Heavy, booted footsteps strolled casually across the floor. My stomach twisted as I tried to make myself as small as possible.
Please don’t be those fuckers back for more.
“Whatcha skulking in here for, Shadow?”
Dominic.
My stomach stopped twisting and fell right through my fucking feet. Could be worse, I supposed. At least it was just him and not Max too. “I’ve told you not to call me that.”
He chuckled, stopping right beside me. “And I’ve told you that no one orders me around. Not even you, Shadow.”
My knuckles whitened as I clutched the sink. He’d given me the cruel nickname not long after he and Max became friends. I’d made the mistake of tailing after them, trying desperately to fit in with them. To keep up.
After a couple of weeks, Dominic had spoken to Max like I wasn’t even there. “Can’t we get rid of this fucking shadow?”
I’d frozen, waiting for my twin to defend me. But he hadn’t.
No, he’d just shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting between us. It was easy to spot the moment he chose Dominic. A cruel smirk had appeared on his face, one I’d never seen before.
“Go away, Ryan,” he’d said. “Fuck off and find your own friends. We don’t want you tagging along after us all the time.”
That had been five years ago. Max’s words hadn’t only put a stop to me following them around.
They’d irrevocably changed our relationship too.
Despite the distance I gave them, Dominic insisted on continuing with that stupid fucking nickname. It set my teeth on edge. Made me wish I was bigger. Braver. Strong enoughto smack him in his too-perfect mouth and make him regret making me ever feel small.
But I was none of those things. I didn’t think I ever would be.
“What’s the matter with you, Shadow?” Dominic drawled. He leaned on the sink next to me, hands deep in his pockets. “Shouldn’t you be in class?”
I turned the tap off and shook my hands. The dryers in here hadn’t worked in months, and paper towels? Forget it. The couple of packs that had been put in here at the start of September had been gone by the second week.
According to the government, all schools and colleges received the same level of funding. Based on the ramshackle state of our sixth form, I was calling bullshit.
Apparently I was also calling bullshit on Dominic. “You’re supposed to be in class too.”
Another chuckle. “You’re feisty today. And unlike you, I’m on a free.”
I eyed him from the corner of my eye. With Dominic, I found it was better not to look at him straight on. The guy was like a fucking predator. One sniff of challenge and he’d pounce. “How d’you know I’m supposed to be in class?”
“Doubt you’ve got any frees with the amount of A-levels you’re taking. Smart boy like you should be in class, not lurking in the loos.”
Boy.My hands trembled with fury, but I kept my chin tucked to my chest. “I’m the same age as you.”
He crossed his legs at the ankles, reclining against the edge of the sink. “In years, sure. But let’s be real, Ry. I’m miles older in terms of experience.”
I thought about the different girls he had on his arm every day. He was as bad as Max. Worse, even.
“You are still a virgin, aren’t you?” he teased.
I stayed silent, not giving him the ammunition he wanted.
Dominic sighed suddenly, then turned to study his reflection in the mirror and fuss with his hair. The dark locks were arranged to look like he’d just rolled out of bed. It was all a pretence. I knew from the many times he’d stayed at ours just how long it took him to cultivate that look. “You know, you might be less uptight if you got laid.”
I quivered with anger. Like it was that fucking easy. Did Dominic truly think I liked living my life this way? “Thanks for the advice.”
The fucker winked at me in the mirror. “Just call me your fairy godmother.”
