less.

"I get it now," she said. "You're just trying to get my attention this way."

I stepped back, putting distance between us. Seeing that, she softened her whole posture and leaned in close, draping her arms around my neck.

"Come on, Mike, don't be mad..."

Those marks were right there in front of my eyes, her parted red lips moving along with them. My head suddenly swam, and I shoved her off without thinking, doubling over as I retched.

Vivian's face went red as if she'd been slapped. She jabbed a finger at me, furious.

"What is wrong with you? Don't tell me you've never wanted me."

I forced down the nausea and bit out a single word.

"Filthy."

Her face went instantly pale. That one word stripped her of every shred of dignity she had left.

"Fine. Remember what you did today. I'll make you regret it."

She'd coaxed and wheedled me enough times that I'd stopped caring how she planned to get back at me.

Then I got to school the next day and found something I hadn't expected.

My desk was buried under a pile of reeking trash. People walking by covered their noses and shot me looks of disgust. I could hear the whispers all around me.

"Mike groveled his whole life and ended up with nothing. Vivian's real feelings were always for Leon. Why else would she do something like this to him?"

"Exactly, and she told everyone not to help him either. He's about to get frozen out by the entire school."

"So what if he is? He used to trail after Vivian every single day and never made a single friend anyway. Who's going to bother helping him now?"

My whole body trembled, and I couldn't stop it.

Vivian had actually used my own trauma as a weapon against me.

Years ago, when my family went bankrupt, everyone had turned on us the second we were down, and I'd been bullied for it. Back then, Vivian used to step in front of me and shield me with her own small frame.

And now she was using that very same pain to threaten me.

She'd probably forgotten how good she used to be to me.

I forced my breathing steady, telling myself to stay calm, and was about to clean up the mess when Leon shoved his way into the classroom with a crowd behind him.

"Mike. Vivian asked me to bring you a little gift."

I froze. Something about the sneer on his face set off a bad feeling in my chest.

Without another word, Leon had the thugs behind him grab hold of me. I couldn't get free in time. I threw everything I had into it, but all I managed was one punch each before they had me pinned.

Leon leaned in close and held up his phone, forcing me to watch the video playing on it.

My dad was the one on screen.

My pupils shrank, and I roared, "What are you doing to him?"

My dad was driving. The picture shook, then the car slammed into something in the road. The second it stopped, someone hauled him out of it, rough and violent, a hulking man with tattoos crawling up his arms, the kind that made your skin crawl just looking at them.

In my ear, Leon kept talking, savoring every second of it.