Fierce Read online

  “Friends are supposed to be there for each other. To support one another. They don’t laugh at you or let their friends treat you like dirt,” Evie chides in anger.

  “I know …”

  The more she says, the more I feel tears stinging my eyes. It hurts to have her talk like this. Not because it’s wrong, but because I know it’s the truth. I don’t like seeing my friends this way.

  “Oh … crap … I’m sorry,” she says, and she scoots off the bed and sits down on mine, putting her arm around me. “Don’t cry because of what I said.”

  “I’m not.” I wipe away a few tears I didn’t manage to hold back. “I just hate the way this is turning out. I missed Brody. All this time I was waiting to finally go to college so I could hang out with him again, and now he’s like this.”

  “I know … I’m sorry …”

  “And the worst part is that I can’t change it.”

  She sighs and leans her head down on my shoulder, rubbing her hand over my back. “Let’s not talk about it anymore. He won’t ruin our day anymore.”

  “Yeah …”

  “Hey, what do you say we go swimming? Let’s do something fun.”

  “I can’t.” I reach into my pocket and take out the money I have left for the week. I don’t need to count to know it’s not enough to do anything else but buy food with. “It’s not enough. I’ll have to wait until my next paycheck, and even then I probably won’t have enough.”

  “Oh …” Evie swallows. “Well, we can always go back to the library and pick out random books to read instead. Just something to get your mind off Brody.”

  I nod, and she claps her hands.

  “All right, let’s go.”

  She pulls me up from my bed, and we go outside.

  We bump into Scarlet in the hallway. “Hey, where are you going, girls?”

  Brody comes up behind her, and I wince at the sight of him. He quickly walks around us and grabs Scarlet’s hand. “C’mon.”

  “No, I want to talk to them.” She jerks her hand loose. “Sorry about his friends. They’re a cranky bunch.”

  Evie snorts. “That’s a big understatement.”

  “So, what are you girls up to?” Scarlet asks.

  I clear my throat to stop Evie from starting a fight. “We thought of going swimming, but―”

  “Oh, can I come?” Scarlet interrupts me.

  “We’re not really―”

  “I want to make it up to you. Let’s go together, I’ll pay.”

  “No, you know that’s not good for your heart. Now let’s go,” Brody says, and he swiftly grabs her arm and drags her through the hallway.

  “Sorry! Rain check, then?” she yells, digging her feet into the carpet as he pulls her around the corner and out of sight.

  “Not a chance …” Evie mumbles.

  “At least Scarlet is nice,” I say. “I can’t say the same about Brody.”

  “It’s like the world is upside down,” Evie says. “Tan-and-pink chicks aren’t bitches, and they suddenly want to hang out with us, and the nerd has turned into a complete asshole.”

  “Let’s not go there again,” I say as we walk downstairs.

  “Right,” she says.

  We make our way across campus toward the library, and I spot Hunter in the middle of the open ground. The moment his presence catches my eye I stop moving. He looks confident, but unsure of what he’s doing at the same time, and it alerts all my senses to what’s going on.

  He’s standing with a group of guys that seem familiar. And now I know why. It’s the same guys as the ones behind the fence, the ones he made an exchange with.

  One of them has brown Justin Bieber hair, what I’d call a flowerpot cut, but he looks quite handsome, and I swear I’ve seen him before. Maybe in class.

  It doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that Hunter’s having a suspicious conversation with them, and this time I can actually hear them.

  “Shit,” I mutter, and I push Evie against the wall.

  “What?” she says, but I put a finger in front of her mouth.

  “Shh … It’s Hunter!”

  “So? Who cares?”

  “I want to know what he’s up to.”

  “Why do you care? He’s just a guy …” Evie sighs.

  “Look,” I say, and I direct her attention toward the guys.

  Her eyes widen when she sees what I mean.

  “Shit, this looks serious.”

  “Yes, that’s why I want to know what’s going on. Hunter’s been acting strange lately, and I want to find out why.”

