He gave me a nod before turning to walk away, talking over his shoulder at the last minute.
“Careful around here, Aurora. He’s placed you in the lion’s den. Girls like you don’t last.”
I smirked at that.
These fuckers could bring it on.
“Yeah? Well I’m not like most girls, and I already live in hell at home. I may as well live it at school too, huh?”
He hesitated, looking like he was going to say something, but he continued to walk away and disappeared around the corner just as the bell rang.
I headed into the classroom and sat down, noticing people staring at me and whispering, but I ignored them throughout the whole lesson and kept my head down in my books until the lunch bell rang.
I quickly made my way down the hallway and put my books in my locker, grabbing my bag before heading to the cafeteria to eat.
I instantly regretted it though, when I sat down and a cold sticky drink was tipped over my fucking head.
People erupted into laughter, but the only reaction I gave them was to glance up at the blonde girl who did it, with a small smile on my face.
“Probably best you didn’t drink that anyways. I mean, it can’t be good for your waistline.” My eyes roamed over her and I smirked. “You could lose a few pounds.”
Petty, I know.
The prissy bitch’s lip lifted into a sneer. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”
I rolled my eyes, sounding bored as I spoke.
“How about you fuck off before I show you who I am?”
She went to throw a punch, but I grabbed her arm, bending it around behind her back and slamming her chest down onto the table to pin her there, speaking in her ear sternly.
“You rich kids like to pick on people who you think are below you, but you forget that we’ve had to survive more than you. We know how to fight, we play dirty, and we aren’t afraid to get blood on our hands. I’m Rory Donovan, nice to fucking meet you.”
I let her go, grabbing my bag and heading from the room, noticing a table of three boys in the back watching me.
Caden was one of them, and he had an amused expression on his face, but he didn’t make it obvious that he’d watched how the situation was handled.
The guy beside him watched me with dark eyes, his short light brown hair spiked to look deliberately messy.
The other guy sat opposite them, his messy chocolate brown hair covered his eyes slightly, but the intensity in his curious stare burned through me.
When he realized I was watching him, his eyes narrowed and he said something to the others as I held his stare.
I didn’t back down to fucking anyone.
The girl that I’d just had restrained was waving her arms around dramatically, yelling at Caden and his friends to do something about dealing with my trashy ass, but I pulled my eyes away from the stare-down I was having and was out of the room, heading towards the bathroom before anyone answered the fucking drama queen.
The rest of the day was basically the same.
The girls would bully me relentlessly, and no one stopped them, but I let them think they had the upper hand though.
I’d dealt with worse over the years, and a bunch of prissy fucking high school girls weren’t going to get to me.
I was walking to the bus stop when someone called my name, making me glance over to find Caden and his two friends leaning on his car.
I kept my expression blank, but inside I was basically having a fucking orgasm over his car.
The shiny black Dodge Challenger STR Demon was begging me to drive it, but I wouldn’t admit my appreciation of it to him.
“The fuck do you want, Caden?” I asked harshly as I approached, earning a cruel smirk from him.
He went to speak, but someone joined us and spoke instead, making my heart slam into my chest as they moved into my direct line of sight.
There was no way in fucking hell that he went to my school.
“Rory? What the fuck are you doing here?” He asked with obvious horror on his face as his familiar almond eyes stared at me through his black fringe.
“Hey, Lukas. Long time, no see,” I replied boldly, despite feeling like I needed to throw up as anxiety and hate rolled through me.
Lukas James had been my best friend from the first day of preschool.
He remained my best friend up until he walked away from me when I’d needed him most.
That happened at the end of middle school, and I’d been glad when he’d gone to a different high school than me.
It also helped me move on when my father continued to move me to different schools every few months.
I was running out of schools, honestly.
Caden frowned, seeming confused by us. “You two know each other?”
Lukas ignored him, moving up to me and jabbing a finger in my chest.
“You’re the new girl that everyone’s talking about? You took on Claire Davidson at lunch?”
I shoved him back firmly with a glare.
“She’s lucky I didn’t beat her to a bloody fucking pulp, and you know it. Nice to see you turning a blind eye as usual, not that I needed your help. A spoiled little rich girl is the least of my problems.”
Lukas hadn’t been there, but that wasn’t the fucking point.
Caden growled, getting between us and pointing at his orgasmic car, his angry green eyes on mine.
“Get in, Aurora.”
I scowled, giving him an unimpressed snort. “Doubt it, dickhead.”
Was he for real?
Lukas frowned with obvious confusion, drawing my attention to his eyebrow piercing as it moved with the motion.
“Hang on, how the fuck do you two know each other?”
Caden went to answer him, but I spoke over the top.
“We don’t. Now if you’ll excuse me.”
I only got a few steps away before I heard Caden mutter not to touch me, but a hand grabbed me anyways.
I spun around, jerking my elbow into the side of Lukas’s head as panic overtook me.
He let go, rubbing the tender skin with a scowl, his black choppy hair sticking up with the motion and his angry eyes peeked out from behind his fringe.
“What the fuck, Rory?”
I shoved him, and I knew I was visibly panicked.
“Don’t fucking touch me, Lukas. Ever.”
His expression softened, but when he reached for me again, Caden pulled him back a step, obviously trying to give me the space I desperately needed.
“She said don’t, so leave her.”
“But…”
“I said, fucking leave her,” he warned in a low voice, making Lukas finally back up to his spot next to the others, biting his lip ring with annoyance as he glared at me silently.
Caden watched me for a moment before turning towards the driver’s side of his car, speaking over his shoulder.
“Are you sure you don’t want a ride?”
I’d die if I got in that fucking car.
I’d probably come all over the seat when he started the fucking engine and the vibrations hit my ass, so I waved him off with my hand and shrugged.
“I’m fine.”
His green eyes met my blue ones, and it seemed like he was looking into my fucking soul as he stared me down silently until he finally snorted.
“You’re far from fine, if you wanna be honest with yourself,” then he climbed into his car and slammed the door without another word, making me bite back a moan as the engine roared to life.