by Lylah James
Maddox pressed the wet handkerchief over my lips, rubbing gently to clean the dried blood. I flinched but stayed still for him. He then swiped it over my cheek, which was almost on fire. Bethany’s ring must have caught my skin. I let out a sigh when I realized it would be a nasty green or purple shade tomorrow.
“I don’t like how you got hurt because of me,” he finally admitted. Maddox touched my cheek, his thumb hovering over my wound. His touch was gentle and soothing.
“Feeling guilty, Poodle?”
His eyes snapped to mine, glaring. “It’s not funny.”
“What’s not funny, Poodle?”
“Lila,” he warned.
“Yes, Poodle.”
“You’re hurt!”
I pressed my finger over my cheek and winced, then gave him a nod in confirmation. “Yup, I can feel that.”
He fumed, silently. His jaw clenched, and I swore I heard his teeth grinding together. Finally, I let the poor guy out of his misery. “I don’t blame you. Bethany was a bitch. I dealt with it, and it’s over now. Little scratches can’t hurt me because they don’t leave permanent scars.”
Maddox stood up and offered me a hand. I grabbed it, and he pulled me up to my feet. “Fine. Let me drive you home.”
The world came to a halt at his words, and my knees weakened.
I suddenly forgot how to breathe as my eyes watered. Sweat trickled down my forehead and between my breasts. I choked on my saliva as the gut-wrenching feeling in my stomach had me wanting to throw up.
The long, jagged scar between my breasts throbbed with a ghostly ache, a reminder. It wasn’t painful anymore, but my body and my mind remembered the pain.
“No,” I choked out.
Maddox gripped me by the elbow. “For fuck’s sake, Lila. Just let me–”
“No!”
He didn’t understand; he didn’t fucking understand.
I stumbled back and away from him, desperately trying to count backward.
Ten… nine…eight…
“Lila.”
His voice sounded so far away, as if I was submerged under water, and he was yelling at me from the sky.
Seven…six… five…four…three…two…one.
I opened my eyes and took a shuddering deep breath. Maddox was staring at me with an unreadable expression, and it angered me, not knowing what he was thinking.
Was it pity? Or was he judging me? Did he even notice I just had an anxiety attack?
“I’ll take the bus… thank you for the…offer though,” I spoke, trying to hide the tremors in my voice.
He took a long moment but finally gave me a slow nod. Maddox silently peeled his blazer off his body. I didn’t expect it, but he stepped closer to me, his body flush against mine. He was a whole head taller, so he towered over me. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and I stilled, my lips parting in shock. When I looked down, I saw him tying a knot with the sleeves of his blazer around my hips. It laid heavily against the back of my ass and legs.
He was… covering up my ripped skirt.
“I got you,” he breathed in my ear, before pulling away.
I opened my mouth to say thank you, but I couldn’t find the words. Maddox looked over my shoulder and gave me a small smile. “The bus is here.”
I nodded, still stupidly silent. Say something, damnit. Anything.
His hands were shoved in his pockets as he watched me climb into the bus. I settled in the back, like always. Maddox was still watching me.
I pressed my palm against the window, and he grinned, boyish and sexy.
Thank you, I mouthed as the bus drove away.
***
The next morning, as I stepped out of the house, Maddox and his car were there waiting. He rolled down his window and beckoned me over.
“What are you doing?” I asked. “Stalker much, Coulter?”
He handed me a brown paper bag. “Good morning to you, too, Sweet Cheeks. You look better today. No bruises, I see.”
My bruises, which I had successfully been able to hide from my grandparents, were covered with makeup. I shrugged and took whatever Maddox was offering me. “Makeup did the trick.”
I peeked inside the bag. Mint. Chocolate. Muffin. Oh my God!
“You–”
“You’re welcome,” he said.
I let out a laugh. “Seriously, what are you doing?”
“I thought you said we were friends.”
I eyed him suspiciously. “We are.”
“So, I’m getting you breakfast. You and Riley tend to share lunch, right?”
I couldn’t decide if this was sweet or dorky, neither of which suited Maddox Coulter. I gave his SUV a once over. “I’m not getting in your car if you’re trying to bribe me with my favorite muffin. For all I know, you could be a kidnapper or an axe murderer.”
Maddox winked. “I’d make a sexy axe murderer, admit it.”
I rolled my eyes, for the umpteenth time, and took a bite of my mint chocolate muffin. “My bus is here,” I muttered around a mouthful. I bent down, so we were eye-level and gave him a smirk of my own. “You can follow me to school. Like you followed me home yesterday. You need to improve your stalking skills, Coulter.”
The look on his face was comical. Busted, Poodle.
I winked and sashayed away.
We rode to Berkshire separately, although it didn’t quite feel like it. The muffin he gave me kept me company. I tried to devour it slowly, but mint chocolate was my one and only weakness.
Maddox was waiting for me at the gate when I stepped off the bus. He hoisted his bag on one shoulder and gripped my hand. Surprised, I looked down at our interlocked fingers as he pulled me into the building. Wh-what?
“What are you doing?” I asked with caution.
