Page 48 of Tangled in His Game

“You should mind your own fucking business,” he says. “Nothing happened last night, and if you’re smart, you’re going to agree with me.”

“Okay.” If he doesn’t want to talk about it with me, it’s fine.

Hopefully, he’ll talk to someone else instead. Someone he trusts.

“But if you change your mind, I’ll—” I say.

“You know what?” He steps close enough to me so that we’re face-to-face. “This isn’t a place for people like you. You’re just too dumb to see it. Get the fuck out of Emberwell. No one wants you here, and I mean it. Everyone hates your guts. You’re just a rat that belongs to the sewers. And you’re lucky I won’t call the cops on you.”

I stare at him, open-mouthed. He turns away from me and strides toward the library. Wow. I don’t know why I even bothered.

Just because I found out his father is a monster doesn’t mean anything has changed about Victor. He’s still the same infuriating, confusing asshole. The only reason he hasn’t reported me is because he has something to hide, and I’ve seen too much. He clearly remembers everything.

Is he going to keep bullying me?

Probably.

I groan. Maybe I should report myself and then have someone investigate the whole thing, including Jake. But that would very likely end with me getting expelled and nothing happening to Jake or Victor.

Fighting the rich when you’re not one of them is like fighting the windmills. Even when you think you’re winning and getting your justice, they find a way to strike you down.

But what will happen to Victor? I shouldn’t be worried about him. He can make his own decisions and choices, but if his father has always been like that and he’s already using something illegal to boost his performance that might be dangerous for his health... I don’t even want to think about what might happen.

It’s his life and his future, though. Not mine.

I should focus on myself and getting through my first year at Emberwell. Now that I know things Victor doesn’t want anyone else to find out and after what I did to him, he might think twice before trying something else against me.

But it’s Victor. I shouldn’t hold my breath. He’s probably going to attempt something much, much worse, and I need to be ready for it.

Chapter 23

IGET A FEW WEEKS OFpeace and quiet as Victor focuses on his games. Maybe my plan has worked, and he’s decided to leave me alone for good. I ace all my quizzes and projects too.

My life is finally as it should have been from the start. No one’s paying any attention to me and no one’s bothering me. I haven’t made any friends either, but everyone tolerates me, or at least they pretend they do. As long as Victor ignores me, I’m happy.

At the end of the class, the professor faces us. “Who wants to earn some extra credit? There’s a student who’s struggling and who could use a little help.”

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