He squints at me. “Are you being bullied?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
I wonder what would happen to a rat. The tormenting would increase, I’d imagine.
The cheerleaders were the driving force today. Amelie and Savannah watched while their minions pinched me, ruined my things. My locker had been filled with mud. The back of my arms are bruised from fingers biting my flesh.
I’ve never been so tense.
And it’s probably because Amelie and Savannah both want Caleb—and here’s the proof that he wants me.
He’s not even here to stop it. Won’t be until Wednesday.
“Okay, take your seat.” He does reach out now, putting his hand on my shoulder for a brief moment.
I manage to smile at him. I tuck myself away in a corner for the rest of class, letting my mind wander. I thought I saw someone familiar at the party. But I still can’t put my finger on who it was. Maybe they’re the culprit.
Or it could be… literally anyone who went to the party.
I need to figure out who Unknown is, and what their endgame is. If I can uncover their motive, maybe I can stop them or tell someone who can help me.
The bell rings, shattering my thoughts. Chairs scrape back, and my classmates perform a mass exodus.
I stay where I am, wondering if I can just wait everyone out.
Robert starts picking up, casting me a glance or two before setting down the canvases and approaching. “Something is wrong.”
“It was just a tough day.”
He sits on the stool next to me. The one Caleb usually takes. “Did something happen at the party?”
I flinch. “No. It’s fine. Please. I’ve got this.”
He exhales. “It hurts to see you like this, Margo. I just… if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Thanks, Robert.”
He packs up his bag, and we head toward his car.
Unsurprisingly, Caleb is waiting for us.
The whole school emptied out fast. Besides cars belonging to students staying late for sports, the parking lot is deserted. He rises from where he was leaning against his car, parked next to Robert’s, and shoots us a smile.
“Mind if I steal her?” he asks Robert.
My foster dad shrugs. “I think she could use some cheering up. Even though she’s technically grounded.”
I wince.
Robert chuckles. “Just be back before Len gets home, okay?”
“You got it, Mr. Jenkins,” Caleb says. He opens the passenger door for me, lifting my backpack off my shoulder.
We sit in his car and wait until Robert drives away.
“Today was hell,” I say.
“You’re a fighter.”
That might be the first time he’s ever paid me a compliment.
“I’m sure it wasn’t anything you couldn’t handle.”
“I don’t want to handle it,” I snap. “I just want—”
He twists toward me, his eyebrows rising.
“I don’t know,” I finish lamely. My mind is a jumble. “I have to do this again tomorrow?”
“Maybe something more interesting will crop up.” He winks at me, then finally puts the car in drive.
We head in an unfamiliar direction. When he turns into a driveway and parks, I have no choice but to follow him up the front walkway.
“Whose house is this?”
“Eli’s,” he says. “He’s busy. But since you have an hour, I figured I could make your day a little better.”
The house feels oddly familiar. Like I came here in a dream.
We go into his living room, and Caleb throws himself onto the couch. He pats the space next to him. “Sit.”
“You just let yourself into his house?”
He nods. “Yeah. His parents are pretty cool. They travel a lot, though.”
“Gotta love absentee parents,” I answer.
His face shutters for a second.
“Why did you attack Ian?” I need to change the subject.
“Just protecting what’s mine.” His hand wraps around the back of my neck and pulls me to him.
Our lips touch softly at first, barely moving.
I open my eyes.
He’s watching me. His free hand sneaks up my shirt, dancing across my back. He unhooks my bra at the same time that he lowers me to the couch.
“Wha…”
“One choice,” he says, his lips moving to my jaw. He palms my breast. His fingers find my nipple, rolling it and pinching. “If you want this—if you want me—just say the word.”
One choice.
It’s not just one. It’s a series of choices that could lead to catastrophe…
Or happiness.
God, that seems like a possibility right now, with Caleb’s breath in my ear and his hands on my skin. He could play me like an instrument, make me sing. I’ve never felt this way about anyone else. No one has ever bothered to try to touch me.
And then it comes back to me that we’re in his best friend’s living room.
I push his face away, staring up at him. “I do, but not here.”
He laughs, and the walls that he let down for a split second are resurrected. “If not here, where?”
If not now, when?
He picks himself up off me and leaves the room. My silence must’ve spoken for itself.
With shaky fingers, I reclasp my bra and straighten my shirt.
He comes back with his jacket on. There’s a new set to his jaw, and a smirk on his lips. “My place. If you don’t want to here... and you’re not going to tell me where, then I’ll choose.”
I shiver.
But I can’t say I’m against it.
The drive to his house is quick. It’s more silent than a graveyard in his house.
As we pass the front room, I point at the covered furniture. “Why is this place so…”
“Haunted?”
I run into Caleb. I hadn’t realized he’d stopped walking, and I almost fall backward.
He grips my upper arms, keeping me stable. “A lot of ghosts in this house, love.”
I meet his gaze.
“Let’s banish a few.” He leans down and kisses me.
It’s more ruthless than the kiss in Eli’s house. Something has shifted. He’s released the monster inside him.
I shudder at the infiltration. My heart cracks open as he backs me against the wall, taking my wrists and holding them above my head with one of his hands. His other continues his exploration of my body like we never stopped.