Chapter 6
SIX
Despite my inability to do anything physically strenuous, I’m still a regular down at the state-of-the-art sports center.
It’s always teeming with students, no matter the time of day, but after a full week of surveillance, I found a small sparring ring that must be completely overlooked because I’m able to use it to train each morning and run drills without ever being interrupted.
I also do a sweep of the room to find all of the cameras monitoring the place and, frustratingly, they cover every inch. It narrows down how many techniques I can add to my rotation, but I settle into a basic routine.
Put all of the moves together and you can kill a man.
I used to have to do this at the group home before I won the Game, just to be sure no one ever figured out what I was capable of.
Even afterward, I was diligent and never slacked off, because complacence was what got the others killed.
I had to be careful with my leg to make sure I didn’t have a pain flare-up, but on days where it was giving me trouble, I focused on what the rest of my limbs could do instead.
The change in my body happens quickly, and it’s huge.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that it’s the food.
For the first time in my life, I have food security, and for three meals a day, I’m eating until I’m full.
It’s still probably smaller portions than I should be having, but it’s as though my stomach never grew with the rest of my body because what was the point if I barely ate?
I quickly fall into a routine of waking up long before dawn, training for a few hours, grabbing a shower before the rest of the girls in the dorm are even awake, and then heading down to the dining hall to go over my notes for the day’s classes while I eat breakfast at a leisurely pace.
It’s there that Joseph Beaumont finds me, alone and unprepared to be dealing with him as he pulls out the seat beside me and drapes himself over it. Cursing myself for once again being unarmed, my shoulders tense up, but I try not to make it obvious. I fail.
“Relax, Mounty. I'm here to chat,” he says with a smirk.
I’m sure he’s accustomed to girls falling for this little act of his. Confidence, charm, and a voice like dark malt liquor; rich, seductive, dangerous. Unfortunately for him, I’m not built like that. I know his type better than anyone ever should, and this crap doesn’t work on me.
“Is there something I can help you with?”
I put down my cutlery and turn to stare at him. He's attractive like his brother, but his features are sharper, almost as if you could cut yourself on him and bleed out in seconds.
The smirk stays on his perfectly arrogant face. “I've heard that you've been getting some unwanted attention.”
Right.
I've been propositioned by eleven seniors this week, and it’s only Wednesday.
Eleven.
So far, I've only had to punch that one guy, but I've had a few more close calls. It’s beginning to make the short walks between classes unbearable. If it weren’t for Avery snarling at the assholes in question every time they get in her way, I’d think she was the one behind it, but maybe I was pinning this on the wrong Beaumont.
My eyes narrow at him. “Do you know why this is happening to me?”
He laughs and leans back in the chair, crossing his arms. He's so similar to his brother that it's jarring. I’ve been tutoring Ash for long enough now that I could pick out his mannerisms, his little ticks, so seeing them on Joseph is weird.
I glance over his head to see the twins and the other two boys walk into the room.
Avery frowns deeply when she sees Joseph sitting with me, and Harley looks like he wants to come over and interrupt.
The students around us are quickly finishing up their breakfast and moving out of Joey's vicinity.
He doesn’t follow my gaze, undeterred by whatever audience we’re attracting. “I know that it's going to stop. I've made it clear to the boys that if you were interested in a quick fuck, you would have taken one of them up on the offer by now. You won't be bothered by them again.”
It's a nice thing to do, so I'm instantly wary. He's sitting there casually, like he owns the school. Fuck, maybe his family does own it.
“What do I owe you for that favor?”
I was hoping I’d never have to use that word again after leaving the Bay, but here we are.
His smile is all teeth. I'm sure he thinks he's terrifying, but I've befriended the Jackal. I'm sure Joey is a kitten by comparison. “I'd like you to come to a party next week. I'm hosting. It's unusual for anyone to miss my parties, and yet you haven't been to any of them.”
I have no interest in getting drunk with spoiled brats and bullies. Still, if one night of hanging around these idiots can stop all of the propositions, it’s worth it, right? I hope so.
“Okay, sure. Why not?”
“Great. Do let me know if you have any more troubles with any other students. I know my sister can be a little cunt when she's forced to share her toys.”
