She just rushes away, and there are too many people around for me to try to catch up to her a second time.
It's lunchtime, and I'm done running, done hiding, so I head to the cafeteria after making myself a sandwich from the stuff in my locker. I'll just hide in the corner. It'll be fine.
"You're Liam's newest conquest, huh?" a guy asks me after I finish my sandwich.
“I’m not Liam’s anything.”
The guy shrugs and walks away.
“That’s not what I heard.”
My heart sinks. Fucking Brett.
I turn around. "Brett," I say, almost sighing his name.
“Erika.”
“Where’s Corey?”
“Right here.”
Corey’s right behind me, and Brett’s moved to be right in front of me. I’m sandwiched between them. I’m sure there are a ton of girls who attend here who would be dying to be standing right here, but I’m dying to get away.
But I refuse to be intimidated and offer Brett a smile. Lure more flies with honey and all of that shit.
“Well, someone was supposed to show me the ropes here at Elk Grove Academy, and since no one did…” I shrug a shoulder.
“That prick has the smallest dick of anyone here,” Brett says.
“I wouldn’t know. I haven’t seen it,” I say.
Which insinuates that Brett has.
“You really do need to learn your place,” Brett says, his hand touching my chin. He turns my face to the right and then to the left.
My heart is pounding. I'm not afraid. Maybe in some twisted, sick way, I enjoy these pissing contests. My father forced me to enter into his dark underworld, and there had been plenty of high stakes and drama there. Maybe I am a bit of a drama queen, and I want the attention. Need it, crave it. Can't get it from my mom anymore. Ran away from my father and all of that, but I still need my adrenaline high.
My father fucked me up real good.
“My place isn’t barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen,” I say, his hand still on my throat. He’s not squeezing at all, his hand just resting there, and it’s all about possession.
I’m not his.
Not even though he licked me.
Hell, he could lick me all over my body, and I still wouldn’t be his.
Why do I want that? I’m just horny from thinking about Austin the other day. That’s all. Stupid hormones.
Brett rubs his thumb up and down. “Your place…”
“Where is it?” I ask. He’s standing so close that I can’t see the entire length of him. He might even be too close to me that I can’t knee him if the situation escalates.
I kind of want it to escalate. I want to push his buttons. It will be stupid to, I know, but I’m done hiding, done running away.
I’ll stand up for myself.
And if I get knocked down, I’ll get up and stand up for myself again.