Page 76 of Broken by my Bully
“Uh, yeah! Definitely.” I hear my words echo back and bite the inside of my lip. But the tequila gives me a little more courage, and the alternative is defiling Melissa’s immaculate face with a permanent marker.
Low blow, Bastian.
Low fucking blow.
But there’s no way I’m telling anyone about what happened in the library with Kai. I mean, who’s going to know if I lie? All this exercise is about is figuring out if you’d rather hurt yourself or someone else. As long as I make it convincing, no one’s going to know.
Kai’s not the only one with an imagination. The secret is adding just enough truth to make it resonate.
“Okay, so, nothing major,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck. “I, uh, gave a guy head in his car.” I let out a rush of breath, and hold out my hand for our next round of rock, paper, scissors.
“Oh, no, missy.” Melissa picks up the card and points out a word. “Graphic.Graphicdetail.”
I grab the front of my throat, shaking my head.
Her eyes go wide. “Do I need to find a marker?”
“Jeez, fine! It was this spur-of-the-moment thing between classes,okay? We were talking, things got heated. He pulled out his…dick and told me to suck it. So I did.”
Melissa giggles like a demon. “And then?”
“And then what?”
She lifts her shoulders. “Did he come? Did you swallow? Was it good? Are you two getting married now?” She’s giggling so much I can barely hear what she’s saying, but her laughter—and her brashness—is infectious.
“Yes, yes, hell yes, andfuckno.”
We collapse into gales of laughter, Melissa slapping at me and calling me a horny slut.
When we finally gather ourselves, Melissa’s wiping tears from her eyes, streaking her mascara, and I’m pressing the back of my hands against my cheeks, trying to cool them down.
“Okay, okay.” I blow out a breath. “Next round.”
Melissa wins, draws a card, and takes a slow pull of air through pursed lips.
That’s when I know it’s bad.
“Listen, Haven,” she says, looking up as she pats her fingertip under one eye to wipe away her mascara. “We had a good run, but?—”
“Come on,” I mutter, snatching the card out of her hand.
I stare at it. Then at her.
She shrugs. “Like…it’s just not gonna happen, you know?”
I sigh, the sound interrupted by a slightly terrified giggle. “Yeah, I know.”
“Wait, wait!” She pours us each a shot of tequila and holds it out for a toast. “To retaining our sanity this semester.”
We clink our glasses, my expression as serious as hers, and then I slowly lean forward until I’m on my knees.
I feel like I’m waiting for a bullet to the back of my head.
Melissa watches me, tapping her nail against the laminated card as she thinks. “Okay, okay.” She picks up my phone, aims it at me, and says, “Father forgive me, for I have sinned.”
I cringe. “Really? You’re bringing religion into this?”
She slashes out a hand. “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. I have slept with one of my teachers?—”
