Page 9 of Rebel

Rebel stalked toward me, his expression ice-cold. He scooped up a garbage can along the way, heading right to me. Without hesitation, he dumped the contents of the can over my head.

All kinds of yuck spilled over me. Banana peels, pudding cups, leftover coffee. I stood there shaking, enraged, watching trash hit the ground all around me. Everyone in the area watched in a hush.

“Better watch your back, pet. I know where you live.” Rebel tossed the empty can aside. With a snicker, he turned to stride away.

I stared after him, my hands clenched into fists. Absolutely not. I would not take this shit and act like a victim. I didn’t care if he was king shit of bad news. Rebel had targeted the wrong person this time.

“Holy shit, are you okay?” Athena searched her bag for a napkin or something helpful to offer me.

I was already gone, racing after Rebel. I almost tripped over the dropped garbage can in my haste. No doubt I looked like a total maniac, covered in garbage, chasing down the asshole who did this to me.

Rebel turned to find me barreling toward him. Catching me by the shoulders, he dragged me around the side of the building, out of sight from those gathered for lunch. He nodded for his friends to keep going. They ambled along, leaving us alone as they snickered and laughed amongst themselves.

“What the fuck is your problem?” I hissed between my clenched teeth.

At the same time, he said, “You just can’t get enough, can you?”

Rebel pressed me against the building, blocking me in with a hand planted on either side of my head. I glared up into his face, refusing to show fear. Maybe everyone else around here thought he was some big badass—and maybe he was—but I wouldn’t give him power over me. He was already too close. If I gave him even an inch, he would ruin my life.

“Did you seriously just dump garbage over my head?” I spat. “Are you twelve? That’s fucking pathetic.”

He eyed me with blatant amusement, enjoying my ire. “You threw an apple at my head. I don’t think you’re in a position to act high and mighty. Was I supposed to stand there and take that? You’re lucky there were witnesses or I’d be spanking your bare ass instead.”

The thought of Rebel spanking me tickled my temper. It also sent a warm rush to my southern region. God, how embarrassing.

“Is that what you think? You might be used to getting what you want, Rebel, but not from me. I have every right to exist in this space too. Is this really because I hit you? You wanted me to fight. What did you expect?” I couldn’t help but feel good about the bruise he still bore. Blue with a yellow tinge marking his nose and under one eye. My knuckles were still sore.

Rebel’s smile faded so fast, it made my stomach sink. A grim expression took its place, sending tendrils of fear slipping through me. I didn’t want to be afraid. That would be showing weakness, which was what he wanted. The dark intent in his eyes chased away my bravado. What was wrong with this guy?

“You’re right, pet. I do get what I want. That won’t change just because you say so. I did want you to fight, and you didn’t let me down. That was your first mistake.” He paused, his eerie gaze traveling down my body, lingering on my cleavage. “Now I want to see how much you can take, Storm. How far you’re willing to go.”

Realization settled in. He was so damn twisted. “This is all a game to you, isn’t it? I gave you what you wanted and that wasn’t enough. So what now? You make my life hell? That’s seriously demented.”

“Yeah,” he laughed darkly. “It is. But something tells me that you’re up for the challenge. You better get cleaned up. You smell like shit. Oh, and watch your back. I’ll always be closer than you think.”

Pushing away from the building, Rebel turned to go after his friends. I stared after him, swiping something pink and sweet off my cheek. He was insane. He had to be.

“Fuck you, Rebel,” I shouted after him. My hands shook with an unwelcome combination of panic and anger.

He turned back to say, “All in good time, my pet. And you will fucking beg for it.”

I stared at his retreating form, processing what he’d just said. This couldn’t be happening.

CHAPTER SIX

REBEL

Leaving Storm standing there staring after me in shock was satisfying as fuck. She sure did have some fire in her. Even when she was shaking like a leaf, she’d mustered the courage to tell me off.

Instead of chasing me away, it only made me want to push her more. To see how much she could take before she broke. The fierce light in her eyes when she looked at me caught my attention from the very first moment. She was the type that would go down fighting no matter how terrified she was. I’d never been one to turn down such a challenge.

When I caught up with the others, they were gathered in the campus parking lot in the back of the building. They stood around Auryn’s black Porsche sedan. Auryn perched on the hood. He glanced up at my arrival, a knowing smile on his face.

“Don’t you ever get tired of playing with your food?” he asked. “How long are you going to drag this one out before you finally give in and fuck her?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ll see how long she can keep my interest.”

Stray shook his black hair out of his eyes as he sucked on a joint. “She’s pretty hot. Gotta love that red hair. She lives next door to you now? You’ll fuck her in no time.”

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