Page 78 of Stray
Ella grimaced, realizing she had no choice but to flee and pretend like she hadn’t heard anything. She opened the stall door and walked out, intent on breezing past Marissa and her crew as quickly as possible.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the school slut,” Marissa sneered.
It just wasn’t her lucky morning. Then again, when was it ever?
The two young women flanking either side of her turned to face Ella, their hands planted on their hips. She could feel their judgment even though she was instinctively looking down at the floor.
It was bad enough that now she had to worry about opportunistic males taking a false interest in her, but her announced status as the moonmarked one had guaranteed that every other female in her age group absolutely despised her.
Even more than they had before.
Ella knew that defending herself was a lost cause, so she headed for the door and hoped Marissa wasn’t in a chasing mood. Before she could reach the door, a hand flew out and kept it shut.
She turned around to find herself face to face with a tall brunette named Ashley, whom she recognized immediately as one of Marissa’s favorite enforcers. Just like a mafia queen, she had her favorites and this one had built up enough muscle on the lacrosse team that she could easily snap Ella in half if she wanted to.
And judging from the look on her face, shereallywanted to.
“Where do you think you’re going, whore?” Marissa demanded, slinking toward her. She looked even more like a predatory huntress in this form than when she was a lynx.
“I haven’t done anything to you,” Ella muttered, clutching her bag to her chest, as if that would somehow protect her from whatever she had coming.
She’d always had more reason to fear Marissa’s sharp tongue than her fists, but when she had her gang in such prime position, physical violence seemed equally likely.
“Is that so?” Marissa asked, her voice lilting with indignation. “And here I thought it was you who’d stolen my title as Empressandmy boyfriend.”
Her voice was dripping with sarcasm and malice, and the others had closed in, forming an impenetrable arc around Ella. Even if she could’ve pushed past them, Ella knew she wouldn’t get far. Her back was against the door, and her only hope was that someone else would come in.
Of course, she could scream, but that definitely wouldn’t be doing any favors for her social status. It was bad enough that the school was flanked with glorified security guards because of her.
“I didn’t want this,” Ella protested. “Trust me, if I could take it back, I would.”
“You’re such a liar,” Marissa seethed. “I don’t buy that helpless Pollyanna act, and neither does anybody else.”
Ella frowned, tempted to defend herself when she realized Ashley was ready to spring at her leader’s command. She could feel the energy in the air that always accompanied a group shift. Were they seriously going to have a full on catfight in the middle of the women’s bathroom?
“I think we should help her,” Tina said, scruffing the back of Ella’s uniform. Ella lurched forward as the girl shoved her in Marissa’s direction, obviously looking for a way to appease her friend after her gaffe. “Remind her where filthy strays belong.”
Marissa’s eyes lit up with glee. “That’s not a bad idea. Ashley?”
The taller girl moved immediately, grabbing Ella by the arm. She dragged her into an open stall and shoved her down onto her knees. Ella tried to resist, but Ashley fisted a hand in her hair and started shoving her head down toward the toilet.
Even the bullies at her human school hadn’t been quite so cliché, but it seemed the shifters weren’t interested in abandoning a technique that worked.
Before she could think to shift into her feline form, which would’ve had drawbacks of its own, Ashley shoved her head down into the water and Ella gasped, her lungs filling up with the ice cold water.
Her mind immediately flashed back to almost drowning in the moonlit pond, and the more she struggled, the firmer Ashley’s grip seemed to become. She was sure she was going to pass out just when the other girl pulled her back up.
Ella gasped sharply, water still rushing into her lungs along with limited air, burning them until it felt like they were on fire. She coughed and sputtered, but Marissa stepped in and pushed her back down before she could even come close to catching her breath. She wasn’t as strong as Ashley, but her hatred seemed to amplify her strength. No matter how Ella thrashed or clawed at her wrists, she couldn’t get her head above water.
She realized struggling and panicking was only making her lungs fill with water faster, but the realization came too late to be of any practical use. Her head was throbbing, and she felt like the room was spinning around her.
“Where are your markings now?” Marissa taunted. Her voice sounded echoic, and Ella could barely make out her words, but there was no denying the smug satisfaction in them.
A moment later, Ashley’s voice broke in, warier than before. “Riss, she’s gonna pass out.”
Marissa said nothing, and showed no sign of letting up. Ella was finding it hard to keep fighting, and realized this time, she really was going to pass out and Marissa had no intention of letting her up. Her stony silence and tightening grip made that clear.
“Marissa!” Tina cried nervously.
