For me, it wasn’t so easy. In the cafeteria, I spent most of my time glaring at Anthony from across the room. He didn’t even notice me—I wasn’t on his radar anymore; there were younger girls to be preyed upon, after all. I was seething—
angry at him, angry at myself. I knew I should have stopped her, but she was so determined to go her own way. No, no excuses, Emma. You should have looked out for her better. But you were too caught up in Brendan ignoring you to take care of Ashley.
As we were walking out of the cafeteria and heading to our next class, I turned to Cisco.
“Okay, I have to get this off my chest,” I said, my eyes narrowing.
“Emma, I’d be pissed at Anthony, too. I saw you giving 9780373210305_TS.indd 105
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him the stink eye,” Cisco admitted, giving me a sympathetic look.
“He’s a such piece of— Wait, how do you know why I’m mad at him?” I asked suspiciously. I felt an angry pit beginning to form in my stomach and began walking more slowly.
Cisco slowed his walk as well, keeping in step with me.
He leaned in and whispered in a low voice, “Well, if my baby cousin slept with a creeper like Anthony and then he told the entire school, I wouldn’t be thrilled, either.”
I could feel my blood boiling. The pit in my stomach sprouted, and the anger took over all my senses.
“That’s
not what happened,” I hissed, my hands clenched into fists. “Here’s what really went down.” I quickly relayed the events of Friday night—how my traumatized cousin had come over, a fountain of tears.
Cisco sighed and paused on the staircase. “You know, he’s always bragging about this girl and that girl.” Cisco adopted Anthony’s swaggering pose and mimicked his voice. “‘I banged this chick from Dominican Academy…I totally hooked up with that piece from Dalton.’ He probably either coerced them or just straight-up lied.”
“Well, this time, he’s lying,” I seethed.
“How’s Ashley?” Cisco asked, concern in his voice.
“Last time I saw her, she didn’t know Anthony was saying all this about her. I’ll see Ash at the end of the day in Latin. I swear I’ll kill him,” I fumed, turning to head downstairs to chemistry.
“If you hear anyone say anything…” I began.
“Don’t worry, I’ll tell them he’s lying,” he assured me.
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the spell again.” She reached into my hair to yank out more strands when I stopped her, explaining what was happening.
“He
said
that about your little cousin?” Her eyes darted around the room. “I can’t do anything to Anthony, you see.
Whatever I put into the universe comes back at me threefold.
But maybe there is something we could do that isn’t too bad….”
She started scanning the printouts that were tucked into the back of her notebook.
“It’s okay.” I smiled. “But thank you. You’re a good friend.”
Angelique grinned, and we both grimaced when we heard Kristin make kissing noises behind us.
“Get a room, freaks,” she sneered. I just rolled my eyes and f lipped her off. She was the least of my worries.
The seconds ticked by slowly, slowly, until it was time to walk into freshman Latin. I scanned the room for Ashley’s face but couldn’t see her anywhere. I wanted to give her a hug, a kind word, a dartboard with Anthony’s face on it when I noticed her friends glancing at me uncomfortably.
I slid over to her gaggle of girlfriends who were, for once, silent.
“Spill it, where is she?” I asked bluntly.
Catharine, a pretty brunette, mumbled, “She went home sick.” Her fingers made air quotes around the word sick. “She was really embarrassed.”
My eyes narrowed. “What Anthony’s saying about her isn’t true. You guys know that, right?”
“I know, I know,” she said emphatically. “But try telling her that. The entire freshman class thinks she’s easy. Three guys asked her out today—and this one guy told his friends it’s ’cause he heard she was a good time.”
I felt it again, my blood boiling. Cotton stuffed my ears, and all I could hear was my own pulse, throbbing in my head.
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“Not everyone believes it!” Catharine was quick to say.
“But—” she looked down “—a lot of people do.”
Vanessa, Ashley’s fellow redhead, leaned in and said, “He said she was easier to get into than public school.” Wow, arrogant and cruel, what a combo.
I didn’t hear much after that. Not Mrs. Dell, the Latin teacher. Not the chalk as it scratched on the blackboard. I was only aware of the sound of the large clock hanging above the blackboard as it ticked down the seconds, and the throbbing I felt in my own head. When the bell finally rang, it sounded like a scream. I grabbed my backpack and f lung it over my shoulder.
“Are you going to Ashley’s house? Will you tell her to call me?” Catharine asked, concerned. Gossipy or not, at least these girls genuinely cared about my cousin, I realized.
“Not quite yet,” I muttered. My feet couldn’t move fast enough as I sped down the f lights of stairs, past the gym and through the double doors that opened onto the quad. I shoved them open with a forceful push. I glared at the end of the quad where Anthony, Frank and the rest of that crew were starting up their usual after-school basketball game. Somewhere in my head, it registered that Brendan wasn’t there.
