“How do you expect me to stay away from a teacher I have to see every day for class?” I fold my arms. “He’s my favorite teacher. I’m sorry if you feel threatened by that, but I was only—”
“Threatened.” The sound that drops from Connor’s lips is caustic, far from amusement. “I’m not worried about you crushing on him. I’m worried about what that sick fuck could do to you. It’s him I don’t trust, not you. I’m trying to protect you.” He holds my shoulders in a tight grip, pinning me against the wall. “This is serious. I promise, I’ll tell you why soon.”
I’m not having this. “You don’t have to make up wild excuses. If you’re determined to ruin our night and not have a good time with me, you can leave.”
Connor’s jaw works. He’s stunned silent. Breathing hard, he balls his fists. “Fine. Fine.”
“Hey!” Blair Davis pulls Connor off me.
“Stay out of this!” Connor growls before he registers who he’s talking to.
Blair narrows her gaze on him and gets in his face, prodding him in the chest. She’s fierce and brave, no longer the girl who let anyone get away with the horrible things they did to her. “Quit being such an asshole! You need to stop acting like a god around here. Got it?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Connor says through clenched teeth. “You’re supposed to be on my side here.”
“I know exactly what it looked like: you holding your date against the wall against her will. I don’t care what you say,” Blair snaps. “Try that shit again, and I’ll make you regret it. And I don’t give a damn if you’re Devlin’s friend. I’m not scared of you. Hurt her again, and I’m coming for you, Bishop.”
Connor looks so pissed off at the accusation he hurt me. His eyes cut to me for a beat and a muscle in his jaw jumps. He storms off, leaving me feeling empty. Tears prick my eyes as he slams his shoulder into Mr. Coleman’s on his way out.
I didn’t expect him to actually leave. I only wanted him to stop being so controlling. I thought…
Sunshine, you’re my world.
The tears fall, splashing down my cheeks. If he meant what he said, then why did he give up so easily?
Worst of all, I’m worried about what he might do. After he told me about his anger management, I looked up the symptoms and what could happen if he lost control. I don’t want him to hurt himself.
“It’s about time I returned the favor for all the times you stood up for me,” Blair says. “I thought you guys were together. Did he say something to you?”
I look up from wringing my hands to find her peering at me sadly. My lips part, but no words come out, clogging in my throat. I shake my head, on the verge of shattering.
She sighs. “Are you okay?”
I shrug, a wet breath hiccuping out of me.
“Shit,” Blair mutters. She rummages through her clutch and pulls out her phone. “Here, look. This always cheers me up.”
On her phone, there’s a pug dog account on Instagram.
“Watch the video in the third post.”
Despite everything, watching the pug dog fly into a pile of leaves, tongue lolling out, does make me smile. A soft, breathy laugh escapes me.
“Thank you.”
“Come on,” Blair says. “Let’s get something to drink.”
She leads me toward the refreshment table, rubbing my back. Without Connor here, the dance doesn’t seem as magical. The decorations seem childish.
Mr. Coleman catches my eye, but keeps his distance while Blair is with me. Once I wipe my tears, I’ll ask him for a ride home so I can go out looking for Connor.
Blair helped me calm down, showing me more dog videos and keeping me distracted. When Devlin came to stand at her side, looking at her like she hung the stars in his sky, they insisted on giving me a ride home with them, complete with a pit stop for pizza.
I’m glad I went with them. Getting pizza while all dressed up lifted my mood. They kept my mind off everything as Blair and I argued about the merits of pineapple on pizza against Devlin’s firm belief that fruit didn’t go on pizza.
The wariness I used to have toward Devlin has slipped away. Beneath his brooding outer shell, he’s intelligent and has a wicked sense of humor. Spending time with him, I think I understand him better. Devlin isn’t the cold, brutal devil he presents himself as, he’s selective about who he lets in past his walls. He and Blair are a sight to behold when they get going, everything about them pointing to power couple.
It’s nice to see how different they are now. In the back of the limo, they murmur to each other. Devlin holds Blair in his arms.
I peek shyly in my peripheral vision, pretending to mess around on my phone.
They seem happy. The way Devlin looks at Blair makes an ache settle in my chest, both with happiness that someone can love that deeply and with a pang of want. I thought Connor looked at me like that tonight, but the way he left has me questioning whether we’re okay or not.
The limo is close to my house. My grip tightens on my phone.
Devlin cuts into my thoughts. “Bishop probably didn’t mean what he said. That’s why he wanted us to make sure you got home safely. He’s…” A sigh escapes him. “I know how his head works. If he loses control, he acts without thinking.”
There seems to be something else he’s not saying because he shifts around. Blair puts her hand on his thigh and squeezes. They share a look and Blair gives a tiny shake of her head. Devlin shrugs. I blink at the odd exchange.
“Well, thanks,” I say as the car pulls up to my house. The lights are all dark. I guess Mom was too tired to stay up late judging me after her snide comment about what boys expect at the end of a dance. She hasn’t figured out yet that Connor and I are way past that point. The only thing on my mind is changing out of this dress so I can head out in my Mini Cooper to look for Connor. “I’m sorry I had to cut your night short. I hope you liked the dance.”
“It was great,” Blair says. “Typical teen scene isn’t really my thing, but it was nice to try it on for a while.”
Devlin snorts at some private joke between them. He turns his attention to me. “He means well.”
I grant him a tight smile and climb from the limo, knowing I won’t get any sleep tonight until I know Connor is safe and not doing something self-destructive. Something was bothering him all night and I need to find out what it was.
Twenty-Eight
Connor
When the limo pulls away, I step out of the shadows as Thea walks up to her door.
“I’m sorry.”
She jumps, hissing out a strangled, “Jesus, Connor.” Looking me up and down, she frowns. “I’m glad you’re not out doing something stupid. I was really worried about you.”
My breath punches from me. I go off like that and she’s worried about me?
I’m such an asshole. My girlfriend is right in front of me, stunning in the moonlight in her pink dress and white wool coat. Tonight was the one thing she asked me for and instead of making her night magical, I was on the defensive. I was too focused on the plan to break into Coleman’s house in a few days that I pushed her away. It was only for her protection, but now that I see the sadness in her eyes I know I fucked up.