I'm back in math class, which is turning out to be my least favorite subject thanks to the trio of jackasses. Those two hours confined in a room with them sends my anxiety levels to the roof. By the end of the semester, I'll have an ulcer. To be honest, I wish they would go forward with whatever they’re planning already. The anticipation is killing me.
Mr. Atkins starts the lecture by handing back the quizzes we took on Monday. When he gives me mine, he says, "Good work, Miss Woods. I have to say I'm impressed."
A-plus. I got an A-plus. I’ve always been good in math, but I'm a little surprised I didn't bomb the quiz. My head simply wasn't one hundred percent in it.
"Son of a bitch," Phoenix yells from behind me. "I got a C?"
"You’re lucky you didn't get an F. Shoddy work, Mr. Westbrook,” the teacher replies.
I notice when Phoenix looms over my shoulder to look at my grade. My spine becomes rigid in an instant. He's too close, far too close.
"You gotta be kidding me. How did you get an A-plus?"
"She probably cheated." Cherise Blake, who usually sits next to me, sneers.
"Nah, I'm simply smarter than you," I say with a shrug. "It's a shame that godly powers don’t automatically include a brain."
The girl twists her face into an angry scowl. "Are you calling me stupid?"
"If the shoe fits."
Everything happens too fast for me to get out of the way. With a battle cry, Cherise jumps from her seat and pushes me off my chair, landing on top of me. The fall stunned me momentarily, and the two seconds of lethargy are going to earn me a punch to the face from a fist made out of solid ice.
Shit, this crazy bitch is an elemental.
But suddenly Morpheus appears behind her. Surrounded by an aura so dark that he almost resembles a wraith, he grabs the girl's wrist and yanks her off me.
She cries out as he shatters the ice around her hand, but he doesn't let go until Mr. Atkins pulls them apart.
"What the fuck do you think you’re doing?" he yells, eyeballing both Morpheus and Cherise.
"He tried to use his gift against me." She points a shaky finger in Morpheus’s direction.
Mr. Atkins glances at me. "Are you all right, Miss Woods?"
I rub my left shoulder, which took the brunt of the fall. "Yeah, I'm okay."
I glance in Rufio's direction, sensing his stare. His blue eyes are unreadable, and his face resembles a marble statue. What a difference from the boy who kissed me so passionately three nights ago.
A hand appears in my line of vision. Phoenix's. Hell will freeze over before I accept help from him. I bat his hand away and stand on my own.
"You really are something, Norm," he says with barely contained rage.
"Enough already. Miss Blake, get your ass out of my classroom this instant." The teacher points at the door.
"With pleasure." She sneers at me.
"You'd better head to Principal Fallon's office immediately if you want to remain a student in this school," he replies.
With a huff, she collects her things and marches out of the room.
"Mr. Westbrook, help Miss Woods with her desk and chair," Mr. Atkins orders.
Phoenix sits back down and stretches his arms and legs. "She can do it herself."
Mr. Atkins pinches the bridge of his nose. "Please don't make me send you to the principal's office too. Dealing with one asshole is enough for one day."
"I'll do it," Morpheus announces, earning surprised glares from both his friends.
Silently, he puts the desk and chair back in their places, then returns to his.
"Thank you," I say, but he doesn't look in my direction.
The loud murmur of students chatting away continues. Mr. Atkins has to clap his hands loudly to command the attention of the room once more. He makes a joke about the situation and then resumes the lecture as if nothing had happened.
As for me, I can't concentrate for shit in class. I lied when I said I was fine. My left shoulder is throbbing. There will be a massive bruise there tomorrow, I’m sure. I don't even hear the bell ring; I only know class is over when students begin to walk out.
Phoenix bumps into my chair again, jostling me hard. Jerk. I’d punch his face if I didn't think I'd break my hand in the process. I can glare at his wide back instead.
