Sleeping with a Bully

The Princess

The distinctive sound of table tennis balls rallied back and forth echoed around the gym. So did the whispers and giggles of the students who didn't take gym class seriously. I wiped a sweat of my brow, my eyes focused intensely on the ball. But it was hard to concentrate when the noise in the gym began to escalate.

"We did it in the science lab," a girl's voice declared so proudly.

"Oh, my gosh!" another squealed. "How was it?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

The girls hanging around the table beside mine burst into titters and I sighed. Returning the ball back to the other side of the table, I transferred the racket to my other hand and waited for my opponent, Sarah, to hit back. But she missed, almost twirling around in her effort to smash the ball right back at me.

"Shoot," she whispered and I smirked in victory.

As she ran for it, I straightened and slid my gaze to the side. Ashley and her minions were still in not-so hushed whispers.

"Was he... good?" one of her friends asked.

Ashley enjoyed all the attention. She had always liked being in the spotlight.

"It's for me to know and you to never find out," she said with a Cheshire grin.

Disgusted, I rolled my eyes. Sarah came back and we resumed playing. She served the ball weakly and it dropped in front of me, bouncing to a perfect height. With a large backswing, I cut the racket through the air with the intention of smashing it back to her.

"Did you really sleep with John Steele?"

At the mention of John's name, I froze and the ball went past my racket. Sarah let out a whoop of glee, it was her first point, and grudgingly, I went for the ball which had flown to the other side of the gym.

Maybe I had heard the name wrong.

"She's talking about John again, isn't she?"

My stomach clenched.

Maybe not.

I lifted my head up. Hannah was frowning at the direction of the huddled girls, her arms crossed. Picking the ball up, I assumed disinterest and turned towards her.

"They're disturbing everyone's games," I grumbled.

Hannah smirked. "As if our teacher cares." She jerked her chin towards the teacher who was sitting at her desk, her eyes directed to her laptop. "She's not even observing."

"I care."

"You know you and Sarah are the only people playing table tennis seriously, right?"

I shrugged. "Where's your partner?"

"With Ashley."

Pursing my lips, I glanced at the girls. Sure enough, her partner was there, giggling along with them.

"How did you get to the special building anyway?" one of Ashley's friends asked.

She smirked. "I was in the faculty when I overheard Ms. Chester say something about going to the special building to return some files. Naturally, I offered my services."

"You lucky girl."

"Ugh," I mumbled. "Doesn't she know the word discretion? To think we even shared the same etiquette instructor when we were younger."

"I know, right?" Hannah agreed. "She should at least post it on f*******:. What?" she went on when I gave her a look.

Holding back an exasperated sigh, I started for my table where Sarah was waiting patiently for me. Suddenly, loud gasps echoed around the gym. I twisted my head just in time to see Ashley's head disappear from the group.

My footsteps stilled and I blinked.

Then I looked down and found her.

Ashley was on the floor, holding her forehead, wincing in pain.

"I'm sorry!" Sophia shouldered her way through the crowd and dropped to her knees beside Ashley. "Are you alright? I didn't mean to – I was aiming for the edge of the table but I – I missed. Do you want me to take you to the nurse?"

Hannah was clutching her sides, laughing hard. The girls murmured among themselves, looking at Sophia with disapproval. But none made an effort to help Ashley except her.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Ashley snapped at her.

"No!" Sophia shook her head furiously. "I swear I didn't."

"It was heaven's will," I muttered and Hannah laughed harder.

Sophia reluctantly reached for Ashley's arm to help her stand but Ashley pushed her away and stood by herself. Red-faced, Sophia rose to her feet, wringing her hands together.

"Are you okay, Ashley?" one of her friends asked, patting her back. "Oh, no. Your forehead is turning bright red!"

"What are you going to do about your date with John? You can't look like this," said another.

"I-I'm really sorry!" Sophia stammered.

"Oh, shut up!" Ashley yelled at her. "Your apology won't remove this ugly bruise from my head, you stupid bitch."

