Page 40 of Burned By Sin
“I know you’re just looking out for me,”I sign back, and ready to put this behind us. Not that it hasn’t been eventful staying at Rhys’, but I want to go back to my dorm. I want to curl up with a book, to be a vegetable in my pajamas without a horny hound breathing down my neck. Dipping my spoon into my soup, I watch the steam curl into the air. Addy nods, popping two fries into her mouth and brushing off her hands.
“Besides, it’s not you I’m worried about. If you keep dangling Clayton in front of him, Rhys might snap and do some real damage.”
“Or,” I finger spell, unable to hide a cunning smile behind my spoon. Addy’s brow raises, her eyes shifting between mine. “They might find some common ground. AKA, me.” There’s no denying the meaning behind my grin. My cheeks heat as Addy’s mouth drops open. Her fries are forgotten, and she covers her mouth to stop a laugh.
“No way,” she signs, leaning closer. “You mean, both of them? At once?”I shrug one shoulder, suddenly invested in my grilled cheese. Reaching across the table, she smacks my arm.“Harper! You little slut,”she throws her head back and laughs. I witness the sound rather than hear it, her throat working above the colorful ink that spans her collarbones. My own humor rises to the surface, a hysterical bubble oflaughter escaping me. Anyone nearby will think we’ve lost our damn minds, and I couldn’t care less.
I’ve missed this. Just girls being girls, sharing secrets and laughter and the kind of teasing that only happens when you know someone has your best interest at heart. This is what normality feels like, the kind of peace no amount of polaroid’s, messages or cowardly threats can take from me. I won’t be controlled by fear, I will live with stubborn pride. I have the right to be here. I deserve to love and be loved, to laugh and be free.
Returning to eating, Addy waves her hand in my face.“Well, come on then.I want all the juicy details.”Shaking my head, I mimic zipping my lips just as a shadow falls across the table. I peer up, and my stomach drops, just as I was starting to enjoy myself.
Klara stands there, hands on hips, her blonde hair flawlessly pulled back in a high ponytail. She must be taking a day off from cheerleading practice, her legs cased in extra tight jeans. A low V-neck jumper hangs off one of her shoulders and exposes one side of her leopard print bra. Flanked by two of her cheer squad members, the three of them wear matching sneers.
“Wow,” she says slowly, exaggerating every syllable so I can read her lips. “Didn’t expect to see you here.” I don’t need sound to know her tone is sugar-laced with venom, I can see it in the pinch of her features. Addy rolls her eyes, lifting her bottle of water to her mouth, whilst I stretch out my arms wide.
“It’s a public cafeteria Klara, welcome to all. Why don’t you pull up a chair and we can swap notes on how Rhys likes to have his cock sucked?” Addy spits out her water, spraying half the table including my grilled cheese. It’s fine, my appetite has soured anyway. Klara has turned an unhealthy shade of beetroot red, which was my intention. “Not interested? Then maybe you should move on and we can go back to pretending we don’t exist to each other.”
Leaning back in my chair, I purse my lips, refusing to be goaded whilst I’m having lunch. Klara has been on my back since I arrived oncampus, before Rhys even meant anything to me. Stomping her foot in frustration, she flusters over her response.
“Well you sure seemed cozy with him last night.” I sober in an instant, rising to my feet. Klara smirks at my reaction, her chest sticking out impossibly further.
“What do you know about last night?” Addy joins my side, her solidarity for the wrong reasons but I appreciate the gesture. Addy is supporting the fact she thinks I’ve had a threesome, but Klara regains her composure as if she knows otherwise. Could it be that Klara has something to do with the webcam light flashing?
“He was meant to be at dinner with my family. A car waited outside for an hour, but I bet you know all about that. You’re the reason he didn’t come.” Her lip twitches as she fights aside a snarl.