Rufio walks by my chair next. I don't even need to look up to know it’s him; the scent of his cologne is clue enough. Tingles run down my spine, and I curse my body and its reaction to him. It's disconnected from my brain, apparently, and has no understanding that Rufio made out with me and now he's pretending I'm a stranger. Despite knowing all along what he is, I'm feeling rough. It's like I'd developed feelings for the jackass, which would be reason enough to commit me. Who falls for their tormentors? Sick-in-the-head women, that's who.
When he's gone, I begin to collect my things, then realize I'm not the only student who fell behind. Morpheus is standing next to my desk, waiting, it seems, for me. His fingers are curled tight around the strap of his bag. He seems tense. Great.
"What is it?" I ask.
"I'd like to resume our tutoring sessions," he says simply. Not a question, but also not a command.
"What if I don't want to tutor you anymore?"
I didn't want to tutor him the first time either, but now I'm willing to fight Principal Fallon's decision. I didn't come to Gifted Academy to be forced to teach someone who hates me. Fuck that.
Morpheus’s gaze darkens, but the emotion is fleeting. His brow unfurrows and he shows me a version of himself that I haven’t seen until now—a nonthreatening one.
“I’d be surprised if you did, but I’m begging you.”
“You’re begging me?” I raise an eyebrow. “I didn’t know Idols were capable of that.”
He shoves his hands in his jacket pockets. “I can’t speak for the rest of the Idols race, but I’m capable of many things you wouldn’t think possible.”
I cross my arms in front of my chest. “How badly did you do on the quiz?”
Morpheus takes a deep breath, then pulls out a wrinkled piece of paper from one of his pockets.
“You got a D. That’s not too terrible. You can catch up,” I say.
“No, I won’t be able to catch up. I’m so behind already it’s not even funny.” He crumples the quiz paper into a tight ball and shoves it in his pocket again. “I can pay you.”
I wish I could be one of those people who put moral standards and pride above everything, but fuck, I’ve lived in poverty for too long to refuse money in exchange for honest work.
“How much?”
Morpheus’s eyes become more vivid. He knows his baiting worked.
“Fifty per session.”
“Double that and make it per hour and you have a deal.”
He squints slightly, his lips turning into a flat line. “Fine. You have a deal. What are you doing for lunch?”
“Uh, eating?”
“We can do both.”
“No we can’t. If you really want to learn something, we can’t have any distractions.”
“We’ll eat at my place. I can make mean tacos. Definitely better than the grub the cafeteria serves.” He starts to move toward the exit.
“What’s wrong with the library?”
“I’m on Mrs. Wilkins’s shit list,” he answers casually, then heads for the exit. At the door, he stops and glances over his shoulder. “See you later, Daisy.”
I put my head in my hands. I just agreed to spend an hour alone with one of the deadliest boys in school. I gotta have my head checked. This is a case for the psych ward.
36
Phoenix
I bide my time, letting Daisy’s anxiety grow with every day that we don’t take action against her. I don’t know why Rufio is hell-bent on getting rid of the girl so quickly. He wanted to kill her before, but now it’s personal. She managed to piss him off too. She’s either the stupidest girl alive or the most dangerous. I’m not going to wait to find out.
> Every time I’ve tried to help her—even without ulterior motives—she pretty much told me to fuck off. I’ve been treated like crap by my father my entire life, but I can’t escape his abuse—yet. But Daisy’s shit? I don’t need to take that. Even if she makes me hard with her defiant stare, even if I still picture her naked, writhing under me in pleasure as I plunge my cock deep in her pussy, I will destroy her.
The door to the principal’s office opens, and the girl I was waiting for comes out. Cherise Blake, a high-level Fringe, bitter as fuck for missing out on the Idol title by only one level. She follows Drusilla Dharma around like a puppy, catering to the Idol queen bitch's every whim. But she would stab her BFF in the back in a heartbeat if that granted her Idol status. Girls like Cherise are a dime a dozen, only following the most popular chick in school out of convenience.
