He shrugs. “I gave you a choice.”
“Not really.” I shake my head. “It’s not a choice if the end result is the same.”
His grin turns sly. “You could’ve walked here on your own two feet. Instead… I enjoyed the view.”
Theo and Liam are already at the table. Eli and Riley sit next to Liam, and I slide onto the bench next to Theo. Caleb comes over with two trays of food, setting one next to me. He shoots a glare at Theo, then sits on my other side.
Theo grins at me. “Thanks for bringing my girlfriend out of hiding, Asher.”
I snort and grab Caleb’s arm before he can do anything crazy—like punch his best friend. Again.
“Watch it, Alistair,” Caleb growls.
“Calm down,” I snap. “He was joking. Right, Theo?”
Theo appraises me with dark eyes. “Right.”
“See?” I turn to Caleb, triumphant.
Caleb’s face is still shuttered. He puts his hand on the back of my neck and leaves it there for the rest of lunch. The others joke around. Eli and Riley share a few looks and smiles. It’s weird being part of their table—at the center of it, really—but so separate. Is it Caleb’s doing or mine? I’ve never fit in. And I suspect, even though Caleb could charm a snake, he doesn’t try it on his friends.
They accept him as the monster he is. And me, I guess I’m just the possession he’s been trying to acquire. They ignore it, or they’re comfortable in it. Comfortable with their own demons, with the thrones they sit on. The golden boys of Emery-Rose Elite are cherished from afar… because no one wants to get close to them.
The bell rings, and Caleb takes his time getting up. His hand is still on my neck, holding me to him. I like the feel of his fingers on my skin. The way his short nails bite.
My heart beats faster.
I have to skip going to my locker to make it to class on time—not that he cares. He leaves me with a smirk and a brush of his lips on my temple.
The afternoon is quiet. I stop at my locker before Robert’s art class, which is on the opposite side of the school. I’m halfway there when the hallway empties out and the bell rings.
It’s silent for a beat. Two.
My heart pounds, and I quicken my steps. I wonder if Robert will give me detention for being late, or if he’ll let it slide this time.
I just got ungrounded, after all. Who knows how far he can be pushed? His patience. His kindness.
Someone slams into me from behind.
I go flying forward, falling to my hands and knees. My backpack slides away from me.
Hands yank me up, pushing me face-first into the lockers. The cold metal kisses my cheek.
“Wrong place, wrong time, Sheep.”
The hands turn me around, keeping me pinned.
Ian Fletcher’s face is wild with excitement. He’s been waiting for this moment—I can tell. A moment where I’m alone, unguarded.
Caleb would be in Robert’s class by now. How long would he wait before coming to find me?
“What do you—”
My words are cut off when he pulls me forward and shoves me back again. My head cracks against the locker. I must’ve bit my tongue, because blood fills my mouth.
“No talking,” he whispers. “You and me are going for a little walk.”
His fingers dig into my arm. He drags me down the hall, through a side door that leads out toward the soccer fields.
I don’t make a sound. Fear stirs in my chest as we skirt the field, headed toward the woods. The path that the cross-country runners use. I ran into Theo out here once, but I doubt I’ll be that lucky a second time.
It’s darker in the forest. We’re ten steps in, and suddenly the world is a whole lot more sinister. Muted sunlight flickers through the trees. It’s cloudy today, so even the golden leaves of autumn don’t make it a happier—or warmer—place. We could be standing in a graveyard.
He releases me.
I don’t know why that surprises me more than anything. Maybe I thought he’d reveal a knife and slice me open. Or hurt me in some other way.
“You,” he says. “You’ve managed to ensnare Caleb Asher. How?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know.”
He pushes me backward, his face contorting.
I stumble and hit a tree, and it’s the only thing that keeps me upright.
“You. Margo Wolfe. He hated you for how many years? Six?”
“Seven.”
“Seven.” He laughs.
Birds take off to our left, a great flurry of motion.
I flinch.
“He uses people,” Ian warns. “Whatever you think you feel… it’s a lie. A manipulation.”
I cross my arms over my chest. Maybe it’ll protect my heart from his words. “Why are you telling me this?”
His hand coasts over my jaw, his fingers gripping my chin and moving my face to the side. It’s painful, but I don’t make a peep.
His eyes latch on to the bite mark on my neck. It’s mostly faded—enough that I only put a light layer of concealer on it—but the makeup must’ve worn off.
“We were friends,” he says. “And then high school starts, and he becomes a lacrosse god. Once I filled my use, I was kicked to the curb.”
“You showed him,” I respond. “You stole his girlfriend. Had her cheat on him—”
“Fat lot of fucking good that did.”
“Your problem isn’t with me.” My voice is low. The fear is strangling me the closer he gets.
Heat pours off his body. He’s too close.
He laughs. He releases my chin, and I turn my face to the side. I don’t want to see whatever madness is on his face. His hand wraps around my throat.
“My problem is most certainly with you, Sheep.” He squeezes.
I keep my hands at my sides, but I meet his eyes. If his goal is to make me beg, he has another thing coming.
“You’re the key to getting back at Caleb. I think he may even love you.”
It’s hard to breathe. Swallow. Panic claws at me.
I can’t answer him. I won’t.
Caleb Asher does not love me.
“It’s a game to him,” I wheeze.
Ian frowns.
If he wasn’t a maniac, he might even be handsome. He sure got Amelie’s attention.
“Please,” I mumble, finally bringing my hands up to his wrist.
He grunts, releasing me, and I slide to the ground.
This seems familiar.