But he ignored me, brushing my legs as he pushed passed me and sat down on my left, in Alex’s seat.
“Hey, Rika,” another voice called, and I turned back to my right, seeing Will Grayson take the empty seat on my other side. “How’ve you been?”
Both settled back in their chairs, and I felt them like walls at my side. I hadn’t spoken to them in three years, and I stared ahead, not knowing what the fuck was going on right now.
Déjà vu. They were here. They knew I was here. The hair on my arms stood on end, and it was like no time had passed. Three years ago was today.
I squeezed my fists, noticing the professor coming to stand in front of the class.
“Hello, everyone,” he greeted, threading his tie though his fingers. “Welcome to Anthropology in Youth Culture. I am Professor Cain, and…”
I shifted my eyes, the professor’s voice trailing off as I felt Damon’s arm lay across the back of my seat.
Cain continued to speak, but dread sat like a brick in my stomach. “What are you guys doing?” I asked them, keeping my voice low. “Why are you here?”
“Going to class,” Will chirped.
“You go to school here?” I asked, staring at him disbelievingly before turning to Damon.
His eyes, so cold but so hot at the same time, were on me, as if the teacher and class weren’t even here.
“Well, we did kind of lose time,” Will mused, keeping his voice low. “I must say I was a little heartbroken not getting a letter from you the entire time we were away. The last night we were free, we all had a lot of fun, didn’t we?”
No. No we didn’t have a lot of fun. I breathed hard through my nose and hurriedly folded down my iPad and reached over for my bag, getting ready to leave.
But Will grabbed my wrist, pulling me back up. “Stay,” he suggested in a light tone, but I could tell it was a command. “We could use a friend in class.”
I yanked my wrist away, the skin burning where he’d gripped it. I pushed my desktop to the side, grabbed my shit, and shot out of my chair.
But then Damon grabbed the back of my shirt, and my heart skipped a beat as he pulled my ass back down into the seat, whispering, “Get up again, and I’ll kill your mother.”
I rounded my eyes, my breath turning shallow as fear scorched my skin. What?
A guy in the row in front of us turned his head, probably having caught that, and pinched his eyebrows together in worry.
“What the fuck are you looking at?” Damon scowled.
The guy’s expression turned scared, and he quickly twisted back around.
Oh, my God. I dropped my stuff and just sat there, trying to figure out what to do. Was he joking? Why would he say something like that?
But then I stilled, remembering that my mother wasn’t home. She was away. I’d tried calling her several times this past weekend, but then, a couple of days ago, I finally got a text from her saying she was joining Mrs. Crist on their yacht for a cruise for the next month. She was on her way to Europe right now, and our housekeeper took the opportunity to go visit family out of town. The house was completely empty.
I let out a small breath of relief, relaxing. He couldn’t get his hands on her even if he wanted to. Not right now anyway. He was just fucking with me.
His arm snaked around my neck again and pulled me back into my seat. I stiffened as he brought me in close.
“You were never part of our group.” His angry whisper fell on my ear. “You were just * being groomed.”
And then his other hand slid to the inside of my thigh, squeezing it.
I whimpered in shock and grabbed his hand, ripping it off me. He reached for me again, but I bared my teeth, slapping him away.
“What the hell is going on back there?”
I stopped, hearing the teacher’s voice. Facing forward, I glared ahead, feeling eyes on us, but I refused to answer.
“Sorry, sir.” I saw Damon smooth down his black T-shirt as he slouched in his seat. “Gave it to her nice and good this morning, but she still can’t keep her hands off me.”
Laughter broke out around the class, and I heard Will’s quiet, self-satisfied chuckle next to me.
Embarrassment warmed my face, but it was nothing to the anger building under my skin.
What the hell did they want? This didn’t make any sense. This was mine. This school, this class, this new chance to be happy…I’d be damned if I let them chase me off.
The teacher shot us a look of annoyance and then went back to his lecture about technology and its impact on youth. Will and Damon settled back into their seats, keeping quiet.
But I couldn’t concentrate.
I just needed to make it through class. I just needed to get out of here and get back to my apartment and…
And what?
Who would I complain to? Michael?
Michael. He lived at Delcour, only one floor above me. The guys would be there. Frequently, probably.
Shit.
After years in jail, I would’ve thought they’d be long gone after that much loss of freedom.