My Wolf’s Bane(28)

I sighed. “What do you want now?”

“I’m sorry, okay? It’s just… you drive me crazy.” Daniel stopped in front of me, but he didn’t try to touch me. “Autumn, please. Give me a second chance. You owe me that much.”

He seemed imbalanced and I didn’t want to push him over the edge, but I couldn’t let him think it would ever happen between us. “I owe you? What the hell for?”

“Autumn, I still love you.” He stepped forward.

I backed up and my shoulders hit the lockers. He pressed his palms low and flat on either side of me, so it would be harder to duck under and get away.

Gazing into his eyes, I saw the pattern. His future. He was the guy who’d treat his girl like garbage, then beg for forgiveness and repeat the cycle all over again. But I wasn’t that girl, the type who’d put up with it.

Even though he was kind of freaking me out, I kept my voice steady. “But I don’t feel that way about you anymore.”

He raised an arm to stroke a finger along my cheek. “Aw, don’t be like that. I don’t think I can live without you.”

I gagged as the warmth of his breath hit me in the face. “You’ll have to.”

“C’mon, baby, one more chance.” He aimed for my lips, but I turned my head to avoid him.

“Get the hell away from me.” My hands curled into fists.

“You know you want me back. Why fight it?” Daniel dove for my neck.

I thrust a shoulder up to deflect his mouth. “I mean it. Get off me!”

Zack appeared out of nowhere. “Let her go, Daniel.”

“This is none of your business, New Boy. Keep walking.” Daniel’s gaze stayed on me as if willing me to go along with it.

“I don’t think so.” Zack took a step forward.

Daniel released me and glared at him. By his stance, it was obvious he’d only let me go to free up his fists so he could pound on Zack. “You think you own her because she sat at your table during lunch? She’s mine.”

Zack moved fast enough to make my head spin, getting right up in Daniel’s face. Before that moment, I hadn’t realized how big he was, standing about two inches taller than Daniel. “I don’t want to own her and neither should you. Don’t ever let me catch you bullying any girl again.”

“What are you going to do about it if I do?” Daniel’s smirk remained firmly in place.

Zack grabbed him by his shirt, easily lifting him a foot off the ground, and shoved him into the lockers. Daniel’s legs dangled as he struggled. Zack slowly eased his grip, allowing Daniel to slide down against the cold metal.

“I won’t annihilate you today, no matter how much you provoke me,” Zack said. “But only because it would upset my mom.”

Daniel straightened his shirt and forced a laugh. I could smell his sweat and knew he was scared. “Mama’s boy, huh?”

Scared, with suicidal tendencies, apparently.

“Don’t push it, lowlife.” Zack raised his brows at me expectantly.

I glanced around at the faces that had gathered. Why did my boy drama always draw a crowd? Cassidy Lieberman never gets a crowd and I happen to know she’s dating Eddie and Peter at the same time.

If I left with Zack, everyone would think something was going on between us. Bad idea. But if I didn’t, it would be as good as choosing Daniel. In his mind anyway. So I followed Zack, weaving past kids rushing to their classes. The bathroom could wait.

“You think you can make it through one day without my help?” Zack glanced at me with a bored expression as I walked beside him.

This time, I didn’t thank him. His attitude was wearing on me. “Who said I needed your help?”

He whirled around. “That guy is unstable. You got some kind of death wish?”

I straightened my spine. “I can handle him myself.”

His gaze traveled over me, from my toes and back to my eyes. “Really? Because where I’m standing, I see a hot girl and a psycho nearly twice her weight. Hardly a fair fight.”

Goosebumps prickled my neck. “You think I’m hot?”

He scoffed and shook his head. “That’s what you got out of that?” Before I could reply, he’d turned on his heel and gone to class.

† † †

As I left my last class, Gina was waiting at my locker. Figuring I could get my stuff out of it later, I kept walking, but she shadowed me.

“Autumn.”

I ignored her.

“I’d like to talk to you. Please.”

I stopped abruptly and turned on her. “Between you and Daniel, I can barely breathe in this school.”

She scowled. “Daniel’s stalking you?”