I glance over at Avery and find the whole lot of them are intently watching us. This sibling rivalry is dangerous; best to steer clear of it. “I'm fine. It takes a lot to bother me.”
Joseph smiles again and stands up.
“Oh, I'm counting on it,” he says with a wink, then leaves me alone.
What a dramatic asshole, I think as I tuck back into my food.
He's true to his word. I can feel the eyes of the other students on me, but no one approaches me for the rest of the day.
I'm not looking forward to my tutoring session with Ash after my conversation with his brother. He hasn’t missed a session yet, so there’s no chance I’ll be given a break from the twisted Beaumont family squabble. It’s frustrating as hell, but not in the way I was expecting.
I have no idea how much I'm actually helping him. He's an infuriating student without ever being openly contentious. We spend the entire session going around in circles. It’s only as I'm ready to strangle the life from him that he writes out the answers perfectly, as if he's known them all along.
He’s playing with me, but other than pissing me off, I don’t know what he’s getting out of it. Is it for his sister’s little campaign? I have no choice but to play along with him for the class credits. He was right. Unlike him, I have a college admission application to beef up.
I arrive early to set up like I always do, but Ash is already waiting for me at our usual table in the library. He's brooding, all dark and frowny, and when he sees me coming, he crosses his arms and glares at me.
It doesn’t make me feel anything like his brother’s slimy smirk had, though. I’ll take honest fury over that manipulative crap any day of the week.
Doesn’t mean I have to tell Ash that.
I drop my bag down onto the table, but when his glare only darkens more, I stop before I take my seat. “If you're going to be like this the whole hour, I'm just going to go study in my room.”
“If you think my brother wants to be your friend, then you really are a dense Mounty slut,” he snaps at me.
Oh, the ways I would break this boy if I didn't desperately need my scholarship. I sit, reminding myself, once again, about the stupid credits I get for these awful sessions, and then fold my own arms to mirror him.
“It’s such a joy to spend this time with you. Rest assured that I don't trust a single hair on the heads of any human bearing the name Beaumont.”
His eyes narrow, and he leans in toward me. “Then why did you agree to go to his party?”
I roll my eyes at him and start setting up my books. I have assignments due in every damn class, so I don't have the time to explain myself to this asshole.
“What do you need help with today? I know you must have the same economics stuff due, so let's work on that.”
He snarls back at me, “Fuck economics, why did you agree?”
He is the single most infuriating human I have ever met.
Even Avery is easier to deal with, all smiles and knives in the back.
How do you inform the privileged that the actions they’re sneering at are purely for your survival when, from their vantage point, there’s never been any danger to begin with?
Childish as it is, I want to kick him under the table.
I snap back at him, my voice dripping with venom, “Maybe I don't enjoy having guys following me around all day begging me for sex.
Maybe I'm starting to get worried I'll have to fight one of them off who won't take no for an answer.
Maybe it's easier to go to a party than be on my guard all the fucking time. Now, do you want to do the assignment or not?”
We were starting to attract the attention of the other students around us. I'd rather not be at the center of another Hannaford scandal, but Ash is oblivious.
He shrugs like it’s nothing. “Go to the school staff, then. Go tell your student adviser. Do anything else.”
I hiss at him, all my patience gone, “Why do you care? Your sister has been my biggest tormentor, so why are you telling me to stay away from Joseph and not Avery?”
The glare he levels at me is his best yet. A shiver runs down my spine, but I refuse to back down. “Don't ever compare them.”
“Why not? She's just as cruel as he is.”
He snaps forward in his chair and grabs my tie to yank me forward. Our faces are so close together, I can feel his breath on my lips, and I fight the urge to lick them. Or lick his lips. God, I need some serious therapy. I wonder if my scholarship covers that.
“My sister is perfect. She is selfless, smart, and the kindest person I know. Joey is a sociopath, and don’t you ever forget it,” he whispers, and I feel the words on my skin.
He doesn't let me go. If anything, he pulls me closer, and I can feel the heat of his lips on my own. My face flushes. My legs are trembling, and he smells unbelievably good. Maybe all my time spent with the Jackal has damaged me permanently, because lusting after a guy who despises me so deeply must mean I’m irreparably broken.