Bad Girl vs. Bad Boy

2. This Means War

"No biggie?!" Jace scoffed. "Who landed in A&E this time? An old lady who wouldn't get out of your way?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Stop being such a girl, Jace. No one landed in hospital . . . . well, at least not yet. But all hell is gonna break lose if this guy doesn't get his shit straight."

"What guy?" Rex asked eagerly, his eyes suddenly shining with the desire of gossip. There seriously should be a show called Gossip Boy with Rex as one of the main characters.

"A twat," I answered simply and sharply. "A twat who thought he could challenge me."

Maliki chuckled humourlessly, which earned him one of my *immitating Queen Victoria* I-am-not-amused glares.

"What?" I demanded coldly.

"Nothing," Maliki lied casually. "It's just that you should not underestimate American bad boys. They could give ours a run for their money and that is saying something!"

"Believe me," I said, scoffing and shaking my head at my older brother's lack of confidence in my powers of evil, "this one I am thinking of is no match for me. I will soon have him hanging on a wall as a decorative ornament!"

"Uh-oh," Jace said sarcastically. "Everybody, run! Kiara is after her Kovu!"

"If you want to keep your face, Jace, I suggest you zip that lip!" I snarled, giving him my Eyes of the Gorgon. "If the guy gets in my way again, I will pull out all the stocks I possibly can manage! I am not going to let my title be stripped from me by an insecure, bad-guy-wannabe who is just like every other amateur I have crossed! As Accius said, let them hate so long as they fear!"

And with that dramatic ending, I took my cue to leave up to my bedroom in one of the turrets.

Almost as soon as I stepped through the door, which was shapped like an arch like the rest of the doors, and slammed it, I felt nothing but anger. Especially at myself.
When I was a kid, I was bullied. Yeah, I know what you're thinking, "Kiara Rivers?! Bullied?! Never in a million years!" But it's true. The bully's name was Evan. Evan Greene. That name, just by thinking about it, makes my blood boil with rage and humiliation. He was my living nightmare, my arch enemy; my kryptonite. I used to be a good kid, a good girl who never dared to get her hands dirty. Evan changed that. He was Dr. Frankenstein and I was the monster. He made me who I am now. I dealt with it for four years . . . until one day, my patience finally ran out. I was 7 years old.

(Start of flashback)

"Hey! Rivers! Wanna go and take a plunge into the river?"

"Go away, Evan. Leave me alone."

"I think I'll pass. You're my favourite toy, after all."

Evan snatched the book on myths and legends from my hands and kicked it into a corner. His two minions, Avery and James or Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber, laughed and chucked the contents of their water bottles on my book. I couldn't help but watch in despair.

Evan grinned evilly at me. "Going to cry are you? Cry, little lion cub. Cry! Go on, you know you want to. Show us how truly pathetic you are, just like your equally pathetic namesake. Cry! Cry! CRY!"

I cried. But I didn't sob away like a little baby. Oh no. I attacked Evan; I punched him in the abdomen, and then shoved him into Avery and James, sending them both sprawling back onto the floor. I wasn't finished with them; not by a long shot. I emptied the contents of my own water bottle onto them and their cries of protesting and Avery's sobbing became the music to my ears.