Being the Bad Boy's Victim (31 page)

Connor pulled away a bit before a mischievous look crossed his face. “You,” he whispered.

“Wha——”

I gasped as he buried his face into my neck, his hands gripping my waist and pulling my body close. But the sound of a phone ringing caused him to pull away.

“Hello?”

I let my eyes roam his perfect features as he answered the phone, his other arm still wrapped around me. His brows furrowed, and he sighed.

“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” he said firmly, hanging up and turning for the door.

I guess the disappointment I was feeling really showed, because he quickly gave me a small kiss.

“Do you really have to go?” I asked, looping my arms around his neck.

“Yes, but you’ll see me tomorrow,” he said, giving me another kiss.

I pouted and sighed, slowly trailing my hands down his chest.

“Bye then,” I said, trailing my lips against his jawline.

He groaned and made a grab for me, but I sidestepped and walked to the staircase. By now, my mum had gone out with Luca and Sophie, apparently trusting me enough to leave me with Connor, who, by the way, found it very amusing that my parents thought we had sex.

“You tease,” he muttered, his eyes locked with mine, a look of lust filling them.

I gave him a small wink and walked up the stairs, swaying my hips. “Bye, bye,” I sang out.

After Connor left, I collapsed on my bed, exhaustion taking over. The one problem with the pain pills was the side effect—drowsiness. It literally made me feel like I hadn’t slept in ages. I let out a long yawn, closing my eyes.

“Goodnight, my princess.”

What?

Shrugging and keeping my eyes closed, I let the darkness consume me. I probably just imagined it.

“So you’re really not going to tell me why you ran out on me yesterday?” I asked, pouting.

Connor glanced at me from the driver’s seat, a smile etched across his face.

“Nope.”

I made an annoyed noise and turned my body away, looking out the window.

“Oh, come on! Don’t be like that,” Connor said, nudging my arm.

I crossed my arms and huffed, watching as we pulled into the school parking lot.

“Connor?” I asked, turning back to him as he parked.

When the car fully stopped, he looked at me. “Yeah?”

I bit my lip and glanced outside, taking a deep breath. “Do you ever think about what happened in the haunted house?” I heard his sharp intake of breath and looked back at him.

“All the time,” he said harshly.

I was surprised to hear that. Truthfully, I hadn’t expected him to think about it at all.

“Wh—”

“I should have murdered that guy,” Connor spat out, his hands gripping the wheel tightly.

“Co—”

“I bet it was Jack,” he said.

Now that, that really surprised me even more. I didn’t even have any suspicions on who it could have been. I actually stopped thinking about who it might have been since I went home… only that it was someone who had been waiting “too long.”

“You can’t just jump to conclusions,” I said.

Connor threw me a look of disbelief, so I added, “What I mean is, I know Jack seems like an asshole and all, but I don’t think he’d ever do that to me. I mean, my attacker said…”

“That son of a bitch talked to you? While he was attacking you?” Connor asked, his eyes flashing dangerously.

“He said, ‘I’ve waited too long.’” I said softly, not meeting his burning gaze.

“Why… why would you not tell me this before?” he asked, his voice tight.

I squeezed my hands together. “I don’t know,” I whispered. “What good would it have done?”

“Listen, Bella, and listen good.”

The commanding authority in Connor’s voice made me sit up and I bit my lip nervously, waiting for whatever it was he had to say.

“No one. And I mean no one can, or will, ever hurt you, not while I’m around,” he finished, his eyes locking with mine. “I won’t allow it.”

I nodded, a warm feeling burst through my chest. Is this what I think it is? Do I really feel that way about Connor?

I never felt this way about anyone before, not even Sam. But then, I didn't think it was ever really love that I felt for Sam. So maybe this one I felt for Connor was it?

Maybe… most probably,
I thought to myself, grinning like a lovesick fool.

“Connor is perfect,” Jess gushed, her eyes shining.

I blushed and nodded in agreement. My eyes drifted upwards as someone walked into the room.

Anna.

“Jess,” I whispered, nudging her arm as Anna took her seat, not looking up once. I watched as she pulled out her notebook, immediately catching up on the notes she had missed.

“Have you talked to her since…?” Jess started to say.

“Since she came running out of Liam’s house?” I finished for her.

She nodded, and I sighed, looking back.

