Breathe Me (Billionaire Bullies 1)

Chapter 2

Shana

When I was a little kid, I dreamt of becoming a rock star—someone who slammed on their guitar in front of a huge audience. But the dream shattered into oblivion the minute I told my mom about it.

Her mocking laughter filled the room, and then she dried a tear on her finger, “You’re not serious, are you? Because you don’t stand out enough, honey. Only interesting people become rock stars. You just blend into the background.”

From that day forward, I chose to focus on math over music. I’m studying social studies with an emphasis on economics in hopes of finding a job. My mom is confident this will secure my future, but I would much prefer to take the aesthetic program. I’m very good at singing.

“I wonder who the mentor of our class will be?” I hear a girl ask her friend from the other side of the small classroom.

Everyone here is a social studies student. Most of our classes are the same except for when we are focusing on our orientation, and I hear we will even share some studies with the aesthetic student since there are so few of them.

“I think It’s Margareta,” her friend answers. “She is over sixty years old but very nice. I think she can handle a class of over forty students.”

I hope they are right. This gymnasium isn’t very big, but all the rich people go here. We are the elite, and a lot of entrepreneurs have been born within these doors. My school is extremely proud of that. It’s written in every news article about them.

Suddenly I hear laughter, and my chest constricts when I see Stina and June take a seat beside each other. It’s obvious they are talking about me. Both of them send glances my way and snicker. It’s terrible. It feels like a rock has been placed on my chest, making it hard to breathe. I try to ignore them, but their laughter haunts me.

Is it going to be like this all year?

As I sink into my chair, I cannot help but wonder if I made the right choice in picking this school. This gymnasium may be proud of the entrepreneurs it has produced, but I feel like I am drowning in their shadows. What is special about me?

Darkness hits, and I suddenly wish I could just blend in and go unnoticed, but the laughter of Stina and June seems to be echoing in my ears.

When an old lady walks in and introduces herself as our new mentor, I try to focus on the lecture with a smile plastered on my face, but my mind keeps wandering.

I think about my old school, where I had friends. Sure, June and Stina never saw me as an equal, but at least they didn’t bully me. Now I’m completely alone. An outsider and a nobody.

I glance at the clock on the wall, wondering how much longer until the class is over. Wondering how much longer I must stay in this city...

My heart thuds faster when my mind drifts to a darker place. I’ve always had this plan: once I’ve graduated from school, I will move far away and gradually disappear until no one remembers me, and then I will end it.

Forever.

The minutes seem to drag on, but when the bell finally rings, I am relieved to pack up my things and head out of the gymnasium. I wander aimlessly through the campus, hoping to find somewhere to hide, somewhere to be alone.

As I turn a corner, I walk right into someone and nearly fall on my face. Thankfully, their strong arms wrap around me before I can kiss the ground and hold me close to their chest.

“Seriously?” a deep, almost growling voice rumbles above me. It’s Vincent, and I swear I can feel his heartbeat through his shirt that’s pressed against my cheek. “Twice in one day? What’s wrong with you?!”

I yank myself away from Vincent and take a few steps back from his towering frame. He looks pissed, but there is confusion in his eyes when he takes in my flushed face. I nervously tuck a strand of hair behind my ear as he stares at me intensely. His gaze softens ever so slightly as he reaches out, gently brushing the side of my face.

His gaze is intense, not gentle. “The bruise on your face,” he rumbles. “Who did that to you?”

My heartbeat thuds as his eyes drill into me. I did my best to hide the bruise with makeup before leaving home today. It was inflicted by my mother when she had another uncontrollable outburst. They come out of nowhere and happen so quickly.

"N-no one," I stammer, taken aback by Vincent's intensity. I never stammer, but something about being pinned beneath his gaze makes me feel faint, like an ant under a microscope.

Vincent’s expression remains unconvinced. He takes a domineering step forward in the cramped hallway, and I take an instinctive step back, my back flush against the wall. He towers over me as he brings his muscular arm up to the wall, trapping me beneath it.

I gulp and crane my neck.

He is breathtakingly gorgeous, but his face is cruel. “I don’t like liars,” he declares sternly, never breaking our eye contact or giving me enough room to breathe.

I can feel the heat emanating from his big body, and it makes me feel feverish. Vincent’s closeness is unnerving. I want to run, but there is nowhere to go.

My heart races as I speak, my voice barely a whisper. “I...I usually don’t share private information with strangers.”

A certain delight sparkles in his eyes as he leans closer with a smug look. “Sorry, what was that? Speak up.”

My throat tightens, and I feel like a frightened animal cornered by a predator. He seems to get some sort of kick out of intimidating me. “I said—” My voice is louder now but frightened and shaky. “That I don’t share private information with strangers.”

His lips curl further up his face until he is wearing a satisfied grin. “Yet you shared everything with June.”

A surge of frustration erupts inside my chest, accompanied by a wave of indescribable pain. I try to push the memory of my former best friend’s betrayal away, but I keep hearing her laughter inside my head. I can’t stand it and feel hot tears burning behind my eyes.

I choke back a sob as I cry out, “That’s different!” It stings to be this exposed in front of Vincent. “June was my friend. I should have been able to trust her.”

Vincent laughs, but it’s humorless. “You’re so naive,” he mocks, taking a step back and turning away from me. “Everyone’s out to get you.”

I wet my lips with my tongue and laugh myself. Vincent pauses in his steps, looking back at me with shocked eyes, and I must be crazy because I blurt out, “Wow. What happened to you? Did someone hurt you? Was it your parents? A friend? Whoever it was, you need to take a deep breath and let it go.”

That’s when Vincent snaps.

He quickly grabs the collar of my shirt and presses me against the wall, hissing in my face. “Don’t you dare talk to me like that,” he spits out. His grip is strong but not painful, although I can feel heat radiating off his body like a bonfire. “Do you have any idea who you’re speaking to?”

I used to think I was fearless. Shaped to be brave because my mom had already broken me down to nothing, but no amount of preparation could have readied me for this unexpected and brutal assault from a total stranger.

The emerald eyes that I had found so captivating moments before now pierce me with icy hatred. Vincent’s intimidating figure and large muscles induce more terror in my soul than his grip on my shirt’s collar ever could.

Still, I find the courage to speak. "T-this is assault," I stammer.

“And?” he brings his beautiful face so close that our lips nearly touch. His minty breath washes over my face when he snarls. “I own this school. I own this entire city. And by disrespecting me, you have just made yourself a very powerful enemy.”

I stare up into his eyes, shaking. “Who are you?”

He smirks and whispers into my ear. “Vincent Johansson. When my mother died, she passed over the family company to me. I will be its CEO once I graduate. And you’re going to regret ever crossing me.”

I can feel the panic rising in my chest. I knew June’s mom had married a billionaire, but seriously? Johansson?! How did I manage to piss off the heir to one of the most powerful corporate families in the city?