Page 177 of Their Cruel Play
The girls watch Caden, but the guys are watching me. Again my skin crawls. Something definitely feels off about the way they see me now when they never saw me before. A shiver creeps down my spine, and Caden draws me in closer to his side.
“You okay?” he murmurs as we pass Zach’s table. The Cheermonsters are present as always.
“It’s the anticipation of something happening that’s driving me mad.” I lean into his warmth, and he leads me around the table to his seat next to Luke.
My cheeks flush remembering how Luke made sure I was satisfied last night but didn’t want it reciprocated. He just kissed me and told me to go to sleep.
His eyes meet mine. Tonight we’re supposed to go out on a date. I don’t even know what that will look like. A date with Death.
Caden pulls me down on his lap. Sighing, I pass him a sandwich and begin to eat my own. Jack has his laptop out as he works through lunch. Nico and Eli are talking about the game tomorrow.
I should be happy and content. Everything seems fine on the surface. It feels like I’m treading water, but there’s this undercurrent waiting to drag me under.
Meanwhile, Zach just sits over there without any repercussions from trying to rape me. I’m sure the horsemen have a plan, but I wish they’d get on with it. He’s not our only problem though.
“Luke.” Sidney stands in front of our table, her hands on her hips. She’s wearing an off-the-shoulder shirt with jeans today. Her whole vibe is sex.
He leans back in his chair and looks at her with those icy eyes.
“We’re partying at my house on Friday after the game.” She says it like it’s a given he’ll be there. She doesn’t look at me.
“We have plans.” Luke shifts his focus back to his food.
“But you guys go to all the parties.” It isn’t a whine. No, whining is way too good for Sidney Brown. But she’s clearly unhappy.
Luke lifts his gaze to her like she’s annoying him, which she probably is. “We choose to go to parties. The great thing is we have choice.”
Sidney’s laugh is bitter and sharp. It draws the attention of the cafeteria. Most people were already leaning in to listen, but now they stop pretending to be covert about it.
“You guys wouldn’t know the first thing about choice. Sure, you like to make it seem like the girls you harass choose you, but they don’t. Not really.” Sidney’s cheeks are ruddy.
“What’s your point, Sidney?” Luke leans forward. “Are you trying to make my girl feel uncomfortable? Or are you trying to rally support from the other girls who may have felt we took advantage of them? Or are you going to admit that often you had a hand in who we went after?”
A collective breath is drawn. For a second there’s silence but then the noise returns as people turn to talk to their friends. That can’t be new knowledge, can it?
“I had nothing to do with your current conquest.” She turns her head away with an eyeroll.
“You mean, my girlfriend?” Luke leans forward. “You’re right. You had nothing to do with Harper, but how many others did you ask us to take down for you?”
Sidney’s lips pinch. “I’m glad you aren’t coming to my party. Maybe then people will see we don’t need you guys always dictating what we should or shouldn’t do.”
My breath catches. What the hell will they do to her? This is as public as you can get for a confrontation. I should know it wasn’t long ago I was spanked in front of this cafeteria. But is Sidney too powerful to punish?
“We don’t control parties, Sidney, but it’s nice that you believe that.” Luke glances at the table of basketball players and cheerleaders. “Besides, you have your own men to raise up, right?”
She stiffens, and so do I. It’s not like she told me that in confidence. But now she knows that I told them. Was that some kind of break of girl code?
Wait, I don’t owe Sidney anything.
She takes a few steps closer as she does something on her phone. Her smug glance at me makes my insides tighten. Whatever she has won’t be good for me.
Setting the phone on the table in front of Luke, she leans in to say quietly, “You might want to double-check your whore. The guys are passing this around.”
My heart stalls as my gaze drops to the phone. There’s a picture of me naked on it. I cover my mouth to stop from making a noise. All those times on webcam when they got me naked run through my mind. Jack promised he wouldn’t take pictures. Sidney smirks at me.
Luke pulls the phone closer and studies the picture. “It’s not her.”
He tosses the phone back on the table, making a definitive thump.
