The Bad Boy's Dance (31 page)

              Challenge accepted.

              I lunged forward, surprising them with my suddenness. With both arms, I slammed my elbows into their jugulars. Before they had a chance to recover, I shoved Brett into a locker at the same time I swept Tristan’s feet out from under him.

              “You-” Brett spat, and swung. I barely managed to duck in time, but I used the opportunity to run and him like a bull, crushing my head against him belly and propelling us both to slam into the lockers.

              Tristan yanked me to him and reared back, punching me so hard in the nose I saw stars. “Dude!” I heard Brett gasp. “You don’t actually hit a girl!”

              “It’s either that or she’ll hand us our balls!”

I staggered a bit, but quickly regained my equilibrium, faster than Tristan thought I would.

              Making for Tristan’s crotch, he stopped me by grabbing my leg and using it to throw me into the lockers. The handles dug into my spine, and I inhaled sharply. Tristan hoisted me to my feet by my collar and I closed my eyes in anticipation.

              When the hit never came, I peeked.

              Asher literally
picked Tristan up
by his shirt and threw him down. I winced as a heard something crack, and by the terrifying expression on Asher’s face, he wasn’t done yet. I leaped on him at the last second, halting his fist. I shoved him back, away from Tristan.

              “That’s enough!” I shouted, my voice echoing in the halls. The fights ceased, and everyone glanced at me. Where were the teachers in all this? I wondered idly.

              I looked behind me to see Brenda on her feet, making a beeline for Asher. She threw herself in his arms, clutching her cheek pathetically. “She hit me! She’s crazy, Asher!”

              I laughed manically, and right then, I
felt
pretty crazy. “The hoe is right, you know,” I chuckled humorlessly. “I
am
crazy. So keep your girlfriend away from me.”

              I focused my attention on Brenda, and was it my imagination, or did she flinch? “If you come near me again, I’ll rip out your intestines and feed them to you from your nostrils,” I said calmly.

              I spun on my heel and left.

              It was when I was halfway across the parking lot that Dana and Caleb finally caught up with me. No one said anything as they waited for me to get my rage under control.

              “I’m going home,” I said curtly, unlocking my car. “I’m sorry for leaving you guys without a ride.”

              Dana and Caleb exchanged a glance before simultaneously rounding the car and climbing in. When I arched a brow at them, Dana merely shrugged. “I’m out of chocolate, and you’re at an unhealthy level of pissed off.”

              “Yeah, what kind of friends would we be if we left you to stew alone?” Caleb added.

              Now I felt like dog dung. Steaming piles of unfriendly dog dung on the heel of a shoe. “I’m sorry I dragged you guys into that. I know your Coach could’ve benched you for your game, Caleb,” I sighed.

              Caleb waved a hand uncaringly. “Kyle was throwing as many punches as I was. There’s a limit to how much shit those Plastics can pull, and we weren’t going to let them get near you. Screw the game.”

              “Did you see how she beat the crud out of Brett and Tristan?” Dana told him excitedly. She threw her arms in the air. “Our best friend is a ninja!”

              I giggled as Dana went into detail about my throwdown, exaggerating of course. My anger ebbed until it was mostly gone by the time I parked in front of my house. What would I do without my best friends?

              “My parents are at work, so we can go in,” I told them, locking the car as we made our way to the front door. I unlocked the front door and pulled it open. The house was silent, and I felt myself relax until Dana released a shriek.

              Standing there in nothing but a ratty pair of boxers was Spencer. It appeared as if he’d been heading back to the couch from the kitchen, because a bowl of cereal was in his hands, a spoon poised halfway to his lips.

              “Oh, gross!” I bellowed, throwing a hand over my eyes. “Put some freaking clothes on!”

              “What are you doing home?!” he yelled, and I heard rustling as he tugged some pants on from the same closet he hid in from Mom. “You’re supposed to be at school!”

              Lowering my hand when I was sure the coast was clear, I scowled at him. “So you prance around the house in your underwear everyday when we leave the house?” I avoided his question.

              Spencer chewed a spoonful of cereal. “Pretty much, yeah,” he garbled.

              “You’re disgusting,” I tossed over my shoulder, herding Dana and Caleb up the stairs.

              “That’s not what the ladies say!” he called.

              Slamming the door, I slumped onto the bed. “Sorry, you’ve met my older brother, Sir Pervertius.”

              Dana fluttered her lashes. “One sexy broody brother, and one hot man-slut.
Ugh,
I envy you so bad.”

              She thought it over for a minute. “Never mind. If I were you, I wouldn’t be able to tap that. Technically, I can’t breach the girl code and tap that anyway since I’m your bestie, but I can have some rated R daydreams without ending up on Dr. Phil.”

              Caleb and I just stared at her for a few minutes. She squirmed. “What?”

              Caleb ignored her. “So this is what happens if a girl goes to the bathroom alone? A full-fledged war?”

              “Funny,” I drawled, sticking my tongue out at him. “She ambushed me and pushed me too far.”

              “Well…” Caleb prompted when I wouldn’t continue. “Did she say your jeans were
totes out of style
?” Caleb did a poor imitation of a mean girl’s voice, sending me and Dana into peals of laughter.

              “No,” I sobered quickly. Inhaling, I rubbed my neck. “She talked about my relationship with Jared.”

              The amusement evaporated from Dana and Caleb’s expressions. “How does she know anything to do with that?” Caleb sputtered. He knew the bare bones of Jared and my past, but even the little he knew was enough to enrage him.

              “Her Dad’s a big-shot attorney,” I said bitterly. “He pulled the files.”

