Daddy’s wild girl

Chapter 38

Amelia didn't just walk into the room; she burst through the door like a hurricane, her face a blotchy mess of smeared mascara and raw fury. The door hit the stopper with a deafening bang that made Lila and Sophia jump in their seats.

"I’m going to kill her! I am actually going to kill that little witch!" Amelia shrieked, her voice cracking as she threw her designer handbag across the room. It hit the mirror with a dull thud.

Lila rushed over, trying to catch her friend before she collapsed. "Amelia, honey, what happened? What did Scott say? We thought you went to go vent to him!"

Amelia fell onto her bed, her chest heaving as the tears started flowing again. "I went there for comfort! I went there because I thought my boyfriend would understand how much I hate her! I told him I almost drowned her, and you know what he did? He smirked! He didn't care that she almost died, he only cared that Ethan claimed her!"

Sophia sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing Amelia's shoulder. "What do you mean? What did he do?"

"He told me he’s going to make her his new w***e!" Amelia wailed into her silk pillow. "My own boyfriend! He stood there looking so cold and told me that whatever Ethan is interested in, he has to crush. He said if Ethan wants her, he’s going to take her just to spite him. He’s going to play with her, touch her... and he didn't even care how I felt about it!"

Lila exchanged a worried look with Sophia. "Amelia, babe, you have to remember how Scott is. He’s not leaving you for some freshman. You know how he and Ethan are. They’ve been like this since they stopped being best friends. It’s a sick game. Scott has an obsession—if Ethan has a toy, Scott has to break it."

"I don't care if it's a game!" Amelia screamed, sitting up and gripping her hair. "I hate her so much it makes my skin crawl! I pushed her into that pool to watch her vanish, and instead, she’s become the center of everything! First Ethan kisses her in front of the whole school, and now Scott wants to use her as a trophy? I want her gone for real this time! I want her blood!"

Across the campus, the atmosphere in Ethan’s dorm was deathly silent. The only sound was the slow, rhythmic ticking of a clock and the faint crackle of his cigarette. He was sitting alone in the dark, the curtains drawn tight.

He leaned his head back against the leather chair, staring at the ceiling. His mind kept drifting back to the hallway—the way Bella had looked, so fierce and angry even with her hair a mess. But then his thoughts settled on the kiss. He could still feel the phantom pressure of her lips against his. They had been surprisingly soft, warm, and full of a life that he didn't expect.

Ethan reached up slowly, his fingers tracing his own lower lip. A small, involuntary smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. It was the first genuine thing he had felt in a long time.

Suddenly, he realized what he was doing. He coughed sharply, his expression snapping back into a mask of ice. He crushed the cigarette out in a glass tray, his eyes darkening.

“She is about to know why you don’t mess with me,” Ethan uttered into the shadows, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. He chuckled darkly. “You thought you were a hero with those pliers, Bella? Welcome to the real nightmare.”

Back in the dorms, Bella was still buried under a mountain of blankets, refusing to see the sun.

"Bella, get out of that bed right now!" Molly shouted, jumping onto the mattress to shake her friend’s legs.

"Go away, Molly. I’m becoming one with the mattress," Bella groaned, her voice muffled by three different pillows.

"The bonfire is tonight! It’s the biggest event of the semester!" Molly insisted, pulling at the edge of the comforter. "Everyone is going to be there. If you stay here, you’re basically telling Ethan and Amelia that you’re scared. You’re telling them that they won."

"I am scared, Molly! My life is a soap opera and I didn't even audition!" Bella snapped, finally poking her head out. Her hair was a wild nest. "The whole school thinks I’m the girlfriend of a psycho. If I go out there, people are going to stare."

"So let them stare!" Molly countered. "You’re going to put on something hot, you’re going to do your hair, and you’re going to show them that you aren't anyone's 'babe.' Plus, there are going to be so many other guys there. Actual hot guys who aren't toxic. You can flirt with someone else and show Ethan he doesn't own you."

Bella let out a long, dramatic sigh. "I hate it when you're right. It’s exhausting."

"I know," Molly grinned. "There’s going to be a huge fire, music, and mountains of marshmallows and chocolate. You need to get your mind off this drama before your brain actually rots."

Bella finally rolled out of bed, her feet hitting the cold floor. "Fine. I’ll go. But if Ethan tries to pull another stunt, I’m not using pliers this time. I’m using the actual fire."