Chapter 22: Ugly Confessions

ROXANNA

My heart slams wildly in my chest as I breathe hard, panic crawling through my blood. My eyes dart around, and I see that Hannah’s action has drawn attention to us.

Students have stopped walking. Heads turn and  curious whispers ripple through the hallway like wildfire.

Shit.

I snap my gaze back to her furious face, heat rushing to my cheeks in humiliation.

Hannah’s face is red too, but with rage. Her fingers are still tangled in my hair, gripping tighter, like she wants to rip the life out of me.

“Listen, Hannah,” I say quickly, forcing a smile through my fear. “We can talk about this privately. Just you and me.”

My voice drops carefully and coaxing. “You said you’d understand. You said as long as it was to get back at that witch…”

She cuts me off with a scream. “The only reason I ever cared about her is because she tried to throw herself at my boyfriend!”

She grips my hair tighter, almost ripping them out of my scalp. “I didn’t know this was your doing. You’re the one I should’ve been furious at all along, you lying, deceptive pig! How could you do that to your own sister?!”

What follows is a hard shove. I hit the floor, landing painfully on my ass.

The hallway explodes into gasps. Shocked voices stack on top of each other as more students pour out of their classrooms, drawn by the noise.

Fingers point at me, eyes judging. I can hear their murmurs.

“By the gods… did she really do something that horrible to her own sister?”

“I heard Lyra was the one who made sure the Vice Chancellor adopted her.”

“I can’t believe it. She always seemed so sweet.”

“She’s disgusting. Such a pretty face hiding something so ugly.”

At first, their words sting but I swallow it all down.

Because I’ve already done what I needed to do. I confessed to Hannah. And if this is the price I have to pay to get Reid, then their opinions mean absolutely nothing to me.

I take a slow breath, forcing my nerves to settle. Pushing myself back onto my feet, I return my eyes to Hannah.

She’s staring at me like she’s seeing a stranger.

I almost laugh.

Who is she to judge me? She knows nothing about who I really am. She’s just a desperate girl who was dying to be close to me and my circle.

And now she’s thrown that chance away because she can’t control her fucking emotions.

“Like I said,” I struggle to keep my voice cool despite the feeling of humiliation and the hundreds of eyes on me. “I only came to tell you the truth. I understand you're angry, but I hope one day you’ll understand why I did what I did… and maybe forgive me.”

Hannah scoffs, her eyes blazing. Her hands clench so tightly, I can see them shaking.

I turn to leave, and then stop as I notice someone.

Lyra.

She’s standing by her locker, watching me. She doesn’t look shocked, hurt, or surprised.

Of course. That’s because she’s always known I was behind it.

I roll my eyes, flip my hair over my shoulder, and walk past her without slowing down. I don’t look back as I head off to find Reid.

A small smile curves my lips at the thought of him. At the thought of what our relationship would turn into.

I proceed to search for him everywhere. Classrooms, the library, the halls, and outside the school building but he’s nowhere in sight.

Disappointment settles heavy in my stomach. Didn’t he come to school today?

That’s when I hear voices drift toward me from behind.

I stop.

Slowly, I turn, following the sound toward a corner hidden behind a nearby wall. The closer I get, the clearer and familiar one of the voices become.

When I round the corner, I see them.

Reid.

And another guy. They’re standing beside their bikes, voices low and tense. Not exactly arguing, but close enough.

The second guy radiates danger, in a way that warns you to keep to your lane.

I decide to mind my business and keep my focus locked onto Reid instead, relief blooming across my face.

I smoothen my hair quickly, then my shirt and skirt, fixing anything that might’ve shifted during my little scene with Hannah. I straighten my shoulders and step forward.

“Hey, Reid.”

He turns at the sound of my voice, brows drawing together as he sees me. His expression is as unreadable as ever.

I rush to him anyway, slipping my hand into his and stopping right in front of him. I lift my face up to look past his tall frame.

“Guess what?” I say excitedly. “I confessed. Just like you asked me to.”

“Okay,” he replies flatly. “And?”

My smile falters.

And?

The word echoes in my head. Does he mean he doesn’t remember our agreement?

I refuse to believe that. Maybe he’s just playing cold as usual.

So I widen my smile instead.

The other guy steps away without being asked, giving us space. At least he understands basic courtesy, despite looking like he could break bones for fun.

“Did you forget?” I ask, still smiling. “You told me to confess to Hannah so Lyra’s name would be cleared. You said that was the condition before we started dating.”

“Oh,” Reid says slowly, nodding now. “That.”

I giggle, twirling a strand of my hair around my finger, biting my lip. I can feel the stickiness forming between my thighs as my mind runs ahead of itself.

I imagine our first night together as a couple.

I swear by the gods, I’ll ride him until he cannot take it anymore.

“I think it’s time I confess too.” He says.

I blink, lost. “Confess… what?”

He steps closer.

The small space between us disappears as his shadow falls over me. His presence feels colder now, eyes boring into mine.

“I lied.”

My breath stops. “What… do you mean?”

“I lied about everything,” he repeats calmly, never looking away. “I lied about liking you. I lied about you being my type. Including our deal. I only asked you to confess because you wronged an innocent girl.”

The world spins around me, and my vision blurs.

I blink hard, trying to wake up. This has to be a dream. It has to be.

“I told you the truth about how I felt more than once,” Reid continues. “But you kept pushing. So I did what I had to do to get you to confess and clear Lyra’s name.”

His thumb lifts and brushes my cheek. It feels cold and cruel.

Rage burns behind my eyes, but shock locks my body and tongue in place.

“You’re a pretty girl, Roxanna,” he says quietly. “But not as pretty as the one I have my eyes on.”

He leans in, his mouth near my ear, his words cutting deeper than any blade.

“So let me say it one last time,” he whispers. “You are not my type. And I would never date you. Even if you were the last girl left in the entire realm.”