look at him objectively, like one would when ogling your favorite celebrity on a magazine cover, it’s easy to disassociate the bully from the man. The bully is a horrible human being who deserves to be mauled by apes and then chewed on by rabid bats, if bats can even be rabid. But the man? He’s sexy, in a fifties-vibe, nerdy way. If I was simply a new student starting a new school, he would be the ideal, crush-worthy guy for me. Handsome, class president, smart. And I’m sure he’s charming to some people, when he’s not planning their demise.
But all I can think about when I see his face is those cold blue eyes glaring down at me as I stand in the middle of the gymnasium in my pretty dress.
“You’re nothing,” he’d said.
But now? Now this “nothing” will become his worst nightmare.
“How did you do it?” a sly voice asks from beside me. I turn, startled, to see Felicia standing with her hands on her hips, eyes narrowed.
“Do what?”
I honestly don’t understand her animosity towards me. Seriously, did I shit in her Cheerios or something and forget? Or is it simply jealousy that Mr. Tucker showed an interest in me?
“Get Lucas to beat up that guy for you.”
Her words have me freezing in place, and the violin case would’ve dropped from my clammy fingers if I hadn’t caught my bearings at the last possible second, retightening my grip.
“I don’t—”
“Don’t lie.” She tosses her silky black hair over her shoulder before stalking away. “I saw him beat up Simon at the beginning of first hour.”
Her words are the equivalent to a literal bomb exploding in my face, the blast sending me spiraling dozens of feet backwards.
Lucas beat up Simon?
Why the fuck would he do that?
Is he some vigilante warrior who beats up every bully who walks these halls? Or is it because of me?
Is Lucas mad that someone else messed with his favorite toy?
Those thoughts continue to circulate in my head as Mr. Tucker ambles into the room, his arms full of sheet music he more than likely illegally printed from the internet.
But all I can think is why?
Why would Lucas do that for me?
Unless…
Unless this is just the start of something bigger and badder. Maybe Lucas has finally seen the chess board I’d laid out in front of him, and he’s only now moving his piece.
I’m not scared. If there’s one thing I learned from playing chess with Uriel, it’s that there’s nothing more important than the queen. And this queen will get the kings to fall for her, one pawn at a time.
Chapter 19
I decide to go to Mariabella’s house to get ready for tonight’s game. She rattles off the address which I plug into my phone, before she skips away with a cheery wave, promising to meet me there.
The poor girl thinks I own a car.
But honestly? I don’t mind the short walk to Mariabella’s house, though I feel guilty that she’s no doubt waiting for me to arrive.
Before I leave, I change into my normal clothes so I’m not forced to walk miles in a short skirt and skin-tight shirt.
Like the last couple of days, Elias keeps pace with me in his Jeep. He doesn’t even question the change in direction, continuing to slowly roll along beside me. I huff, quickening my pace, but that doesn’t deter the relentless fucker as he continues to drive alongside me, classical music blaring from the speakers.
“Fucking hell, Elias,” I pant. “My short legs can’t run this fast.”
“Then don’t run,” he answers simply.
“I wouldn’t need to run if I wasn’t being stalked,” I point out, and I swear his lips thin ever so slightly.
“How many times do I have to tell you? It’s not—” He pauses abruptly, and his frown deepens. “Fuck, it is stalking.”
A laugh escapes me unbidden. “You just now realized it, Sherlock?”
“Hey, cut me some slack,” he jests lightly. “This is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this before.”
“Stalk a girl?”
“Attempt to woo one,” he answers bluntly, and when his eyes slide to mine, I find that I can’t look away. I don’t want to. His square jaw is clenched, the stubble on it more prominent than I remember it being, but I find that it suits his unapologetic, forceful personality. There’s such raw power held in his tightly compacted body. Fiercely strong and primal, and at the same time, exceedingly gentle. He always seems to hesitate when he’s with me, as if he’s