Hannah stopped laughing. An irritated look came across her face and before I could stop her, she stomped towards them.

"Oh, my God, Ashley. Use make-up. I'm sure you have a truckload at home. And," she eyed Ashley with distaste, "I bet you're lying about having a date with John anyway."

"Excuse me?" Ashley turned towards her, jutting out a hip and putting a hand on it. "Did you just call me a liar?"

"You're not the first girl who claimed to have dated him, you know." Hannah surreptitiously blocked Sophia from her view and went on, "And you're not the only girl he had slept with."

"You're just jealous," Ashley hissed.

Hannah burst out laughing. "What? Why would I be jealous? Should I be jealous that you sucked his d**k? That you spread your legs for him?"

Ashley shut her mouth and glowered at her.

Feeling both amused and irritated at the spectacle, I clapped my hands together and called out, "Alright, that's enough." Everyone turned to look at me and I went on, "Go back to your respective tables, please. The teacher's going to be collecting our score cards in a few minutes from now."

Sophia was quick to leave, followed by the rest. But Hannah and Ashley hadn't moved. They were both still facing each other, Hannah with a smirk, Ashley with a glare. My eyes narrowed at the both of them.

"Didn't you hear me?" I asked.

Ashley jerked her gaze to me and jerked it back to Hannah. Then she shook her head, her lips pressed into a tight, angry line.

"You're lucky you're friends with the princess."

Hannah's brow lifted. "Excuse me?"

"It must be nice, being rich bitches and always getting your way," Ashley continued to mutter, looking at Hannah like she was slime before going back to her partner.

Silently, I pulled in breath. I hadn't expected that.

Hannah lost her smile. "That crazy—"

"Stop it, Hannah," I whispered, grabbing her arm when she tried to follow Ashley. "You're making things worse."

"Who does she think she is?" Hannah put her hands on her waist, glaring at Ashley's back. "How dare she speak to us that way? That's it. I'm going to tell Mom to terminate all contracts with her father."

I shook my head. "If you do that, you're just proving her right."

"Kidding!" she exclaimed with a grin my way. "I'm not going to let her get to me. Is it my fault I'm filthy rich and she's practically a pleb? No. So she can go suck every rich guy's d**k. I don't care."

Hannah kept on mumbling while she went back to her table. I stared at her, feeling bitter all of a sudden.

In this school full of rich peers, there were always students whose family backgrounds and wealth were considered outstanding. Born with money and privilege. Born with power. Heirs and heiresses of massive fortunes. They were considered the "aristocrats" of the school.

If Leon, John and his friends were to be feared and avoided, these people were to be respected and obeyed.

And I was one of them.

The princess, which Ashley had so fondly called me.

It was because I was the only girl everyone deemed to have it all. Money, privilege, power, beauty and intelligence. A daughter and heiress of one of the most influential families not only in this country but also in Japan.

I was deemed lucky by everyone.

I was deemed blessed with good fortune.

They all thought I could not want for anything because I have everything I could have ever wanted because I was rich.

But money doesn't solve everything.

It doesn't.

And I learned that the hard way.

"What happened here?" The teacher said as she approached. "Is everything alright, Miss Evans?"

Yes, no thanks to you, I wanted to snap at her.

I took a moment to smooth my expression, to give the impression that nothing would ever penetrate my armor. I was good at this. I'd had loads of practice.

Turning to her, I said politely as I could, "Everything is just fine, Miss Lewis."

Then I looked away, squared my shoulders and went back to Sarah.

**********

"I want you home tonight, John."

The angry tone on the other line made John roll his eyes. Cursing himself for unknowingly answering the call without glancing at the screen, he turned the wheel around and entered the gates of Skull's property.

"I'll be home when I want to," he gritted out.

A long-suffering sigh, then, "Why are you being so difficult?"

"I don't know. Why don't you tell me, Mother?"

His mother clucked her tongue. "It's a very important dinner party, John. You're father's Australian associates are coming."

"I'm busy tonight."

"Doing what?" she asked dubiously. "This is far more important. And please, for the love of God. Don't come home with another black eye."

