Loving Lisbeth Salander (XIV Series #1)

The Boy I Can't Stand I

f**k.

Of all f*****g days, he had to remove my f*****g jacket when I was wearing my sleeveless. And worse, I’m actually blaming myself for not wanting to wear something less scandalous than that. In my defense, I didn’t want to work my night shift wearing warm clothes. I would throw hands. f**k my life. Well none of this would have happened if he didn't f*****g meddle with my business in the first place. And I was f*****g drunk at that. f*****g drunk and wasted and bitching about God knows what I said during that state. God, I get too seductive when I’m drunk – I just hope I didn’t do that as much as I imagined.

All morning, I was wrapping my head on the fact that Mark just saw me drunk, saw me under all these fabrics, heard me say s**t about my life – he saw and heard everything from my own mouth. My head hurts from all the liquor I had yesterday. The last time I drank that much was when Elisse tried to stop sending me money.

"Hey b***h,"

And I have to f*****g deal with f*****g Han everyday too.

"Thank you for this." She pointed at her left cheek with her right middle finger intentionally flipping me off like the ass she was. Almost forgot that I punch people when I’m drunk. "You f*****g psychopath."

"You're welcome.” I looked away still trying to wrap my head on the things that just happened. “Looks good on you, by the way." I flashed her proud grin as I stared at the bruise I left on her not so perfect face. I made quite a good one though. "I surprisingly made quite a good masterpiece, didn’t I?” I leaned closer to her face, carefully observing the marks I’ve made. “I mean, you always look f****d up every f*****g day so it doesn’t really change anything."

“Typical Forest.” She shook her head. Typical me, alright. She didn’t even need to say it for me. "Anyway. So I heard Hunter's back?"

My brows twitched as I turned to her in frustration. The mention of his name immediately sent irritation in my veins. "You've seen him so why are you still asking?” I replied matter-of-factly. I just really needed to send her that I wasn’t interested to entertain this topic especially with her. “Unless you’re f*****g blind and deaf now from that bruise. That would explain it."

“Are you f*****g serious? It’s what everyone’s talking about right now!” She exclaimed so loud, it stung my head more. If I wasn’t sober, I would have slapped her face and gave her more bruises. “You, Hunter, and that cute kid!”

I raised a brow at her unable to believe that she just called Mark a cute kid. “Cute kid?”

“That kid that’s leeching onto you all the time, obviously.” She crossed her arms as if I was supposed to know. I knew she was talking about him but I didn’t think they were close enough for her to call him like that. “Did he actually tell him off? He actually embarrassed f*****g Hunter?”

I nodded as I took a deep breath. “The kid had balls that night. I was surprised myself.”

“Holy s**t!” she laughed hysterically. Of course, she would be loquacious about it. She’s f*****g Han. Everything she finds amusing, she praises with a loud laugh like this. “f*****g Hunter got screwed by that innocent nerd! That’s going to be a written legend in every party history ever happened in this city.”

It was pretty f*****g funny. "Serves him right.” I said under my breath. “Hunter's a f*****g retarded dickhead. He needed a taste of his own medicine."

Han snorted out loud, but it wasn’t for disapproval. “No shit.”

I stared at my leather jacket covered arms still bothered by what happened this morning. He’s seen it all – maybe this was the odds’ way of me getting rid of the kid. I guess it doesn’t really matter if he saw it.

“Can you imagine?” Han smirked shifting her weight to face me so I didn’t have to twist to face her. “Hunter expected his comeback as the world’s biggest douchebag to be so epic and big,” she was about to laugh. “But f*****g cute kid comes up and f***s it up like a pro!” she burst into laughter and I couldn’t help but wheeze. “Phenomenal!”

“If there’s some karma waiting for him after what he f*****g did last year, it’s the best karma he could ever get.” I leaned back and sneered at the thought.

“You say that like we never hang out with him.” Han glared at me teasingly. “No wonder everyone hates you. You say too much s**t about them up front and back.”

“I’m only friends with him when he gives us the good s**t. And he’s a complete f*****g stranger if he doesn’t.” I shrugged – the way I do when I’m uninterested about something. People are so f*****g messed up. If you say s**t about them behind their backs, they hate you. If you say s**t about them face to face, they still f*****g hate you. It’s a f****d up mindset everyone has but won’t admit it.

Han crossed her arms and gave me a strong glare. “Right. Because you hate men.”

“Because they’re not worth my time, let alone knowing.” I quickly responded which makes her smirk grow wider. “Hunter’s a dipshit after all.” I don’t know how many times I’ve reiterated that.

She shrugged. She'd be stupid if she disagreed with me and I’m guessing she agrees with the way she reacted.

"But please, you don't have to stop f*****g him just because I told you that.” I pretended I cared as I touched my chest as if I was really sorry for it. I was never sorry for anything. Not for this b***h, that is. “I’ll f*****g respect your decisions in life. If you want to have a f****d life and be with a f****d up man, I’ll gladly cheer for you."

She snorted. "b***h, I don't sleep with Hunter." I gave her a glare of suspicion until she rolled her eyes with a loud groan. "Fine. I did. But it was just one time!" I glared at her more. "Maybe two?” I tilted my head in disbelief. “Or three—" I raised a brow at her and crossed my arms. "Fine. I guess I do f**k Hunter all along."

