A Hater's Gamble (BxB)

FORTY-ONE

Daisy looked like she had enough of my rambling, because she swung her fist back, to land a clean punch on my face. I was prepared to swerve, but, as if the universe decided I needed mercy today, Daisy was tackled to the floor.

A girl with silky brown hair straddled her on the ground. Gold earrings, a mocha complexion.

Grace. She was wailing on Daisy mercilessly.

"Don't you ever think of touching him!," Grace screamed while slamming her fists into Daisy's face. "Let go of my hair, you bitch!"

Daisy thrashed under Grace, like a fish who had suddenly been yanked out of water. She held a fistful of Grace's hair, and Grace was doing everything she could to pry her hands from it.

The crowd was even rowdier than before. Laughing and yelling. A sea of cameras. With brutal force, I pulled Grace off of Daisy, who was kicking and screaming on the floor.

"Grace, hey, it's okay," I said, holding onto her as she thrashed against me, yearning to wail more on the red-head. "Relax."

Grace had no intention of listening to me. "I'm going to shove my foot down your throat, perra!," Grace yelled at Daisy, who was now clambering from her spot on the floor.

A school security guard stepped in front of Daisy, blocking her from Grace's view. I finally released my dearest friend. She had a look of wild fury on her face when she turned to face me, but she grinned, wiping sweat from her brow.

Grace was about to say something, but she stopped dead and turned her gaze behind me. I looked behind me and saw Liam and Diego shoving their way through the crowd. When Diego reached his sister, he inspected her face, then gave her a fist bump and a proud smile. "Your first fight!—woah, hey, let go of her," Diego spat to the security guard trying to grab hold of Grace. "I can walk her to the principle's office, sir."

The guard let go, and Diego led his sister through the crowd of lively students. Grace shot me a look over her shoulder, which said, we'll talk later.

Liam grabbed my hand, forcing me to look at him. "We're leaving" he stated, grabbing my hand. "Now."

I felt immense relief at being dragged away from the prying gazes of students.

The crowd went up in a roar at Liam's presence. The blonde guided me through the students, but I said quietly, "We can't just ditch school, Liam."

"Oh, yes we can," he said, eyes ocean eyes darting for a secluded place. His tone was clipped, like he was trying to control his anger.

Once we were at the other end of the school, he pulled me under a staircase. The surrounding area was empty.

Without hesitation, Liam pulled me in for a brief kiss. "She didn't hurt you, did she?," he asked, eyeing me all over. "You don't seem hurt."

"I'm okay, Liam," I replied, softly. "Just a little flustered. I wasn't expecting that."

Liam clenched his jaw and pulled me closer to him. "I'm so sorry, prince. I-," he looked guilty. "I should have never told her without asking you. I ended it with her, but she went ballistic. She dragged you into her rant, calling you some not very nice names, then I got pissed."

"What did you tell her?"

He took a pause, then gave me a tired expression. "You don't want to know. Listen, I fucked up. I put you in danger, and now half the school knows about us—"

I shook my head, cutting him off. "Stop. Liam, this is not your fault. You can't control Daisy's reaction. You can't control the school's either. I'm not mad at you, okay?"

Liam took a long look at me, then leaned down for another kiss. It was feverish, and I hummed in delight.

When he broke away, I said, "I kind of just wish people would stop pulling my shirt down to take a look at your marks."

Liam's face turned to stone, but his eyes glinted with silent rage. "I'll kill her for that."

I patted his cheek, and said with amusement, "Seems like Grace already tried."

Liam smiled slightly, "Yeah, she did, didn't she? Did I mention how much I like Grace? I think she's a wonderful female."

I laughed, remembering his distinct distaste for her months ago.

"I'm serious," he retorted, smirking.

"I hope you weren't serious about ditching," I warned. "We have a tutoring session today."

Liam's eyes darkened, then he said, "I think I'm going to need a new tutor, Medley."

My heart seemed to fall somewhere beneath my ankles, and I breathed, "Why?"

He placed a warm kiss to my neck, where one of his marks rested. "Because I can't focus if all I can think about is pinning you against a wall."

Oh.

I rolled my eyes and shoved him away. "I can keep you from deterring. It's not as hard as you may think."

Liam's eyes flickered with challenge, "Oh, yeah?," he said, and placed a kiss to my nose. My cheek. My chin. Anywhere but my lips.

A tease.

"You're insufferable," I said, breathing in his enchanting scent.

His lips held an effortless grin, "Yes, but, you're mine."

Liam Coleman's.