Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 129986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
There are whispers in the halls, rumors spreading like wildfire about Anae’s arrest and Dare’s speculated involvement.
When he saunters in with his arm wrapped around a new queen, no one questions the bruises on her neck or face, and no one dares say an unkind word about her. If the thought even passes through their minds that maybe he mistreats this one differently than he mistreated the other, no one mentions it.
I spot Hannah in the halls and give her a little wave, but I don’t expect her to approach since I’m with Dare.
Surprisingly, she hugs her books to her chest and marches right up to us.
“Hi,” she says.
I smile. “Hey.”
Dare stares at her like she just threw a gauntlet on the ground in front of him, but doesn’t offer a greeting of his own.
She’s not paying attention to him, anyway. Her gaze is drifting from my face to my neck. “I have some makeup in my purse. I think I’m a little fairer than you, but I can try to cover those up if you want.”
I tried before I left for school this morning, but I did a shit job and ended up washing all the makeup off. “Sure, I…” I pause, looking to Dare.
My heart beats harder when I realize I just instinctively looked to him for permission. I frown at the foreign instinct, but don’t fight it. He’s been so ridiculous about Hannah, I feel the need to. It might scrape my pride a little, but if it keeps her out of his crosshairs, then so be it.
Hannah notices the exchange, but doesn’t remark on it.
“Go ahead,” Dare says.
My cheeks warm. I grab Hannah’s hand and haul her into the bathroom with me.
Once we’re alone, she does murmur, “You have to ask his permission to go to the bathroom now?”
“No.” I crack a tiny smile, but my cheeks are still warm with embarrassment. I watch her set down her books. “He has this notion that you and I like each other as more than friends, and he’s being a full-blown lunatic about it.”
“Oh.” Hannah appears startled.
“Yeah, I know.” I roll my eyes. “I’m just trying to avoid… stupid fighting.”
Hannah nods with mock seriousness. “I, too, prefer only smart fighting.”
I chuckle and she smiles back as she grabs a rectangular palette and a brush out of a little pouch in her purse. “Do you have a Mary Poppins purse? I swear, you have everything I need, every time I see you.”
She smiles, lightly turning my face so she can get a better look at the bruising. “I like to be prepared.”
She starts applying makeup and I start thinking about how I effectively screwed her over yesterday by changing my story. “Um… I wanted to say I’m really sorry.”
Her gaze darts to mine, her confusion clear. “For what?”
“Well, the psycho boyfriend for one thing, but most recently… It’s sort of my fault you’re going to have to go to school with Anae next year. I don’t know if you’ve heard yet.”
“Oh. Yeah, I’ve heard.” She smiles faintly, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Don’t worry about me. It would be my personal preference that the person who put these bruises on your face rot in jail for a good long time, but I’m sure you had your reasons.”
The way she says it, it seems pretty clear she means Dare, but she’s not trying to shame me, so she doesn’t come out and say it.
She sets the brush aside and uses her thumb to blend the edges. “You want me to get the hickeys, too?”
“Um, no, you can leave those.”
“He really likes to mark you, doesn’t he?”
“He really does.”
“Must be because I’m so intimidating,” she teases with a little wink.
I laugh. “Yeah, that must be it.”
Chapter forty-five
Dare
We’re nearly to the cafeteria for lunch when a little blonde pixie flies over, grabbing my arm to get my attention, then letting go like she’s afraid my evil might be contagious.
I would just keep walking and ignore her, honestly, but my much nicer girlfriend spots her little friend and stops. “Hey, Hannah.”
I stifle the urge to roll my eyes, turning to face the girl.
She’s got the bright-eyed look of determination as she looks up at me rather than Aubrey. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
I hike up my eyebrows. “Me?”
Aubrey is similarly confused—but much more worried. “Him?”
Hannah nods. “Alone.”
“Alone?” my pretty little parrot echoes. “I’m not sure that’s a great idea…”
I’m sure it isn’t, but I’m curious. “Sure.” I drop my arm from around Aubrey’s waist. She catches my hand before she lets go, giving me a wordless, pleading look, begging me to be nice.
I like it, so I lean in to give her a little kiss before I go.
Then, I follow Hannah into an empty classroom. “Interesting choice,” I say, looking around the room lit only by a couple of cloudy windows. To up the scare factor, I reach back and close the door behind me. I lock it, too.