Candy Store
Chapter 3
The second week of school, I find myself in the dean’s office and knee-deep in trouble.
After finding some pony-tailed asshole cornering sweet Mary-Alice in the hallway, I lose my temper. He’s pressing up against her, trapping her between his body and the locker, and she’s looking frantic, eyes shooting all over the place, just begging for a way out.
Before I know it, I’m on him. He’s on the floor clutching his face and I’m on him with blood on my hands and bruising knuckles. Mary-Alice is yelling at me to stop, so I do. I let her pull me up and, fuck, do I hate that cowed look in her eyes; like she’s got something to be ashamed of, like she should’ve just given in.
I don’t know it at the time but she saves my ass then, ‘cause when the dean shows up she’s all hiccupping sobs and stuttering confessions with wide bright eyes that could never tell a lie. And lucky me, Dean Harris believes every word she says - even the ones that’ve been twisted to make it seem like James attacked first.
Mary-Alice doesn’t mention the fact that, at his worst, James was just coming on a little too strongly - touching her hips and her hair and pressing a little too closely. She doesn’t mention that she was just about to politely ask him to step the fuck off. She doesn't say that pulling him off would’ve been more than enough, though I can see in her eyes she thinks that’s true.
When I see her next, I just thank her for helping me out with Harris. She looks at me a little like I scare her, like I’m the monster. I don’t mention to her that guys like James won’t take a polite 'no' to heart; don’t tell her the broken nose was absolutely necessary. I don’t say the way he looked at her? Shit, she was the rabbit and he was the wolf.
‘Cause maybe it’s not my place to say.
But maybe I want it to be.
After finding some pony-tailed asshole cornering sweet Mary-Alice in the hallway, I lose my temper. He’s pressing up against her, trapping her between his body and the locker, and she’s looking frantic, eyes shooting all over the place, just begging for a way out.
Before I know it, I’m on him. He’s on the floor clutching his face and I’m on him with blood on my hands and bruising knuckles. Mary-Alice is yelling at me to stop, so I do. I let her pull me up and, fuck, do I hate that cowed look in her eyes; like she’s got something to be ashamed of, like she should’ve just given in.
I don’t know it at the time but she saves my ass then, ‘cause when the dean shows up she’s all hiccupping sobs and stuttering confessions with wide bright eyes that could never tell a lie. And lucky me, Dean Harris believes every word she says - even the ones that’ve been twisted to make it seem like James attacked first.
Mary-Alice doesn’t mention the fact that, at his worst, James was just coming on a little too strongly - touching her hips and her hair and pressing a little too closely. She doesn’t mention that she was just about to politely ask him to step the fuck off. She doesn't say that pulling him off would’ve been more than enough, though I can see in her eyes she thinks that’s true.
When I see her next, I just thank her for helping me out with Harris. She looks at me a little like I scare her, like I’m the monster. I don’t mention to her that guys like James won’t take a polite 'no' to heart; don’t tell her the broken nose was absolutely necessary. I don’t say the way he looked at her? Shit, she was the rabbit and he was the wolf.
‘Cause maybe it’s not my place to say.
But maybe I want it to be.