HER BULLY

Chapter Four

He opened his eyes wide awake. He looked so vulnerable, just like the other night. He was breathing heavily, trying his best to calm himself down.

I felt worried for him, but he was the same person who asked Julian and Chase to bully me, so I decided to leave him alone.

“If you want to stay here, I can go back,” I said, standing up and grabbing my laptop. I was tired of trying to help him only for him to hurt me again.

“I—”

I didn’t let him finish before walking away.

I went to the guest room where he had been staying. His jacket was still lying on the bed, so I picked it up to return it to him. When I entered my room, he was nowhere to be found.

“Ares?” I called out while searching for him.

I finally found him on the rooftop. Our house was a storey building, and panic instantly filled my chest.

What was he trying to do? Was he trying to kill himself?

I couldn’t let anything happen to him.

I didn’t know why, but the thought of him dying made my heart ache.

“No… no!” I ran toward him, grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the edge. “What the f**k is wrong with you?” I shouted angrily.

He only stared at me with a blank expression.

I pulled him into a hug, but he didn’t hug me back. Embarrassed, I pulled away and tried to leave, but he grabbed my wrist.

“I wasn’t trying to kill myself,” he muttered softly.

I turned to look at him. His face still held that cold, unreadable expression.

“I need to torture you before I die.”

He stepped closer, leaning toward me until our faces were inches apart. My heart skipped a beat.

Why was I feeling like this?

“I can’t die knowing you’re alive and happy without feeling any pain,” he said.

Tears welled up in my eyes. His words stung deeply, but I refused to let him see how much they hurt me.

“I know nothing about Hayden’s death,” I replied.

The moment the words left my mouth, his eyes darkened. He leaned even closer.

“What did I tell you about mentioning his name?” he growled, tightening his grip on my arm.

“I’m going to say his name, Ryan,” I shot back, refusing to back down. Our faces were only inches apart.

“What did I tell you about calling my name?” he asked, grabbing my chin.

His eyes flickered to my lips, and without meaning to, my gaze dropped to his too.

“I’ll call you whatever I want,” I whispered.

Anyone watching us would probably think we were about to kiss.

I was tired of always being nice while he continued hurting me.

“Are you daring me?” he asked.

I tried pulling away, wanting to escape the strange tension between us, but he held my wrist tighter.

“What do you think you’re doing? You think you can walk away from me? I’m not done with you yet, Maven.”

“Do what you always do,” I spat angrily. “Hit me. Kick me. Call your boys to beat me up. I don’t care anymore.”

For a split second, I saw something that looked like concern in his eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly.

Without another word, he walked away.

That night, I cried myself to sleep while trying to remember what really happened the night Hayden died.

But I couldn’t remember anything at all.

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The next morning, I walked into the kitchen to grab an apple. Mrs. Madeline was cooking breakfast while Ryan stepped out of the guest room.

“Good morning, Mrs. Madeline,” I muttered, my voice hoarse from crying all night.

“What happened to your voice, Maven?” she asked worriedly. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah… I’m fine,” I lied, taking a bite from my apple.

My eyes briefly met Ryan’s before he quickly looked away.

“Ryan, won’t you stay for breakfast? Your mother told me to make sure you eat before leaving,” Mrs. Madeline said.

Ryan mumbled something under his breath before sitting on the counter beside me.

“Your mum said you love coffee before school, so I made some for you,” she added, placing a cup in front of him.

I didn’t know he liked coffee.

I’ll remember that.

“I’m going to get ready for school, Mrs. Madeline,” I said before walking toward my room.

I could feel Ryan’s gaze burning into my back the entire time.

❣️❣️❣️

Ryan and I sat beside each other in class because we were partners for the biology project.

I wanted to stay away from him, but somehow the world kept pushing us together.

Were we really meant to be?

No, Maven. Stop thinking like that.

“Read this part while I handle the rest,” I said.

He simply nodded.

Ryan was smart. Just because he acted like a bad boy didn’t mean he didn’t study.

We worked on the project in silence. Surprisingly, the silence wasn’t awkward—it felt comfortable.

But something about Ryan today made me uneasy, like he was planning something.

❣️❣️❣️

My phone buzzed with a text from Bianca.

Bianca: Guess what?

Me: What?

Bianca: I’m coming back next month!

Me: Really? I can’t wait to see you.

Bianca: We’ll talk later. Gotta go.

A smile spread across my face.

At least I wouldn’t be alone anymore.

After school, I bought an ice cream and headed toward the bus stop. Suddenly, someone covered my mouth and nose from behind. A strange smell filled my senses.

Everything slowly went black.

❣️❣️❣️

I woke up in an unfamiliar place with my hands tied behind my back.

“Who are you people?” I screamed as a figure approached me.

“Princess, you’re finally awake,” the guy said with a grin.

I stared at him in disgust.

“Let me go.”

“If I were you, I wouldn’t move,” another voice warned from behind me.

Fear rushed through me when I saw the gun in his hand.

Did Ryan send them?

But why?

“Now be a good girl and obey us,” the first guy said, stepping closer in a threatening way.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as panic consumed me.

“Don’t make this difficult,” the second guy warned, pressing the gun closer.

My body shook violently.

I didn’t know what to do.

Then, while one of them got distracted, I quickly grabbed the gun from his hand.

“Come any closer and I’ll shoot!” I shouted, my hands trembling.

“You think you’re smart?” he laughed coldly. “We have another gun.”

My heart dropped.

Before either of them could move again, gunshots suddenly echoed through the room.

I flinched in fear.

A new group of masked men stormed inside.

The two kidnappers fell to the ground.

“Are you okay?” one of the masked guys asked.

His voice sounded familiar.

He removed his mask.

It was Reed.

My eyes shifted to the second guy—the one who had fired the shots.

The moment he removed his mask, my breath caught in my throat.

Ryan.

Of course it was him.

Without saying a word, I grabbed my bag and walked past them, ignoring the way Ryan stared at me the entire time.

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