“Why’d you do it, Madeline? Huh? Were you that desperate to fuck me?”
I shook my head hastily, my eyes still sealed shut. “I—I…” I couldn’t think straight. “I’m sorry, Cole. I wasn’t…” I swallowed, trying to catch my breath. “I wasn’t in my right mind. I was trying to prove…” The words were lost on my tongue.
When I’d started that rumor, months ago, I was at my lowest. I was trying to prove to everyone that Christian was my knight in shining armor, that I still had a hold on him, because I felt him slipping from my grasp. I felt my entire existence at English Prep slipping. I wanted to prove to everyone that Christian loved me, but my plan backfired.
“Trying to prove what? Huh?” I jumped at the coldness in Cole’s tone.
Just as a mortifying tear was beginning to fall over my cheek, Cole’s threatening shadow was ripped from my vision.
A thundering, rough voice boomed throughout the hall. “Tell me one good reason why I shouldn’t throw you over this fucking banister and break your body in half.”
My mouth fell open at the sight of Eric holding Cole by the collar of his shirt over the hall banister. Cole’s face turned beet red, angry lines running all over his features.
Eric’s back was to me, but I could see the tenseness in his broad shoulders. The veins in his forearms bulged with rushing blood. He was going to fucking kill him.
Oh my God.
“Eric!” I shouted, rushing toward them. “Stop! What are you doing?” Never mind the mind-blowing fact that Eric was coming to my rescue. But he was dangling Cole over a sea of people who were beginning to give us their attention. People had their phones out, recording the incident. This was bad.
“Eric, let him go!” I said between clenched teeth. My skin was hot and itchy, the bothersome feeling creeping up my neck.
Eric’s fists were as white as a ghost as he clung onto Cole’s shirt. He shot me a look that felt like a knife cutting my throat. “Was it him?” he demanded.
I stared into his stormy eyes that were clouded with anger. “Was what him?! Eric, let him go right now. You’re going to kill him.”
He chuckled sarcastically. It was sinister-like. “That’s the fucking point, Madeline.” He turned back to Cole who was actively trying to stay still. “Did you fucking rape her?”
Cole looked at me like he wanted to wring my neck. “What the fuck, Madeline?! Again?”
“No, no, no!” I slapped my hand on Eric’s forearm. “That was a rumor made up months ago, Eric. Let him go! I was apologizing to him.”
Eric shook his head angrily. “That wasn’t a fucking rumor, Madeline.”
Oh my God. “What? Yes, it was! Cole did not rape me. Or Cara!”
Cole scoffed, trying to push Eric’s vise-like grip off his shirt. “Fucking finally. Can I get that on camera?”
“Shut the fuck up,” Eric seethed in his direction.
Movement below caught my eye as I saw the Wellington Prep boys starting to edge closer to the stairs. Each and every last one of them looked lethal as they kept their eyes locked and loaded on Eric.
Cole grunted. “I didn’t fucking rape her, man.” He glared at me for a moment before continuing. “Although she probably fucking deserved it for making up that rumor.”
My heart bled inside my chest. He was right. A dark cloud started to crowd my vision again as my breath began to hiccup. Nope. I shoved the memory away as hard as I could and squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them again after regaining my composure, I locked onto Eric who was observing me intently.
He gave me one more quick glance and then pulled Cole away from the banister before hitting him so hard I heard something crack. Cole bent over at his knees and shouted. Blood began to rush from his face onto the floor. Eric snarled as he took a step back. His dark hair was sweaty on his head, sticking to his forehead. The muscles in his jaw ticked back and forth as he rubbed his knuckles. Over his shoulder, halfway down the stairs, I saw Christian and Ollie running with all of Cole’s friends behind them.
It was going to be a brawl, and I was the one standing in between the two opposing sides.
“What the fuck is going on? Why the fuck is Eric fighting on your behalf?” Ollie demanded, rushing in front of me as Christian strode to stand beside Eric. I heard Christian make a snarky remark to Cole as Ollie snapped his fingers in my face. “Madeline? What the fuck did you do?”
I began shaking my head. “Nothing! Eric misunderstood. I told him to stop!” I stumbled over my words. “He thinks…” Loud commotion had Ollie and me ceasing our conversation.
Cole was yelling at Eric, telling him to come at him again. And Christian was holding Eric back, telling him to stop. “Eric, calm the fuck down. There’s three of us and ten of them. We’ll have to pick a fight another time.”
Eric yelled over Christian’s shoulder. “You’re fucking sick, saying shit like that! You deserve more than a fucking broken nose.”
Christian snapped his head to Ollie and me as he struggled to hold Eric back by his shoulders. “A little fucking help? Madeline, get him out of here! Fix whatever you did to cause this.” I didn’t waste any time running over and grabbing Eric’s forearm to pull him away.