When the second one crouches beside me and starts to unzip my leather jacket, I bring my booted foot up and kick the first one over, making them both scream with shock and terror. Then I bring my helmeted head up and into the nose of the one trying to unzip me.
I jump to my feet and race to where my bike landed in the dirt just a few meters ahead, ignoring the pain in my ribs and back. They both scramble around each other, taken by surprise at my quick movements.
“Hey! You’re not supposed to be here; this is private land!”
“You could have just told me that, you fucking assholes!” I shriek back but don’t stop.
I pick up my bike and sling a leg over it. I start the engine just as one of them reaches me and grabs my arm but it’s too late, I sail forward, dragging him with me for half a meter before he lets me go.
I power shift, almost fucking up my clutch, and put them as far behind me as I can.
That wasn’t supposed to happen. Those absolute fucktards. They could have killed me. I’m lucky they didn’t.
I ride home, swerving around cars, lorries, whatever the fuck is in my way.
“You’re back earlier than expected,” Mom says when I walk through the door, rage in every step I take. “And dirtier.”
I kick off my boots and drop my jacket on the floor. “I fucking hate it here.”
“Language,” she admonishes, her pale blue eyes narrowing with anger.
I say nothing else and stomp up the stairs and to my room. I haven’t unpacked. I don’t see the point. Everywhere we go is temporary. Mom’s job makes it so.
I pass my sister’s room where music hums through the door and wall. It’s shit music too so I play mine louder to drown it out, then I have a bath and wipe myself out with some extreme pain killers.
Those absolute dicks.
Who the fuck clotheslines somebody to get them off a bike? If they’d flagged me down, I’d have gone elsewhere. I’m not looking to start debating over who owns what land. I don’t really care. We’re on the banks of Columbia River, there’s nothing but land out here, not gonna be hard to find somewhere else to ride my bike.
Absolute dicks.
Gah.
I’m so mad.
I’m also sleepy.
I crash butt naked on the top of my covers and close my eyes. I’m going to feel so fucking groggy tomorrow, but I don’t care about that either.
A russet brown hand slams my locker closed, almost catching my fingers in the process. The hall around me stills and people move away but stay to watch the exchange.
I can smell him, smoky, powerful, masculine. It makes me want to inhale deeply.
His breathing is steady, his chest almost brushing against my back. I feel shadowed, completely covered by his athletic body. His forearm is as powerful as the bicep he kissed yesterday. His nails are trimmed neat and his hands are clean.
There’s something to be said about a man-slash-boy with good hand hygiene. My dad always said that if somebody displays good hand hygiene, they likely have good other hygiene too.
“You’re new,” Nokosi growls, his tone rough and deep. This is the first time I’ve heard him speak. His voice is… wow.
“And?” I respond, my tone strong as I keep my eyes on my matte black locker.
“And that doesn’t just give you a free pass to wander wherever the fuck you like, belegana.”
I close my eyes for a moment when he wraps my thick braid around his hand and yanks my head back. It pulls on my scalp and makes my already sore neck ache. My heart is hammering in my chest so rapidly I’m surprised it hasn’t chiseled a hole through my ribs.
“Fair warning,” he whispers in my ear, his lips almost touching the shell. It sends prickles of fear and arousal down my spine. My ears are one of my most erogenous zones. “If you tread where you’re not welcome again, you’ll get more than just a hand in your hair.”
I don’t say anything, but oh I want to. I want to cuss and spit and press my knife against his throat so hard that he bleeds. But instead keep my lips a thin line and stare at a mark on my locker door. I would never have noticed it had I not been forced to look for it. That’s how clean and well-kempt these lockers are.
“Am I understood?”
“Perhaps you can draw me a map?” I bite back and my bruised front hits the lockers. I bite on my tongue to stop me from crying out. That really fucking hurts. “Let me go.”
“Am I understood?”
“Yes,” I breathe, needing him to just let go of my hair so I can regain control of the situation.
“Remember this moment and imagine how much worse it can be,” he hisses, pulling even harder on my hair before finally releasing me and stalking away with his equally tall and muscular tanned and dark friends at his sides. One of them slaps my ass as he passes.
Dick.
That’s sexual harassment, he’s lucky I’m not a snitch. Though something tells me in a school like this, shit like that gets swept under a very heavy rug.
I stare at Nokosi’s back as he walks away, a stride in his step like he owns this fucking place and the fact that there are two teachers walking by who definitely saw the exchange and did nothing, just further proves that he’s King of this castle.
But why?
Loki was right, he really is the most arrogant prick here. Somebody needs to bring him down a peg or two. I’m not sure that I care enough anymore to try.
This place will not cut me a break.
Lilith: I hate it here.
Willow: So you’ve said.
Lilith: It’s the worst place we’ve been so far.
Willow: And the most prestigious, so it should be the best.
Lilith: Right?! Wish you were here.
Willow: Glad I’m not.
I laugh and stuff my phone into my pocket. My sister can be okay sometimes. We used to be a lot closer.
“Lilith?”
I look at Loki who is sitting to my right again in this class. “Mm?”
“Are you okay?”
I’m surprised by his concern. “Fine, why?”
“I saw what happened with Nok. I just thought…” He shrugs his shoulders. “I’ve been on the receiving end of his shit before, it’s not nice.”
“Oh, that.” I smile genuinely, to reassure him and because it just seems the right thing to do with my face at this point. “I’d already forgotten about it.”
“Oh… well, good.” His brows draw together from the confusion. “What did you do to get his attention?”
I contemplate not telling him but then that’d just be petty. “Drove my pit bike through his lands… apparently.”
He rolls his eyes. “Oh yeah, Nok’s tribe are like worse than the Canadian border. Be careful. They rule the roost around here.”
“I’m starting to gather that.”
He shifts in his seat and opens the textbook on his desk. “Why did you want to know who the most arrogant guy in the school is?”
I tap my nose and look at my own books. Then I look up at the board and do the work I’m supposed to be doing. It gets rid of the humming noise in my head for long enough. Thankfully.
I get bored after all of ten minutes and go back to texting my sister. She doesn’t respond.