"Everyone knows you like each other so why don't you just f*****g date and f**k all you want after you get married?"

"Because that ain't fun.” She scoffed. “You know I f**k with everyone I wanna f**k. That’s not unknown knowledge for you."

I looked away with a small grin. "Wow. You actually got something right for once.”

I was sitting under the bleachers hiding myself from self-torture – also well-known as Physical f*****g Education class. It’s been a few minutes since Han left but I stayed knowing I’d benefit from being away from stupid loud people. I made a long drag from the stick of cigar I had in between my fingers. I threw the butt of my cigarette over the green grass the f*****g school apparently takes care of more often than the students. It makes a small steam from the small light it still had, but I wasn’t too worried I might set the whole school on fire. It could be a hidden blessing to stop this.

When the spark of fire wasn’t wearing off like I thought it would, I felt a small panic. I wasn’t really going to set the school on fire. I was far too broke to think about that. "Fuck." I hurriedly grabbed my water from my bag and threw it over the fume before it starts building up. "Shit." I mumbled when the fire doesn’t seem to wear out. I looked around to see if anyone else was seeing this.

I began pounding on the fire with my bag hoping it won’t burn my only piece into ash and well, that did it. I sighed in relief. The last thing I wanted to happen right now was to get caught ditching another stupid P.E class that no one really needed in their life but they would still convince you to take it regardless. I guess, athletes are an exception since they – well they f*****g need it but not me.

“Hey.”

I turned my head only to see the kid I least wanted to interact with today. I rolled my eyes. I would have not turned my head if I wasn’t so frantic of what just happened a while ago but for some f*****g reason, I turned my head around by hearing his f*****g familiar voice when I don’t normally do so.

“I brought some soup.” He reached onto something from his bag and lifted up a steel mug water bottle. “For your hangover.” He handed them to me but I just stared at it without the intention of having it – although hangover soup did sound good right now. Maybe deep inside I actually wanted to have it but my ego deliberately said no.

“Obviously.” I whispered to myself but I was sure he must have heard it since it was rather quiet down here despite laying down in the middle of the field. I walked further away from where the fire just started and fixed myself to sleep. I’m scheduled to sleep the whole day after all – my own schedule, of course.

“My mom made this.” He lifted the mug bottle. “She always makes one for my dad when he comes home late and drunk.” For a moment there, I think I stopped breathing – literally. “Sounds familiar?” he chuckled but I didn’t find it amusing. “It happens pretty often so I took some from home and decided to give you one.” No s**t. His dad’s an actual alcoholic? I didn’t think he’d be from a family like that. Interesting. I creased my brows and finally turned to the kid who successfully caught my attention today, I must say. “It’s really good. I sometimes eat them before going to school just because I really love them.” He assured me as if I cared enough if the soup tasted like garbage. “But I don’t drink. I just really like it.”

I raised my brows at him teasingly.

“Oh! I don’t drink! I just really really appreciate it and I love my mom’s soups. They’re absolutely heavenly.”

“I don’t take charity from strangers.” I glared at him with droopy eyes. My head was too sore to digest anything he had to say. “Get the f**k away from me.” I had nothing more to say than that.

“For once, stop being stubborn and take it. It’s for your own benefit after all.”

I was speechless. Since when did this f*****g kid learned to talk back like that. He’s f*****g pissing me off but my lips are sealed. My only options now are if I take it, he’ll shut up and I’m basically making him think that he can just do this anytime he wanted. The other is I just plain ignore him but he’ll keep annoying me. Two options but my brain is f*****g debating over it. Two options but they would all eventually lead to a consequence I didn’t want.

“Final verdict?”

“No.”

I rolled my eyes and laid my back down the ground, pulling my bag up to my face to cover my eyes from the bright sun, which smelled like burnt fabric from the fire I almost caused the school. I closed my eyes to sleep before I let out a big sigh. Rest. Sleep. Peace. Let’s not hope this kid would keep—

“I’ll just have to stay here then until you choose to have the soup.”

—talking. f**k. Just when I thought he would keep his f*****g mouth shut, he suddenly opens them and tries to threaten me even. No one threatens me and everyone knows that. My eyes went open. I moved the bag out of my face, pulling my fat-self back up to give the kid a glare that will haunt him for the rest of his life. He just sat there so relaxed with his stupid fat bag lying on top of his thighs. “f**k. Off.” I didn’t have the energy to shout at him and I didn’t want to waste my remaining ones for someone like him.

He smiled, shaking his head annoyingly as he brings up the cup he’s been meaning to give me. “You know what they say,” he paused, waiting if I would be completing his sentence but I didn’t. “You can’t have it if you don’t pay for it.”

This son of a b***h. I clenched my teeth in disbelief.

Fine then. I quickly grabbed the cup he was holding, opened it, and just poured the whole thing in my mouth. The soup was still warm and they were good as he described but all I needed was sleep right now – not f*****g hangover soup that’s delicious.

After finishing the cup, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and threw the cup back to him, which he almost couldn’t catch, creasing my brows in frustration. “Now f**k off.” I landed myself back in the ground and covered my face with my bag again but with an upset stomach. Whatever he gave me isn’t making my stomach happy in any way no matter how good it tasted. My stomach was never a fan of hangover soups anyway.