Yeah. No. Count me out. I’d rather stay here and suffer through another aquatics class then attend the spirit-filled rally festivities.
Everyone heads to the gym, and I make my way to the parking lot. It’s been a long week. Nothing much has happened, it’s just felt like the minutes were hours. And every time I turn around, Luca is there. Watching me. Annoying me. And reminding me of our damn free-falling experience together.
And right now is no different because as I exit the school, he’s propped up against his car, watching as I make my way to mine. Only, as soon as I arrive to it, I realize there’s a big problem. Every window has been shattered. All the tires are flat. And that’s just on the surface.
Looking over my shoulder, I see the smirk on his face. He did this.
Marching towards him, I drop my bag at his feet and shove my hands against his chest. He doesn’t even budge and casually asks, “Need a ride home?”
I stand nose-to-nose with him. “I need you to stay the fuck out of my life.”
He suddenly moves, rotating so my back is forced against his car. His arms come around either side of me, caging me in place. “That’s not going to happen.”
I shove against him then motion to where my car is trashed. “Why? Why would you do that?”
He ignores my question, pressing harder into me as his mouth moves closer to mine.
His calmness pisses me off even more.
Swinging my fist back, I hammer against the door of his car. “Fine. I’m going to trash yours.”
I can hear the smile in his voice. “Good. I’ve been thinking about getting a new car anyway.”
God, I want to murder him. And not in his sleep. When he’s wide awake so he knows it was me giving him payback. “Yes. That’s right. Spoiled little rich boy can just replace everything when he’s tired of it.”
“Is that your problem?” He leans back, his mocking eyes holding mine. “You worry I’ll replace you once I tire of you.”
“No.Youare the entire problem.” I smack against his chest. “Your delusional, thick skull can’t retain simple instructions likeStay the fuck away from me.”
He shifts forward, his mouth next to my ear as he whispers, “Don’t worry, Ivy. I’ll never get enough of you.”
Yep. Completely fucking delusional. “You’ll never get any of me. And I’ve had entirely enough of you.”
I raise my hand, moving to slap his face but his hand catches my wrist. “You have to be faster than that. But don’t try too hard yet. Wouldn’t want to reinjure that shoulder.”
“Fuck you.” I yank my hand from his and give him a solid shove as I escape his grasp. Him mentioning my injury shouldn’t bother me. He shouldn’t get to me at all. But everything the asshole does makes me want to throat punch him. And the self-satisfaction on his face when I glance over my shoulder is no different.
23
IVY
“What happened to your car?” Zachary asks. “The entire school said some POS got towed, so I figured it had to be yours.”
“Yeah. It was my piece of shit that was perfectly capable of getting me to and from school.”
Dad sounds excited as he says, “Now you can drive the Beamer. It’s sitting there waiting for you whenever you’re ready.”
I don’t want to, but since my car is out of commission… “I guess I don’t have a choice.”
“I’m still not riding to school with you,” Zachary adds. “I like having a driver to take me wherever and doesn’t complain about anything.”
“That’s because you wanted me to drive you to get a snowball every day. It was ridiculous.”
“Greg doesn’t think so.”
“Who?” Dad asks, like he’s just joining the conversation.
“Greg the driver you hired for me. He’s great.” Zachary beams. “He’s taking us to Mobile tomorrow for a gaming convention.”
