Gently nuzzling her hair, he dropped a soft kiss on the top of her head. Cassie sighed in delight. “Let’s get you some lunch.”
She frowned up at him, aggravated at the interruption. She did not want to move. He grinned at her, his green eyes twinkling brightly. She loved it when he smiled. It gave him an air of boyishness that was charming and heart melting. “I can hear your stomach rumbling.”
Blushing slightly, Cassie ducked her head, silently cursing his enhanced hearing. Squeezing her tight once more, he turned her, moving with the flow of students toward the cafeteria. Though she still received looks, the whispered asides were drastically cut back. Mainly because none of the girls wanted Devon to think that they were catty and cruel, and none of the boys wanted to risk his wrath.
Devon’s arm tightened briefly around her, the smile slipping from his mouth as he stared hard around the halls. Apparently they weren’t as discreet as they had thought, at least not around him as he was picking up things that no human would ever hear.
His jaw clenched, his hand locked upon her waist. “It’s ok,” she said softly. “I’m becoming used to it.”
He glanced sharply at her. “You shouldn’t have to,” he growled.
Cassie shrugged and dropped a quick kiss on his cheek. Though there was nothing that he could do about it, she thrilled at his fierce desire to keep her safe in every way. “I’ll meet you at the table.”
His hand tightened upon her as she tried to pull free. “I’m coming with you.”
Quirking an eyebrow, she shook her head at him. “You don’t eat.”
“I don’t care.”
“You can’t follow me everywhere Devon, I can do this myself.” A muscle in his cheek jumped. It was obvious that he didn’t want her to face this alone, but she had to. She had to face a good chunk of her day alone as it was, and if she didn’t start developing a thicker skin now, then it was going to be a very long, very hard year. “I’ll be fine.”
Slowly, reluctantly, he released his hold upon her. Cassie gave him a small, reassuring smile before heading in to swim with the sharks. The buzz instantly grew around her; the murmurs became louder and nastier as she wound her way through the crowd. She did her best to tune them out, but they only got worse the farther from Devon she got.
Her rumbling stomach clenched, her appetite vanished. Instead of all the talk dying down with time, it seemed to be growing in force, becoming angrier. Regretting her decision to leave Devon behind, she almost turned away from the lunch line, but she could not give them the satisfaction of realizing that they were getting to her.
She kept her chin held high as people snickered and whispered behind their hands. Though she didn’t know why they bothered to stay behind their hands, their whispers were as loud as gunshots to her. “Well, look at who it is.”
She didn’t even bother to look up as Mark Young appeared by her side. Mark had followed her around for years, hounding her to go out with him. Having sensed something off about Mark, Chris had cautioned her away from the muscular boy a long time ago, but Cassie would have stayed away even without Chris’s warning. She had never felt anything for Mark, but he had been relentless in his pursuit, and often highly annoying. He had also been one of the first people to turn against her when she began to see Devon, and it had been his actions that had given the rest of the student body an excuse to hate her.
“Ah but you’re not so special anymore are you?” Cassie continued to ignore him as she moved slowly through the line. “How the mighty have fallen. Guess that’s what you get for being a slut.”
Though she had not wanted to give him the satisfaction of reacting in anyway, she could not stop herself from shooting him a dirty look. He chuckled softly, enjoying the fact that he had finally gotten a reaction out of her. Cassie shivered; her skin crawled with disgust as his arm brushed against hers. “Truth hurts, doesn’t it?”
She kept her chin held high, but inside she was a seething mass of raw nerves and revulsion. She wished that she hadn’t sent Devon away, she wished that she had never stepped foot in this line. She wished for many things, but none of them were going to do her any good at the moment. She was here, Devon was not, and Mark seemed determined to make her miserable.
“Doesn’t it, whore?”
Cassie’s jaw clenched tightly as she fought the fierce urge to punch him. If she hit him though, she would probably hurt him. And no matter how much she wouldn’t mind hurting him, she knew her conscience could not handle it. “I’m talking to you,” he growled, his growing agitation evident in his voice.
Her eyes flickered briefly toward him. Shock riveted her. His eyes were feral, frantic. She was surprised and horrified by the lack of control that radiated from him. He was about ready to snap. Fear coiled through Cassie. She took a small step back, her attempt at bravery forgotten in the face of his wildly unstable persona. She did not know what was wrong with him lately, but this was the second time she had seen him half crazed as he came after her. The first time had led to the school hating her, this time she was afraid it might lead to actual violence. She wasn’t entirely certain that even if she did hit him, it would affect him in his current condition.
Cassie glanced around the cafeteria, searching for an escape, but they had slipped into the inner area of the lunch line. A wall now blocked her back and students were crammed around her. Students who would offer her no help right now. Out of habit, and looking for something more to protect herself with, Cassie grabbed a tray. She clenched it tightly, holding it against her chest in a poor attempt to shield herself from his bizarre behavior. It did little to help.
She glanced at the crowd still ahead of her, silently urging them to move faster. “You always thought you were too good for all of us. For me. Now you’re nothing.”
She shot a fierce glare at him, anger boiling up to replace the curdling horror inside of her. “I am too good for you,” she retorted, unable to stop herself.
His eyes bugged out of his head, his hands fisted at his sides and for a brief moment she thought that he was going to hit her. “Bitch!” he spat.
Cassie had enough. Tossing her tray onto the metal railing, she turned and began to shove her way through the crowd, ignoring the disgruntled looks she received. Pushing free of the crowd, she inhaled a shaky breath, wanting nothing more than to be free of the cafeteria, and the school.
A hand seized hold of her arm, ripping her around. A startled cry escaped her as Mark’s hand tightened on her, his grip becoming painful. “Don’t you walk away from me!”