Kiss and Break Up (Magnolia Cove, #1)(71)

I withheld a bout of disbelieving laughter and shook my head.

Another piece landed by my hand. I licked my teeth, trying to ignore it, but the temptation to peek at his piss-poor efforts had me opening that too.



Okay, so maybe not today. But one day?



I tossed it back, hitting him in the forehead. He laughed, and the teacher lifted his head, glaring at Dash. “Mr. Thane. Back for one day and already finding something amusing?”

Dash stretched his arms over his head, his shirt rising. “I was just thinking of a joke my girl told me the other day.” He waved his hand. “Carry on.”

I swallowed as I caught a flash of his hip bone and pushed my eyes to my table.

His girl?

Mr. Andrews narrowed his eyes, then shook his head. “Unless you wish to share next time, try to control yourself.”

Dash grunted. “Noted.”

As the lesson continued, my table became covered in tiny balls of paper. I wasn’t sure if he’d pre-ripped them or if he’d become a professional silent paper ripper while he was gone, but no one seemed to notice. Not even the ones that’d missed the table and landed by my feet.



I love you.



I want you and only you.



Let’s taco-bout how much of a fuck-head I am.



We can make out after?



I really fucking miss you.



The last one stilled my hands and the air filling my lungs.

With my throat thickening, I scrunched them all back up and slipped them inside my pencil case. On my way out, I left my half-assed paper on the teacher’s desk, then hurried to my locker.

I needed out of there, away from him, and to remember what he’d done.

That was hard to do when I could feel him on my heels, stalking silently behind me.

Kayla threw me back into the abyss, stepping out from her clique of friends to waggle her fingers at him. “Dash, baby. Where’ve you been?”

He said nothing, and I didn’t know if he’d stopped to talk to her. I kept walking until I’d reached my locker and swapped out my books. I grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder and closing the door.

Byron stood there, his face and eyes hard. “You’re with him? Or Danny? Which one is it?”

Legs quaking, I took a step back. “What?”

He shook his head, looking around before lowering his voice to barely a whispered growl. “This is bullshit, Peggy.” He collected himself, taking a deep breath. “We never even said we were done.”

“No,” I said as I took hold of all the hurt and embarrassment that’d clung to me since that night. I held it close, using it as fuel. “I’m pretty sure I made myself clear, though.”

“If you need your ears checked, I’ll happily rip one off and inspect it for you.” Dash loomed at my back, and I wasn’t sure how long he’d been there, but judging by the whites of Byron’s eyes, I didn’t think it’d been long. “Just saying.”

“Have a nice vacation?” Byron drawled with a hard glance at me, then he sneered at Dash. “You’re lucky I didn’t press charges.”

Dash hissed between his teeth. “And you’re lucky I didn’t get the chance to kill you.”

Byron took a step closer. “I’d love to see you try again—”

I cut Byron off. “Enough.”

“Quit being so butt hurt. I’m sure Daddy will pay to fix your butchered nose if you ask nicely.”

Byron’s nostrils flared. Dash pressed closer to my back, and Byron tracked the movement, teeth gritting. “She know you fucked Kayla?”

Dash growled, and I backed up, effectively forcing him back a step.

Byron laughed. “She’s a shit lay, isn’t she? But hey, beats fucking nothing.”

While I might not have liked Kayla, I hated the way he so easily trashed someone he’d once called his girlfriend. If he could say that about someone he used to care about, then who knew what kind of hurtful things he’d have said about me that weren’t even true.

“You’re the smelliest piece of shit, Woods.”

Byron shrugged, moving backward as he smiled. “Guess that’s why I almost had your girl. Like calls to like.”

“I’m not his …” I snapped my mouth shut. It was pointless to argue that with Byron. Besides, I wanted nothing to do with him. The sooner he walked away, the better.

“Whatever, Peggy. You’re not so different after all, are you? Fooling around with this scum while we dated. I hope karma eats your fat ass.”

I gaped at him.

Dash was already moving before I could stop him, and Byron laughed, raising his hands. “Have you squeezed it yet? It’s fucking delicious. I highly recommend.”

Dash grabbed him by the shirt and threw him into the row of lockers, all the while Byron kept his hands raised, the smile on his face goading.

“If you so much as even blink—”

Raven pulled him off him, and Byron shook out his shoulders, chuckling. “Do you wanna get expelled? Fucking idiot.”

Mrs. Truncheon rounded the corner as Dash glared at Byron’s back.

I exhaled, relieved, as she continued down the hall, coffee cup in hand.