His eyes widen and his hands pull back. I wince in anticipation of an explosion, but he freezes. His face drops in exhaustion. He purses his lips to the side as he looks around and then back to me, not knowing what to do. I am backing him into a corner—one he’s not used to being in. I don’t know what Vivian did when she was jealous of me, but it didn’t matter. Emmett had already made up his mind by then that he’d be with me if he could. Now I have him, and I’m not going to let her take him away.
“I need everyone to know you’re only with me now. That she doesn’t matter to you anymore,” I continue, rambling insecurely, pushing him closer to the edge. I know I should stop, but I can’t. I am too exposed and afraid of her coming between us.
“I don’t have time to worry about this high school drama bullshit!” he fires back through clenched teeth, the muscles in his neck straining. “I thought coming back here today and being with you would help take my mind off things with my sister, so I could think more clearly about what to do next. But now I wish I’d just stayed home alone!”
“I’m sorry,” I offer lightly, still not entirely won over by his argument. “I know you’re under a lot of stress, I just…I just wasn’t prepared to deal with Vivian today, much less to see her teamed up with Lily. And I wish there was something you could do to make them lay off.” He looks around despondently, still not offering to help in any way.
I do feel guilty and try to convince myself this is all trivial stuff I should just ignore. But I know Vivian and what she’s capable of. If Emmett doesn’t put a stop to it, it’s only going to get worse from here. I stand in silence, deciding not to keep pushing him while he’s like this. He murmurs something and walks off, leaving me standing alone and feeling terrible.
Of course, when I turn around Vivian and Lily are standing right there, watching everything. As I go to chase after Emmett, I accidentally turn my unzipped bag in the wrong direction, sending its contents scattering across the floor, including an assortment of condoms and tampons—the two worst things to be picking up off the middle of the floor with Vivian and Lily leering over me. They erupt into giggles, teasing me as I struggle to gather everything back together, but I drown them out.
4
Chapter Four
I turn to face Vivian and Lily’s pleased, judgmental faces, cringing over the satisfaction there after seeing Emmett and me fighting. Especially with me chasing after him as he stormed off twice in a row.
“Ready to give him up yet?” Vivian taunts menacingly. “Everyone knows he’s only with you out of some weird survivor’s guilt over everything that’s happened. And it’s only a matter of time before he realizes that, ditches you, and comes running back to me.”
For once, Lily seems somewhat bothered by Vivian’s remarks, but she still does nothing to come to my defense.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about, Vivian. So just back off.” I turn to walk away, feeling in no mood to get into another verbal sparring match with her.
“And you have no idea what he needs,” she shoots back before I can get away. “Things won’t stay like this forever, Sooner or later, Emmett won’t be in the position he’s in now. And he won’t know how to live without that kind of money and power. My family will be back on top and he’ll come crawling back to mooch off of us…”
She keeps rambling as I round the corner and push through the back doors of the school. I try to note everything she’s said to bring up with Emmett later. She could just be blowing hot air on false, narcissistic confidence. Or she could be alluding to what’s happening with Bernadette.
My stomach rumbles as I push through the chilly air, realizing I shouldn’t have been so quick to abandon my lunch and chase after Emmett. Now I’m cold and hungry and really have no clue where I’m walking to. I only know I don’t want to be inside of the school and run any risk of dealing with Vivian and Lily again.
Realizing I’m storming through the school yard aimlessly, I finally stop and take a seat beneath a large tree. Thankfully, the sun is angled in just the right way to provide some warmth as I rest my back against the bark. I close my eyes and lay my head back, feeling sick over how the day is going.
I didn’t expect Emmett to be back today but walking through the halls with him all over me felt redemptive in a way. It felt like the rest of the Elites had fallen down to where they belonged—shamed, out of sight, and out of mind. But then Lily and Vivian had to pop up out of nowhere, and now Emmett and I are fighting. Right in front of them at that—giving them just the ammunition against me they needed.
Why couldn’t Emmett have just told them off? Who cares what Vivian wants or doesn’t want…what about me and my feelings? I’m frustrated that my needs always seem to come second to hers, even when she’s not his girlfriend anymore.
When I first came to WJ Prep, I was captivated by the Elites and their endless, tormenting games. Caught up in their maze, never knowing what to expect next, but it was never good. Then Emmett took me prisoner, and I thought once I was free that would be the end of it. But he still has me held captive. I’m starting to wonder if I will ever be free. Even if things between us end one day, I can’t imagine not being haunted by all that has happened between us.
“You’re in my spot.” A guy’s voice suddenly pierces through my circling thoughts.
“Excuse me?” I shriek back, bolting my head forward in expectation of yet another bully waiting to strike. But instead I’m surprised to see Malcolm Henderson standing there with a gentle smile on his face. “Oh, it’s you. I haven’t seen you since…” I trail off, remembering the eerie night when he and his father, supposedly by order of my father, met with me in an abandoned warehouse out in the middle of nowhere. It was right after that Emmett and his cronies ended up taking me captive.
Malcolm Henderson and his dad, Liam, are the owners and founders of a software company that services the Jameson Automobile Company. Malcolm and Emmett are already ex-friends who don’t like each other, but I have been espec
ially curious to see how things turn out now that Emmett is in charge of everything. The Jameson Automobile Company used Malcolm’s software to run extortion rings of politicians, and modified it to create a black market for underage girls. A sex trafficking ring.
Malcolm is tall and slender with creamy pale skin, sandy blonde hair that he keeps spiked up, and kind, pale blue eyes. His chest is narrow, but chiseled, and sits on top of long legs that spider out around him.
“I hear it’s been quite eventful for you since then.” He smirks sympathetically, nodding to the sunny seat in the grass next to me. “Mind if I join you? I normally hide out here to eat lunch.”
“Sure, but only if you’ve got enough in there for both of us.” I eye his full and unopened bag of McDonald’s, thinking how ironic it is for him to be eating that considering that’s where I was ordered to go alone before he picked me up.
“I believe I just might.” He smiles before spreading out on the ground and opening the bag.
“How did you have enough time to pick that up, anyway?” I ask as I accept a small handful of fries.
“One of our assistants brings it to me every day,” he explains casually. “I promise it’s not always fast food though. Sometimes they bring food from the cooks in our kitchen at home. You know, healthier stuff.”
He talks about it all as if it’s so ordinary. I wonder if he even has a clue that the average home doesn’t come with assistants for food delivery or a kitchen full of private chefs. “Healthy is good.” I nod awkwardly, feeling suddenly in way over my head.