Chapter 11
Piper
Today is Tuesday, and that usually means the class I’m dreading most: a three-hour long lab stuck next to Cass Henley, with Quill’s eyes burning into me nonstop from the table behind me.
But the prospect doesn’t feel as gloomy today as I rush into the school building just as the bell rings. Though my chest tightens when I open the door, wondering how Quill will act now that we’re in public.
Is this new relationship of ours just a private thing? Will he go back to being Quill my bully when we’re in school?
I’m aware of how unpopular I am. I’m not sure I’d call Quill popular exactly, but the school as a whole is very much in awe of him.
It would be a lot to ask of him that he parade our relationship in front of everyone. Even speaking to me would be akin to social suicide. And while I doubt Quill actually cares about what anyone thinks of him, expecting too much of him would likely be setting myself up for disappointment.
I try to tell myself that it doesn’t matter. He can be as cruel as he wants to me in public, as long as he’s mine in private.
Still, the thought dampens my excitement a bit as I open the door to the science classroom.
Then I freeze. Because Cass is nowhere to be found. In her place, sits… Quill.
I swallow nervously even as my heartbeat picks up, because the thought of sitting next to Quill for three hours feels… well, just a little bit overwhelming.
He may have spent much of the past twenty-four hours with his face between my legs, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still feel pretty damn awkward around him. I’m so scared of saying the wrong thing. It definitely seems like every time I open my mouth, it’s to put my foot in it.
He appears to enjoy my discomfort as I head to the table then sit down, awkwardly crossing and uncrossing my legs, wondering if I’m supposed to say hi to him—we did just wake up together and then have sex, so greeting him would probably be kind of weird, but not saying anything would be too.
I hesitate for what feels like an eternity, then end up just clearing my throat loudly, hoping he’ll read into it whatever he wants to.
But he merely looks at me, though in the place of his usual murderous glare, something dark and unreadable swirls in his eyes.
It does things to me, and I start to play with my hands in my lap while squeezing my thighs as hard as I possibly can.
I can barely suppress a gasp when Quill leans over to me and whispers audibly, “I like watching you fidget.”
I grab the microscope and am so intent on looking into it that my glasses bump into the lens. Oh, God. Am I just the most awkward klutz to ever have graced the face of this Earth?
At once, Quill’s arm snakes around me as though he’s helping to adjust me in front of the microscope. But his other hand slides up my thigh, making me gulp audibly.
“You should wear a skirt,” he breathes into my ear. “How am I supposed to touch you when you’ve got jeans on?”
Uhhh… you’re not? We’re in school?!
But instead of saying so, I gulp again, and then a squeak slips out of my mouth as he… unbuttons my jeans and slides his hand in.
“Quill!” I choke out, accidentally bumping my glasses against the microscope lens again in my surprise.
My face flames as his hand slips under my panties, toying with my clit. What is he doing? We’re in class!
I glance around nervously, but the other students can’t see Quill’s hand in my panties.
At least, I don’t think they can. Our table is very bulky, and luckily, my backpack is hanging off the side of my chair because I didn’t have time to bring it to my locker.
I quickly adjust it to ensure it fully hides me.
It feels like everyone is staring, not because Quill is touching me there but because Quill is touching me… period. I guess they’re just as shocked as me that the most unpopular girl in school is suddenly going out with her biggest bully.
I’d been secretly hoping Quill wouldn’t hide our relationship, but he certainly has chosen a very Quill-like way of going public.
His hand in my panties, playing with my clit, is making me very hot and bothered.
He may be able to conceal what he’s doing, but I certainly can’t conceal my reactions, especially since he appears to take a lot of pleasure in drawing them out of me.
Pinching my clit just when I start to get used to the stroking.
Pushing a finger inside me just when I manage to get my poker face back again.
And beyond that, his arm around my middle, holding me to him in a very proprietary way, leaves no doubt as to who I belong to.
Him!
The thought of that helps me overcome my embarrassment, and I at last sag against the arm that’s wrapping firmly around me, and allow myself to enjoy his touch.
Of course, he chooses just that moment to withdraw his hand. I look down, my eyes widening as I see my slickness on his fingers, then gasp when he brings them to his mouth and sucks them clean as if it’s the most normal thing in the world.
Surely the other kids in class must know what he’s been up to… no?