"Thank you for the fantastic idea, Mother," he answered with a short laugh.

"I shouldn't have let you run around with the Gage boy," she hissed angrily. "God knows what you've been doing with that hooligan."

His amusement fled. "Do not talk to him that way," he growled. "You do not ever talk to him that way. You understand me?"

Silence.

Then she said, "I'm extremely disappointed in you, son."

The line went dead. John sucked in breath to tamp down the surge of feeling moving quickly inside him.

She'd never understand their friendship, his and Leon's.

She'd never understand.

With these dark thoughts, he turned the ignition off and climbed down his truck. Closing the door, he started for Skull's house. Skull's house used to be a barn house but he had his grandparents convert it into a modern pad for him. His grandparents were inclined to give him anything he wanted, considering he was their only grandson and sole relative since his parents had died years ago.

But when he failed freshman year they weren't so inclined anymore and laid down their foot. Skull had to take school seriously or he was going back to the main house and under their watch whether he liked it or not.

"Where's Leon?" John asked when he only found Skull and Rohan. Skull was on the couch while Rohan was on the chaise across him. They were both playing video games, muttering curses at each other.

"Upstairs," Skull grunted, his eyes focused on the TV screen. "But he's—"

John didn't hear what he said next because he was already climbing the stairs. Opening the first door he found, he entered and looked for Leon in the darkness. What he found instead made him narrow his eyes and made him feel even more pissed.

"I didn't know you were here, April," he said, his voice snide.

April glanced his way and didn't look the least disconcerted, even though she was only wearing the skirt of her uniform and straddling Leon. His best friend, on the other hand, was glowering at him.

"When she gets off you, I'll meet you downstairs," John muttered before he closed the door behind him.

Then he exhaled in annoyance.

Damn it.

Why the hell was Leon with her again?

John went back downstairs and dropped his body next to Skull on the couch. "I didn't know he was still f*****g her," he muttered at him.

Skull shrugged. "She came earlier, saying she wanted to talk to Leon."

"Are you sure she didn't say f**k?" Rohan mumbled, tapping the buttons on his controller furiously. "I didn't know Leon was dating a North High girl."

John swallowed the angry retort in his throat and exhaled, praying for calm.

"They're not dating," he told Rohan, reaching for a slice of pizza.

Skull groaned when his character died. Rohan put his controller down. Twisting his head around, he asked, "Why not?"

"I don't know. Ask him."

Rohan frowned in thought. "You're not dating anyone right now, aren't you?"

John lifted a brow. "Life's too short to be tied down to one girl."

"Slut," Skull coughed and Rohan chortled.

"Girls are like flowers, kid." John finished his pizza and opened a can of coke. "And it's a guy's responsibility to blossom their beauty. Wait, why are you playing again?" he asked when they turned back to the screen. "You should listen to me, especially you Skull. You might learn something from my passionate love for the existence of females."

They both continued to studiously ignore him. He cracked a smile.

"Why the questions anyway, kid? Don't tell me." He leaned away from Rohan's direction, adopting an expression of disgust on his face. "You're in love with me, aren't you?"

Skull burst out into snickers. With a scowl, Rohan turned around and threw a pillow at him.

"Don't be f*****g gross, John," Rohan muttered angrily, dodging the pillow Skull sent back. "There are rumors circulating around school that you're dating someone. That's why I asked."

John's grin died. "You're kidding me right?"

"It's even on Facebook."

That f*****g b***h.

This was why he didn't like touching any of the girls in school. They were vultures, circling around, waiting for a chance to rise in society. This was why he didn't like girls in the first place, until he found use of them.

When parents began to flock around him, coddling and fussing over him, he knew it was not because of his talents. It was because of who his parents were and what he was about to become in the future. He didn't take it too kindly. But his parents told him to pretend. So pretend he did.

But when their little girls were forced upon him, it was too much. He didn't like how they cried for his attention, throw tantrums when they lost it, and pretended to like him. He didn't like lowering himself to protect their shallow feelings.

He still pretended. In front of the grown-ups. 

