Seducing Liam

chapter 4

I stood up in the middle of the pond, gasping for air. The water was freezing, but the humiliation was colder. All around the bank, students had gathered, and the sound of their laughter felt like a thousand needles.

I looked down and gasped. My white shirt was completely see-through from the water, making my blue bra visible to everyone. I quickly crossed my arms over my chest, trying to hide myself, while using my other hand to desperately grab my floating notebooks.

"No," I sobbed. My notes were smeared. My hard work was a soggy mess. My life was literally sinking.

"Say cheese, loser!" Mia yelled. She had her phone out, recording me. "Wait until the whole school sees you looking like a drowned rat. This is going to be the most viewed video of the year!"

I wanted to disappear. I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.

Suddenly, a tall figure pushed through the crowd. Before Mia could press 'send,' a hand reached out and snatched the phone right out of her grasp.

It was Liam.

He didn't look at the crowd. He stepped to the edge of the pond and reached out his hand to me. His face was like stone. Without a word, he pulled me out of the water. I stood there, shivering and dripping, hiding behind his broad frame.

"You guys think this is funny?" Liam’s voice boomed. The laughter died instantly. "You think it’s cool to attack someone just because she’s alone? That’s not funny, Mia. It’s pathetic."

Mia rolled her eyes, though she looked a bit nervous. "Come on, Liam. We were just having fun. Why are you so concerned about her? It’s not like she’s worth anything. Just give me my phone back."

"What’s the password?" Liam demanded, his eyes dark with anger. "I’m deleting the pictures."

"I’m not deleting anything!" Mia snapped. "She’s a nobody. She can't do anything to me."

"She’s not going to do anything, Mia," Liam stepped closer, towering over her. "I am."

"Oh, please," Mia scoffed. "We’re on the same team, remember? I’m the head cheerleader. Don’t let this retard get in the way of our social standing."

Liam looked at the phone, then at Mia, and then at the murky pond. "Fine. Since you won't delete it, I’ll do it for you."

He flicked his wrist, and we all watched as Mia’s expensive phone sailed through the air and landed with a loud plop in the deepest part of the water.

"My phone!" Mia screamed. She was so frantic that she lunged toward the water to grab it.

I saw my chance. As she rushed past me, I stuck my leg out. Mia didn't see it coming. She tripped over my foot and went flying face-first into the pond, exactly where I had been standing a moment ago.

The crowd, which had been silent, suddenly burst into a fresh wave of laughter—but this time, they were laughing at her.

Mia splashed around, her perfect hair now covered in green slime. "My makeup! My phone!" she shrieked, looking at her friends. "What are you doing? Help me!"

They scrambled to pull her out, but the damage was done.

"I'm going to kill you, Angel!" Mia screamed, her mascara running down her face like black tears.

I actually laughed. It was the first time I felt powerful. "Well, before you kill me, you might want to fix your face. And your phone."

The school erupted in cheers. Mia hissed at everyone and ran toward the locker rooms, humiliated.

Once she was gone, I felt the cold again. I was still shivering, my arms tight over my chest. Liam looked down at me, and his expression softened. He immediately unzipped his heavy hockey jacket and draped it over my shoulders. It was warm and smelled like his expensive cologne.

"Thanks," I whispered. "But you didn't have to do that."

"I had to," he muttered, pulling the jacket tighter around me. "Every guy here was staring at you, and I didn't like it."

I looked up at him, confused. "Stop acting like you care, Liam. If you actually cared, you wouldn't have taken my favorite black bra yesterday. Now I’m stuck wearing this bright blue one that everyone just saw."

Liam rubbed the back of his neck, looking almost embarrassed. "Let's just get you changed."

After I found some dry clothes in my gym locker, Liam didn't leave my side. He led me through the crowd to the main hall where everyone was hanging out. My heart skipped a beat when I saw him—Patrick Wilder. He was sitting on a bench, looking as handsome and perfect as a movie star.

Liam leaned down, his lips brushing against my ear as he whispered, "Oh... is that him? Is that your crush? I saw you fumbling your words with him earlier."

"It's none of your business, Liam," I hissed, my face heating up.

Instead of walking away, Liam smirked. He grabbed my hand and dragged me straight toward Patrick.

"Hey, Patrick!" Liam called out, giving him a friendly nod.

Patrick looked up, surprised. "Wassup, Liam? Who's this?"

My breath caught. Patrick didn't even recognize me from five minutes ago.

"This is Angel," Liam said. Before I could move, he wrapped a firm arm around my waist and pulled me flush against his side. He held me tightly, like I belonged to him.

Wait—what was he doing? He was holding me like I was his girlfriend, right in front of the guy I had loved from afar for two years.

I looked up at Liam, my heart hammering. His eyes were fixed on Patrick, and there was a look of pure challenge in them. He wasn't just helping me—he was marking his territory.