Chapter 011

TALIA

My head felt heavy, my eyes hot and like they would pop out of their sockets.

Why did I even drink? I kept asking myself as I walked sluggishly down the hallway to my next class.

As this hour, there were a few students milling around the halls and thank the goddess for that. Even their quiet laughter was more than my aching head could bear.

The worst part of all this was I had let myself get drunk and gotten a bad hangover for nothing. I still could not forget Cassian, not when he had been a large part of what happened last night.

An image, clear as day, flashed through my mind.

Of Cassian staring at me like I had lost my mind when I had tried to kiss me.

Making a fist, I hit my forehead, earning myself a few curious looks from some passing students.

Damn!

What was wrong with me? I really must have taken leave of my senses!

Why had I done that? Embarrassed myself in front of Cassian like that?

What would he see me as now? A girl so cheap and desperate to do anything to get his attention, I supposed.

Maybe I could blame most of it on the alcohol, that is if Cassian and I ever got to talk about that night again. I seriously doubted if he would ever let us talk about anything more than school work.

And speaking about that night... what had Cassian been doing in the club in the first place? Had he gone out on a date with the woman he met at the golf club?

Just the thought alone sent a searing burst of pain through my head and I walked faster.

Where was Ruby anyway? She hadn't called or texted and I had not seen her all morning.

She and I needed to talk about last night. Maybe she would have some advice that would make me not feel like sinking into the ground everytime I remembered my behaviour at the club.

I passed some students putting up a poster for drama rehearsals and turned the corner. Tessa stepped out of a room and right into my path.

We both jerked back in time to avoid crashing into each other.

I tried to walk past, but Tessa moved in front of me. This time I nearly did collide with her.

"What?" I said, wishing she would just go away.

I couldn't deal with my twin's bitchiness right then.

Tessa looked me up and down with a hint of a smile. Her eyes lingered on my face. The smile grew wider.

"Poor Talia," she drawled, curling a lock of her perfectly styled hair around one long, painted nail. "You must be so sad that Ethan hasn't fallen for you yet even after the... thing with the makeup." She frowned. "That was makeup, wasn't it? Honestly, all that paint on your face made you look like a sad clown. Some people aren't just meant to be beautiful no matter how hard they try, I guess. Unfortunately for them."

How I wanted Tessa to just be gone! I had other important things to do than fight with her which I could see was obviously what she wanted.

"I'm right, aren't I?" she said again. "You must have cried your eyes out last night over my boyfriend. That's why you look like something the cat dragged in."

Stung, I said, "I have even forgotten your boyfriend even exists!"

I shifted to the right to slip past Tessa. Her foot darted out, tripping me.

I went down hard, landing painfully on my side, all the breath knocked out of me. My books in my half unzipped bag spilled out onto the floor.

I heard something crack and hoped like hell it was something in my bag and not a bone.

"Oops," Tessa said, covering her mouth with one hand and giggling.

Laughter, male laughter, echoed around me.

There were footsteps behind me and in a moment, Tessa was joined by Ethan and one of his friends.

"Look at her face," the boy said, pointing, laughing and holding his sides.

"Yeah," Ethan said, grinning at me. "That is what you get for talking shit."

I felt my cheeks burn, even though I willed them not to. I dug my nails into the floor, trying to stop the shaking. I was so mad it felt like I was burning up inside.

"Oh look!" Ethan exclaimed suddenly.

I had been glaring down at the floor but something in his voice made me look up to find him staring at me, a hard glitter in his eyes.

"Look!" he said. "She actually looks like she can spit fire. Seems the kitten really does have teeth. Are you angry, Talia? You want to get back at us, do you? You want to fight back?"

Tessa sniggered. "As if she would even dare. She's a coward. Always has been."

"Oh but she might dare." Lowering his voice, Ethan squatted beside me. "So how about it, Talia? Why don't you show us how mad you are? Let all that hate and anger out. It must be eating you up on the inside. Come on... You know you want to."

I nearly bit my lip in half with the effort it took not to say anything.

Don't give him what he wants. Don't give them what they want, I kept telling myself. But it was hard to keep quiet when they were literally torturing.

A few students had also come to watch.

I had to get the hell out of there.

Slowly and carefully, I splayed both hands on the floor and started to stand. The next instant, I was flat on my belly again, my hurt arm twisted underneath my body. I cried out.

Ethan had shoved me back down. Now he stood, towering over me, his teeth bared in a grin.

"You don't get up until I tell you to," he ground out.

The muscles in my jaw pulsed, but I forced myself to say, "You do not own me, Ethan. You don't get to tell me what to do."

Clutching my throbbing arm, I tried to stand again.

"Oh no, you don't," was all the warning I got before Ethan's black boot filled my field of vision and slammed into my stomach, crushing the air from my body.

The pain was blinding. Collapsing back on the floor, I lay curled on my side, gasping, fighting to breathe as the sound of their mocking laughter filled my ears.

"That will teach you to talk back, bitch!" I heard Ethan's friend say as though from far away.

Ethan moved closer. Now his boot was an less than an inch from my nose.

"How about one more in the head for good luck?" he murmured.

Through eyes, blurry with tears of rage and pain, I saw Ethan cock his head to the side as if he were really considering it. Gasping and groaning, I started to crawl away.

"What a wimp!" Tessa said, still laughing.

Before Ethan could move again, a loud, angry voice cut through their laughter.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?"

They all stopped laughing. Ethan quickly backed away.

It was Cassian again, coming to my rescue. Again.

Gritting my teeth, I managed to first sit with my back against the wall, then drag myself to my feet. My insides felt like they had been lit on fire.

Cassian was repeating his question.

"Talia started it, professor," my sister said and even in my pain, I was amazed to see tears pooling in her eyes. "We were just trying to talk to her and she pushed Ethan. Then when I tried to intervene, she hit me and started pulling my hair-"

"She went wild," Ethan's friend chipped in, nervously tugging at his earlobe.

"-and then when Ethan tried to pull her up, she tripped and fell."

Cassian stood looking from one to the other.

Finally, he said, "You mean she tried to take three of you on?"

"Yes, professor," Ethan said, putting an arm around Tessa who had brought out a handkerchief and was now dabbing at her eyes. "That's the truth."

Cassian raised one brow. "I find that very hard to believe."

"It's what happened, professor," Tessa instead. "I swear it-"

"Shut up, you liar!" I shouted, clutching my stomach and limping towards them. "You tripped me, Tessa, and you, Ethan, stomped on me. Then you all laughed. I didn't even do anything to you. Any of you."

Ethan, shifting slightly gave me a look that said I will get you for this, but I did not care.

The asshole had attacked me! What else could he do to me that was worse than this?

Cassian had looked at me while I told my side of the story, his expression completely unreaable. Now he turned to the other three.

"The three of you head to my office immediately. And you, Miss Westwood, go to the clinic now and have yourself looked over."