Always (Next Generation The Skulls #1) - Sam Crescent Page 0,97
she ignored the teacher and told her she was heading to the library. Instead, she made her way outside and went to go and watch the football team play as she sat on the bleachers. Luke didn’t follow her.
After opening up her notebook, she doodled as she waited for the time to pass so she could go to her next class.
“You okay?” Daisy asked, coming out to her.
“Let me guess, even you have people keeping an eye on me?” she asked.
“You’re my best friend and it was pretty big news. You and Luke drawing the attention of the entire class.”
“He tried to tell me I had options. Plenty of them open.” She shook her head, touching the ring. “He’s never done anything like that.”
“Are you tempted?” Daisy asked.
“Hell, no. I’m sorry, but Luke? Please. You know I only belong to Simon.”
Daisy sat beside her. “I’m sorry, just making conversation.”
“He waited until Simon wasn’t here today. You know that, don’t you?”
“Simon’s going to beat the shit out of him when he finds out.”
They sat until the football team headed inside. After going to her next class, she didn’t see Luke for the rest of the day, and she promised to meet up with Daisy after school. Everyone gave her a wide berth as she left the grounds that day. Daisy was already waiting by her car. As she climbed in, Tabitha looked through her bag and groaned.
“Shit, I forgot something,” Tabitha said.
“What do you mean you forgot something?” Daisy asked. “You keep that bag on you at all times.”
“I know. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay, fine.” Daisy opened her book. “I’ll be waiting.”
Heading back into the eerily quiet school, she went to her locker and suddenly needed to pee as well. Groaning, she opened her locker, found the two books she’d forgotten, and shoved them in her bag. Before heading out, she took a quick detour to the bathroom.
She’d finished and was washing her hands as Daniella and her posse of Dogs came into the bathroom. She was surprised to see Ryan there as well.
Drying her hands on some towel, she turned to look at Daniella. “Seriously, you want this to go down?”
“You think you can get away with breaking my nose and hurting one of our own.”
She looked at the four girls. Ryan’s arms were folded.
“Wow, I should be happy that it takes you, three other girls, and a pussy to take me on,” Tabitha said. “You couldn’t come at me face-to-face.”
She was going to get her ass kicked. There were five to one, and those odds were dangerous. She clenched her hands into fists, ready.
“Oh, don’t worry, Tabby, we’re going to enjoy this.”
Daniella struck first.
Tabitha hit out, swinging for the second girl, followed by the third. Daniella got up first, pulling her hair. It was so hard she felt some actually rip out of her head. Kicking out to the third girl, she knocked her back. Daniella threw her back and she hit the door of a stall. She hit her head as she fell down, but stopped her fall.
The fall was her undoing as she was pulled out.
Hands punched, shoes kicked, and she felt a bone crack.
Someone pulled her head back and smacked it against the floor. She didn’t beg them to stop. She didn’t do anything but take the beating.
Daisy would come.
“That’s it, girls,” Ryan said.
Tabitha moaned and tried to get up. Someone stomped on her back and she collapsed. Stars played out in front of her eyes, the pain consuming her. She was going to pass out, she just knew it.
Someone gripped her hair. “You know, I don’t see the attraction. Luke has had the hots for you from the first moment he saw you. I wonder if he’ll like you when you’re all broken and bloody. Until next time, beautiful,” he said.
He hit her hard and everything went black.
****
“Come on, Tabby, baby, open your eyes.”
Simon’s voice sounded distant, as did the sound of hospital machines. Tabitha had spent way too much time on hospital machines.
Pain.
She felt it. Burning its way up and down her body.
She needed to stop the pain. There was no way for her to.
She gritted her teeth as she felt it.
Finally, she opened her eyes. The attack, all of it came back to her, along with Ryan’s threat.
Fuck. She hurt everywhere and she winced.
“Oh, fuck, let me get a doctor,” Simon said. “Of course you’d wake up when your parents went to go and get a coffee.”