“Bitch.” Riley threw her empty plastic bottle at my head, laughing.
The rest of my day was uneventful. I stayed out of Maddox’s way. There were a few whispers in the halls about me, but I ignored them, too.
I felt pretty confident that, after today, everyone would forget about the coffee shop scene, and Maddox would most definitely forget about my existence. He had plenty of girls to distract him.
Except… I had never been more wrong in my life.
The next day, my nightmare began.
3
Lila
The next morning, I found Maddox outside our English class. He was leaning against the wall, his long legs crossed at the ankle with his hands stuffed in his pockets. His expensive leather shoes were shiny and wrinkled free. He was missing his navy blazer, but his pristine white shirt was rolled to his elbows, exposing his strong forearms. His tie hung loosely around his neck.
He was pretty to look at – I had to admit, but the sight of him annoyed me.
There was a curvy blonde girl attached to his side, practically plastered against him. She whispered something into his ear, but he wasn’t paying attention. Maddox looked bored, and the poor girl was trying too hard. Run away, don’t fall for his charms. I wanted to shake some sense into her.
The moment his gaze fell on me, he slowly grinned.
My blood simmered, and I pressed my lips firmly together, refusing to acknowledge him. I tilted my chin up and marched forward. If I ignored him, he’d go away – I told myself.
Too bad it was nothing but false hope.
When I tried to walk into the classroom, Maddox pulled himself away from the girl. She protested, but it died in her throat when she noticed it was useless.
He shifted sideways and placed his arm out, blocking the door and effectively stopping me from stepping inside. “Hey, Garcia.”
Maddox threw me his signature smirk in an attempt to melt me. I rolled my eyes. “Coulter,” I said in acknowledgment. “You’re in my way.”
I tried to push past him, but he didn’t budge; granted, he was a whole foot taller than me, but Maddox was an immovable wall. “It’s quite comical that you think you can move me.”
There was just something about Maddox that irritated me. It was like he had hit a nerve I didn’t know I had. He made me feel edgy. I didn’t know why I felt like that, but I was defensive around him.
“A knee between your legs will move you alright. So, either you move with no injuries, or your baby making machine will be in danger.” I cocked my head to the side while holding my bag over my shoulder and waiting for him to move.
My lips crooked up in my fakest and sweetest smile.
Maddox stared me down for a second before he eventually moved, bending slightly to his waist and putting his arm out to motion inside the classroom. “Ladies first. After you.”
I rolled my eyes a-fucking-gain because he was so goddamn annoying. Pushing past his hard body, I walked into class with a huff and settled in my chair. He sauntered inside like he owned the room and walked past me to his desk at the back of the classroom.
Maddox purposely brushed against my shoulder as he did so. “Whoops, my bad,” he muttered gruffly. I could hear the laughter in his voice.
My fingers clenched into a fist, but I held back.
My days continued like this.
I noticed him following me around. Sometimes, he would call out my name loudly in the hallways, bringing everyone’s attention to me. Other times, he would purposely bump into me in class or the cafeteria. I often caught him doing nothing but following silently behind me. He knew it annoyed me, and he did it on purpose. To. Irritate. Me.
A week ago, I was completely invisible to Maddox Coulter.
Now, I was the center of his attention.
The deal breaker was when he broke into my locker and stole my spare shirt. He even left a note: What’s the color of your bra today?
Actually no, that wasn’t the worst part.
The worst part was when he decided to reenact a scene from Romeo and Juliet in the cafeteria…
He was Romeo, standing on the table, and loudly confessing his undying love to Juliet for the whole room to hear.
Who was Juliet?
Oh me…
He was being dramatic and overly exaggerated his performance for one reason only: to embarrass me.
Everyone stared… snickered… laughed, until Riley and