Bastard Scott

Mila’s POV

“I’m sorry you had to deal with all that because of me.” I tell Roman through his window when we arrive at the university.

He gives me a forced smile. He’s clearly seriously pissed still.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing I can’t deal with. Have a good day! I’ll call you.” He waves to me and I step back to let him go.

I watch him drive off and had this feeling in my stomach that he won’t be calling me. Isn’t that what guys say but never mean it? I need to watch some RomComs so I can get better educated in the universe of dating. With a sigh, I forget about men and all the confusion they bring, but the universe has a wicked sense of humor because when I turn around, I see Scott heading my way.

He’s smirking and is surprisingly alone. “Hey Babe.”

“I’m not your babe anymore, Scott, and according to you, I never was.” I say, walking past him.

“Are you still upset about that? It was a long time ago. Can’t we put that behind us and be friends?” He grabs my elbow to stop me.

I whirl around to face him and glare a little, too. “Let me go Scott. I’m not the one who can’t let it go. It’s your friends and girlfriend that keeps opening up that old wound. We’re adults now, and yet you guys gossip and spin stories like we’re still pathetic kids. I’m ready to start a new life, so why don’t you leave me alone so I can do that?”

He scowls at me and I pull heard so that he’ll release me.

“She’s not my girlfriend anymore.” He calls out behind me and I’m embarrassed to say it stops me in my tracks. “Like you said, we’re adults, and she was living in the past. I wanted to move forward, but she likes the drama too much.”

I turn to look at him. Is he serious right now? Why the sudden change when recently he was just as bad as her?

“I’m sorry to hear that. Maybe it’s a good thing and you can move on, too.” The words come out steady, but when I finally walk away, my hands are shaking.

What is it about ghosts from the past having such an effect on me?

For now, I try to push all that drama to the back of my mind and focus on school. I need this education so I can find a job that will support me and allow me to live on my own. Being free from my stepmom means the world is literally open to me to do anything I want. That thought is enough to make me feel a little more determined, and I walk into my first class. My semi good mood lasts long enough for me to take a seat in the back of the room, but it comes to a crash when I see Giana walk in.

She’s smiling and talking to one of her friends like Scott and her hadn’t broken up. When she spots me, though, her smile falls, and she scowls at me. I expect her to sit as far away from me as possible since she’s clearly angry, but she walks right up to me.

“Mila.” She says like my name is an accusation.

“Hi.” I hate how small my voice sounds, but I’m scared.

“What did you do to Scott? He would never dump me, so you must have had something to do with it.” She hisses at me.

“I haven’t spoken to Scott until this morning when he told me you guys broke up. I didn’t go looking for him, not once.” I assure her.

“He told you?” There is a flicker of hurt in her eyes before it’s quickly replaced with anger again.

“Y-yes, but I didn’t expect him to talk to me.” I say, a little more panicked.

“You did this. You got into his head and screwed everything up!” She shouts, making everyone in the room look our way.

I don’t know what I expect her to do, but slapping me across the face wasn’t it. People around us gasp, but no one tries to stop her. In fact, I see several people filming every moment of this on their phone. I’m sure those videos are going to make me look like the villain and make people hate me even more.

“I won’t let you get between me and Scott again,” Giana says before she lifts her hand again, but a hand wraps around it and stops her.

She turns to see a tall guy in a pressed suit that does little to hide his muscular form.

“Touch her again and you’ll lose that hand.” There is clear truth in his words even though it sounds out right crazy.

Giana lets out a weak laugh. “Julian. What are you doing?”

“I’m here to protect Mila from filth like you.” He says cooly.

His voice sounds so cold and emotionless that I shrink back from him, even though he claims to be here for me.

“Filth? Do you know who my family is? My father knows the police commissioner and will have you arrested before you leave campus today.” She’s acting confident, but she looks more like a cornered animal ready to lash out at him.

For the first time since he arrived, his face changes. He smirks. “Go ahead.” He says to her.

He finally drops her hand and brushes his hand on his coat with a disgusted look on his face.

“What?” Giana squeaks.

“I said go ahead. Call your father, but I can’t be touched.” He says, dropping his smirk.

Giana blinks at him a few times, looking like she doesn’t know what to say. Instead, she huffs and turns on her heels to storm off to the other side of the room. The strange guy takes a seat next to me like he belongs here.

“Um, who are you?” I ask him.

“I’m your bodyguard. I was supposed to stay hidden and not interrupt your day, but if my boss knew someone laid a hand on you and I didn’t step in, then I would get my ass kicked.” He says all of that with a completely straight face.

He’s serious.

“And who is your boss? Did Roman send you?” I ask.

He looks at me like I have lost my mind and then chuckles darkly.

“Roman Thatcher can’t find his own ass with a flashlight. There’s no way he would have thought to put security on you.”

Well then, that only leaves one other person. “Julian sent you.”

He nods. “He was adamant about me not showing myself, but as I said, I didn’t have a choice. Now that you know I’m here, there’s no point in hiding.”

“Well, you can’t stay here. You’re not a student in this class.” I tell him.

“I’d like to see an underpaid professor try to throw me out.” He lets out another chuckle that is so dark that it gives me a chill.

This guy is lethal.

“Okay.” I unpack my notebook and pen, but hear him sigh. “What?” I ask him.

“He’s not going to like hearing you write notes by hand. We should go after school to get you a laptop.” He takes out his phone and types a quick message.

His phone vibrates, and he holds the phone toward me to see the reply.

Boss Man: Buy her the best one and anything else she needs.

I sigh and shake my head. “I don’t want it.”

“You don’t have much say, Miss Ellis. What he says goes and if I don’t comply I- “

“Get your ass kicked. Yeah, I get it.”

He smirks and slips his phone back in his pocket. The professor walks in and looks directly at us but only nods his head at my new shadow, as if they already know each other. For god’s sake, Julian is relentless. He is determined to make me indebted to him, no matter how much I fight against it. I would fight harder against the trip to get me a laptop if it didn’t mean that he would punish my guard.

“So what do I call you?” I whisper as the professor starts the lesson.

“Steven.”

“Well, welcome to my world, Steven. I hope it’s worth all the trouble.” I say.

“If he thinks you’re worth the effort, then you are. So I’m happy to be here. Actually, it’s an honor.”

I nod, but I have no idea what he means by it being an honor. How could guarding me from mean girls stuck in high school an honor? He doesn’t explain, so I let it go and focus on my class. I get lost in the course that I forget that he’s there until I hear him curse quietly to himself. It startles me at first, but I look his way and see him quickly typing away on his phone like something bad has happened. I wonder what it could be.