After what feels like forever, Rachel finally notices us coming and by the time we reach her, I have an imposing asshole standing at my back. I jam my elbow back into him, letting him know exactly what I think of him being here, but he’s quick to catch it and force it back by my side.
I don’t get to focus on the feel of his skin on mine for long as Rachel looks over us and instead of the scared, nervous tension that should be radiating off her, she grins. “Took you long enough.”
“What took long enough?” Nessa questions, throwing out the same very question that I was only moments from asking.
Slade’s hand drops to my waist but instead of it being the gentle caress of needing to hold me, it feels more like a grip, holding me back in case I feel like lashing out. My hand falls on top of his and when I try to push it off me, his grip only tightens until I have no choice but to leave it. Though to be honest, I’m not exactly complaining.
I keep my hand over his and as he feels the pressure disappear from mine, his grip loosens. His fingers weave up through mine and my heart instantly races, wondering what the hell this could mean.
Rachel acts as though Nessa didn’t say a damn word and turns her gaze on me, smirking with pride. “My video,” she admits. “You liked it, didn’t you? It was pretty fucking good. Though, I’m a little disappointed it’s taken you this long to figure it out. It’s not as though I made it hard. There was practically a trail of breadcrumbs, but I have to admit, I’m annoyed that I haven’t received the recognition that I deserve.”
Slade’s hand squeezes again pulling me back as I go to take a step forward. Nessa glances up at me and without saying a word, I know exactly what she’s trying to tell me – fuck this bitch and my goddamn list.
With everything that’s been happening over the past two weeks, I’d nearly forgotten all about that damn video. After Slade’s warning to the school, not one person has even dared speak about it, yet here we are and I’ve got a score to settle.
My fists pump with adrenalin as the horrid emotions that video caused me begin to resurface. I’ve been humiliated in many ways but that video was brutal.
It all becomes so damn clear to the point that I feel like an idiot for not seeing it before. Rachel was there every single time. She’s the one that’s been following me around like some kind of stalker. She’s the creep. Hell, she was even there that afternoon when Slade and I came tumbling out of the supply closet.
“You know,” I say, not wanting to admit that I hadn’t actually worked out that it was her. “I did like your video, in fact, I loved it.” Rachel’s eyes narrow and I allow her to see the real me, the one who’s faced hell, the one who’ll take no prisoners. “I never got a chance to thank you properly.”
As if on cue, Damian appears behind her while Slade drops his hand and moves to my side, silently letting me know that he’s not going to hold me back. Nessa moves around and within moments, they’ve formed a circle around us. No one in, no one out.
It’s like letting a rabid animal loose on a little kitty, and damn it, I’m going to enjoy this.
Sensing what’s going on, Rachel’s eyes grow wide and it’s clear that in the many ways this could have gone, never did she expect an actual ass-kicking. Girls like her with bitchy mouths are hoping for some petty war with nasty words, but not me. I handle my business just a little differently.
Rachel glances back at Damian, silently asking for his help, but Damian is loyal to a T, and now that she’s admitted to attacking one of his own, their little arrangement is over. Not to mention, Damian was also put on blast in that video so if she had hoped that she’d still come out with him on her team, she was sorely mistaken.
Damian takes a step back and everyone standing behind him instantly moves back, terrified to get in his way. Slade does the same and the movement has students scrambling to get out of his way. Nessa follows the boys lead and gets some sort of movement from the onlookers but nowhere near the same reaction as the boys got, but really, I couldn’t care less because the circle around us has suddenly become my ring, one that not even the strongest man would risk entering.
Rachel’s eyes come back to mine in a panic and as I watch her, I realize that this is my chance to finally prove to the sorry bitches of this school that messing with me comes with consequences.