The Deal

Chapter 13 - Attack of the Dogs

"You can't," she hissed, eyes never leaving my face. "We're here to talk to your friend."

"I thought I was your friend, Rae," I commented, stung by her anger. She had nothing to be mad at me about. What had happened was between Damon, Warren and me – not her.

"Not after this, you're not," she said smugly, her eyes looking me up and down distastefully. "I never took you to be easy. Guess I was wrong."

"Hey," Lucy cut in, taking a step towards a smirking Raleigh. "Watch what you're saying."

"It's the truth," she said simply, shrugging her shoulders as if she couldn't help but impart her knowledge of my slutty antics onto us. "I just can't believe you managed to worm your way into Damon's inner circle. How did no one notice? But then again, you've never really stood out from the crowd, have you Anna? And tricking him into letting you tag along to his fights? Claiming to be his girlfriend? Now that is scandalous. I mean, poor Damon."

I couldn't say anything. I wanted to, but I was so offended I couldn't speak. Of course, Lucy tried to protest on my behalf, but Raleigh was quick to cut her down. Her whining had drawn people's attention, and she now was preaching to a large audience made up of our peers.

"And then," she continued, pointing an accusing finger at me. "You hit him. You assaulted him, Anna, when all he did was take pity on you. And you cheated on your boyfriend. I'm surprised he went out with you to begin with. Why didn't you just stay with him, Anna? Then none of this would have happened. You're disgusting. You should learn to keep your legs closed instead of-"

"That's enough."

Everyone nearly self-combusted as Damon stepped through the crowd, which pressed backwards to maintain a respectful distance from him. People were practically bowing as he passed by. I was rooted to the spot, transfixed by the horrific events that were taking place. And so early in the morning, too. Raleigh, on the other hand, was borderline hysterical at Damon's sudden materialization.

"Damon," she squeaked, flushing furiously when he looked at her. She was frantically smoothing down her hair, eyes wide and rapidly blinking. Hyperventilation seemed inevitable. "W-what are you doing here? I mean, h-how are you? Not t-that I should ask, of course..."

He didn't say anything, just listened quietly to her spluttering and stuttering until she'd petered out. Then he spoke, his tone wrapped in velvet but his words ringing with a warning.

"I overheard your little tirade, and honestly I found it a little - tiring. Maybe, instead of listening to gossip and taking it as fact, wait until you've heard the whole story from someone who was actually there. Or better yet – just stay out of it." His eyes flickered around the group, this simple movement sending dozens of awestruck gazes dropping guiltily to the ground. "That same rule applies to all of you. Now go. We're done here."

I was gobsmacked by his ability to dismiss our classmates with a single look and send them scattering, and also how easily he was able to burst Raleigh's self-righteous bubble. I would've applauded him if I wasn't sworn to loathe him for all eternity.

Raleigh backed away, eyes brimming, no doubt mortified by Damon's public scolding. Although she hadn't seemed to care about mortifying me. I watched her leave, suddenly wishing she could have stayed so as not to leave me alone with Damon. Lucy had already abandoned me, squeezing my elbow reassuringly before running after the retreating crowd. Perhaps she too had fallen under Damon's influence.

I really didn't want to deal with Damon, considering he had been the cause of all this madness, but he was still standing nearby, and I knew one of us had to say something. He'd stepped in and diffused the situation, after all, which was more than I had done. I met his stormy sapphire eyes, telling myself to be civil, but his expression caught me off guard. He looked concerned.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his words wound up with emotion. I didn't know what to say. In the end, I just nodded. Suddenly, I didn't trust my voice.

It was quiet. The bell must have rung but I hadn't heard it. Yet we stayed where we were, Damon watching me scuff the ground with the sole of my shoe and me pretending like I couldn't feel him watching me. The silence wasn't comfortable, but it wasn't uncomfortable either. Begrudgingly, I cleared my throat.

"Look," I began, trying to keep the bite from my voice as we met each other's gaze. "Thank you. For speaking up back there with Raleigh. I'm grateful. I guess."

"You guess?" he murmured, raising his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, fine, I am grateful. But I wouldn't have to be if it wasn't for you in the first place."

It was his turn to roll his eyes.

"Aren't you over that yet? I said I'm sorry, what more do you want?"

"Sometimes actions speak louder than words, Damon!" I huffed, wrapping my arms around my torso. I felt oddly vulnerable having this conversation.

"Haven't I already done that, just now? I acted, I stepped in, and I used my words. Satisfied?"

"I'm not talking about what just happened. You've completely changed my life, Damon, and not for the better. I could depend on what was going to happen in my life going from day to day. I had a good relationship, I wasn't lying and sneaking around, and I was flying under the radar. I was grateful for that. You know I hate attention. But the second you entered stage left, everything fell off kilter. My relationship was destroyed, everything you promised would stay a secret exposed, and I've been branded as the school skank!"

I was breathing hard, my hands twitching at my sides. They did that when I felt stressed. Damon was staring at me, frowning, his mouth set firmly. His eyes seemed to fall into shadow. I searched his face to try and understand what he was feeling, but he turned away. I'm not sure I would have liked what I might have found.

"I know that my words don't hold much meaning to you right now," he began, sounding stilted and a little unsure of how to phrase what he wanted to say. "But perhaps, given time, you might believe me when I say I'm sorry. For tangling you up in my messes, yes, but also for giving you reasons to think badly of me."

I didn't speak. I couldn't even look him in the eye. It felt like something was suffocating me, perhaps my guilt over making him apologize for a second time. Yes, he'd done wrong, but I wasn't exactly an innocent victim in all this.

I should have said something, but we both remained silent. Finally, Damon stirred.

"Get to class," he said, clearing his throat. He sent me half a smile. "I'd hate for you to get in trouble because of me."

It was a joke, possibly made for my benefit, but I couldn't conjure a laugh. I still felt like a blanket was knotted around my neck. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, before turning and walking away. I'd watched him leave so many times in the past few weeks that it almost felt like routine, and I followed his disappearing silhouette with my eyes before dragging in a deep breath and stomping off towards the lockers, wondering what the rest of the day had left to offer me.