Page 107 of The Boy I Loved
My teeth sunk into the inside of my cheek as I glared at the grilled cheese resting on the plate in front of me. Beside it was a bowl of tomato soup I normally would have dipped the sandwich in, but I couldn’t find it in me to eat at all.
“I saw the score board today,” Mason started, casting a glance over at me with tight lips. There was a flicker of something foreign in his gaze, but it was gone before I could decipher it.
“And?” Vincent asked, taking a bite of his sandwich, barely sparing him a glance.
Anticipation swam through me, hope blossoming in my chest. I knew better than to wish for anything, but it was hard not to when it was something I’d been working toward.
Let’s just hope Stacy didn’t die in vain.
Before that incident, I’d been quite a bit behind Vincent and Tristan. I’d gotten points for snatching Stacy with the guys and for stopping Lauren before she could do anything rash. I’d also gotten points for fucking Nia just to prove a point, even if it wasn’t initially my idea. I didn’t attack girls often or rape them often, only when the urge presented itself, which was rare. There was no telling how many points torturing, fucking and killing Stacy had granted me, but I’d find out soon enough.
Mason cleared his throat, his fingers tightening around his spoon. “Dom is in the lead by one-hundred and fifty points.”
Nicholas and Rodney glanced over at me in surprise, but no one bothered to say anything. They already knew what I’d done to get ahead on the leader board.
“Seriously?” Vincent asked when no one else commented.
The sound of a chair screeching on the hard floor had me whipping my head toward the source of the commotion. Tristan was pulling out a chair, spinning it around, and dropping into it backwards. His blue eyes found mine instantly, his jaw ticking with agitation.
How was this asshole in the know about everything?
“You might have won this round, Dominic. But only because I underestimated you.” His arms folded over the lip of the chair, and he propped his chin on them. “I’ve already punished Hazel for choosing Mason over me. If you fuck her, I won’t hesitate to punish her again.”
My teeth scraped together in frustration. I was getting sick and tired of his weird obsession with her. I knew her first and she was mine first. He didn’t get to suddenly claim her as his and prevent the rest of us from touching her. Not that I wanted anyone else touching her, but Tristan had no say in it.
“Punish her how?” Nicholas spoke up, surprising the rest of us. He rarely spoke and when he did, it was usually about something that interested him, or when he was spoken to.
Tristan shrugged, reaching over and snatching my untouched sandwich as if it had been meant for him. He sunk his annoyingly white teeth into the crisp bread, swiping his tongue over his lower lip to catch the excess cheese.
Did I mention how much I hated him?
I was surprised his teeth were so perfect with how much drugs he consumed. You’d think his teeth would be rotten by now, but no.
“I don’t kiss and tell.” He smirked, sliding his gaze my way.
As far as I knew, he didn’t kiss at all.
I rolled my eyes, refusing to fall for the bait. I was with Hazel yesterday and I’d seen her periodically after that. If hepunishedher, as he so eloquently put it, he hadn’t done much damage.
Nicholas rolled his eyes but knew better than to press for answers. Tristan enjoyed being in control. He wanted people to wonder about him; it was part of the game. If he had them curious, he was superior in his eyes.
It was stupid.
Nobody bothered saying anything else throughout the remainder of lunch. I scrolled on my phone, purposely avoiding any messages from Hazel’s mom, and lost myself to my thoughts.
Afterwards, I headed to the training room with Tristan, Vincent, and Azrael.
Tristan glared down at the clipboard as he surveyed the chart at the back, but didn’t say anything else about it. Personally, I was glad I’d managed to get under his skin; it didn’t happen often.
“Looks like you won the challenge,” Azrael commented as we settled down on the couch.
I grunted in response. “We still have two sessions left.”
I might have been in the lead, but that didn’t mean someone wouldn’t top me from now until the end of the day when the results were documented. I tried playing it cool in front of the others, but inside, my stomach was a tangle of knots.
My gaze drifted to Hazel’s table as it always did. Her long hair fell in front of her face as she propped her chin in the palm of her hand, her head turned so that I couldn’t make out her features. She was still pissed.
I blew out a frustrated breath of air.
