The Bet: A Bully Romance(19)

“Don’t turn this around on me,” I croak.

“Why not?” She tilts her head, somehow gaining the strength to smile, and I want to hurt her. I want to hurt her as she hurt me. “All the choices you made in your life led to this very moment, Remmy. They all lead to this. You’re trying to blame me because you can't handle that you are the one responsible for your own life. You chose this.”

And just like, that she’s provoking me, pushing me over the edge, mixing the already out of control fire with gasoline, making the flames bigger, the fire roar. I raise my fist and slam it into the wall right beside her head. The pain of the hit vibrates up my arm, making my teeth rattle inside my head. I’m seething now, my nostrils flare, and I sneer, staring down at the once strong woman who now looks like she might piss her pants.

“Do you want to see me lose control? Do you want me to hurt you?” I barely get the words out. Why does she have this much control over me? I slam my fist against the brick wall again, and she flinches like I might hit her.

Would I? The thought terrifies me and for a moment all I see is me losing my cool with her, me putting my fucking hands on her. I want to hurt her...but not like that… Seeing the fear in her eyes makes me pull away. I want her fear but not this way and within seconds, she’s scurrying away, leaving me in the same spot she left me the other night.

“Weak,” I grit out. “She makes you fucking weak.” And then I let the rage consume me. I pummel the wall letting my fists scrape against the unforgiving brick. My knuckles bleed, my bones ache, but the fire inside me is still burning hot, it roars, and the flames flicker up toward the sky.

All I wanted to do was talk. I squeeze my eyes shut, wishing she never showed her face here. I know I’ll have to talk to her, eventually…I can’t stay away from her, she’s like a bad drug. She’ll ruin me if I let her, she’s already done so once before, and yet I’m still dumb enough to try and talk to her, to try and reason with her.

Maybe I could get her kicked out of school? Do I really want to go that far? I turn around and start walking back toward the frat house. Instead of pissing my brother off by showing up at his office, I pull out my cell and dial his number.

“Shouldn’t you be in class?” His deep voice resonates through the phone.

“What are you, my gatekeeper?” I scoff.

“No, but I am your brother, which is kind of like the same thing.” His response makes me laugh, lightening the feeling Jules left me with.

“I have a question.”

“If it’s about her, I don’t want to hear it.”

“What? Wait, you knew she was here?” My mouth pops open and I stop dead in my tracks. I should turn around and go to the administrative building just to slug him in the face.

“I work for the college, Rem, yeah I knew she was here. I just didn’t think you would notice or care since you haven't even talked to her in three years. You’re way too busy with other stuff, I figured she would sneak right under your nose.”

“While you thought fucking wrong,” I growl, feeling betrayed by my own blood. I know I shouldn’t be mad, because honestly, it’s not his fault, but I am furious, and I have to take it out on someone.

“Did you do something? Is that why you’re calling? I swear, Rem, if you did something, I’m telling Dad. She just lost her brother and her dad.” And just like that, my heart cracks in two.

“You knew that too…” The words come out in a whisper.

“Well yeah, her mom told me, not her. She came in and helped Jules do some paperwork. Anyway, you didn’t answer my question...did you do something? Why are you calling? You never call unless you’ve done something.”

I shake my head and squeeze my cell phone hard enough to break the thing. “Never mind. I’ll deal with it.”

“Deal with—”

I cut off his question by hanging up the phone. I can’t have Jules removed from the school, and that only seems to irritate me more. My brother knew about her brother before even I did. My brothers have always loved Jules, my father cherished her like the daughter he never had, which of course made losing her hurt ten times fucking harder.

I tip my head back toward the sky, wondering what the fuck I’m going to do? I have to talk to her, try and create some type of truce, but even I don’t really want that. It’s the stupid fucking organ throbbing in my chest that wants it.

“Jules,” I say her name, letting it roll off my tongue like it used to all while wondering if I’ll ever be able to look at her and say her name without feeling heartbroken.





Chapter Eight




Jules





Up and down, up and down. That’s what my chest does as I try and calm my erratic breathing. Refusing to let Remington's anger toward me ruin my day. I grab a latte from the coffee shop at the corner before my next class. The caffeine gives me the buzz I need to get through the afternoon. I do everything I can to forget about him. I can't care about him. Not when he's being the way he is. When I arrive for my last class of the day, I spot Cole. He greets me with a smile as soon as I sit down.

“Jules.”

“Cole,” I respond with the same cool tone. I remind myself that he is friends with Remington and that anything I say to him may find its way back to him.