Playing With Fire and Ice ✔︎

XVI

His black eyes soften as he stares at me with the utmost concern.

"Oliver," I breathe out, "what are you trying to say?"

"That you," he gives me a weak smile, "have and always will be able to count on me," his husky voice makes my heart constrict.

"You left. You went away and even before then we weren't in the best of terms."

"You remember Harry Pike?" His statement throws me back. Harry Pike was my middle school bully, why the hell would he bring him up?

"What about him?" I growl as the images of his consistent harassment invade my mind.

"What happened to him?" His eyes narrow and my eyebrows pull together.

"I don't know," my mind tries to remember him in high school he wasn't there. Matter of fact I can't remember anything about him past the last week of our eighth-grade year. "It seems like he vanished."

"You're welcome by the way," Oliver's body relaxes.

"What did you do?"

"I," his eyes wander up and he stares at the ceiling as if the words were painted up there, breathing out from his nose he opens his mouth, "I kicked his ass, okay," he shrugs as if it were nothing.

"But why? Why would you do that?" I take a step closer to him.

"Because," he sighs not lowering his gaze to me, "because I watched for so long. His small remarks about you. I watched as your eyes gleamed but not once did you cry in front of that asshole. I convinced myself that Harry would eventually leave you alone." His words brought back the memory of that jerk. He would throw little snipes at me when I would pass him in the hallways. I do not remember what he would tell me but I remember the hurt he would inflict upon me.

"Then the day he laid his hands on you I nearly lost it." My eyes widen when the memory flashes through my mind. I was walking towards the exit when I spot Harry by the door. His face is flushed red and his fist is press against the wall. I remember thinking that if I quickly run by him he wouldn't see me. His body was facing the wall so I could just run behind him.

Making my way to the door his frustrating groan is like ice covering my body freezing me to my spot.

"Cassie Fierce you would come when I need you," the lump in my throat makes it hard to breathe or swallow.

He turns to look at me. Harry Pike is a bit on the thicker side on the scale and that was probably the reason why he picked on me so that no one thought about messing with him.

"What did I do?" It came out as a whimper.

He takes couple steps towards me. My feet are rooted to the spot as his giant hands grip my shoulders. His meaty fingers digging into my flesh, a hiss escapes me.

He is so much stronger than me he shoves me against the metal lockers my head bounces off the door.

Oliver was there. I remember seeing double but his voice registered in my mind he was furious. My head turns taking in Oliver. He was at the end of the hall he was my Angel in disguise as Harry towered over me.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Harry released me allowing me to make my escape. I stare at Oliver unsure of what to say.

"It was as if someone else was in my body controlling me. I wanted to kill him. How dare he lay a finger on you? A part of me wanted to run after you but a bigger part of me wanted to hurt him," he closes his eyes but before he could cover his emotions I saw a glimpse of fear in his black eyes, "I'm sorry Cassie. I'm a bad person I know that."