Page 39 of The Good Girl

The others tut and make shocked noises, but I can tell that they’re loving the drama.

I open the door to the music room, ignoring Elena’s frown as I take a seat and wait for her to finish playing the awful piece she’s practicing. She turns her back to me and carries on for another fifteen minutes before I finally get a chance to talk.

“Hey Princess, it looks like your reputation is intact,” I call out as she places her violin back in its case. “Heard people speculating about Sam and apparently you’re too soft to have done what you did.”

She gives me a look. “People believe what they want to.”

I stand and take three big steps towards her as she gathers up her sheet music. “And you’re happy to have them underestimate you?”

Lena looks up as we stand inches away from each other, green eyes weary. “The greatest threat is the one you don’t see coming, Tristan.”

She doesn’t look like she’s slept in a few days, and I wonder if the guilt over Sam was the reason for that, or if it was something else playing on her mind.

I run a hand through my hair and groan. “We’re back to using my full name today then.”

Lena tries to turn away, but I can already see that her cheeks are turning a delicious shade of pink. Am I finally ruffling her feathers? “We’re not talking about it, remember?”

I place a hand on her waist and turn her back towards me. “No, I remember you saying that and running away.”

“I didn’t run away…” she counters, lifting her chin defiantly.

“Yeah. You did.” I chuckle as I tuck a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “Maybe you should add the track team to your long list of extracurricular activities.”

“Why are you here?” She rolls her eyes, but doesn’t move away from me, my hand still on her waist.

“To talk,” I murmur softly as I lean in closer to her.

“You need to leave.” Her words are firm, but I don’t miss the way her body closes the gap between us as she melts into me. She’s been fighting me every step of the way because she doesn’t know how to let go, and she wants to. Badly.

“You need to give in.” My lips brush against hers with every word I whisper, but I don’t kiss her. Not yet. I just need to hold out a little longer. It’s killing me, as I resist taking what’s mine, but I need her to give me a sign.

I don’t have to wait long. Her hand grasps the back of my neck as she crashes her mouth against mine, and I almost grin. That’s all I needed. My free hand cups her cheek as I deepen our kiss, and it’s everything. It’s hate, love, anger, frustration, lust, and it feels like when I watch her dance, but it tastes so much sweeter.

She pushes us backwards until I stumble into a chair, but that doesn’t slow us as she climbs onto my lap. I don’t know what it is about kissing me that brings out Lena’s more commanding side, but I wasn’t going to complain. Her hands cup my face, while my hands roam down her body and over her legs. Part of it is helping her stay on my lap, the other part is feeling her bare skin against mine as I slide one of my hands under her skirt. The tips of my fingers just skim against her damp cotton panties when the bell to mark the end of lunch rings, bringing her out of her lust-filled trance. Once again, she jumps off me like she’s been burned.

Her chest is heaving as her breathing is all over the place, her lips swollen, and her cheeks are still pink, and yet she was still the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

“You know, you’re starting to hurt my feelings,” I call as she grabs her backpack and flees the music room.

Chapter Thirty

Elena

My mother’s words ring in my ears, “Fuck Tristan Radcliff. There is nothing you can do, that The Society cannot fix.”I’m pretty sure they won’t be able to fix my broken heart if I fall for the stoner with a wandering eye. Blythe was already gunning for me, and he was getting cozy with Serena on Friday, so why did I keep kissing him? It was just a game to him, and it was starting to get too real for me.

Today was already an epically shit day, I hadn’t even made it to third period when someone had sent me the video of Serena cussing me out and Tabitha defending me. I thought she was my friend. I thought she was normal, but there she was, sticking a knife in my back the second I left myself vulnerable. I should have known better. Everyone else had seen it, my mother, Attie, Tabitha, but I’d kept myself in denial. I was living my whole life in denial.

I see her in the common room, and it’s like a red rag to a bull. She was willing to let me get hurt, raped, humiliated and for what? Personal satisfaction? I try to push away the anger that simmers away, but I can’t. I can’t keep it inside any longer. I storm over to where Serena is sitting with some of the girls from the cheerleading squad.

I’m aware of a few other students lingering and watching, especially Atlas and Tabitha, but I ignore them as I place my hands on my hips. “Why did you set me up?”

I expected to see remorse. Guilt. Something. Anything. But there’s nothing as she looks at her nails, examining them as if I’m little more than the dirt underneath them.

“You deserved it,” she scoffs, before leaning in and whispering, “I know everything.”

I frown. “Huh?”

“The Society,” she hisses, sitting back and waiting for a reaction. Her face is twisted into a smug mask that I want to claw off slowly.

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