Page 101 of The Monster I Am
I nod once. “Yeah. You fucked around and found out.”
“I was assaulted!” She snaps, losing the cool and collected act. “Spencer didthis.” She points to her nose with a sharp pale pink acrylic.
Crossing my arms, there’s not an ounce of compassion reflecting back at her. “From what I’ve been told, it was much deserved.”
Liv huffs. “She’s violent, Rylan. A delinquent who should be locked up for society’s safety.”
“Violence comes in many forms,” I say calmly. “Same with bullying. Words are powerful, Olivia. You should think before you speak.”
I go to step past her, done with this conversation. It’s never that easy though. The tiny patter of footsteps flurry behind me giving chase.
“She’ll pay for this. I’ll make sure of it.”
Spinning around hastily, I glare down at her. “Are you threatening her? I made myself perfectly clear where I stand and what I won’t tolerate.”
Liv cocks a sly half-smile, clearly loving that she has me riled up. “I’m only here to warn you. There are lots of people who would love to see the Cedar Queen taken down a peg or two. Don’t get caught in the crossfire.”
She emphasizes the last word and my blood starts to boil. I step forward, unfazed that she stumbles back slightly, letting out a wince as she touches her nose.
“Did you have anything to do with the fire the night of the dance?” I ask darkly.
Liv recoils, flabbergasted. “Ew. Why wouldIwaste my time on someone likeher?” She gawks at me. “I’m going to be prom queen next month.”
I raise an eyebrow, not bothering to hide my disgust. “You really are the most self-centered person in all of Ridgeview Valley. Congratulations. That’s quite the achievement.”
“You were supposed to go with me to prom,” Liv says, crossing her arms and pushing out her chest. “You have ruined all my plans.”
“You’ll survive.”
This time when I walk off, she doesn’t follow. But her voice still rings out after me.
“I warned you, Rylan. Just remember that.”
Ignoring her, I turn my truck on, drowning out her whiny voice as Lawless Dragons loudly plays. This new album is fucking amazing. Bex and I have been listening to it non-stop.
I don’t bother to check Olivia in the rearview mirror as I pull out onto the street, tapping my pocket one last time.
The sharp corner of the laminated paper pokes me back and I let out a sigh of relief, eyes darting up to the green light as I accelerate the gas to cross the intersection.
A horn blares out of nowhere, and I instinctively look around to locate the source of the noise, my foot easing off the pedal.
I have no time to react when I spot the large black Ford F-350 speeding toward me, running the red light.
Bang.
There’s a long screech of buckling and crumpling metal, my world spinning out of control in a tilted blur before I’m jolted to an abrupt halt. And everything fades to black.
Chapter thirty-two
Bexley
“Can you believe Sagg has been studying with your guys?” Abby comments quietly while laughing to herself. “It’s actually so cute!”
Soph elbows me, wriggling her eyebrows in sheer amusement. “How does it feel? I bet it’s fucking weird. I’m not entirely convinced that we’re not in some type of Sims stimulation and someone is messing with us.”
The contrast between the pair of them is both accurate and hilarious. I nod at Abs, keeping a wide berth as a bunch of jocks head toward us down the hallway. “Oh, for sure. Someone out there has a warped sense of humor. I would have bet my left kidney that they wouldn’t have interactedpleasantlyin a million years.”
Abs lets out a dreamy sigh. “You don’t give them enough credit, Bex! Sagg is a big softie at heart.”
