Sleeping with a bully ov.., p.19
Sleeping with a Bully (Overachieving Only Wanted to be Happy), page 19
Oh, gross. Sophia couldn't possibly be thinking...
"Did you guys finally have sex yet?"
Sophia's mouth dropped and she glanced at me.
"For God's sake, Hannah," I mumbled.
Hannah turned to me. "What?" she asked innocently.
"You can't just ask people if they had sex, yet. And besides, that guy is fucked up."
"You think he's fucked up?" I heard Sophia ask softly and I turned to her.
"Everyone knows he's fucked up," I answered irately.
"So?" Hannah interjected."He needs someone to help him get unfucked up, that's all."
My brows rose. "Unfucked is not a word."
"You know what I mean," she sighed.
Sophia's face was completely red as she listened to us talk.
"And besides," I pulled another folder to me and opened it, "if they have sex, things will get a lot worse for her."
Sophia leaned into me, a move I didn't anticipate her to do, and asked, "Why?"
I stared at her.
She was really weird this morning.
Then I replied, "You're a virgin, right?"
I didn't know it was possible for a completely red face to turn redder.
"W-what?" she stammered. "How did you know?"
I rolled my eyes. "Please. Anyone can tell you're a virgin." I gave her a severe look and continued, "I bet you're waiting for a guy who deserved it before you'd give something that perfect one that'd sweep you off your feet and shower you with words of love and praise. So will you give up your virginity to a guy with a notorious reputation who fucks anything that moves?"
Hurt flashed in her eyes and I immediately regretted my choice of words. But she needed to wake up and stop being so naïve. Her life wasn't a fairy tale, for God's sake.
Hannah, of course, jumped to her rescue. "That's not what I heard. It's his buddy John who fucks around, not Leon. He's just the school bully, as far as rumors go. John's the school man whore."
My chest tightened painfully.
This was why I didn't want to be around Sophia. Because somehow, John always cropped into the conversation and damn it, I didn't want to hear anything about him.
"But I thought everyone in school is also afraid of him?" Sophia asked, glancing at me.
"Oh, everyone's just scared of him mostly because he's buddies with Leon," Hannah answered. "The girls actually lust after him, only because Leon scares the crap out of them. But secretly, they wish to fuck Leon too."
"Whatever," I said airily, hoping they'd stop talking about that lying, womanizing asshole. "All guys are the same."
Hannah rolled her eyes. "Please. Just because your first boyfriend was an asshole doesn't mean all guys are the same." Then she turned to Sophia. "Don't worry, Sophia. I'm sure your virginity is safe with Leon."
Sophia groaned softly. "Can we not talk about my virginity anymore?"
"Fine." Hannah twirled a strand of her hair with her finger, a devilish smile fixed in place. "We can talk about it another time, then. For now, Terry and I will regale you with the tales of how we lost our precious v-card to douche bags."
"Not happening, Hannah," I snapped at her.
I didn't know how I managed but I kept myself from falling apart. Hannah threw her head back and began to laugh.
She didn't know, I told myself, digging my fingernails into my palms.
Hannah didn't know.
Hannah didn't notice anything unusual with me, thank God, but Sophia's eyes were on me and they looked thoughtful. I threw a pen at Hannah's direction to distract her and when Hannah yelped, she blinked and turned to the still giggling redhead.
"I got to go pee," Hannah declared between giggles as she rose from her chair. "I'll be back."
Sophia's expression turned panicked but Hannah acted like she didn't noticed and left the room. Ducking her head down low to the table, she resumed stapling and avoided my gaze.
"Something is different with you today."
The words just slipped from my tongue and I regretted my unrestrained impulse at once. I started to pray she hadn't heard me speak and just continue with her work. But her head shot up before I could complete the prayer, giving me her complete attention.
"What?" she asked.
Damn it.
"You seem different," I answered, cursing myself inside my head. "You don't look like the scared woodland creature like you used to be. Something's changed."
Her eyes widened as she whispered, "How can you tell? That I've changed?"
Was she kidding me?
"By the determined look in your eyes when you entered the classroom, like you're telling everyone to go fuck themselves. I did hear what happened yesterday," I continued in a rather sharp tone. "And I thought you were going to be scared out of your mind. But you weren't. You acted like you didn't care."
Her lips tightened and she hesitated.
I narrowed my eyes at her.
Then they went wide as realization hit me and my mouth dropped open. "Oh, God. You're falling for him, aren't you?"
She winced in answer.
No.
No, no, no.
Why was she so fucking stupid?
"Baka nano?" I shouted in a sudden burst of temper. "Do you really have crap for brains, Sophia? Why are you falling in love with someone like him? You should know better—"
The door opened and I instantly slammed my mouth shut. Hannah walked in, humming and her eyes on her cell phone. I didn't know if she heard but at that point, I didn't care. I looked at Sophia. She was shaking, her face pale, looking like she thought I had gone crazy. I pursed my lips and shook my head in disgust.
Drawing in a deep breath, I picked up my folder and started to work again.
So, so stupid.