  She nods, and I turn my head and watch the guys. I’m completely focused on the voices, all unfamiliar except one. His. The gruffness of it never ceases to grab my attention.

  Hunter’s standing close to the group of guys, and they’re whispering some things, but when actual words come out I can finally hear it.

  “That guy,” one of them says, and he points at a guy standing near a fountain, talking to someone else.

  “What do you want me to do?” Hunter says.

  “You know …” the other one says, and Hunter freezes.

  Their looks are stone-cold sober, so serious it chills me to my core. I don’t know what they mean, but it creeps me out. And the grim look on Hunter’s face doesn’t predict anything good.

  He nods, and I gulp. They shake hands and then disperse, as if they were never even there, discussing secrets.

  “I don’t like this at all,” Evie whispers.

  “Me neither,” I say, and we make a run for it before any one of them notices we’ve been watching.

  But before Evie and I turn the corner, Hunters eyes meet mine. His piercing gray eyes zoom in on me, and he starts to squint the moment he realizes it’s me.

  Shit. I’ve been caught.

  With his gaze on me I can barely breathe. I know he knows I’ve been watching him, I can see it in his eyes. I don’t need to talk to him to know that he wants me to keep it a secret. His intent glare is enough.

  And then we turn and bolt away.

  Chapter 6

  Troubled Hearts

  “Yuck, don’t they have some real food here?” Evie throws the spoon she’s holding into the lettuce behind the counter. The lunchroom lady grimaces at her, but turns around shortly after.

  “Fat and juicy burgers aren’t exactly real food either,” I say, carrying my plate to the checking counter.

  She snorts. “Hell, I’d prefer Mickey D’s anytime over this junk.”

  I laugh as I pay the cashier and watch Evie snarl at the lunchroom lady to make her something that includes at least an ounce of meat.

  When she finally has her slab of meat, we find a free spot and sit down to eat.

  “I swear, one day I’ll just drag you into a real lunchroom. Some place they serve nice, tasty food.”

  I roll my eyes. “You know I can’t afford that.”

  “I know, but that’s why I’ve decided that from now on I’m just going to save up every cent I have so I can take you with me to one of those damn fine restaurants maybe once a month.”

  I smile, but feel embarrassed because of my lack of money.

  Evie’s hand is suddenly wrapped around mine right on the table. “Hey, don’t you even think about feeling bad. It’s supposed to be a good thing.”

  “I know … it’s just that—”

  “Stop it. I’m not taking no for an answer. You’ll come with me, and I’ll pay, and that’s that. No buts. No ifs. Once a month, we’ll gorge on delicious junk food or better.”

  I chuckle. “All right. Thanks.”

  She smiles and squeezes my hand a bit.

  “I’m really glad I have you as a best friend,” I say.

  The twinkle in her eyes disappears, and she lets go of my hand.

  “That’s what friends are for,” she says. Diverting her eyes to her food, she grabs her fork and knife and starts cutting up the meat like a butcher, making me wince.

  There goes my appeti
te.

  “Could you be a little less …” My eyebrows draw together as my mouth drops open. “Is that Brody?”

  Evie turns her head like a hawk in the direction I’m looking, so I say, “Don’t stare! God, do you want him to see or something?”

  “Does it matter? It’s just Brody.”

  I sigh. “That’s not what I meant. Don’t you see who he’s standing next to?”

  “Yeah? So?”

  “It’s that guy. The guy Hunter was talking to the other day. When we were going to the library, we saw them talking about some weird business.”

  “Oh, that guy!”

  “Shhh!” I say. “I’d rather not get caught staring again.”

  I blink again, but nothing changes. It has to be the same guy. I’d recognize that flowerpot hairdo anywhere. It’s the guy Hunter was talking to. The guy who told him to do ‘something’ to ‘someone.’

  I wonder what the hell he’s doing with Brody.

  So many questions pop up into my mind. What does he want with Brody? And what was he doing with Hunter? If they both know him, does that also mean Brody knows Hunter?