              “Your Dad is in law too! Can’t he, like, sue him?” Dana questioned angrily.

              I sighed, hugging my knees to my chest. “Probably, but the case would be public, and it might be easy for a reporter to dig around and get my files.”

              “I’ll kill her,” Dana announced with utter conviction. “Your Dad can spring me from jail, and your Mom can make the murder look like an accident.”

              I wanted desperately to tell my friends that Jared had visited me, but his warning was clear. Harm would come anyone who knew he was here, and he’d
know
.
I wasn’t sure how, but he would. Asher could take care of himself, but my friends were two ordinary high school seniors. They already had to deal with my messed up life once, and I wasn’t going to ruin their senior year.

              They stayed until nightfall, when their parents called and demanded they return. I robotically ate dinner, ignoring Spencer’s jabs at me, like “I heard one in two teenagers ditch school at least once” or “Ditching is a more common problem than society thinks.”

              It wasn’t until I pointed at the china cabinet that he shut his trap. My mood was still in the dumps, and I knew why.

              A part of me was afraid everything Brenda had accused me of was true.

              It had plagued me for years, the thought that it was my fault Jared had gone off the deep end. He hadn’t been abnormal when I met him. He’d been friendly, popular, well-liked. What had I done to so drastically change him?

              It sent me spiraling to a place I didn’t want to return, and I curled on my bed, staring at my bedroom wall blankly long after my parents and brother had gone to bed. Tears I hadn’t noticed fell on my pillow, and the dull thrum of a headache warned.

             
Ding. Ding.

             
What the heck? Sitting up, I cocked my head, listening for the mysterious noise.

             
Ding. Ding.

             
It was coming from the window. Pulling a robe over my flannel bunny pajamas, I edged towards the window, majorly wigging out. What if it was a serial killer? What if it was Tristan or Brett, bent on restoring their masculine pride by killing me?

              Gingerly, I opened the window and peered out into the darkness only to have something clip me in the forehead. “Ow!”

              “Ivy?” a familiar deep voice stilled the hand rubbing my forehead.

              My lower lip jutted forward in a stubborn pout, even though I knew he couldn’t see me. “Go away.”

              “Not until you get down here and talk to me.”

              “Buzz off, Grayson!” I hissed.

              “If you’re not standing in front of me in ten seconds, I’m going to pound on your front door and wake up your parents,” he threatened.              

             
Argh!
I tried to get downstairs without stomping. Slipping through the door, I tightened my robe around me against the chill. I spotted Asher standing under my window, still looking up. Thanking the pink panther for any ninja skills I had, I crept forward and smacked the back of his head.

              Asher had me pinned against the side of the house in a nanosecond. “Let me go!” I demanded.

              He released me with a scowl. Note to self: Do not sneak up on gun-toting bad boys.

              “Care to tell me what the fuck that stunt you pulled at school was?” Asher demanded without premise, in a hard voice.

              “Call it a wicked case of PMS,” I snapped.

              “Shut up,” he ordered grimly, stepping closer to me. My breathing hitched, but I refused to let him see how he affected me. “You know Brenda isn’t my girlfriend, and how the hell could you throw around two football players like sacks of potatoes?”

              “You don’t know everything there is to know about Ivy Robello,” I said sullenly. “I’ve got a few moves under my belts, doesn’t mean I’m going to open a jar of whoop-ass on everyone who pisses me off. That’s your forte.”

              He ignored my last jab. “Why did you step in front of Tristan? I was dealing with him.”

              I threw my hands in the air. How frustrating could he get? “You body-slammed him! I heard something break! Excuse me for stopping you for getting thrown in jail for assault.”

              Asher ran a hand through his hair and paced in front of me a total of three times, muttering something under his breath. “What did Brenda say to you?”

              I crossed my arms over my chest. “Why don’t you ask her?”

              Asher stalked towards me, his muscles bunching and folding like an agitated tiger. He cornered me against the house, caging me in with his arms. My heart rate soared, and I was glad that the cover of the dark hid my burning cheeks.

              “Because I don’t give two shits about Brenda. I do, however, care about you. If I want to know something, I’m going to come to you.” His breath fanned my nose, and the air in my lungs froze when he lifted a hand and brushed his fingers down my cheek.

              “Why do you keep pushing me away?” he murmured, and I could have sworn it was laced with frustration. I had a feeling this wasn’t about Brenda anymore.

              I said nothing. What could I say? Coherent thought had said sayonara.

              Asher gave a deep sigh and lowered his arms, pushing off the wall. He ran another hand through his hair, tousling the dark locks attractively around his face. Cobalt eyes regarded me with sadness, and my heart clenched.

              He started to walk away, and I could hear every heartbeat distinctly. If I let him walk away, he wouldn’t flirt with me, or make any advances. Asher wasn’t the type of guy to force himself on anyone.

              I stood there in the cold, watching him walk away, and that’s when it finally hit me.

              I had fallen for Asher Grayson
hard.
He’d made me feel more alive, more like me than I’d felt for years. And I was determined to at least make one right choice today.

              “Asher!” I shouted, already running. The wet dew on the grass was slippery under my unclothed feet. My robe fell away as I sprinted towards him. He turned around with barely enough time to catch me as I leapt on him.

              I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he tightened his grasp on my waist, keeping me at eye contact level. “I’m not pushing you away. I’m trying to protect myself from getting my heart broken. You annoy me. You’re arrogant, rebellious, determined, and you crush anyone who gets in the way of you want. You’re a huge risk.”