~*****~
John opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Batman hitting the Joker in the gut.
"Shit," he mumbled as he removed the comic from his face. "Shit."
He sat up and looked at the night stand. The alarm clock read 4:25 P.M.
Shit.
He had slept the day away.
He looked at the pile of comic books surrounding him and scowled. He had been reading so he could fall asleep when no matter how hard he tried, no matter how many sheep he counted, his eyes wouldn't stay closed. He thought if he read the volumes he had missed while looking out for Leon and guarding Sophia, he'd finally drift off to sleep.
Well, he did sleep.
But he lost a whole day.
Damn, he had wanted to check if Leon and Sophia were really alright.
Last night, after he left Terry's place, pissed and confused, he waited for Leon to arrive at Skull's place. He was waiting for him to tell him that he'd broken up with Sophia so he could beat the shit out of him. Then he'd tell him he had just made the biggest mistake of his life, losing the only girl who cared for him.
He didn't want Leon to make the same mistake he did.
But when his best friend told him he was keeping her, fuck, but he was so happy for him he almost shouted for fucking joy. He kept his cool, though. Leon was still conflicted about their relationship and he didn't want to jar any loose screws he had in his stupid head.
The asshole even punched him for tell him the truth, that Sophia changed him for the better, that she was the reason he was living his life again.
Still, he was keeping Sophia.
And that was all that mattered.
The news, however, was unfortunate for both Rohan and Skull.
They lost the bet.
And John was also supposed to be bragging about it today when he went to school.
John shoved the comics aside so he could crawl out of bed. His stomach growled as soon as his feet touched the floor. Still scowling, he reached for his phone from the night stand. No one seemed to have remembered him from the looks of his empty inbox. Things had finally started to quiet down after all since they had caught Ward and although the news probably had already spread like wildfire in school, them being branded as the bullies and possible suspects again, he was sure they'd never be suspected by the police.
Oh, the people in school would point their fingers at them but without evidence or any witnesses, they'd never be in trouble.
His stomach growled again and he put the phone back on the table. He went for the door with the intention of having the maid cook him something. His plans could wait tomorrow. He'd have all the time to get to know Sophia better. And diss Rohan and Skull. The thought made him feel better and made him smile.
He hit the sitting room and stopped short.
Then his smile disappeared when he saw his mother.
Thank fuck he didn't catch on Leon's habits of sleeping naked.
His mother was sitting on the couch, drinking coffee while perusing a magazine on her lap. Her brown hair was in a loose bun that was considered fashionable and she was wearing a modest black pantsuit. She must have come from their company. His father was nowhere in sight, fortunately, and before he could decide to retreat or get pissed at her unannounced visit, her green eyes found his.
"I see you're awake at last," his mother crisply spoke, bringing the cup to its saucer.
He then decided to be pissed.
What the hell was she doing here?
There was a knock on the door, cutting off his mental rant. It opened and a maid entered the room with a white-linen-covered rolling table.
"Just in time." His mother waved the maid in. "I had some food brought in for you."
There was an awkward silence as the maid rolled the table in and uncovered the food.
Awkward on his mother's end because she was purposely avoiding his gaze.
Angry on his because her being here usually didn't end well for him.
When the maid left, he went to the table to see what she brought. Because as pissed as he was, he was still hungry.
"Shit," he muttered. "Is there anything that isn't goat food here?"
"Vegetables are good for you, son," she stated. She didn't bother saying anything about the swearing. Past experience had taught her it was useless. "And I just saw your bills. You're reading trash again."
"Batman is not trash, Mother."
She sniffed in derision. "And money does not grow on trees."
He gave up trying to find something edible on the table and turned. He folded his arms and stared at her.
"Did you tell Father that when he bought that diamond set last week?" he asked, giving her an dark smile.
His mother's only reaction was the flinch of her hand on her lap.
"Who is it this time? The new secretary? Or was it that woman who assisted his presentation last month?"
Her eyes narrowed into green slits. "I do not appreciate these questions."
He shrugged. "You never appreciated anything about me, Mother. So?"
She didn't look like she would reply when she turned her head, picked up her cup and took a sip of her coffee.
But then she murmured over the rim, "It was the new secretary."
"Ah." This time, it was his eyes that narrowed. "And I guess you've already taken care of the matter?"
"Of course."
He could already imagine what she did to the woman. Kicked out of the company without any recommendations, possibly ruined her chances for any decent future employment, her life destroyed. And his mother would never lose a good night's sleep over it.
"Did you never think that maybe it was Father's fault?" he asked her quietly.
Her gaze cut to him and her eyes were ice cold. "Shouldn't you be in school right now, son?"
So it was the end of the conversation.
He clenched his jaw as he stared at his mother.
Chilling, powerful and beautiful.
Those were the words he'd describe her.
When he was younger he used to call her a witch behind her back. She was his father's business partner before she became his wife so she treated everything like a business transaction. And that included how to raise him. He couldn't do anything about it when he was a child, couldn't do anything about her strict ways. Maybe he should have counted the many punishments he received from both his mother and father last night so he could fall asleep. The list was long enough.
