Chapter 5 CHAPTER FIVE
Scarlett's POV
I didn't know his name. I didn't know anything about him. But I knew those arms had reached out to help me when I was at my lowest.
Without thinking much, I bolted. I ran toward the bench, my lungs burning, ignoring the shouts and the heavy footsteps of the boys behind me. I reached the bench and collapsed, dropping to my knees on the hard gravel right in front of him.
"Please," I gasped, my hands hovering near him but not daring to touch. "Please, save me. Help me."
The boy looked down at me. Up close, he was even more intimidating. He looked to be about twenty, with a face that was strikingly handsome but completely expressionless. It was like looking at a statue. He didn't look surprised or annoyed. He just looked... empty. Like a wall of ice.
I could hear Skye and her goons stopping about ten feet behind me. The sound of the metal pipes tapping stopped. The air suddenly felt very, very heavy.
"Blue," Skye said. Her voice had changed. The arrogance was gone, replaced by something that sounded a lot like fear. "This doesn't involve you. She’s just some trash we were cleaning up."
The boy—Blue—didn't even look at her. He didn't acknowledge her existence. He just kept his dark, cold eyes on me. He leaned forward slightly, his shadow falling over me, making me feel even smaller.
"What is your name, Red?" he asked. His voice was deep and low, a slow purr that sent a shiver down my spine.
I stared at him for a second, my mind blank, before I realized he was talking to me. "Scarlett," I whispered.
"You're asking for my help, Scarlett?"
"Yes," I said, a tear finally escaping and running down my cheek. "Please. They're going to hurt me."
Blue looked at me for a long time. I could feel the heat radiating off him. He didn't look like a hero. He didn't look like he cared about what was right or wrong. Him helping yesterday, was it a fluke? He wasn't gonna help me this time around was he?
"I don't do anything for free, Scarlett," he said.
I looked back over my shoulder. One of the boys was gripping his pipe so hard his knuckles were white. He looked like he wanted to jump me, but he was staring at Blue like he was looking at something scary. But why did they hate me so much? I had done nothing to them. I probably was just an easy target.
I turned back to Blue. "What do you want?"
He watched the tear on my face, his gaze intense and unblinking. It was the first time a guy had ever looked at me like that, with a kind of dark, focused hunger.
"One night," Blue said. His voice was flat, but his eyes were amused like he found my predicament interesting. "You give me one night, and nobody in this school will ever touch you again. Not Skye, not the teachers. Nobody."
I froze. My breath caught in my throat. I knew exactly what he was asking for. He wanted the last thing I had left to give. My virginity. I was horrified, but then I heard Skye’s voice from behind me.
"Hear that, Scarlett? Even Blue wants a piece of the murderer," she mocked, though she still sounded nervous. "Good luck with that. He’ll probably break you in half."
The boys started to edge closer, sensing my hesitation. They were waiting for me to say no. They were waiting for Blue to look away so they could drag me into the shadows of the gym and use those pipes. They were definitely looking to maim, if not kill me. Was this even allowed?
I looked at Skye’s beautiful, hateful face. Then I looked at Blue. He was the only thing standing between me and a body bag.
"One night?" I whispered, my heart breaking.
"One night," Blue repeated. His gaze didn't waver. "My room. Tonight."
A sob escaped my throat. I felt like I was selling my soul just to keep my skin intact. But I wanted to live. I wanted to get out of this place and prove that I wasn't the monster the courts said I was. I couldn't do that if I was dead.
I looked directly into his cold, dark eyes and made my choice.
"Okay," I said. "I agree."
The change was instant. Blue stood up, and the effect was immediate. Skye and her boys scrambled backward so fast one of them almost fell over. They didn't say another word. They just turned and disappeared around the corner of the gym as if they were running for their lives.
Blue didn't even watch them go like they were inconsequential beings. Who the hell was this guy? He reached down and gripped my arm, pulling me to my feet. His skin was incredibly hot against mine.
"Walk," he commanded.