Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 178117 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 891(@200wpm)___ 712(@250wpm)___ 594(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 178117 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 891(@200wpm)___ 712(@250wpm)___ 594(@300wpm)
PENELOPE
Did Dylan just … tell me to pray for mercy?
Fuck, Kayla and Crystal were right.
These boys are sick.
I shudder in the corner of the staircase, sweating profusely.
Every step I take, he can hear. How do I escape? I could head up or down and try to find a door. But he’ll definitely hear, and when he does, he’ll come after me.
I swallow down the nerves, trying not to make a sound as I slip closer toward the edge of the railing to see where Dylan is. But once I do, I see him looking right at me through the banister one level above mine, clutching the metal with a devious grin on his face. And he actually leans in and licks the fucking railing.
He gloats. “I see you …”
Not a second do I wait.
I bolt off, stumbling over two of the stairs as I run down.
I can hear his footsteps coming after me, rushing down the same stairs, and my heart trembles in my body from the mere sound.
Fuck, why didn’t I take better precautions when I tried to snoop in on his conversations with his father? I should have at least tried to hide better. But I was so invested in what they were saying, trying to decipher what it meant when his father talked about the mess those boys left this summer that I completely forgot I could be caught.
“Better run as fast as you can, Pen, because if I catch you, there’s going to be hell to pay!”
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
I have to get out of here and fast.
I skid across the floor and rush down the next set of stairs with Dylan right behind me, practically jumping down the stairs.
I’m almost down, almost where the rest of the students are, where he can’t get to me without exposing himself as a terror to the rest of the campus.
I jump down the last set of stairs and bolt to the door. But the second I grasp the big handle, it opens from the other side.
And none other than Felix fucking Rivera stands in my way.
“Where are you going, Pen?”
His hazel eyes bore into mine, a hint of insanity hiding behind them. A promise of what’s to come if I don’t escape now.
My heart throbs in my chest.
I step back, but all it does is lock us both in as he walks closer, the door closing behind him.
Behind me, Dylan continues to race down the stairs.
All my exits are blocked.
What do I do?
I contemplate my options, grasping my bag to find the one pair of scissors I have with me. But Felix swiftly grabs my bag.
“Motherfucker, let go!” I yell as he rips it out of my hands.
“Fuck no,” he retorts.
Without a second thought, I storm at him, trying to punch him for stealing my shit, but I don’t get far. With one hand, he’s able to hold me back … by my head.
My fucking head.
One hand.
Fuck him.
“Fuck you!” I growl.
“So much spice for something so small and fragile,” he says, smirking like a crazy bastard. His fingers coil around my hair, and he pulls at it, lifting me by my head alone. “Easy to break.”
“Get your hands off me!” I flail around, trying to kick him, but he keeps me at bay with ease.
Dylan’s footsteps close in behind me. “There you are, little rat.”
“Rat?” I gasp. “Fuck you! I didn’t do shit.”
“No? You sure were happy to snoop in on my conversation with my father,” Dylan quips as he walks toward me from the back. My eyes turn sideways as far as possible, but I can only see half his face as Felix keeps me in place just by my hair.
“Did you follow me?” he asks.
Maybe I did, but I’m not going to tell them that.
If I did, I might not make it out of this alive.
“Answer him,” Felix growls.
“Or else what?” I quip. I look around, trying to find the cameras so someone will see me in trouble, but there are none. This must be one of the few places on campus without security. Just my luck.
“Let go of me, you asshole!” I kick and tug until my feet finally touch the floor again.
But Felix refuses to release me, his grip on my hair so tight my eyes begin to water.
“You want me to let go?” Felix raises his brow as he pulls me even closer until my back hits his firm, muscular body. He rasps into my ear, “Earn the right.”
“You were listening in on my conversations,” Dylan says. “What did you hear?”
“Nothing,” I reply.
“Yes, you did,” he says, and he steps onto my toes, pushing down until it makes me grind my teeth from the pain. “Now tell me … what did you hear?”
“Just some stuff about the summer,” I say.
“Hmm …” He nods, narrowing his eyes. “A messy summer indeed.” His fingers rise to meet my face, and he grabs a strand of my purple hair.