Page 13 of Savage Hate
Noah drops his hand as heat flares up my neck, then my cheeks. I’m panting when someone switches the bedroom light on, and I have to shield my face from the brightness.
“Who’s there?” Noah asks, looking around nervously.
The dork storks.
Silas Huxley, Damon Brooks, and Jude Vanderbilt step out from the ensuite bathroom, but I don’t look at them. I keep my eyes on Noah.
Why are they here? Why are they hiding out in the bathroom?
“Oh,” Noah breathes, laughing as his posture relaxes. “Get the fuck out of here, you dorks. This party is for cool people only.”
Shame and humiliation flare through me, and I pull my dress down as I walk to the door.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going, Lennon?” Noah asks from behind me.
Why am I embarrassed? I don’t care what the dork storks think. I turn around and cross my arms, suddenly feeling brave since there are three other people in this room.
This is my chance to get away from him.
“I’m leaving, Noah.”
I don’t stay long enough to see if Noah confronts Silas, Damon, or Jude, but by the time I find Mindy dancing with some random junior, I spy Noah in the kitchen throwing back shots. Mindy’s dance buddy offers to get us drinks, so we let him, and soon enough, the night begins to pass quickly in a strange, alcohol-induced haze. My hair ends up in a high bun since I’m sweating, and I must ditch my shoes at some point because I don’t realize I’m barefoot until my feet hit the cold, stone tiles of the bathroom a couple of hours later.
When I exit, the hallway is empty. I’m about to turn the corner when Damon Brooks walks into me.
“Sorry,” he mumbles, looking down at me through his thick, dark lashes.
“Watch where you’re going,” I reply, annoyance lacing my words.
I make it two feet before Silas is there, with Jude next to him.
“Lennon,” Silas mutters.
Something about him, about the kindness on his face, despite the way I treat him, it jolts through me in a single burst of anger.
He feels bad for me.
And what he saw tonight? What heheard? Embarrassment floods me all over again.
I shove him backward, baring my teeth as his body hits the opposite wall. He’s a little bit taller than me, but I must have at least twenty pounds on him.
“Lennon,” he says, his voice more stern this time. “Stop.”
I clench my jaw as they circle me. “Stop what? Get out of my way, dorks.”
“Did he hurt you?”
I slowly twist around to face Jude.
Jude fucking Vanderbilt. One of the richest boys in our class, and that’s saying a lot. He had so much potential, so much of his future ahead of him. But he chose to cling to the geek squad. I cock my head.
“I’m fine. Get out of my way.”
I push against Damon this time, and he lets me pass through. I let out an exasperated huff as I try to put distance between myself and the dork storks.
“I see you, Lennon.”
Silas’s words stop me in my tracks, and I spin around. The kindness I see there, the empathy, cuts right through to the very core of who I am.