“Nope.” My answer was short because my mind was elsewhere. Truth be told, although I barely knew her, it seemed like something was happening with Anna. She had changed so much from when I first met her—going from the badass, fun girl to someone awkward and quiet.

“Do you want me to talk to her?” Jess asked, looking her over.

I tore my eyes away and nodded. “Thanks,” I said, grinning.

“No pro——”

“Excuse me, but is my class boring you two?”

I flushed and looked down at my desk. “Sorry, Ms. O,” I mumbled while Jess did the same.

Ms. O turned back to the board to continue writing. But when I looked up, I caught the burning stare of Anna. Her look lingered on me for a couple more seconds before she looked away, and continued to write.

Weird.

I really hoped Jess would be able to find out what was going on with her.

I was walking towards the lunchroom when a pair of arms wrapped around my midsection, dragging me into a dark room. I was about to let out a scream, when the lights turned on and…

Oh, how clichéd! I was in the janitor’s closet with… Connor.

“You jerk!” I cried out, smacking his chest with my hand as my heart slowly began to return to its normal pace.

He laughed, and leaned down. “Did I scare you?”

I bit my lip, holding in a smile. “Of course not. You’re not scary!” I chuckled and said, “You’re like a little teddy bear.” And for effect, I pinched his cheek and let out another chuckle at his horrified expression.

“A teddy bear?” he asked incredulously, shock flashed across his face.

“A little teddy bear,” I corrected him.

His look of shock was wiped away and was replaced by a smirk. “I can assure you, I’m anything but little,” he whispered huskily, pressing his body to mine.

I gulped and looked away, my face turning to a deep shade of red. But just as I was about to speak, my stomach let out a very audible growl, informing me that it needed to be fed… now!

“Seems like someone is as hungry as a bear,” Connor said with a laugh, pulling away a bit, grabbing my hand, and lacing our fingers.

“Don’t make fun of me…” I whined, looking down.

He laughed and gave me a kiss on the forehead. “Let’s go get some food,” he mused, ruffling up my hair.

I frowned and tried to smooth it down as he opened the door. To my horror, a group of juniors were outside, their eyes widened as they saw us.

“No! It’s…” I started to say, but they all hastily scampered off, and all I could do was let out a frustrated noise and glare at the laughing Connor. Of course, he found this funny.

“You… You… Ugh!” I said, giving up. Then I began walking towards the lunchroom, ignoring the strange looks I was getting. Surprisingly, not many people asked me about the stitches on my cheek, but it was obvious that it was what they were staring at.

“Bella!” I looked up to see Jess waving at me from a table. James and Matt were sitting with her. I smiled and walked over to them, sitting down quickly when I got there.

“Your friend is an ass,” I said, looking at James and Matt.

They both raised their eyebrows before laughing.

“What did he do now?” Matt asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

I opened my mouth, about to spill my ready rant, but someone else spoke up before I could.

“I took her hard in the janitor’s closet.”

I turned my head so quickly that I got a little dizzy.

“Shut up!” I hissed.

Connor chuckled and sat next to me, straddling the bench.

Then, I watched as he lifted his hand and lightly traced over my cut, his eyes clouding over.

“Oh, my God! Bella.”

I looked up at Jess, her eyes staring past me. I couldn’t help but gasp as I saw what—well, who—she was staring at.

Liam and Anna were by the entrance of the lunchroom. His head was dipped slightly, his lips moving quickly as his eyes locked with mine. He faltered slightly, and then stood upright, looking at Anna. I watched as she nodded her head to indicate that she understood what he was saying, and with that he walked off without another word or backward glance.

“I’ll be right back, guys,” I said quickly, walking off before anyone could say anything. My heart was pounding loudly within my chest as I made my way to the entrance, Anna’s eyes nearly popping out of her head. Ignoring her, I pushed past the doors, scanning the empty hallway. Letting out a sigh of defeat, I turned to go back inside, but someone blocked my way.

“Anna?” I asked, unsure of why she was just standing there.

She glanced around, her expression remaining blank. “Stay away from Connor,” she said, her voice wavering slightly.

My jaw dropped a fraction at that, and I crossed my arms. This better not be one of those “I liked him first and you’re just a whore, so stay away bitch” speeches.

“Excuse me?” I asked, my voice hard and tight. This time, the fear was evident in Anna’s eyes.

“Please stay away from Connor,” she pleaded.

“Why?” I said, keeping my voice calm and steady as I struggled to scrutinize her.