And right now, she's going to play right into my hands. I've been stringing her along since school started. I've always known she had a crush on me, but she's not my type. Too blonde, too phony, too loud. Some guys might consider her pretty, but I just find her ordinary, like a cheap blow-up doll.
I push myself off the wall to put on the show. Her eyes widen when she sees me. "Phoenix, were you waiting for me?"
"Yeah, I wanted to make sure you were okay. Principal Fallon didn't give you too much of a hard time, did she?" I step closer, knowing how my proximity affects the Fringe. Shit, if I wanted to fuck her right here in the middle of the hallway, I could.
Sadly for my cock, I have zero inclination to sleep with her. Contrary to my reputation, I'm not a player. I prefer quality over quantity.
"That bitch gave me a week of detention. My parents are going to kill me."
"That sucks. It's completely messed up that Idols are being punished for putting a Norm in her place."
"Right? Damn. I couldn't handle that piece of shit disrespecting you like that. Who does she think she is?"
"Exactly. If Principal Fallon only knew what kind of activities her Norm protégé performs outside of school…," I say casually.
"Wait, do you know something?" Cherise grabs my arm eagerly.
I look left and right in a cagey manner, then whisper in her ear. "A buddy of mine sent me a video of Daisy stripping at a strip joint downtown."
"No way!" Cherise's eyes almost pop out of her head. "We have to show that video to everyone."
"Well, I can't. If people find out I leaked the video, that could potentially lead back to my friend, and it would be a major scandal. He's married to a very prominent public figure."
"Really? Who?"
I shake my head. "You'd better not know."
"Well, what if I leaked the video? No one would be able to trace it back to him, right?"
Oh, the joy of the stupid. I can't believe she bought that story.
"That's right."
"Well, send it me already. I can't wait to destroy that filthy Norm."
My lips curl into a grin. This was too easy. I fish my phone out and press Send on the message with the video I had ready to go.
“Done. I sent it anonymously, just to be safe."
With eager fingers, Cherise's opens the message. The disco music in the background is distorted, but the video footage is solid. You can totally see it's Daisy dancing on the stage, even with that stupid wig she was wearing. I know because I've lost count of how many times I’ve jerked off watching it. Now Daisy will populate the wet dreams of the entire male population at Gifted Academy.
Sudden jealousy hits me out of nowhere, deflating my mirth.
Damn Daisy to hell. I can’t believe she’s robbing me of that too.
"Well, I want everyone to know I'm behind the video. I can't have anyone thinking she came out victorious from today’s fight."
"No, you wouldn’t want that." I glance at my phone and frown. "Shit, I need to head to class."
To seal the deal, I lean closer and kiss Cherise's cheek. "I'll see you later, beautiful."
There’s a sharp intake of breath on her part, and when I pull away, I notice her eyes have become glassy.
Soak it all up, honey. This is all you get from me.
RUFIO
It only takes one punch down the middle for the brick in front of me to crumble into small fragments and dust.
“Take it easy, boy. We don’t want to bring the entire building down,” Mr. Rogers, our Special Studies teacher, chastises me.
I whirl around, wiping the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand. The darkness swirling inside of my chest fuels my rage, and that fury has to be unleashed somewhere.
Daisy is always at the epicenter of whatever turmoil I’m facing. The idiot totally deserved the backlash she received from Cherise in math class, but the murderous instinct the scene ignited in me wasn’t aimed at the Norm. I wanted to pulverize Drusilla’s friend. It took a great amount of self-control to keep my ass glued to my chair.
"It's not my fault these damn obstacles are child's play," I retort angrily.
"Whatever, princess. Go cool your jets in the shower. You've destroyed enough things for one day."
"It's only fifteen past ten."
"Look around, boy. You’ve already bulldozed your way through half the training course. You’re not the only student here." Mr. Rogers turns his back to me.
I curl my hands into fists, and energy crackles over my skin. My power surges from the pit of my stomach, raw and primal. I'm one second away from making a huge mistake when Phoenix bursts through the doors of the training facility, cockier than ever. The wicked grin he has plastered on his stupid face clues me in that he's done something.
