Chapter 14 HARPER
Swallowing hard, I stole a glance at Cassie, who gave me a pitiful look before she mumbled something and hurriedly walked away. Chicken.
Racquel didn’t so much as turn her head in her direction as she kept her gaze fixed on me, hands folded, relaxing her weight on one hip.
“Are you sleeping with Tyler?”
The way my jaw dropped—I’m pretty sure half the hallway heard it hit the floor. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth, words choking before they could even form. My cheeks flushed.
Her eyes narrowed into slits. “Well?”
“No! What makes you think that?”
“Uh, duh, the fact that you’ve gone to his house in his car, twice in a row—obviously.”
‘Obviously what? That it’s impossible to be in proximity with him in his car and then go to his house afterwards with nothing whatsoever happening between us?”
“Yes!” Racquel and her clique snapped.
I staggered back, a bit surprised at their reaction. Waving a hand in front of their faces, I chuckled. “Hold on, is it the same Tyler we’re talking about here? Because so far, he’s only been mean, condescending, and insufferable.”
Racquel gasped like I’d just insulted her. “Maybe to you. I mean, it’ll be understandable given that you’re not exactly pretty.”
“Excuse me?” I took a step closer, getting in her face. “Last I checked, you guys aren’t together. We’re only talking to each other right now because you’re feeling threatened by me.”
Her clique exchanged glances while Racquel fumed. I mentally smacked myself in the head. It was clear now that there was no way she was going to let me walk away.
“Racquel, I didn’t mean to—”
The word lodged in my throat as she yanked my hair back, forcing my head at an agonizing angle. I cried out, clawing at her grip, but she didn’t budge.
“You think you threaten me, huh?” Her voice dripped with venom as she stretched out her hand. One of her girls quickly produced a pair of scissors and pressed them into her palm.
“I’ll make sure you never feel pretty enough to have the guts to say those words to me again.”
“No, please—it was just a joke!” I begged, but she wasn’t listening. At her command, the other two girls pinned me down while she seized a fistful of my hair.
“I swear, I have nothing going on with Tyler—please don’t cut—”
The sharp snip of scissors silenced me. Her grip vanished, and I collapsed to the floor in tears, clutching at the jagged strands left behind. My vision blurred; the hallway warped into a film of red. Slowly, I picked myself from the ground, balling my fists beside me.
Racquel’s laughter echoed through the half-empty hall. “Oh, look at the way she’s fuming. What are you going to do, huh? Hit me? Cut my hair? Come on, I dare you,” she taunted, waving the pair of scissors at me. Her friends echoed her laughter, each calling me names as tears slipped down my cheek.
I was outnumbered, but I was also angry.
Walking away meant feeding their ego, and staying to fight left me at a disadvantage. I stood there, deciding what action to take next, when Racquel's hands slammed into my shoulders.
“Come on, fight. You can’t just get up all dramatic and do nothing.”
“She knows she’s outnumbered,” one of her friends, Lisa, snickered.
“That’s right. Let this be a warning—”
Her head whipped to the side as my palm cracked against her cheek.
“Racquel,” the other girl, Betty, breathed.
I should’ve made a run for it, but seeing the shock laced with a hint of fear in her eyes was satisfying. My moment of victory was cut short as Lisa yanked me back by the arm, ready to return the gesture when a hand caught her in time, and a 6’0 foot, broad-shouldered, hockey player stepped in between us.
“What do we have here? Ganging up against a classmate? Assault? Bullying? Sounds like you girls are about to get in a whole lot of trouble—unless, of course, you apologize, compensate Harper with money for a good hairstylist, and then I, in return, will keep my mouth shut.”
Peter glanced at his wrist mockingly. “The principal doesn’t leave until the next twenty minutes. Clock’s ticking.”
The girls stared at him in horror, looking like they were about to argue but Peter held up a hand. “Don’t want to hear it. I’m pretty much sure the scenario here is exactly how it looks. No way Cap’s girl was the one bullying you three.”
The corner of my lips tugged into a smile. I didn’t bother to correct him, knowing he’d called me Tyler’s girl on purpose. Racquel nodded to her friends, and they each placed a dollar note in Peter’s outstretched hand. He frowned.
“C’mon, you guys can do better than this. I could always take the money and still change my mind about not telling.”
Racquel scowled.
Lisa and Betty cast me death glares. Peter shuffled sideways and back, trying to block me out of their view. “Eyes on me, ladies, got enough to see here.”
Realizing they were cornered, Lisa and Betty brought out a wad of cash each and slapped it into Peter’s hands. “You’re lucky he came to your rescue at the right time. “ Racquel hissed. “Hover around my Tyler again, and you won’t be so lucky.”
They turned to leave, but Peter raised a finger.
“One moment, ladies.” He strolled up to Racquel as she turned, his tone now taking on a cold, warning edge as he spoke. “If there’s anyone who won’t be so lucky next time, it’ll be you. Come for her one more time, and I promise to be your worst nightmare—let alone what Cap will do to you when he finds out.”
Racquel’s eyes widened in horror, her face going pale, before she regained herself and stormed down the hall to her friends.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I told Peter when we were all alone.
“Oh, it’s no big deal. Never liked her anyway.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. So, um…” He sheepishly extended the wad of cash toward me.
As much as I wanted to take it and quit this stupid job already causing me trouble, I shook my head, forcing a smile.
“Sweet, thanks.”
Unsure of what to say next, I pointed in the direction of the school’s exit. “I’m going to leave now, I’m sure Tyler must be waiting for me already. Could you, um, not mention any of this to him? Please?”
“Yeah. Sure.” Yet he didn’t make any move to step out of my way. Shoving his hands into his school jumper, he let out a puff of breath.
“Look, Harper, I know you’re not
exactly friends with Cap, but I really need your help.”