“You know I wasn’t touching you like that,” I breathe, squeezing the strap of my book bag. I try to keep the hurt from my voice, but it comes out anyway, and Chasm falters, cursing and mumbling in Korean. It shouldn’t be so cute, but it is. I try hard not to like it and fail. Actions not thoughts. Actions. “You seem stressed, and you never messaged me back. Your dad was visibly upset last night. Now, you seem gun-shy about being touched.” I look him straight in those amber eyes of his. “So, did he hit you?”
Chasm lifts the edge of his lip up and then growls something out that I don’t understand. I’m going to learn this boy’s language someday, I swear it—and I don’t just mean Korean.
“No, he never hits me …” Chasm starts, but then he sighs and tosses his book bag to the ground, stripping off his blazer and undoing the buttons at his wrist. He shoves the left sleeve of his black dress shirt up, revealing a sea of tattoos and, upon closer inspection, a few finger-shaped bruises. “He didn’t like me missing class yesterday.” Chasm doesn’t look at me when he talks, but he lets me touch his skin carefully as I inspect the damage.
Fury fills me a in a violent wave of heat. I could kill that bastard for hurting his son.
Kill.
Could I though, really? Kill someone?
Like father, like daughter, a voice whispers in my head and I shiver, shaking the dreadful feeling off and letting it burn beneath the heat of spring sunshine.
“I’m sorry, Chasm.” I trace my fingers over his bruises, and he jerks back from me.
“No offense, but I’m not going to class pitching a tent. Stop touching me,” he breathes out, yanking his shirt down his arm angrily. If he’s that upset with me now, wait until he hears about the condom situation.
I feel like such an asshole, almost … almost like I made the wrong choice. But I know I didn’t. I know that. So what’s this? I’m in love with two boys instead of just one?
Oh.
Mm.
Sometimes the answer to a tricky problem lies outside of convention.
“Tess never messaged you last night?” I hazard, honestly surprised that she didn’t. Actually, if I think about it, that scares me even more. What if she’s waiting to talk to him in person?
Chasm throws me a wary look as he pulls his blazer back on.
“Fuck. What happened now?”
“You remember that condom you helped me dispose of?” I begin, and he just stares at me.
“You’re fucking shitting me?” he chokes out, making the connection like the soon-to-be valedictorian that he is. “She found it?”
“Actually,” I start, watching as he picks his book bag up and tosses it over his shoulder like an anime character. Oh yes, Chas would be the mean-spirited school bully with a heart of gold who only shows his soft side to the heroine. “The FBI found it.”
More staring from him.
I can only imagine what he’s feeling right now. He came over to confess to me. More specifically, he brought me flowers. Instead, he ended up giving me and Parrish a condom and covering for us not once, not twice, but three times now. He’s not the one who had sex, and he’s being punished for it.
I don’t just owe him big-time; I’ll give him whatever he wants.
“Tess implied it might be DNA tested unless …” I rub at my face with my right hand. “Unless it was mine. She remembered you throwing the trash out, and I was wearing your clothes last night …”
Chasm just turns away from me and heads for the front doors of the academy, shoving his way through them and running right into Lumen.
“In a hurry, Kwang-seon?” she challenges, giving him a cocky smile. “Test results were posted today; I’m beating you by a fraction. Catch up, kid.”
He curses at her, shoving past and disappearing down the hall while I slip in the doors and wish I could just sleep for an entire year. Better yet, I’d like to sleep through the rest of high school.
“What the hell is his problem?” Lumen queries, tapping at her glossy lower lip with a single finger. I may as well tell her: it doesn’t violate any of Justin’s rules.
“Tess found the condom I used with Parrish and since I can’t exactly admit the truth, I threw Chasm under the bus.” Was that the right choice to make? Maybe I should’ve just told Tess the truth?
Lumen pauses for a moment, her perfect full mouth making a small ‘O’ of surprise. And then, because she is Lumen Hearst, queen of the school, she cackles at me. The sound echoes down the hallway, causing shifty eyed looks to be sent our way.
Why didn’t I realize until now that I was playing in a pit of vipers? These people aren’t nice; I’m a curiosity, protected by Lumen and Parrish and Chasm. I need to remember that. Their reactions to Parrish’s disappearance are disturbing.
