Page 88 of Wicked Savage Wolves
I shake my head. I can’t deal with all of this right now. Wrapping my arms around myself, I take a step away, retreating back the way I’d come. “I… I can’t do this. I’m sorry.”
“Isa!”
I pause, hating how weak I feel right now. How broken and shattered I am inside.
“I won’t hurt you. I wouldneverhurt you.” He takes a tentative step forward and I jerk away. He stops and offers me a sad smile. “I would never hurt you. You’ve gotta know that.”
“Wouldn’t you?” My own voice cracks as the words spill out on their own. I’m not sure if I’m asking or challenging him, but he did hurt me. He’s been hurting me.
Rafael’s face falls. He rubs the back of his neck and averts his gaze. “I’m so fucking sorry. I didn’t know. If I’d known I never would have… Isa, I never meant…”
“But you never asked.” Tears fall freely down my cheeks. I don’t even bother to wipe them away. I want him to see them. I want him to see every ugly broken thing about me and know he had a part in it. I want him to hurt the same way he made me hurt. Because just like Oliver, he left me. Right when I needed him the most. “I tried to talk to you. That first day I came back to school. As soon as I saw you, I walked straight up to you and do you remember what you said? What you called me?”
Anguish fills his gaze, but I can’t find it in me to hold back.
“You called me a whore.” I shake my head, more silent tears falling down my face, enough so that Rafael is a blurry shadow in front of me, his features no longer recognizable. “I can’t do this. Just… leave me alone. I think I’ve been through enough.”
I turn and jog home. Thankfully, no one follows.
38
Rafael
She won’t meet my gaze. I try and talk to her at school, but she gives me the cold shoulder, and hell knows I deserve it. I try and catch her eyes in first period, but not once does she look my direction. To make matters worse, Sabrina is waiting for me outside the class and the look on Isa’s face when Sabrina makes an attempt to kiss me sends a spear of self-loathing straight to my gut.
I push Sabrina away, but the damage is already done, and before I can call out to her to wait up, Isa is gone, swallowed up by the crowded sea of people in the hallway.
“Sabrina,” I bite out.
“Yeah, babe?” she purrs, stroking a hand over my chest.
I pull her hand away, my lip curling in disgust. “I’ve had my fill. I’m moving on. I suggest you do, too.”
Her eyes widen before narrowing into slits. “Let me guess, you’re going back to daddy’s little princess?”
I take a menacing step toward her. “Say one more thing about Isa Romero and I’ll make sure you regret it. You’ve already had a taste of what it’s like to be on my bad side. Want to be there again?”
She swallows hard and shakes her head.
“Good. Now make yourself scarce. I’ve moved on.”
I don’t bother waiting for an answer and head out to find Jordy. He’s smoother when it comes to girls. Maybe he’ll have an idea of how I can get Isa back.
* * *
I catchIsa talking to Desmond in the halls as they head to lunch, but as soon as I approach, she takes off and sits at Liu’s table. I try to ignore how gutted I feel at her dismissal, but it’s hard. Des pats me on the shoulder. “She just needs time, man.”
I nod, knowing he’s right, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it. I messed up royally when I pushed her away. I won’t make that mistake again. Won’t give up on her or what we have. I’ve never felt about a girl the way that I do about Isa. It’s why even when I was pissed as hell at her, when I thought she’d moved on with Josué, leaving me in the dust, I still couldn’t get her out of my head. She lives there. Takes up space and refuses to move the fuck out.
At lunch, I sit with my face in my hands, going over all the ways I can win her back. When the lunch bell rings, I track her with my gaze, watching like some love-sick puppy as she leaves the cafeteria, Meiying and Liu close on her heels.
I shove away from the table and storm after them.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Des shouts somewhere behind me.
I shake my head. I have no fucking idea, but I have to do something. Isa slips into her third-period class and I walk past it, my eyes trained on Liu, and just before he reaches the door to his own class, I jerk him back by the fabric of his shirt.
“Hey, man—” Startled green eyes meet my own when he sees who grabbed him. “What the hell, Rafael?” He jerks away, adjusting the collar of his shirt.
