It's a Cruel World, Sir (Student/Teacher)

04 | Asshole

"Maybe if you weren't such an insensitive prick," she comments.

"You really do get too much of a kick out of this," I grumble.

He wraps his arms around my neck, pulling me against him as we head down the hallway. "That's 'cuz he's so dramatic when it comes to our safety. When he drives you home, he waits for you to go in before he'll drive off; it's like he's our father!"

"He has good reason to worry," Whit says. "Cupcake's reckless. That, combined with the rumors about her, is bound to attract too much unwanted attention."

"I'm not reckless," I argue, throwing a look her way, "but I'll be fine. I'm not a part of this group because of my looks, you know."

"No, but it helps," Calvin cracks, eyes inspecting my baggy, dark purple hoodie, black, ripped skinny jeans, and purple Converses.

I roll my eyes. "I'll see you tonight."

Calvin waves, earning stares from everyone in the hallway, and Whit rolls her eyes as Trent easily ignores him, sending a nod my way.

As soon as I step through the door, the murmurs in the room stop. As if I'm a bomb, they all stiffen, avoiding eye contact as much as possible. With a silent sigh, I take my seat in the middle of the room, laying my head down.

The fight with Ronnie Whit mentioned was my fault. I've never been good with my temper—a problem I've come to accept—and Ronnie managed to spike it in the worst way. Nikki had to physically wrench me away from him before I stopped. The problem is that Ronnie isn't just some guy on the street: he's actually Preston Keller's right hand man, the man that terrorizes most of the West Coast.

That aside, I'm used to this—Leon and the others worrying about me. Being only nineteen is a pretty big deal to them, always has been since I started talking to Nikki. Leon freaks out when someone threatens us in general, but they all go especially crazy when it comes to me. Like with Noah. I'm pretty sure the only reason he didn't yell at me for hitting his step-brother, the blame of which would've been put on Leon, is because he was angry that Noah hit me in the first place.

Thankfully, the thin cut down my bottom lip is less swollen today, now looking like a simple, red line down the right bit of my mouth, and I've gotten used to the dull ache. 

Mr. Canty doesn't bother calling on me the entire class period, something I'm thankful for. Usually, just to spite me, he calls on me every other time, but it seems he can sense the not-so-calm mood I'm in. He, like the other professors, has probably already heard about Noah.

It's not good to mess with a girl who just got hit by a guy. Especially one with a deadly right hook.

When the bell rings, I'm not surprised to see TJ.

"Hey, babe," he says, beaming down at me.

"Hey," I answer halfheartedly.

"Judging by your reaction, you've already heard about Preston."

"Yep," I pop, stepping out of the room. "So you're in charge of guarding me?"

"Don't sound so happy about it." He chuckles. "And no, I'm not. It's actually Nikki, since you guys are always together anyway, but she's in trouble right now."

I smirk a little. "What this time?"

"Eating lunch with us." He shakes his head. "Since she's a junior, she's technically not allowed to eat lunch with us, like Calvin, but she hasn't listened to the three warnings beforehand."

"Knowing her, she'll come up with an excuse," I say proudly, smiling.

"Definitely."

When we step into the psych room, I'm glad to be one of the first ones here. I hate it when everyone stops talking and moves out of our way in the most ridiculous ways. TJ shares my enthusiasm as well, but only because he wants to sit in Nikki's seat, something she won't appreciate very much.