  So many things I don’t know the answer to, and it’s making me insane.

  Brody bumps fists with the flowerpot hairdo guy, and they both take off in different directions. I wonder what they just talked about. I wonder how the hell they know each other.

  When that guy passes us, I pretend I’m eating some lettuce and stuff my mouth full of it. As he leaves, I almost choke on the huge amount of food in my mouth. I wash it down with a bottle of water, and Evie starts cutting up her steak again.

  “I wonder …” My voice stops working.

  I don’t know what I want to say anymore.

  As soon as my eyes catch a glimpse of that guy entering the cafeteria I’m flabbergasted.

  My mouth drops open and I stare at him. Him. I know I call him ‘him’ all the time, but that’s because he is the only guy my attention is ever drawn to. It’s like there is no other guy around but him.

  “What?” Evie says, but I ignore her.

  I completely zone out, my eyes glued to his being. He’s not just another guy, not one of the many flocking into the lunchroom. No. This is Hunter Bane, the guy whose mood changes with a snap of the fingers. The guy who goes from being a complete jerk to a witty, cute guy. The guy who looks like a sex god, but seems to have no interest in other girls whatsoever. Or at least, not that I can see.

  There is so much I still don’t know about him, and for some reason I’m intrigued as hell. I want to get to know him. Maybe it’s because he taunted me that day with my bracelet, because I want to know why he is the way he is.

  Whenever I see him, all I can think about is him.

  He’s the guy I’m swooning over.

  And it’s making me look like a gasping, drooling girl.

  Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and focus on the here and now. I can’t go to him. I can’t talk to him. I’m having lunch with Evie, and it’s rude to leave her like that. I have to keep my eyes shut to prevent myself from failing in my resolve. I can’t look at him, because I know I’ll falter and go over there eventually.

  Still, I can’t help but open my eyes.

  He’s much closer now, and he’s leaning against a vending machine. He coughs and then looks at his hand, wiping something on his dark, frayed jeans. He’s wearing unusually thick clothes today, which isn’t at all like him, and from the looks of it they’re cheap, too.

  Jamming one hand into his pocket, he runs the other through his spiky hair. He fishes a few coins from his pocket, gazes at them, and then crushes them in the palm of his hand. The look on his face darkens, and I can see his chest heave as he stares with anger at the vending machine.

  I gulp at the sight of him and can’t get a word out of my mouth. Hunter Bane, the guy who seems to have it all, doesn’t have enough to buy some snack from a vending machine?

  The idea alone makes me gasp. I can’t believe Hunter, out of all people, doesn’t have enough to go by. Is it just a coincidence? Or is this what he goes through on a daily basis?

  Just like me?

  I shake my head when he suddenly turns his head and looks at me. We stare at each other, and my eyes widen. His eyes are bloodshot, and his eyelids are swollen. There’s a huge purple mark on his left cheek.

  My fork drops onto the table.

  “Autumn? Hello? Earth to Autumn?” Evie yells. She’s been calling my name all this time, but I haven’t paid any attention to it. And I don’t want to right now.

  I need to know what’s wrong with Hunter.

  “Be right back,” I say.

  “Huh? What? Where are you going?” I think she follows my gaze, because she immediately says, “Oh, God, you’ve got to be joking. Hunter?”

  “Sorry,” I say. “I really want to talk to him.”

  She stammers, but I ignore her, and I hurry over to him.

  When he sees me coming, he pulls up his hoodie, turns his head, and starts walking in the opposite direction.

  I run up to him and grab his arm, but he jerks loose.

  “Leave me alone,” he says as he walks through the cafeteria door.

  “What happened to you?” I say.

  I push myself past the doors and step in front of him. He looks miserable. His face has all the colors of a rainbow, like he’s been hit with a baseball bat. His eyes scare me even more. They look dreary. They’re red and big, as if he’s been sick or crying.

  Or something way, way, worse. Drugs.

  I can’t even think of it without wanting to puke.

