Page 19 of Redeeming the Villain

Everything in me is telling me to run, to cower in the corner. But I don’t back down.

Standing up higher on my toes, I grind my next words through my teeth, my mouth inches from his. “You are nothing more than a bully and a sore loser, desperately clinging to a power that you no longer have over me.”

“Careful, Bug. You’re about to start a game you won’t be able to win.” The words he utters are only loud enough for me to hear.

His pupil-blown stare flashes to something behind me before returning to mine.

Backing up from him, I flick my hair over my shoulder, hanging on to every shred of fake confidence I have.

Striding past him, I glance up and address Asher once more. “I’d love to come to the party. You can get my number from Blair. She’s dating one of your teammates, right?”

He nods and smiles. “Can’t wait.”

Turning back around to Malik, I smile with nothing but poison in my words. “And, Malik? You’re wrong. It’s my game now.”

Without another word, I spin on my heel, and Sunny and I stride away with ease, as if that was the calmest and most carefree conversation I’d ever had. But inside, I’m dying. Desperate to get home and relax.

I can feel my heart rate starting to race. And Sunny has been looking at me far more frequently, as if she’s waiting for signs to tell me to slow down.

But I don’t want to give Malik the satisfaction of slowing down a step. I don’t want him to see a crack in my foundation.

Once we’re out of view of the guys, we chill our roll. Taking full deep breaths, I lean back against one of the tall hedges, calming my heart.

Retrieving my water bottle from my bag, I take a few sips and continue to take steady breaths. Moments later, I feel better already, and Sunny and I head straight for our room.

It only takes us a couple of minutes to reach the dorm and tuck ourselves safely inside our sanctuary.

She immediately goes for a snack from her food bowl as I drop my backpack and settle into my comfortable bed to rest for a bit.

My headache from earlier is beginning to creep back in—thanks to the Malik run-in, I’m sure. My time at HEAU would be so much easier if he wasn’t here at all.

Regret and worry start settling into my chest, pressing down with every breath I take.

Ugh … I never should have said anything to him. I should have turned around and walked away.

What the hell got into me?

He’s right … I know he’s right. This is a game I’m not going to win. Perhaps neither of us will. I think, in the end, we will be each other’s ruin.

My body’s aching as I roll out of bed this morning. The pain is doing little to kill the immediate thoughts of Alora, who has seemed to permeate more of my mind than I’d ever like to admit.

God, it would be so much better for the both of us if she stuck to her corner of the world and I to mine. This campus is big—big enough for us to not see each other as much as we have.

And now Asher is inviting her to a party at the Kensington mansion. Another part of my world that she’s forcing herself into.

But I highly doubt she’s going to show up. She never went to any of the hockey parties in high school, and I’m sure that hasn’t changed. Even thoughsheclearly has.

This new attitude of hers needs to be checked. She thinks she can call thisher game. She’s sorely mistaken.

I might have let her get away with that comment, but only because I haven’t decided if I want my teammates to know our real history. Of how badly I tormented her.

My teammates mean a lot to me—more than I ever expected. They’ve become my family in a sense, and I don’t want them to look at me poorly because of what I did to her.

But even I have a breaking point, and she does not want to shove me over the edge. At some point, I’m not going to give a fuck who knows what if she keeps pushing me.

There is a knot in my chest that appeared when I saw her again. One that won’t leave, no matter how hard I will it away. It’s fucking suffocating.

“Hurry up! We’re going to be late!” Griffin pounds his fist on the door as he walks past my room.

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