"Mr. Westbrook. You’re late," Mr. Roger's points out.
"Sorry, sir." His gaze travels past our teacher to the destruction I've already caused. "It seems someone didn't leave much for me to do." Phoenix’s eyes connect with mine.
"Mr. Kent is done for the day," Mr. Rogers replies with a quick glance in my direction.
Phoenix prances toward me with an extra bounce to his step.
"What are you so fucking cheery about?" I ask.
"I just had a convo with Cherise. Let's just say we don't want to skip lunch today."
"Did you send her Daisy's video?" The darkness applies pressure, making my chest tight.
"Sure did. I can't wait to see the look on her face when everyone finds out about her little side job." Phoenix laughs, and I want to punch him.
Son of a bitch. What's wrong with me?
He's doing exactly what he should. We all agreed Daisy had to go. Two weeks ago, I would’ve voted for murder. Quick and easy. But now it's like I can't bear to live in a world where she doesn't exist. Maybe she's not a simple Norm after all but a spy for the Knights.
I've never heard of an Idol who could mask their powers and pretend to be a Norm. But it's not a farfetched idea either. Shit. I can't believe the thought never occurred to me until now.
"Rufio, why are you frowning like that? I thought you’d be happy."
"I just remembered that I have a meeting with my mother."
"In the middle of your favorite class?" Phoenix's raises an eyebrow.
Already on the move toward the exit, I reply over my shoulder, "Didn't you hear Mr. Rogers? I'm done."
37
Daisy
I never thought I'd set foot in the Magnificent Four's apartment again. But here I am, only three days later, sitting on the barstool and watching Morpheus prepare his 'mean' tacos. He’s pulled his long curls back into a man bun, a look I've always associated with fuckboys, but Morpheus wears it well.
"We only have an hour to eat and study. We should’ve met after class," I say.
"Oh, we'll meet later today as well," he says casually.
"I didn't agree to that. I have my own homework to worry about."
He turns around, holding a plate with two steamy tacos on it. He sets the dish in front of me and then returns to the stove to grab his own.
"Come on, Daisy. You must be killing it in all of yo
ur classes. That's why you got the scholarship, right? You're some kind of genius." He rests his butt against the kitchen counter next to the stove and takes a bite of his meal.
"Hardly. I have to study my ass off to earn my grades." I try the taco, and it melts in my mouth.
A groan escapes my lips. It’s so delicious.
"I told you my tacos were good." He smiles, revealing dimples I didn't know he had. And I love dimples. They’re my weakness when it comes to boys.
I catch myself observing Morpheus in an entirely different light. I’ve always sensed an ominous aura surrounding him, as if he always walked in the shadows. Today, the gloom is gone, and I can see his brightness.
"Why are you staring?" He frowns.
Heat spreads through my cheeks, and I drop my gaze to my plate. "You look different with your hair pulled back like that."
He makes a noncommittal sound, and I feel compelled to add, "The tacos are amazing. Who taught you to cook?"
"My mother."
His answer makes me think of Mom. How I loved her cooking. I wish I’d paid more attention when she tried to teach me some of our family recipes, but I was more interested in studying than learning domestic skills.
A lump gets lodged in my throat and my appetite disappears. I set the plate aside and pull my math book from my bag.
"What's the matter? Not hungry?"
"I'll eat on the way to class. Let's get this tutoring going. I think we should start by looking over your quiz answers."
"Great. I can't wait for the humiliation to commence."
I lift my gaze to his.
"You shouldn't beat yourself up because you don't get math. It's an error to assume every single person learns in the same manner. Our brains are unique, and each person processes information in a different way."
"Did you just come up with that on the fly?" He raises an eyebrow.
"No, that was just something my father used to say."
"They’re dead right? Your parents?" he asks bluntly, making me wince.
Wicked Gods: A Paranormal High School Bully Romance (Gifted Academy Book 1) Page 22
