and arrogant as Devlin Murphy, cruel and cold beneath the mask of the cocky jokester. All I see is someone who uses people and takes amusement in the torment he puts them through.
My chest burns with anger, both for Blair and at the boys at this school who think they can get away with murder. We aren’t their toys. I navigate through the tables separating me from the middle of the cafeteria, clenching the napkins in my fist. I’ve never been one to resort to violence ever, but right now it’s too much—his threats were bad enough, but seeing him laugh as his friend bullies Blair makes me snap. I could punch Connor and not regret it.
The bravado that drove me over to the scene wavers as I stand under the full brunt of Connor and Devlin together. They haven’t even noticed me, both focused on Blair.
“Um.” I offer the napkins to Blair. “I brought you these.”
Connor goes stiff in his seat, inhaling sharply. I can feel the press of his eyes against the side of my face as I hold out the napkins.
“Thanks,” Blair mutters, accepting my help.
I don’t leave her side as she pats herself awkwardly. This is the second time I’ve stood up for her against them, and I don’t doubt for a second that they’d double down in a more cruel way if I walked away. I shoot the pair of them a hard look, hoping they stop treating her so terribly.
As Connor explodes from his seat, I jump, clutching the napkins against my chest. In a blink, he’s in my face, towering over me and invading my space.
“U-um, Connor.”
“Were you invited over here?” Bishop demands.
I swallow. Is he saying I need to stay away when he doesn’t need me to pretend to be his girl? This is so stupid! He should’ve told me the rules. My knuckles turn white as I grip the napkins tighter.
What if he sends my photos because of this?
The risk is worth it. No one deserves to be treated the way these people bully Blair.
“No. That doesn’t matter, though.” My chin tips up, spurred on by the fury simmering beneath my skin. It fights with the fear settling in my gut. Connor could destroy me within minutes. Game over. “Blair needed help.”
“Blair needed help?” Connor mimics, circling behind me. My heart jolts when his hands clamp on my shoulders in a harsh and punishing grip. “You hear that, Dev?”
I want to whirl and scream at him, ask him what he wants from me if he’s going to act like this when an hour and a half ago he said he needed me by his side.
“Sure did,” Devlin says, voice like icy shadows.
With a deep grunt, he rises to his feet and I take a fearful step back, pressing into Connor’s chest. Between the two of them, the poison I pick to kill me is Connor. He pays me no attention as he stalks into Blair’s personal space, staring at her with his scary, dark eyes.
“Did you need help, Davis?”
Blair’s jaw tightens, then she answers in a lifeless voice. “No.”
Is this really happening? I gape at Blair, baffled that she would take Devlin’s crap. I go to take a step closer to Blair’s side, but Connor holds me in place, the warmth of his back burning through my sweater. My gaze bounces from Blair to Devlin and I part my lips, thinking I can appeal to him.
“Well—”
“You know,” Connor drawls next to my ear, startling me. His fingers skate over my shoulders, down my arms, plucking at my sweater. “The only thing a girl next door is good for is warming my dick.” He leans closer, covering my back with his chest, burying his face in my hair as he lowers his voice to a sinister hush. “You offering, neighbor? You can leave your granny sweater on.”
Breathing is hard. His words crash over me, driving spikes into my heart. Why even threaten me if he’s only going to be an utter bastard to me in front of his friends? I want to cry when I think of our messages, the way he swore I was the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen. Making sure I can’t forget that it’s been him making me feel excited, wanted, good.
Tripping over my own feet, I stumble out of his grasp as soon as it loosens. “You… You—”
“Me,” Connor declares, sweeping his arms to encompass it. There’s no doubt he’s thinking along the same lines as