LAILAH #3
“That’s the last warning I’ll give you, Mallory. Stay the hell away from me, and stay the fuck away from my guys.” I swept up the rest of my stuff and headed out of the library before anyone could react.
Once outside, I wasn’t sure if I was horrified at my action or wanted to jump for joy. I felt electric. I’d never stood up for myself like that. It was exhilarating and empowering, but once that faded, I realized what I’d done.
What the fuck did I just do? I had no right to claim those guys.
Not only did I deck a girl for going after them, I declared to the whole school that they were mine.
Oh God, they’re going to hate me. I can’t claim ownership of five guys.
I’m not even romantically involved with any of them.
Sure, Brayden and I went on a date, kind of, I think.
Then it was crashed by Parker and Hudson.
So, I’m not sure what that turned it into.
A triple date? Ha! Who am I kidding? There is no way those guys could ever share a woman when they can’t share the same room without arguing.
I made it to the dorm, and I raced up to my room, dumped my stuff, then ran down to Cami’s room. I knocked on the door and waited, tapping my foot and biting my thumbnail.
“Lala? I thought you were studying?” Cami said when she opened the door. She took a moment to look and then her face sobered. “What’s wrong? What happened? Did someone slap you!?”
Cami grabbed my face with a hand to look at my cheek, then dragged me into her room. She sat me down on her couch, which was amazingly clear of clothes.
“Maggs, can you grab an ice pack from my fridge?” Cami asked.
It was then that I noticed Cami was only wearing a big T-shirt and nothing else. I felt my face flush with my embarrassment when I noticed Maggs slipping out of Cami’s bed.
“Oh, God, Cami, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to . . .”
“Shut up, Lala. Someone hit you, you did the right thing coming to me,” Cami said, gently placing the icepack on my cheek. “Now, tell me what happened.”
“You told me to shut up,” I said, taking the pack from her and feeling the need to lighten the heavy mood in the room before I broke into tears.
Cami gave me a stern look I’d never seen from her before. She was taking this situation very seriously, and it was freaking me out more than I already was.
“Mallory happened,” I said.
“Should have guessed that snooty bitch was the problem,” Maggs said, sitting on my other side, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.
“I was minding my own business when she and her girl gang cornered me and demanded a chat. She wanted me to tell her how I got all the guys to be interested in me and no one else. Not so subtly, she threatened me, and I got pissed off.”
“I didn’t know you could get pissed, Lala.” Cami looked at me in surprise. “Sure, I’ve seen you get mad, but not something worth getting you slapped.”
“Never been threatened before, I guess,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “I told her that they were mine, and she could fuck off.”
Cami and Maggs stilled, shocked at my words, before Cami started laughing, and Maggs joined in. I couldn’t help smiling at my response to Mallory’s threat. It was totally out of character for me to say or do something like that.
“What I wouldn’t give to have been there when you told her that,” Maggs said, wiping her eyes with a finger. “I can see why she slapped you. She’s not one who handles being told no very well.”
“She’s going to make your life hell, you know that, right?” Cami warned.
I shook my head. “I’m not so sure about that since I decked her in the face and threatened her before I left.”
“You did what?” Cami gasped.
“God, Cami, I can see why you two are best friends. She’s a little spitfire, all right,” Maggs said, falling back onto the couch, laughing.
“When she slapped me, I lost it. I couldn’t stop myself. I was so tired of them bothering me, and then she was threatening me to get her grubby hands on my guys. I couldn’t help myself.”
Cami shook her head and gave me an odd look like she knew something I didn’t. “Your guys, huh?”
“You know what I mean,” I snapped, not liking that she was focusing on that point.
Cami flopped against the couch, looking way too pleased with herself. “The guys are going to love this when they find out. Lord, the Halloween party is going to be so much better because of this.”
I frowned, not understanding.
“Lala, I love you to bits, but how you manage through life I’ll never understand,” Cami teased. “You just told the whole school you’re dating them—all of them.”
Cami let that information hang in the air waiting for it to hit home for me. I groaned, letting the ice pack fall into my lap. “No one could really believe that could they?”
“Guess we’re going to find out.”
“So, are we still going to kickboxing?” Maggs asked, her eyes shining with humor. “Looks like you might need to hone your skills if you want to beat off all the unwanted girls from your guys.”
I rolled my eyes but laughed with them at the image that played in my head. “Maybe they’ll teach me to punch better, so next time my hand doesn’t hurt so badly after.”