Since he was little, he had learned from his parents lessons, rules on how to pretend to smile, laugh and never show what he was really feeling. To never show weakness and never trust anybody but them. And he had learned all of them the hard way. 

But as soon as the grown-ups turned their back, he was cruel and unaffectionate to their children but in a way that they would never blame him. They blamed themselves for not teaching their children proper decorum. They blamed their children for losing restraint and forgetting manners. But never him.

"I just f****d her," John explained, running an agitated hand over his head.

"She must have thought she hit the jackpot when young master Steele gave her his time of the day," Skull mumbled.

"Hey, don't call me that, Christopher."

"It's Skull!"

"You're both so immature," Rohan mumbled. "So what are you going to do about it, John?"

"Don't worry," John said, putting the can down to his lap. "I'll end those rumors tomorrow."

"How?"

John smirked. "f**k another girl."

"Is this how the heir of Steele Pharmaceuticals talk nowadays? Your parents must be so proud."

John shifted his gaze to the stairs. April was coming down, pulling her strawberry blonde hair into a high ponytail. Leon was right behind her. John's lips pulled back as he tilted his head.

"Hello again, April. I didn't know you do house calls now."

Her eyes blazed down at him as she passed by the couch. "f**k you, John."

"You wish," he retorted. "And watch your language, April. We have a child in the room."

At that, Rohan whipped his head around and threw him a withering glare. April's lips curled in derision.

"I'm taking her home," Leon told them, getting his helmet from the table. "I'll be back."

"Careful, Leon," John warned good-naturedly. "After she's done with your d**k, she'll be after your heart next."

Leon sighed and put his hand on the small of April's back. "Let's go."

"I hope to God you wore a condom."

"Shut it, John."

"Don't worry, darling." April lifted the corner of her lips, appraising John with an almost lazy glance. "I don't have feelings. There's nothing he can say that will hurt me."

John's answer was a c**k of his brow.

Cold-hearted b***h.

Girls may be vultures but she was a snake.

Insidious. Cunning. Contemptible.

If he had to pick a flower to describe her, he'd pick an oleander. In the language of flowers, it meant caution. Oleander flowers were also known to be toxic, which was exactly what she was.

She may have fooled a lot of guys but not him. John had known her since her spoiled toddler years to her spoiled teenage years. He only put up with her because they ran in the same circles but when she went after Leon, his tolerance faded. He didn't like the thought of her using Leon, even if it was just for s*x, because he knew she had an ulterior motive. She always had one.

As soon as they left, Skull, who had hunched over on his seat being unobtrusive as possible, straightened and looked around.

"Huh. I got to call the maids later," he said in contemplation.

"Why?" Rohan asked.

"To make sure her nasty ho germs won't stick around."

Rohan grinned. "What the hell did she do to make you morons hate her?"

"She's evil, Rohan," Skull told him. "Evil."

John nodded in agreement. "That and because she made him cry during middle school."

Skull's nostrils flared. "Hey, f**k you."

"I still remember that massive party you hosted when you heard she transferred schools last summer, Skull."

"Really?" Rohan said in curious amusement. "Did she really make him cry, John? Why?"

Before he could tell him, Skull threw his controller down and lunged at him. John yelped and quickly jumped out of the couch, running away from him.

***********

I adjusted the strap of my backpack as I made my trek across campus. Stifling a yawn, I trudged through the grounds, the crunch of leaves echoing around me.

A horde of guys passed by me, laughing and shoving each other. They were players of the football team. I would have ignored them when I saw a kid, a freshman by the looks of it, being dragged along with them. Somebody's arm was slung over his shoulder and he didn't look comfortable. Not in the least.

Narrowing my eyes, I saw that it was Dwayne Williams, the vice-captain of the football team, who had a hold on him. Suspicion began to nag at me. Dwayne was not known to be friendly nor was he a good guy.

I followed them when they turned into the narrow alley behind the building. Just as I turned the corner, Dwayne suddenly pushed the freshman aggressively against the wall. The kid whimpered in fright when Dwayne grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. My alarm turned into anger.

