Chapter 22 TWO OUT OF THREE
MERRIELYNN.
I stood frozen, my heart racing as I felt the weight of everyone's gaze on me.
This wasn’t the plan—I wasn’t supposed to be the center of attention. The murmurs around me faded into a dull roar as everyone waited for me to either comply or walk out. I swallowed hard, feeling a knot tighten in my stomach.
Emorie sidled up close, her breath warm against my ear. “Oh, Mere, are you really gonna do it?”
I glanced at Valtor, who leaned back with a confident smirk. “You gonna chicken out?” he taunted, his smile widening as he watched me struggle.
I swallowed again, trying to find my voice. But what was I supposed to say?
What if I just turned and walked away? Nothing would happen, right?
I parted my lips, ready to say something but I ended up stuttering. And I was cut off when Cormac suddenly said, “How about we make it a two out of three?”
Instantly, everyone’s eyes turned to him again. He was holding a piece of chalk in his hand, rubbing it on the head of his cue stick as he spoke.
Valtor looked at him and said, “Won you fair and square, man.”
Cormac nodded and said, “You did. Once. Out of three possible tries.”
I noticed Valtor folding his arms across his chest, a look passing in his eye that made me very uneasy. I didn’t really understand his relationship with Cormac much, and to be honest, I didn’t want to.
Then Cormac said, “You trying to tell me that win was just a stroke of luck?” as he threw the chalk across the room.
Valtor caught it midair, his eyes narrowing as he said, “Two out of three.”
The tension in the room shifted, and I could feel my heart pounding louder than ever as I realized how unpredictable the situation had become.
The crowd went wild as the second game kicked off, and I took a deep breath, realizing Cormac kind of saved me from a rough spot.
The second game was way more intense than the first, and Cormac took the second round.
I just stood there, watching everything unfold when it hit me.
Last time, they were neck and neck; you couldn’t tell who was ahead, but now Cormac was just crushing it. He was sinking one ball after another, looking completely at ease.
I couldn’t help but feel a mix of admiration and a bit of anxiety as I watched him. It was like he was in his own zone, totally focused, and I wondered if he even noticed how much he was dominating.
Meanwhile, Valtor looked like he was struggling to keep up, frustration starting to show on his face.
Turning to Cormac again, wondering why he didn’t put up such a fight the first time if he could play this well.
Overall, he won the game.
Valtor ran his tongue over his teeth with a smile, as he dropped the base of his cue stick to the floor, using it for balance.
Cormac shrugged with a grin as he strolled passed Valtor and moved to the cue rack. He said, “Forgive me, but I’m going to have to switch things up a little bit,” as he returned his cue to the rack.
He moved to stand in front of the table, glancing to the side before tilting his head in a summoning gesture.
I saw Juniper bound up and rush to his side like being catcalled was some sort of accolade. She threw her hands over him, telling him he played well.
He draped an arm around her waist and said, “For my prize, I don’t want anything from you, Valtor, obviously.”
The crowd laughed at that, and I focused on him, noticing Juniper’s eyes suddenly zero in on me.
It was subtle, but I felt her eyes narrow as she lifted a hand to rest it on Cormac’s chest.
I tried to maintain a straight face but then Cormac turned to me and said, “I’ll be taking it from you instead. Don’t you worry though, it’s a little thing.”
He pulled away from Juniper and rested his arms on the pool table, leaning down and holding my gaze. I held his right back, wondering what he wanted this time.
Everywhere went deathly quiet as he said, “I want you to take your filthy, little poverty-ridden brain and fill it with this command: walk my money-hungry, class-climbing legs out of this party and never let me return. Never let me show my face here, around these people, ever again.” His eyes were dark orbs with a promise to hurt, “Brain, remind me that I’ve gotten a one-way free ride into their school, not their lives. Brain, remind me that I shouldn’t try to belong with my betters, that I shouldn’t try to be someone I’m not, someone I could never be. And one more thing, brain. Remind me what I’m good for, which is keeping my mouth shut and doing as I’m told.”
When he was done, he leaned down further with mock concern and added, “Did you get all that?”
And everyone started laughing.
I felt my blood boil where I stood, and the drink in my hand suddenly felt too heavy.
Emorie pulled my arm and told me we should leave, but I could hear the blood rushing in my ears. T
hat was embarrassing. Truly, truly embarrassing, and it had to happen in front of so many people.
My skin was flushed and hot from all the activity, the number of bodies, and the alcohol. And now, anger too. I clenched my teeth as the laughter dug into my skin, and before I could stop myself, I pushed off on my heel and marched toward Cormac.
He didn’t react as he saw me approach, but the room started to quiet down. I thought that should have been enough of a sign for me to stop in my tracks, to quit with whatever I had in mind, but my feet didn’t stop moving until I was standing in front of Cormac.
My hand reared back, and I heard a gasp before it even happened.
But I emptied the contents of my cup on Cormac’s face.
Red dripped down his skin, soaking his hair, and I just stood there with my chest heaving. It felt like no one was breathing but me.
Cormac didn’t even move, and Juniper glanced between him and me with wide eyes.
It suddenly hit me what the hell I just did.
To Cormac.
Again.
Shit.
I stumbled back a step as Cormac brushed the wetness out of his eyes. I was waiting for a cough to sound behind me, a laugh, anything to tell me this wasn’t that bad. But it was, and they were all transfixed, quietly waiting to see what Cormac would do to me.
I had never been a fighter, and I thought that as I started to back away on my heel.
The crowd parted, as if none of them wanted me to come in contact with them after what I did, and I found Emorie, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, in the crowd.
“Fuck this!” I muttered under my breath before I went to grab her, and we both made a run for it.