  The abrasive look on his face sends shivers down my spine. The only time I’ve seen him more upset was when he leaned against his door in the middle of the night, crying.

  He closes his mouth, leaving a small gap in between his lips, as if he still wants to say something but doesn’t know quite what.

  I swallow. “I asked you a question.”

  It’s not like me to be this upfront, bold, but I have to. He looks sick, and it seems to me like he doesn’t even care. It’s as if he’s completely oblivious to the state he’s in. Or there’s something else going on that makes him ignore it.

  “And I said: Leave me alone.” His hands curl up into fists, and I get the sudden urge to bolt away, but I don’t. I have to make a stand. I have to help him. I don’t know why, I just have to.

  “I want to know what happened,” I say.

  “Why?” His teeth grate, and his lips barely part as he speaks the words. It almost makes me feel like he’s angry with me, but that can’t be. I didn’t do anything. Or did I?

  “Because you seem hurt,” I say with the calmest voice I can muster. I don’t want to make him angrier.

  “Why do you care so much?” His voice is hoarse, and it almost sounds as if he finds it strange that anyone could even care.

  But I do.

  I don’t know why, I just feel like I need to care. Like I have to find out what’s wrong with him, so I can fix him.

  As if I could fix him. Me. Little, goofy, broke me.

  As if he’s been waiting for that. He just said he wants to be left alone.

  He doesn’t want to talk to me. He’s been avoiding me since the moment he saw me. He doesn’t want my help. Doesn’t even need it.

  But I can’t leave him alone. For some reason I feel this unspoken, undeniable connection between us. I can’t put my finger on it. It’s not tangible. I just know it’s there.

  And I have to find out why.

  “Because ... I just do,” I say.

  Maybe I’m selfish for wanting to talk, but I think it’s worth it. If I can talk to him, I can find out why he’s been acting so strange lately. Maybe I can actually help him, even if he thinks I can’t. Maybe we could become friends. Maybe …

  I look up into his eyes, which he keeps hidden behind his hoodie, and I can barely spot his glinting gray eyes. They’re half-mast and not even pointed at me. It almost makes me think he’s as
hamed to look at me.

  But why?

  When I first saw him, he mocked me, but he was just playing around. He’s a cocky, confident guy with a cute, boyish smile I can’t ignore. His jokes make my skin crawl with anger, but that’s him.

  This is not him.

  He looks broken, damaged, beaten. Literally.

  Seeing him this way breaks my heart, even if I’d rather be taken to hell than admit that.

  Without realizing it, my finger lifts to touch the bruise on his face.

  Hunter cocks his head and backs away before my finger reaches his face. “Don’t.”

  His lip contorts, his eyebrows draw together, and for a second I almost believe I see tears forming in his eyes.

  Then he storms off.

  Chapter 7

  Devilish Games

  “Did you hear?” Evie says, as we walk to our classes the next day. “Someone got beat up yesterday. Here on campus. During the day. In plain sight.”

  “Seriously?” I say, gasping.

  My throat feels like it’s being squeezed together. Images of Hunter and his bruised face and bloodshot eyes flash through my mind. All I can think about is if it was him. Or maybe he did it to someone else.

  “You know what’s even stranger? There were only a handful of people who saw it, and they said it looked like it came out of nowhere.”

  “What?” I didn’t think my mouth could drop any farther, but it just had.

  “Yeah, I reacted the same way. I can’t believe someone would do that. It was in broad daylight.”

  “My God …” I say, still baffled.

  “I’m wondering if it’s some sort of calculated, premeditated fight. Like it was set up, or something like that. I know it sounds strange, but it took ages for word to reach our end of the campus, and fights like this usually take no more than five minutes for everyone to know. I mean, the guy was busted up pretty bad.”

  “Who was it? Were there more?” The words roll over my tongue like they’re in a rush.

  “I don’t know. I wasn’t there when it happened, you know. I just hear the rumors.”

  “So that’s it? That’s all you know?”

  “Wow, calm down, girl.”

  “Sorry … I’m just curious.”