"Take this," his mother said, lifting a small, gold envelope. She didn't even look hurt at the prospect of her husband betraying her over and over again.
He arched a brow but didn't move. "What's that?"
"You'll find out when you read it."
With a heavy sigh, he snatched the envelope from her hand and turned to go back to his bedroom. His appetite had disappeared while conversing with his mother.
"When will you forgive me, son?"
Her soft voice, so unlikely of her, came to him.
He stilled and his hands curled into fists. He threw her a look over his shoulder and muttered a single word that made his mother's features hardened.
"Never."
And with that, he went to his bedroom, slamming the door closed.
~*****~
*baka - idiot/stupid
*Otousan - Japanese for father
*Okaasan - Japanese for mother
*Baka nano? - Are you stupid?
Chapter 16
Kindred Souls
John sat staring at the two idiots in the desks in front of him and continued to watch as Skull leaned into Rohan to ask something he couldn't understand in the book he was reading.
Leon sat next to him. When he entered the room not a minute ago, his best friend had been lazily observing Rohan and Skull. Now Leon was staring at him. His expression was blank but John knew he was waiting.
He was waiting for John to start his shit.
Rohan was scanning the paper he was holding and muttering something low to Skull, who was jotting down whatever he was saying on a sheet of paper. Leon glanced at them when Skull groaned and scratched his head, still stuck in confusion. Rohan tapped his paper with his pencil and continued to mutter at him. They didn't even noticed he was in the room with them.
John grinned and Leon's eyes returned to him.
Seeing the expression on his face, knowing what he was about to do, his best friend frowned at him. But he didn't say anything so John took it as his cue to start dissing the two morons in front of him.
"Well, well, well," John began, tongue in cheek. "Look who we have here. The losers."
Both their heads jerked up.
Then they turned slowly, wearing identical scowls on their faces, and John knew this was going to be fun.
"Can I punch him?" Skull muttered.
"Please," Rohan muttered back. "Do it."
Leon exhaled and took out his phone. Unlike the two, he wasn't bothering to study and was clearly keeping himself out of this.
"You want to hang out later, Leon?" John asked. "I recently got into some money..."
He jumped out of the chair when Skull threw a punch his way. The desk skidded a few inches away when Skull lost his balance and tumbled into it and John laughed.
"You're a fucking sore loser," he remarked.
Skull growled as he straightened. "I hate losing."
Rohan shot a furtive glance at Leon but it looked like he was too engrossed with his phone.
What? Did he think Leon would hit the roof over this?
Anyone with eyes could see that his best friend was in another uncharacteristically good mood right now. He was probably exchanging texts with Sophia by the look of the smirk on his face. He liked teasing his girlfriend and though John was initially concerned it might make Sophia leave him, he was sure Leon wouldn't allow that to happen after what they've been through.
"Who told you to side with the kid?" John asked as Skull took his seat again.
"I was stupid, so sue me."
He also returned to his seat, grinning. "But you're always stupid."
"I was so sure he'd break up with her."
"I'm starting to wonder how your brain works."
"Are you really okay with this, Leon?" Rohan asked loudly.
"I already kicked his ass," Leon intoned without looking up from his phone.
"Punched my face to be exact," John quipped on a dying smile.
Leon's eyes sliced to him. "That was for a different reason. On second thought, maybe I should really kick your ass."
"Hey, I'm not the one who suggested the bet."
"You didn't stop it," Skull interjected.
"I'm immature, so sue me." John chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't make bets next time if you're going to be a dick about losing, Christopher."
This time, Skull's fist didn't miss. John leaned away from him, rubbing his upper arm vigorously.
"You're a jerk," he mumbled.
Skull grinned widely. "So sue me."
Asshole.
Ignoring the sullen glare John aimed at him, Skull turned to Rohan. "So Rohan, what happened to that chick you went home with last night?"
"You're supposed to be asking me math questions, Skull," Rohan replied wryly.
"It'll still be math. Like what the angle her legs were when you—"
The teacher chose that moment to walk in and Skull tapered off. John moved his eyes to Ethan for barely long enough to take him in before they came back to Skull. He barked out a laugh when he saw the numbskull hastily gathering his stuff.
Ethan heard the noise while he was putting his things on his table. He lifted his eyes to their direction and his head jerked back in surprise when he saw Rohan and Skull in the room.
He frowned. "What are you two doing here?"
"Leaving," Skull immediately replied, shooting up from his seat.
Rohan tipped his head to one side and looked at the teacher. He didn't look at all panicked to get caught in the special building.
"Do you fail students?" he asked after a moment.
Ethan's brows knitted together in confusion. "Is this a trick question?"
Rohan shrugged his shoulders. Skull, on the other hand, was waving at Rohan from the doorway to get out of the room. John kept on snickering on his seat. Ethan was the only teacher Skull was wary of because of one incident that involved a pissing contest and a shoulder throw.
Luckily for Ethan, it happened out of school. Luckily for Skull, he ended in the soft grass and not on the pile of shit on the road.
