Page 44 of Did They Break You

My breath hitches, and I see his fingers curled around me.

“I kinda like the new you. That piercing, your hair. Covering yourself so no one else can look at you like I did.” He shrugs, pulling me even closer, my shoulder blades against his torso. “I don’t remember you being so damn feisty, either, Remi.” His fingers tighten again, and I close my eyes, trying to breathe.

“You know how I remember you, Cortland?” I ask him, still keeping my eyes closed. Like hiding under the covers. If you don’t see the monster, is he really there?

His fingers splay along my collarbone, under the edges of my hoodie. “Tell me, baby.”

“I remember you as the cruelest thing that ever happened to me.” My breaths are shallow, my mouth so dry. But I’ve wanted to say these words to him for a long time. “I remember you as acriminal, and we both know your current view shouldn’t be these mountains.”

His nails dig into my skin, dragging down further, over my chest.

I keep talking. “It should be a prison cell. Bars on a cage.” I take another breath. “Youdiddeserve it, Cortland,” I tell him, throwing back his words from the bathroom. “Youdodeserve it.”

He digs deeper and I wince, although I don’t open my eyes. My heart is racing, and it feels good to say those things, to stand up for myself for once. Because it’s been bullshit this past year.

Nothing is fine.

But then he nudges my hair away from my neck with his nose, his piercing gliding against my skin, and I’m shaking all over again, pressure building behind my eyes. He slams through all of my progress, all of my defenses in that one motion. Violating my space, just like he did that night.

My eyes snap open and connect with his, his face beside mine, his fingers still on my skin. He doesn’t dig in his nails anymore; he lightly traces the slight swell of my breast beneath my sports bra, and I keep shaking at his touch as he stares at the two of us, side by side, him leaned down to my level. “My current view should be you on your knees, apologizing for everything you did to me.”

I suck in a breath, my spine straightening.

“Don’t get so damn brave, Remi.” He turns his head, his lips against my ear with his next words. “Wolves have teeth.”

He releases me all at once, straightening. His eyes linger on mine a moment before he walks away, down the corridor to the change room.

He was already in workout gear.

I take that as my sign to get out. Away from my living, breathing nightmare, brought back to life.

Wolves have teeth.

I grit my own.So do I, fucker.

CHAPTER

ELEVEN

REMI

I slidemy tray down the line at the café on campus, painfully aware of the new wounds on my wrist from yesterday, after he cornered me in the gym. My hoodie sleeves are yanked down over my hands, but it’s hot in the little building and sweat pricks under my hood. Van has a sculpting class today and can’t meet me for lunch and Sloane has an appointment with her academic advisor to place an internship next semester.

I’m almost grateful I’m alone, so there’s no way they can see what I did yesterday. After the gym, I skipped my class.

I know I’m letting him mess with me again, but it’s really hard not to. It doesn’t feel like he should beallowedto be so close to me, but I know no one is going to protect me from this.

I swipe my ID card for my meal plan, stuff it in my back pocket and keep my head down as I turn around, both hands back on my tray.

Only to almost collide with Maya fucking Bell.

She’s got her arms crossed over her chest and her chin dipped down as her pink lips pull into a wicked smile.

My hands shake and I white-knuckle my tray. An apple, a salad and a pack of Reese’s shift slightly as I tremble.

I haven’t seen Maya since it all happened. Before that, actually. Graduation.

We’ve had no classes together and never ran into each other on campus. My face heats, thinking the reason I’m seeing her has little to do with coincidence and everything to do with Cortland.

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