Page 46 of Dare To Fall

“Eli, you sound weird. Is every—” I cut the call, pluck the photograph off my locker, and set off for class.

Chapter 28

Arabella

My attention keeps darting to the door and back to my desk as students enter the classroom. Kellan is at his desk, but there’s no sign of Eli. I texted him to tell him about the instructions, but he didn’t respond.

The photo had been waiting for me in my locker. The instructions were easy enough—pin the photograph to the front of Eli’s locker—but it still left me feeling sick to my stomach.

Kellan is playing with his phone when I look in his direction. His lips press together, and then he frowns.

Is he talking to Eli? Has he seen the photo yet?

To distract myself, I pull my math books and pens out of my bag.

It’s going to be okay. We just have to pretend to hate each other. It’s not real. Just like Eli had said in the tomb, we’re just playing our roles in public. He’s going to retaliate because he has to.

After smoking the joint, I’d fallen asleep in Eli’s arms. We stayed in the tomb for hours before heading back to the school.

On Sunday, he texted me, but I haven’t seen him since. I spent most of the day curled up in my bed reading Zoey’s diary. She wrote about getting more dares, but things had been changing. She talked about ignoring them, then items she owned started going missing. Silly things at first. A schoolbook, then a ring her mother had given her. A necklace Eli and Kellan bought for her seventeenth birthday.

The noise in the classroom around me dies down, and my stomach twists. Eli is here. I know that before I even look up to confirm it. When I do lift my head, he’s standing in the doorway. His expression is tight with anger, and his eyes are narrowed into two green slits. The fury I can see in them holds me frozen in my seat. All I can do is stare, paralyzed by fear of how he’s going to react.

No matter how many times he told me it’s an act, all I can see is the monster.

My heart hammers against my ribs. I feel like prey. His prey. Because deep down, I know that’s what I’ve always been since I arrived at Churchill Bradley.

He stalks through the room, the negative emotion surrounding him a palpable force in the air. I know I’m not the only one reacting to it when some of the other students shrink away from him as he passes.

He stops in front of my desk. “Did you get a kick out of it? Let me guess. You took it on Saturday morning, after you were done fucking Kellan? Was that your little plan all along? Do you think it’ll hurt me?”

My stomach drops. “I—”

Before I can finish, he continues past me. My shoulders sag with relief. Maybe he’s not going to do anything, after all. The thought has barely formed when a hand wraps itself in my hair. My head is jerked back so viciously that I cry out in pain. The second my lips part, Eli stuffs something into my mouth.

“Eat the photograph, Princess. Then later, since you’re clearly hungry for my attention, you can eat my dick too.”

I try to push the paper out with my tongue. He presses his palm over my mouth to stop me from spitting it out. Bringing my hand up, I grab his wrist to shove it away, but it won’t budge.

He releases his grip on my hair and pinches my nose closed. “Chew.”

I struggle to breathe, black spots dancing before my eyes. My lungs burn with the need for oxygen, but he doesn’t release me.

“Dude, she’s going to suffocate,” someone calls out.

“Travers, stop!”

Eli ignores them. “What’s the matter, Princess? I thought you wanted a piece of me inside you. Eat the fucking photograph.”

I chew the paper and swallow it, gagging when it gets stuck in my throat. Eli forces my mouth open and pushes one finger inside, checking to make sure it’s all gone. I’m tempted to bite him, but the gleam in his eyes warns me against it. When he’s probed every part of my mouth, he pulls his finger free and lets go of me. Coughing and spluttering, I hunch over my desk.

Eli rounds the desk until he’s facing me, and his hand moves to my face. I flinch.

He pats my cheek gently and smiles. “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

I’m sure my anguish is right there in my eyes when I stare up at him. “I hate you.”

“I live for your hate, Princess.” He walks over to his desk and drops down beside Kellan.

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