I dropped my bag—threw it, actually, under a bench to my right—and walked right into the middle of the game, pulling my long hair back into a ponytail with the black elastic band I had on my wrist as I marched forward.
I strode in front of Frank, cutting him off. “Yo, we’re playing here,” he said curtly.
I ignored him, heading straight for Anthony.
He had his back to me. He was huge, and built like a linebacker. Anthony had to be at least six-four, the alarmed thought went off in the back of my mind.
“Anthony.” My voice was low and angry, but steady.
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He ignored me, still dribbling the orange ball.
“Anthony Caruso!” I yelled.
Startled, he stepped forward and lost his handle on the ball.
It sputtered on the f loor, then rolled away. Anthony straightened up, turned around and faced me.
“What
do
you want?”
Justice? Was that a good answer?
“I want you to tell the truth about my cousin,” I said, my voice loud but calm.
“And just who the hell is your cousin?” Anthony snapped.
He wasn’t so calm.
“Ashley? The girl you’re lying about? Saying you slept with?
Does it ring a bell?” I shouted back. There went my calm. A small, interested crowd of about ten people started to form.
He laughed and adjusted his shirt. “Sure, I’ll say that.” He leaned in and, loudly enough so everyone could hear, sneered,
“It’s not like I’m proud of it. She wasn’t any good.”
Anthony laughed—an evil little cackle that seemed to spread across my skin like f lames—and sp
un away from me to return to his game.
“Don’t you dare turn away from me, you liar,” I screamed at his back, my face feeling hot. “Or do you only harass freshmen and girls a foot and a half shorter than you? Because that makes you a real man, right?”
I heard snickers coming from the guys gathered around us, and Anthony turned back to face me.
“You wouldn’t know what a real man is, but your cousin sure does,” he said, grinning menacingly. “Let me know if she wants another go.”
Henry’s face appeared in front of me. They were so alike—
they only preyed on those who were weaker, smaller, power-less, those with no one to stand up for them. Not this time.
“You’re lying!” I yelled, my hands clenched into fists. “She 9780373210305_TS.indd 109
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rejected you, and you know it. But tell me another story, Mother Goose. You seem full of fairy tales.”
Anthony glared at me, stepping closer. I only came up to his chest, but I stared straight up, meeting his cold blue eyes.
He was just a few inches from me.
“Who do you think you are, you little freak?” He shoved me, both hands hitting my shoulders hard. I definitely wasn’t expecting that. I stumbled when he made contact, losing my footing and almost falling backward. I took a few steps and maintained my balance, staring back at the monster.
“You need to watch your mouth, little girl,” Anthony snarled, his voice low and menacing as he crouched low in front of me, meeting my eyes. “You won’t like what happens to you.”
“I’m not afraid of you,” I snapped. “Tell the truth about my cousin. Admit that you didn’t sleep with Ashley.”
His eyes narrowed, and I knew he was going to shove me again. I expected it this time. Like I had with Henry so many times before, I jumped back before he could make contact. He stumbled forward, and I heard the guys in the crowd laugh and jeer at Anthony, getting shown up by a girl. I didn’t think this was a good thing—with his ego, it would only make him madder, I assumed. I hadn’t been looking for a brawl in the schoolyard; all I wanted was for him to admit the truth about my cousin. I realized too late that I should have approached this with some kind of strategy.
I warily glanced at the growing crowd to see who was watching. Oh, everyone. Past them, I saw Brendan pushing open the main doors to the quad. He had his headphones on and was looking down at his cell phone, completely oblivious to the spectacle before him.
Anthony had regained his footing and was advancing, his hulking form filling most of my view. I whirled my head 9780373210305_TS.indd 110
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around for an exit strategy and spied the nearest door. If things get really ugly, I can just make a run for it.
“If I slept with your skanky cousin that’s none of your business, Emma,” Anthony yelled in my face. I was surprised that he remembered my name. “What’s your problem, huh? You want a piece? Sorry, you’re not my type.”
“Right,
’cause
I’m not afraid of you, remember?” I glared back.
I heard someone yell at Anthony to calm down.
“Back off, man, she’s a girl,” Frank called timidly. He had a black eye and bruised nose from his last encounter with Anthony. But the monster just ignored him.
“You’re going to regret this,” Anthony fumed, pure hate in his eyes. I knew that look—things were definitely about to get ugly. I took a few quick steps back—right into the side door, ready to make a run for it. My hands fumbled behind me on the doorknob, frantically twisting it to no avail. Anthony’s chest was practically touching me. I’d cornered myself.
“No one makes me look stupid and gets away with it,” he hissed.
I couldn’t let him see that I was scared—especially now that I was trapped. People like him fed off other people’s fear.
“Move,” I demanded. I heard someone else yell for him to back off.
“No, you got what you wanted,” he snarled. “Well, you have my attention now.”