So that’s why he was so reckless after kicking everyone out last night. Rhys ignored a summons, and I’m sure there will be some type of repercussion for it. My heartbeat spikes, thumping against my ribs. I shouldn’t relish the thought of Klara and her family sitting with Rhys’ father, pissed off and tapping their fingers against the dinner table, but I do. Rhys missed their dinner to feast on me instead. Poetic.
“If you think I control Rhys, you clearly don’t know him as well as you think you do,” I chuckle softly. We’re going in circles and I’m quickly growing bored of it. Klara folds her arms, shifting her weight onto one hip and narrowing her eyes.
“You really think you’re special?” she scoffs. “You’re just a plaything. Something for him to screw until he gets bored and comes back to me.”
My god. She’s delusional. Maybe not about the Rhys growing bored part, but I know for a fact he’ll never go back to her. Even if their parents get their way and the pair end up married, there’s no future of Rhys accepting her as his wife. I almost feel bad for her, that female pride coming around to bite me in the ass. I don’t want to be the bitch she’s trying to make me into.
Addy, however, has no such reservations. She lunges forward, and Irush to put myself between her and Klara before shooting her a warning look.
“She’s not worth it,”I sign quickly. Klara watches my hands, her upper lip curling in mock amusement.
“Oh, how cute,” she teases, tilting her head to the side. “Do you do that because you’re scared to talk?” Her friends giggle, whispering something to each other before bursting into actual laughter. We’re gaining more attention from the tables around us, smart phones appearing in my peripheral vision. Nothing is ever sacred in this place. I take a deep breath, trying to remind myself that losing control is exactly what she wants.
“Actually,” I say, loud and steady, “I do it because I can. You should try learning something new instead of spreading your legs for half the football team.”
I feel the silence that follows, its sharpness cutting through my jacket and Rhys’ T-shirt. Even Addy freezes, blinking at me like I’ve just slapped someone, a slow psychotic smile spreading across her face. Klara’s features drain of color before flooding red again, the kind of red that is usually accompanied with a shriek or a slap.
“You bitch,” she mouths. Her hand twitches at her side, but she doesn’t follow through. Picking up my backpack, I sling it over my shoulder, refusing to let her see my hands shake. Addy hurries to do the same.
“Run along, Klara,” Addy says. “Your claws are showing.” Tilting her chin upwards, she stands tall alongside me, daring Klara to make her move. It’s not like we’re practiced fighters or anything, but I reckon I could land a punch if I really needed to. I kick and hit Rhys enough.
The cheerleader trio exchange glances, then sharply turn and stalk away, their ponytails swinging as if they’re synchronized. Klara glances back once before disappearing out the door, her glare promising that this isn’t over.
When they’re gone, the tension leaks out of me so fast it leaves me dizzy. Bodies suddenly shift, students at the tables cheering andclapping enthusiastically. The movements are too fast, the cracking of palms blurring my vision as if I can see the sound waves. Tugging Addy outside a few moments later, we head in the opposite direction of the cheerleaders. We head for the library, in particular the quiet zone. Dropping onto the beanbags, Addy is still beaming whilst my anxiety sets in.
“She’s jealous,”Addy signs once she has my attention. “Don’t let her under your skin.”
“Too late,”I reply, managing a weak smile. I just showed a side of myself I don’t like in front of so many witnesses, and those who weren’t there have probably seen the livestream on our student forum. I don’t want to be that bitch. The new girl who waltzes in to steal boyfriends and brings their exes down. The narrative they’re going to spin is all wrong, and as much as I pretend I don’t, I care. I’m just starting to make real friends here.
Resting my elbows on my knees, I press my palms to my eyes. The darkness is a small relief, but I can still see Klara’s face burned against the inside of my mind, smug and knowing.
Addy reaches across, gently pulling my hands down. “Look at me.” When I do, she gives me that kind of smile that feels like sunlight filtering through the rain. “She’s just proven she’s all bark, no bite. Rhys made his choice, remember?”I nod, though there’s a flicker of unease I can’t shake.
