Page 27 of Her Indecent Tutor
“I’m Dahlia. This is my brother, Damon.” She shot Ryan a sparkling, evil smile. “We went to high school with Tessa. She was our best friend.”
Damon laughed. I wanted to cry.
“Ourbestfriend,” Damon repeated, once he’d stopped laughing. “You used to do everything for us.”
“Correction: she did everything for you. She’d follow you around with those big puppy dog eyes.”
I looked down at my lap, blinking hard so tears wouldn’t fall.
The Hayes twins had hated me the moment they seen me. I was an easy target, I guess. Awkward and ugly with zero friends. Too timid to say no, too eager to please if it meant someone — anyone — would be nice to me.
I spent all of high school horribly lonely. I wasn’t invited to a single party. I didn’t go to homecoming or prom. While everyoneelse spent their weekends hanging out or going on romantic dates, I was at home. Alone.
The summer after I graduated, I made a promise to myself: things would be different in college. I’d glow up. I’d be invited to parties and I would go to them. I would kiss boys. I’d have tons of friends.
And I’d never let anyone find out about my past as a total loser.
I’d genuinely thought I’d gotten past high school, but now that the twins were in front of me, smirking at me, it all came back. I felt as small and as worthless as I had a year ago.
I don’t even know what they were doing here. They didn’t go to this college.
This had to be some sort of nightmare.
“Remember that time she confessed to you over text message?” Dahlia asked her brother.
Damon laughed. I squeezed my eyes closed.
I had been such an idiot, liking Damon even though he was endlessly cruel to me. Impulsively, I’d texted him, confessing my feelings. He’d screenshotted it and sent it to everyone in the school. The next day, people had laughed at me as I walked through the hallways. I’d ran into the girls’ bathroom, hid in a cubicle, and sobbed until my eyes were red and swollen.
That’s why I was terrified of rejection. I pretended to be this confident, popular girl, but deep down, I was unbearably insecure. I couldn’t genuinely believe someone actually wanted me. I assumed Ryan would reject me. But he’d come to the cafe.
Now, everything was ruined. Because the twins were here.
“We were in the middle of a conversation,” Ryan said now, looking at the twins. “So, if you don’t mind…” The implication was clear.
The twins didn’t leave. They never listened to anyone.
“Who are you?” Dahlia asked.
“Her friend.” He stood up. “And I don’t appreciate you coming here and upsetting her.”
“We’re not upsetting her.” Damon placed a hand on my shoulder. “We’re best friends, aren’t we?”
“Don’t touch me,” I whispered.
He lowered his head. “Huh?”
“She said, don’t touch her,” Ryan said, glaring at him. “Take your hand off her. Now.”
“Or what?”
Ryan didn’t answer, just stared at him. Damon stared back, a cocky smile on his lips, but after a minute passed, it faded. Maybe he saw something in Ryan’s gaze, but he let go.
“Whatever,” he said, taking a step back. “Let’s leave, Dahlia. This is boring.”
Dahlia shot me one last malevolent look before flicking her long black hair over her shoulder and walking off.
Ryan watched them go, his jaw clenched. “How fucking immature.”