What a bastard.

"What are you doing, Williams?" I demanded.

Dwayne looked up and lost his cocky grin when he saw me approaching. He let go of the freshman's collar and swung his arm around the trembling kid's shoulders.

"If it isn't little Miss Evans," Dwayne declared mockingly. "What can I do for you?"

"Let him go," I said in the coldest voice I could muster.

Dwayne's eyes widened. "Jimmy? What did you think I was doing to him?"

"Jim Austin, right?" I asked the frightened freshman. He nodded. "Please go back to your class."

"But Jimmy and I aren't done talking," Dwayne scowled.

Returning my gaze to him, I told him, "You're done. Class is about to resume in five minutes and freshmen have their exams today." I lifted my chin at Jim. "Go. Now."

Dwayne's scowl deepened. His friends looked unhappy as they murmured among themselves. Having no other choice, Dwayne lifted his arm from Jim's shoulder and the kid immediately scampered away.

"You should have just minded your own business, Terry," Dwayne muttered darkly.

My brows rose. "Aren't you a senior now, Williams? Shouldn't you be outgrowing these childish antics by now? Or is it actually hard to grow up and be a man?"

He pointed a finger at me. "Watch your mouth."

"Remove your finger from my face or I will break it."

"You bitch."

Unfazed, I crossed my arms over my chest and interrupted, "You know I've been called a lot worse. Now will you remove your finger? Or should I really snap it into two?"

In anger, Dwayne lunged at me, raising his arm to strike. I was prepared for it, however. Grabbing his wrist with both hands, I ducked under his arm and while turning in a full circle, twisted his arm up and behind his back. I shoved him forward, slamming his body against the wall.

His friends tried to help him but I gave them a threatening glance and they stilled.

After all, wasn't I the princess of the school?

The title, though irksome, had its benefits.

I turned back to Dwayne, who was turning red in the face from the pain. "I can have your vice-captaincy revoked, Williams," I told him in a cold voice. "One more toe out of the line and I'll have you kicked out of the team."

Taking a step back, I let him go. He whirled, his expression murderous. We glared at each other, none of us backing down. Then, as sudden as his anger flared, he diffused and turned pensive. Wary, I kept a close watch on him and his friends.

"What about you?"

Confused, I asked, "What do you mean?"

A grin broke out of his face and his eyes began to scrape me from head to toe.

"I've heard... things." His eyes alighted on mine. "About you."

It took everything in me not to wince.

"Well, congratulations," I intoned. "The bell has rung. Go back to class."

He laughed and for a moment, fear took a hold of me, making me almost tremble where I stood. My hands fisted, my nails biting into my palm. The pain shot through me and I didn't tremble.

"Pretending to be innocent," he remarked. He leaned in and continued in a low voice, "When in fact, you're just as dirty as the rest of us."

Before I could react, he had stepped back, laughing.

"I'll see you around, Terry."

***********

He dared.

John's hands shook with anger and he clenched his teeth.

He f*****g dared to try and touch her.

John watched as the bastard and his friends laugh at Terry and went away. Terry was still rigid on the spot. Whatever Dwayne had said gave her pause. When she was able to move, her face was blank, the blood drained from her face, and her hands were clenched into permanent fists.

His temper soared.

Dwayne Williams was going to f*****g pay.

John turned and walked out of the alley, reaching for his cell phone at the same time. After searching for Skull's name in his list of contacts, he pressed call and put it to his ear.

"What?" Skull asked as soon as he answered.

"About Dwayne Williams, you found something about him, right?"

There was a long period of silence before Skull answered, "Rohan did. He also found more and it's worse than we think it was. You sound pissed. Are you al—?"

"Tonight," he interrupted, clenching his fist around his phone.

"What do you mean tonight?"

"Let's get him tonight."

Before Skull could reply, he ended the call. He felt his temperature increase as his anger elevated and he did his best to lock it down.

With one thought, he crossed the campus and went to his truck.

Dwayne Williams was going to pay tonight.