“Holding your hand.”
His hand was warm and strong. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but I didn’t pull away. “Why?”
His eyes briefly met mine before he went back to staring everyone else down. “Because I need the world to know they can’t mess with what’s mine.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to rebut him. I didn’t need a savior, didn’t need to cower behind Maddox’s back because I could handle all the haters on my own. Yesterday, I let my claws out and I was no longer worried about using them.
But when I saw the look on his face, hard and serious–I swallowed the words.
Something in his eyes told me he wasn’t going to budge on this matter.
I didn’t know why I kept silent and let him hold my hand. It bugged me why I did it, but then I pushed the feeling down.
We marched through the halls, and the students stepped out of our way, like the ocean parting in half for us to walk through.
I bit my tongue, held my chin high and kept my hand in Maddox’s. His grip was firm, but comforting. I expected the whispers to follow us but was met with…nothing.
By lunch time, I couldn’t bite my tongue any longer. The day went on just like this morning. The other students avoided eye-contact, no one glared or sneered at me and no one dared to approach me. Even Riley found it odd.
When Maddox reached for my fries, I slapped his hand away and leveled him with a look. “Did you do something? Did you threaten people? They’re acting weird.”
Riley gave me a grunt of agreement.
Maddox took a bite of his sandwich, simultaneously throwing an arm around the back my chair, before glancing around the cafeteria to give his kingdom a once over. “I think you were threatening enough for both of us.”
“Huh?”
“Bethany’s nose is not broken, but you did a number on her. Gossip travels fast.”
“They’re scared of me?”
“They’re scared of us,” he amended.
I picked at my fries, no longer hungry. “Am I going to get in trouble… for hurting Bethany?”
Colton pushed back against his chair, rocking on the two back legs. “No, you won’t. We took care of that already.”
My eye
s snapped to Maddox, frowning. “So, you did threaten someone.”
The side of his lips quirked up. “I have my ways.”
I should’ve been mad; I should’ve told him to mind his own business.
I really should have.
But then I had a brief moment of realization – he was protecting me. Even though I told him numerous times that I didn’t want him to. It was a very different Maddox, from the one who was jerk to me and it was shocking to the say the least. I was curious how far he’d go… to be my friend.
The moment Maddox and I did that pinky swear outside of my Gran’s grocery store, it became obvious that my business was his and his was mine. It was an unspoken understanding between us.
We both shared a smile.
And that was it.
The beginning of something Maddox and I weren’t ready for.
That day, we somehow sealed our friendship.
Friends?
Yeah, friends.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Maddox
Three weeks later
Lila slammed her thick textbook closed and growled low in her throat. If she thought she was being intimidating, she was highly mistaken. That was a kitten growl, cute and harmless.
“You’re distracting me. Stop!” she said through clenched teeth, keeping her voice low since we were both huddled in a corner of the library.
“What am I doing?” I feigned innocence because, seriously, my favorite pastime was annoying her.
She was studying for our upcoming calculus test while I was watching… porn. Okay, fine. Not exactly porn. But Tumblr was nasty, and I was making a habit of showing Lila all the videos I came across. Miss Garcia didn’t find that amusing, but it was hilarious to me, so she was growling and hissing. Like I said, a kitten.
I didn’t know if I had a semi-boner because of the videos I was watching or because Lila was sitting across me. Probably a bit of both.
“Do you realize you’re the most frustrating person I’ve ever met in my life?” she finally snapped. I bit my tongue to keep from laughing.
I’d give her credit, though, for lasting three weeks as my friend.
I thought she would break, but no, Lila was fierce, something I greatly admired about her.
She plugged her earphones in and went back to her textbook. Her notebook was filled with equations as she did the practice questions over and over again. Over the past few weeks, I’ve learned a few things about Lila:
She was a perfectionist.
She wanted to get into Harvard and was still waiting on her confirmation letter to come through. Every day, she grew more anxious, although she tried hard to hide it.
Since I got a football scholarship, I already had an early acceptance to Harvard.
She loved her grandparents dearly.
She was competitive as fuck.
Two minutes later, Lila gave up. She snatched her earphones out and glared at me. I tried to wipe the grin off my face, but damn it, it was hard when she was being so… cute.
“I know you’re getting into Harvard with a football scholarship but don’t your marks need to be just as good, or you could lose your scholarship?”
I swiped out of Tumblr as she ranted. My textbook and notebook laid in front me, untouched. “Yeah.”
“Then, why are you not taking any of your classes seriously?”
Ah, so she was on my case. I refrained from rolling my eyes and shrugged instead. “I don’t care.”
“So, you’re okay with not playing football after high school and losing your scholarship?”
That made me pause.
I didn’t care about school or Harvard… but football was my fucking kryptonite. Similar to how Lila was my favorite drug of choice, sweet and so fucking addictive.
I was MC–Maddox Coulter, Berkshire’s reckless quarterback and casanova.
But there was just something about Lila that kept me…grounded. It wasn’t exactly a bad thing but it wasn’t a good thing either. I didn’t like how she could get under my skin, and I didn’t like how she could read me so easily. It made me feel… weak, like that time in the closet. She saw everything I didn’t want anyone to see. And even now, she could see through me.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m getting into Harvard either way.”
