Page 71 of Broken Pieces
He blinks. Smug still clings to his face.
“What, you got a thing for the freaks now?” He says.
I step out from behind my desk.
“Oh, shit.” Cassie mutters under her breath.
“You think that’s funny?” I say, to the dickhead. “Picking on the quiet girl because you know she won’t fight back? Real tough of you.” I step forward. “Bet your mommy’s real proud knowing her son turned out to be a pathetic little bitch who gets off on making girls cry.”
A few students gasp. One laughs.
“Skylar,” the teacher snaps, finally noticing. “Sit down. Now.”
I don’t move.
“Last warning.”
I keep my eyes on him. “I’m not done staring at stupid,” I tell her.
“That’s it,” she barks. “Out. Get out of my classroom.”
I grab my bag without a word and sling it over my shoulder.
Every step down the aisle burns up my spine. My pulse thuds so loud it might as well be a war drum.
No one laughs now. Not even the prick who started it.
At the door, I stop. Face the teacher.
“Good job, Miss,” I say. “Real solid message, kick out the girl who called out the bully, and let the asshole stay seated.”
I hold her gaze just long enough to make her uncomfortable.
Then I walk out, letting the silence eat up the space I leave behind.
Chapter Eleven
Zane
Theshophumsaroundme.
Not loud. Not quiet. Just steady as if it’s got a heartbeat of its own.
Sparks spit from the torch. Steel groans under the grinder. And that smell… the burnt oil and hot metal, gets into your clothes, your skin, your fucking bones.
Rainer trusts me with jobs that matter now, no longer sweeping floors or stacking parts.
Now, it’s real work.
Engines torn down to their guts. Welds that burn hot enough to blister. Tasks that leave my muscles screaming and my shoulders aching in the best possible way.
This is the kind of pain that proves I still exist.
That I’m still here, and that maybe I’m worth something after all.
Rainer’s decent in a way that doesn’t need to be loud. He doesn’t hover or question every move I make. Just tosses me a job and waits to see if I can handle the pressure.
And I do.
