“No, you’ll walk your ass out of here, and you’ll do exactly what she said,” Blaise says, and I’ve never heard him so angry. “See, you’re encroaching on my study time, and she’s the best tutor I’ve ever had, so if I have to beat you senseless myself to keep her here and teaching me, then I will, Hanson. Are you ready to bleed by me again?” Blaise cracks his knuckles to drive home the point, and Samuel stands. The chair falls as he lurches out of the room and out of my life.
“Is your crisis over now? Can we get started on the important stuff?” I say as I shake out my hand. The force required to break bones is less substantial when you know exactly where to strike, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t paying for it.
Blaise finally glances at me and nods like he didn’t just defend me.
None of us talk about how exactly it is that I know how to break someone's hand using only two fingers.
Chapter 21
Hannaford is a writhing snake pit of gossips.
I didn’t even make it to my room after my tutoring session with Ash and Blaise without being asked about Samuel. It was late by the time we finished up, and I’d been forced to skip dinner.
My stomach wakes me at 5 a.m. and I know for certain I can’t skip breakfast. Harley will be pissed if he has to listen to the grumbling of my stomach all through our classes. The dining hall opens at 5:30 a.m. and I reason with myself that I’ll be safe to eat at that time. What other students would be willing to eat that early?
I’m pissed to find that there are a heap of students waiting at the door for the dining hall to open. It turns out the swim team, track, and the row team all meet at 6 a.m. to torture themselves. It’s all elbows and swearing to get to the front of the line, so I hang back and survey the crowd. Harley is on the swim team but he’s not here. The room he shares with Ash and Blaise probably has a fully stocked kitchen and a personal chef, for all I know. Yes, I’ll admit I’m hungry and bitter. I need to come up with a better system to keep me from turning into a hangry bitch.
My mouth waters when I see the French toast, and I decide to risk a second roofie episode. I pile on the cream and strawberries, drizzle so much syrup it drips everywhere, and I’m a sticky mess.
I’m a happy, sticky mess.
When I’ve literally licked my plate clean, I dump my tray into the pile by the door and start back toward the girls’ dorm for a quick shower before classes. My belly is full, and I even catch myself humming cheerfully under my breath. The perfect morning.
Rough hands grab me and pull me into an empty classroom.
I shove at them, but I have a six-foot guy on each side of me, neither of whom I have spoken to before. They’re upperclassmen for sure. I grunt and pull at their arms, only to have their hands tighten around my biceps. Avery isn’t the only person who is swift in their retribution. I’m sure this is Samuel’s doing. I’m convincing myself to stay still and meek when a third student steps into the classroom.
Spencer Hillsong.
He’s the guy who approached me after the naked photos of me were sent out. I’d forgotten he even exists, but he hasn’t forgotten me.
Now that I know how much money is on the line for having sex with me, I’m sure that’s what he’s here for. Even rich kids must be tempted by seven hundred thousand, especially those who don’t have unlimited access to their parents’ wallets.
“My sweet mother would be so disappointed,” he says as he steps toward me. He’s smiling cruelly, but he’s got nothing on Joey or Matteo. Still, he could rape me for the cash all the same.
“That you’d forced yourself on a girl? I should hope so.”
He laughs right in my face. I swear to myself that I’ll start carrying my knife with me from now on. It was stupid of me to believe I wasn’t in danger of this now that I’d dealt with Joey. I’d only really dealt with him, not all of his blind followers.
“I would never put my dick in trash. Lord knows what commoner diseases you have. No, I’m going to show you what happens to girls who don’t do what they’re told.”
The crack of his hand across my face leaves me dazed. He’s certainly not holding back on account of my gender. I weigh up my options while he looks at me with glee. I could attempt to fight them off. Three to one, not great odds but doable. They’re big guys, I can feel the muscular frames on the two holding me, so my chances of success aren’t great. I tug my arms a little to gauge the reaction and their grips tighten. So they’re both committed to playing their part, neither of them seeming to care about me suggesting they were here to sexually assault me.
Spencer seems to be the only one interested in actually hitting me. When he punches me in the stomach, I feel the guy on my left flinch even as my breakfast roils in my belly. So if I stand there and take the beating, I’ll only be hit by one guy. If I pretended to be more hurt than I actually am, I might be able to minimize the damage.
I moan when he punches me again. It feels strange after having spent so much time learning how to stay silent, but I lay it on thick. When he lands another blow to my head, this time behind my ear, where my hair will cover the bruise because he’s a sneaky fuck, I see stars and swear roughly. I could vomit, and I swear under my breath at the thought of wasting that beautiful, fluffy toast.
“You should think twice about messing with Joey. He owns this school. If he says jump, then the whole damn building moves.”
How utterly pathetic. Spencer is just openly admitting he’s Joey bitch. And for what? Doesn’t he realize Joey doesn’t have the capacity to make friends? There’s no loyalty in him at all. Spencer is just another child playing a man's game.
I don’t have to fake the grunt that’s pushed out of me as I feel my ribs snap. It hurts like a bitch, and I’m forced to pant instead of taking deep breaths.
“Fuck, c’mon, Spence. The bitch is done. If you keep going, we’ll get caught for sure.”
Spencer is panting and sweating from using my body as a punching bag. I don’t know how many hits I’ve taken, only that I’ve got a concussion and several broken ribs.
“Don’t be a pussy, Kyle, she can take a bit more. I’m sure she’s been slapped around before and fucking loves it.”
