LOGINI could deal with that text message later. Right now, I had something else to deal with.I opened Ivy's chat and typed quickly.Rebel: Can you meet me somewhere private? I need to talk to you. Chris also wants to talk to you. I sent it.Chris was already starting to walk away."Where are you going?""To class” he replied, turning away from me. "You said you would talk to Ivy.""I said I would. But right now, I have somewhere to be."I marched towards him and caught the back of his sleeve, "You are not escaping."He looked down at my hand, “Did you just grab me?""Yes.""You are very brave for someone who needs me to keep her away from Vanessa."I released him immediately, "I was only preventing you from running away.""I wasn't running.""You were walking suspiciously fast. You're avoiding responsibility.""Fine. I will stay.""Good."We stood there waiting.The awkwardness didn't last long.Chris started making fun of the way Vanessa had dramatically announced my return, imitating
My fingers had barely pulled the locker door open when a hand slammed it shut.The sound echoed through the hallway making me jump. Chris now stood in front of the locker. For one ridiculous second, I simply stared at him.His expression was murderous.Vanessa's smile disappeared, "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded.Chris turned toward her, "What does it look like?"His voice was dangerously calm but loud enough to be heard. Vanessa folded her arms. "I was talking to Rebel.""No, you were trying to humiliate her."Vanessa scoffed, "That is none of your business.""It became my business when you decided to make a scene in the middle of the hallway."She rolled her eyes. "Why do you even care?"Chris's jaw tightened, "I don't care about your feelings, Vanessa. I care about not having to deal with another ridiculous problem because you cannot leave people alone."Vanessa's face reddened, "She deserves it. She pranked me.” "Whatever you think she deserves, you are not givin
Monday. After what felt like an entire lifetime of being suspended, dragged around by Sean, one therapy session, fighting Chris, and trapped in the Kane mansion, I was finally going back to school.I stood in front of my mirror buttoning my white shirt.My deep purple pleated skirt was neatly pressed, my blazer hung perfectly over my shoulders, and, like always, I checked my sleeves twice to make sure they covered every scar on my arms.I picked up my school bag and took one last look at myself.No matter what happened today, I was going to survive it. I walked downstairs expecting a quiet morning, but voices stopped me at the door of the dining room."...I'm telling you she deserves to know,” Dad sounded frustrated.Susan answered immediately, "And I'm telling you this is the worst possible time.""What happens when she finds out from someone else?" Dad asked."She won't find out if everyone keeps their mouth shut.""That isn't realistic, Susan.""It is realistic if people learn to
Chris won.He sat across from me with the most irritatingly satisfied expression I had ever seen, leaning back in his chair as though he had just accomplished something worthy of a national award instead of finishing a pile of paperwork three minutes before me."You lost," he said.I folded my arms across my chest, "I am aware.""You lost badly.""I said I am aware."He grinned, "You were so confident when we started. Look at you now."I stared at him, "I was confident because I thought you were too lazy to finish.""And yet here we are."He tapped the completed stack sitting neatly in front of him.I looked away, "I don't care.""You clearly care.""I don't.""You have been staring at my paperwork for the last thirty seconds.""I am trying to figure out how you managed to finish that quickly."He laughed, "That sounds like caring to me."I rolled my eyes and turned toward Sean, "Can you please tell him to stop?"Sean looked up from his laptop, "He won.You owe him whatever you agreed
The therapy center was our first stop. I had expected him to drop me off and leave, considering the number of things he would definitely have to handle on a Monday morning. But he surprised me by walking inside with me.Chris followed behind us with his hands buried in his pockets and an expression as hard as always. I filled out the necessary forms while Sean handled the arrangements with the receptionist.Eventually, a therapist was assigned to me, and my first proper session was scheduled for Friday evening.That suddenly felt very close.I stared at the appointment card in my hand."You will be fine," Sean said.Without looking at him, I muttered, "Thank you.""You are welcome."I glanced at Chris.He was leaning on the wall beside the exit, staring at me expectantly."What?"He cleared his throat, "I am still standing here.""Do you want to get signed up for anger therapy?" I said sassily. "Perhaps a little appreciation would be appropriate.""For what?""For coming with you.
Monday morning arrived quickly.I stood in front of my mirror, adjusting the collar of my blouse for what felt like the fifth time, even though there was nothing wrong with it.Dad said we were going to sign me up for therapy today.I wasn't sure how I felt about it.Part of me wanted to believe that talking to someone would help, while another part of me wanted to keep everything locked away where nobody could reach it.I picked up my little purse and checked my reflection one last time. My scars were properly covered.I didn't want questions. I didn't want sympathetic looks.And I definitely didn't want the therapist asking me what happened. I wasn't ready to talk about it yet. As I reached for the door, my phone buzzed.I glanced at the screen and my stomach immediately tightened. It was Marcus.I had not replied to his messages, but his last one had been sitting in my mind since yesterday.Someone was asking about me..Then there was the other thing. The message I still couldn't c
I couldn’t breathe.One second, Dwayne was dragging me through the packed crowd with his hand wrapped tightly around my wrist, and the next, Chris punched him so hard his head could have snapped sideways. Girls screamed.A table crashed over.I stood there frozen, staring at Chris Kane. I thought
He wore dark clothes that made him stand out above all the other brightly dressed guys, band aids still decorated his face. “Hey Dwayne, I thought you said you wouldn't make it,” I said and he shrugged. “I came for you. You look good. Want a drink princess?” He yelled above the noise. “I’m not a
Dad wasn’t alone. A woman sat opposite him, smiling warmly. She had long gray hair and bold green eyes, she sat confidently with her legs crossed. I felt immediately intimidated by her calm but bold presence. “Rebel,” my dad said, getting up to give me a hug. “Meet Susan, she's going to be your st
The door suddenly barged open. All fours of us watched as a guy with band aids decorating his gorgeous face stepped in. He paused when he saw me,“What's going on here?” He asked in a deep voice, turning his gaze to the three guys. “Dwayne?. You're alive?” Brown curl began to laugh, “I thought Ch