“Move, I said!” I screamed, and pressed my palms to his huge chest, trying to push him back.
“I told you, keep your hands to yourself, skank,” Anthony hissed, his eyes narrow.
“Oh, what are you gonna do if I don’t?” I asked—and then I regretted my question immediately.
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I got an answer pretty quickly. Anthony pulled his meaty right hand back. It was clenched into a grapefruit-size fist.
I was frozen against the door. I didn’t f linch. I’d taken a hit from Henry before. In my mind, all I could think was, Go ahead. Hit me, and then you’ll get expelled.
He never had the chance. Within seconds, Brendan had pinned him on the ground, his knee pressed into Anthony’s chest as his fingers gripped him by the throat, forcing him onto the cold concrete.
“Don’t touch her.” Brendan’s voice was almost a growl as it shook with rage. “Don’t you ever touch her.” His green eyes f lashed as if they were filled with f lames.
Dazed, Anthony lay on the ground. Realization dawned on him, and Anthony saw that he was no longer standing and facing off with me, but pinned down by his teammate.
“What do you think you’re doing, Brendan?” Anthony shouted, clawing at the hand around his throat. Brendan’s other hand was clenched tightly into a fist, cocked back and ready. He dug his knee farther into Anthony’s chest, and the blond gasped for air as his legs kicked out, trying to find some purchase against Brendan’s iron grasp.
“You don’t touch her. You don’t talk to her. You don’t look at her. Ever, ” Brendan ordered again, keeping his green eyes locked on Anthony’s face.
“What’s your problem, bro? She started with me!” Anthony yelled, whipping his head sideways to glare at me.
“Oh, really? Something Emma did deserves you trying to punch her?” Brendan’s voice was calmer this time, which made it startlingly more threatening.
“I wasn’t gonna punch her, bro,” Anthony whined, still kicking. “She started with me!”
“It seems to me that you started everything, as usual,” Brendan said. “You running your fat mouth again?”
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“Whatever, man, get off me.” Anthony squirmed, his efforts useless against the viselike grip Brendan had on him.
Anthony was bulkier than Brendan but it was obvious that Brendan was much stronger. I saw the tendons in his forearm f lex as he held Anthony immobile.
“Nope.” Brendan’s voice was almost playful underneath the malice. “Can’t do that, buddy. If what you’ve been saying about her cousin isn’t true, admit it. Or—” Brendan lowered his face closer to Anthony’s, his voice frighteningly cruel
“— you’ll regret it. I promise you that, Ant.”
I stood there in shock. I scanned the crowd and saw Kristin, eyes narrowed, filming the whole thing with her cell phone.
Clearly, this would be available on YouTube later.
“Fine, whatever, I didn’t bang Ashley.” Anthony darted his eyes in my direction. He wasn’t just shooting out daggers—
his eyes were shooting out missiles, bullets, weapons of mass destruction. “But I could have hit it if I wanted to.”
“That’s
not what I want to hear,” Brendan growled, tightening his grip on Anthony’s neck as he pressed his knee farther into his ches
t.
“Fine, fine, what she said!” Anthony cried, wheezing. “Just get off me.”
Brendan shook his head, a bitter look on his face. He got off Anthony, shifting his grasp to grab him by his collar. He deftly pulled Anthony off the concrete, but kept a steel grip on him.
“Get out of here,” Brendan said plainly, shoving him back with both hands. Stunned, Anthony stumbled backward. He paused to smooth out the front of his shirt and pop his collar—
then Anthony’s eyes locked on mine. They narrowed, and he took a step toward me. Brendan mirrored his movements, blocking Anthony’s view of me.
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“You try to hurt another girl again—and if you so much as think Emma’s name—you’re done.”
“Oh, is that another promise, Brendan?” Anthony scoffed.
“It’s a guarantee,” Brendan answered, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were straining against his skin.
“This ain’t over, Brendan. You picked the wrong guy to mess with, bro,” Anthony sneered, gesturing wildly. Anthony stormed away, kicking my backpack on his way out of the quad. Thankfully, there was nothing breakable in it. Unlike my reputation, which looked very fragile at the moment.
After the door slammed behind Anthony, Brendan turned to me, still immobile and shocked in the same spot against the door. My jaw had literally dropped. Brendan leaned down so he was eye-level with me. He tucked the tips of his fingers under my chin and shut my agape mouth, his eyes searching my face.
“Emma, are you all right?”
I nodded, then reached up and touched the back of his hand with just the tips of my fingers.
We stood there for what could only have been a second, but the warm feel of his hand under mine burned its way into my memory. He slowly slid his hand along the side of my face, cupping my jaw, and my hand tightened around his.
“Thank you,” I whispered, staring up into his eyes as his thumb stroked my cheek. I heard someone yell, “Yo, I think they’re gonna do it!” The sound of laughter made its way through my pounding head.
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