Whether they do or not, they’re careful to avert their eyes the second his glance sweeps around the room, but they go right back to staring when he pretends to focus on his notebook.
No, not pretends—he’s actually focusing.
“Did you… write all that?” I ask, staring at the pages of neatly-written notes.
“Uh huh. Why?”
Why?
I work so hard in this class with the end result of understanding… absolutely nothing. Meanwhile, he always gives off an air of not caring, but clearly this science stuff comes naturally to him.
“Do you actually understand what we’re learning? About all that cell mitosis crap?”
He shrugs. “I can help you.”
“I didn’t say that I need help—” I start to protest.
“You don’t have to,” he smirks. “I know you do. In pretty much every subject but English.”
“I’m pretty good at history too,” I huff.
“Uh huh.” He doesn’t seem very convinced as he directs his attention once more to the microscope.
“Anyway, Cass said she’d help me,” I remember, glancing around the room. It’s very strange that she isn’t here. She’s been absent the past few days, but I didn’t expect her to miss this class. She’s never missed a single one.
Quill scowls, and the sudden shift in his expression makes me shiver. He can still be so scary.
“Cass isn’t going to do shit,” he hisses. “And if I ever see you talk to her again—” He doesn’t finish, instead letting his words hang threateningly in the air.
“She’s nice,” I argue. Well, okay, not nice. “I mean, she’s the only person who talks to me. I don’t think she really means to insult me, she just lacks social skills. Anyway, she said she’d let me follow along on the experiments in Devil Tower, and…”
I interrupt myself when he turns to me with a much more dangerous glint in his eyes than I’ve seen in him yet.
The memories of last Wednesday afternoon suddenly come flooding back.
I shift uncomfortably, the space between my legs throbbing as I remember the punishment he gave me after roughly pulling me out of the building.
At the time it felt painful and embarrassing, but thinking back, there was definitely something very exciting about getting punished like that by Quill… a real punishment.
“What was that experiment about?” I ask, licking my dry lips, willing my mind to focus on other, less arousing matters.
He doesn’t answer, seeming far too focused suddenly on jotting down notes.
The sense that something is wrong starts to creep up on me. Clearly, I walked in on something at Devil Tower that I shouldn’t have walked in on. But he was there, and so was Cass, and for that matter, so was Ray’s dad. What the hell were they all up to?
Speaking of Ray… I look around and notice for the first time that he’s missing too. I suddenly feel very cold.
“You didn’t…” I let out a tiny hiccup of a laugh at my ridiculous question. “... kill him, did you?”
At that, his lips twitch. “Not yet.”
Okay, he’s definitely messing with me. Right?
I roll my eyes as I reach the conclusion that he’s joking. Even though he doesn’t look like he is.
_
I breathe out in relief at the sound of the bell.
This time, it’s not because I’ve been deathly bored, as is usually the case.
This time, it’s because spending three hours with Quill’s arm wrapped around me, while the other students stare, is pretty torturous.
I’m not used to being the center of attention, and I’m not sure I like it.
Plus, after initially sticking his hand in my pants, he spent much of the rest of the class with it resting firmly under my shirt, on my stomach.
Which was both very arousing and… very uncomfortable.
It was as though he wanted to ensure I didn’t forget, not even for a moment, that I belonged to him.
And I certainly didn’t.
I’ve never looked forward so much to lunch. We may not have more than forty-five minutes or so, but that’s enough time to find an empty classroom and... do stuff. After three hours of the most torturous foreplay known to man, I’m definitely ready for that.
So I’ve never been more disappointed when Quill plants a big, loud kiss on my lips, then says, “I’ll be back later.”
“Huh? Where are you going?”
“I have something to deal with,” he murmurs, before giving me another kiss. “In the meantime, behave, cricket.”
“Oh… okay.”
I do my best to swallow my disappointment as he walks down the hallway. I hate myself for getting so upset. It’s not like he’s going to be spending every second of every day glued to my hip from now on, is he?
Moments later, I perk up when he turns around and comes back again. But it’s only to ask, “What’s in your lunchbag today?”
“What?”
“Your lunch. What did you bring for lunch?”
“I didn’t bring any. You didn’t leave me much time this morning,” I add pointedly.
He smirks. “So what are you going to eat?”