Leaving class, I looked at my map and realized that AP literature was in another building, and that I had less than five minutes to get there. Letting go of a sigh before slapping on a more pleasant expression, I fingered the strap of my backpack and hurried in what I hoped was the correct direction. The hallways became less crowded, and soon turned empty altogether. Had I read the map wrongly? Or was everyone already in class? Turning a corner, I immediately ran into what felt like a brick wall, the wind getting knocked out of me from the impact.
“Well, well, well, who do we have here?”
I looked up to see a crooked smile marred by an old scar across the upper lip. The guy had spiky black hair and was looking at me lasciviously. It didn’t help my dwindling sense of security that he towered over me by at least a foot and was built like a bull.
“You must be new. What are you doing all the way here, gorgeous? Got lost?”
“Hank. She’s the Isaacs’ new stepsister.” A lanky, pimply guy who I hadn’t noticed earlier, stood behind him, a worried look on his face as he glanced surreptitiously at me. The apprehension in his words told me that being associated with the twins brought with it some kind of tremendous power, which didn’t make sense. A shorter guy flanking Hank’s other side silently looked me up and down, his greedy eyes finally fixating on my legs.
The guy named Hank looked at me with renewed interest, his eyebrows raised. “Oh, is that right?”
I hated the way he made me feel, like nothing more than a piece of flesh to ravage, how my skin crawled under his scrutiny. I tried to sidestep him but his hand latched roughly onto my arm, biting into my skin. “And where do you think you’re going?”
Summoning my courage, I steeled my voice. “I’m late for class.”
“I’m late for class,” the guy imitated in a high-pitched voice. The shorter guy snorted through his nose, his fingers lightly tugging at my skirt. I smacked his hand away, and he laughed.
The attention I was getting was too much. I itched to ram my curled fist into the guy’s sneering face, despite knowing I was outnumbered and definitely outpowered. It seemed my brain hadn’t yet caught up with the fact that I was all alone in a quiet part of the school, cornered by three slimy guys.
“Let me go,” I said again, quietly. “I just want to get to class.” They sniggered at that.
“I suggest you listen to the girl.”
My heart leaped at the sound of a male voice. I caught sight of one of the twins, and an involuntary shudder ran through me. The voice was a firm, commanding one, and in other circumstances, it was likely to induce hysteria and vivid, sexy thoughts. I forced myself to focus on the situation at hand.
Seeing the guys distracted, I drove my knee into the bull’s groin and sidestepped him when he howled in pain. Seeing the short guy freeze in shock, I ran past him but soon felt a tug on my shirt and found myself hurtling backward, falling roughly onto the floor. Clutching at my throbbing back, I looked up to see Cole/Hans slam his fist into the bull’s jaw, causing a resounding crack and making his head snap back harshly. Ouch.
I scrambled to my feet again, and froze when I noticed the lanky guy advancing towards me. I swung my textbook-laden backpack into his side, barely stopping him, and watched as he growled and bared his crooked teeth at me. His eyes widened and before I could figure out what was happening, a brown-haired guy seized him by the front of his shirt and slammed him against the wall.
“Listen to Cole. Let the girl go, or you can spend the week in the hospital with a punctured lung and some broken ribs.” It was a threat, and apparently not an empty one, judging by how the guys started to back away. The bull was rubbing his jaw with an ugly frown, as if trying to decide whether to pursue the fight further, but then shook his head and sent a spitball flying towards Cole. His face twisted in rage, he stalked towards them, sending all three guys running backward and out of sight.
The bell rang but I was obviously not in the right frame of mind to care. Looking at the guy who came with Cole, I realized it was the same one who had offered to show me around school earlier. I smiled at him thankfully.
“Thank you. For helping me.” I glanced towards Cole, who was deathly silent. “Both of you.”
“WHAT the hell were you thinking, trying to take on a guy twice your size like that?” Cole spat out. He was seething. Even the murderous look couldn’t stop me from noticing how attractive he was. But the venom in his voice showed exactly how disgusted he was with me, and I could feel fury bubbling up within me. Attractive or not, Cole was without doubt a complete jerk.
“Well, what else was I supposed to do? Fly away?”
He advanced towards me, looking at me with a mixture of bewilderment and wrath. “How about calling for help like a normal girl would do? The counselor’s office is just down the hall.” His mouth curled, and I suddenly felt stupid and indignant all at once.
Searching my brain for a counter-argument, I realized it didn’t matter. Cole and his friend had already turned and walked away, leaving me standing alone in the hallway again. Argh! Like it’s my fault the school’s full of immoral dicks!
Chapter 4
Ella
My bad mood lasted until Math, when I