“Because your parents are going to buy your way into Harvard. Gotcha.”
My head snapped up at the tone of her voice. She sounded… disappointed. In me.
My parents were on the Board of Directors for Harvard. It didn’t matter if my marks weren’t good, I wasn’t going to lose my scholarship. They’d make sure of it. After all, that was all they ever did for me. Pay my way through Berkshire, throw a cheque at me, give me a fancy car for my birthday although they were never actually present on the day… it was all ever materialistic to them. Harvard was no different. Maybe paying for me to get in Harvard would actually remind them they did in fact have a son.
“You’re getting into Harvard because of your parents.” She paused, giving me a look as she studied me. “How about for once in your life, you don’t depend on your parents’ money and reputation. Why don’t you do it for you? On your own. Through your own hard work and failures… and success on your own merits.”
Her eyes bore into mine, looking…searching into my soul.
My jaw clenched and the muscles in my cheeks twitched. “Thanks for the pep talk, Garcia. Do I need to slow clap?”
“Still an unapologetic asshole,” she whispered. Lila looked thoughtful for a second before she leaned closer, her face a mere inch away from mine. “I dare you…”
Bewildered, I let out a laugh. “What?”
Lila didn’t laugh. In fact, I’d never seen her more serious. The look on her face made me capitulate, and my laughter turned into a coughing fit as she waited, patiently.
When I cleared my throat, she nudged her chin high and gave me another one of her I’m-serious-right-now looks. “I dare you to get into Harvard on your own, to keep your scholarship without your parents’ help.”
I blinked.
Then blinked a-fucking-gain.
She was kidding, right?
“Chop chop. Gotta work your ass off, Coulter.” Lila paused and gave me a mock gasp. “Oh wait… don’t tell me, are you chickening out? Gonna lose this dare? Tsk, so disappointing. Here I thought the Maddox Coulter will never turn down a dare.”
She was goading me, waiting for a reaction.
Fuck it.
She got me.
Lila got the reaction she wanted.
I gripped the back of her neck and brought her face closer to mine. She had to lean forward, half of her body bending over the table. Her lips parted with a silent gasp, and her eyes darkened. “I accept this dare.”
Her lips twitched, and she smirked. Yeah, I was definitely rubbing off on her. Miss Perfectionist was now a she-devil.
“Good luck because you’re about to get your ass kicked. First level of this dare, you have to pass this calculus test.”
“Easy fucking peasy.”
“Really?” She raised an eyebrow, not at all convinced.
“I’m a genius, Sweet Cheeks.”
Little did she know…
She cocked her head to the side, her hair falling over one shoulder. Lila looked every bit the wet dream she was –sexy, smart as hell, bold and passionate.
And my friend.
My dick was regretting this and begging for mercy.
Goddamn it.
She gave me a sugary smile. “Game on.”
***
Four hours later, Lila closed her textbook. She leaned her head back against the chair and stretched, a small groan escaping her lips. I didn’t know how she did it, but Lila barely came up for air in those four hours. Her eyes barely came off her textbook.
I closed my own notebook and studied my little friend. “Ready to go home?”
“Yeah, I’m exhausted.” She piled her things in her shoulder bag and stood up.
&nbs
p; “Will you let me give you a ride this time?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.
Lila paused. “No.”
I didn’t push because the day she lost her shit on me was still a vivid memory in my mind. She panicked when I asked her to get in the car; I saw it in her eyes, on her face and the way her body trembled.
My fists clenched at my sides. The question was on the tip of my tongue as her lips pursed.
“The bus will be here in ten minutes. You can leave now if you want.”
I stood up next to her, and we walked out of the library. “I’ll wait.”
Because…
Just… because.
We waited at the bus stop. Lila shivered, and I could hear her teeth rattling from the cold.
“Lila,” I started.
“Hmm?”
My lips parted; I went to ask the question that has been burning inside me for the longest time, but I couldn’t form the sentence. Lila lifted her head up and stared, waiting.
“You refuse to get in a car… is it because of your accident?”
Lila gave me a wide-eye grimace, and I instantly regretted probing. The crestfallen look on her face, as if she had been sucker-punched and viciously hrown into a lake where she couldn’t swim back up for oxygen – that almost gutted me.
Her eyes were tortured, and they reminded me of myself when I looked in the mirror.
“Your parents…”
“They died in that car accident,” she whispered. Each word felt like they had been torn from her throat, raw and painful. “I was… I was the only one… the only survivor. They… died…they didn’t… pull through.”
I cupped her cheek. “Is that why you can’t get in a car?”
She nodded, one slow nod. Lila silently spilled her secrets, so trusting of me, and my heart thudded in my chest.
From the corner of my eye, I saw the bus approaching. She must have noticed it too because her eyes darted that way, and she quietly sniffled.
Lila looked like she was swallowing a bitter lump of tears. My fingers brushed against her cold cheeks, and she gazed at me with burning eyes, her chest heaving.
