Chapter 3 THREE

CHAPTER THREE

~MALAKAI~

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The shower feels amazing against my skin. The sports period has just ended, and there are still some minutes left before the last period.

Lana and Pierce have been so intimate with each other today as well, and it's driving me crazy.

I need to come up with a plan to tear them apart soon.

It doesn't seem like it will be easy to deal with Pierce. I already feel exhausted merely thinking about him. The way he looked at me on the field. The way his body felt pressed against mine. The way he-

No. I'm not thinking about that.

I bow my head in the shower, letting the hot water cascade down my back, when the bathroom door suddenly opens. I turn around instantly to see him enter.

Pierce.

I blink to ensure that I'm not imagining him. He walks inside nonchalantly, draped in only a white towel wrapped around his waist. Water droplets cling to his chest, trailing down his abs, disappearing into the towel. His dark hair is damp, pushed back from his face, and without the usual arrogant smirk, he almost looks... dangerous. More dangerous than usual.

There are other empty bathroom stalls. So why this particular one?

I glare at him as he walks to stand beside me. Too close. The shower stall suddenly feels suffocating.

"What's your problem?!" I seethe. I am already at my wits' end with him. Pierce stares at me, looking completely unfazed by my hostile expression. If anything, he seems amused. His eyes travel down my body slowly, like he's cataloging every inch of exposed skin.

"I should probably ask you that. You've been scowling at me all day. I need to know what your problem is, preacher boy."

I tense with further irritation at the use of that name. Pierce certainly knows how to set my whole body ticking like a time bomb.

"Don't call me that!" I grit.

"What do you want me to call you? You're so short. How about I call you baby?" His voice drops on the last word, low and mocking, and something twists in my stomach.

I have a fucking name, dummy!

"Can't you see that this bathroom is already occupied?" I'm vibrating with anger while he merely cocks his head, still wearing that stupid nonchalant expression that I hate so much.

"I can see that...We are alone in here, Kai."

Kai?

Another fucking nickname?

It is common for us boys to shower together, especially after sports. It's quite often that we see each other naked. But somehow, as Pierce gazes at me, I grow deeply uncomfortable.

His gaze lingers past my waistline, and he smirks. Slow. Predatory.

Shit!

I wish I had on a piece of underwear right now. If he's staring at me so purposefully to get on my nerves, he's definitely succeeding. I bring my hands to shield myself, and his stupid smile grows even wider.

"Shy?" He takes a step closer. The water from my shower head splashes against his chest now, soaking into his towel. "That's cute."

"Since you know that, then leave, idiot!" My voice is highly pitched. I grow even more uncomfortable under his watchful eyes. The steam feels thicker now, harder to breathe.

"You have an interesting body..." He says. It is so out of pocket that I just stare at him dumbly.

His eyes roam over me like he's studying something fascinating. Something he wants to dissect.

"This birthmark... Right here... Very interesting." His hand extends, and his index finger touches my chest, pressing against the freckle that sits dangerously close to my..."Don't touch me!" I hissed.

His touch burns. The water is hot, but his finger feels hotter.

I'm immobile due to shock when his palm slowly massages its way to my shoulder, which is still bruised from his attack on the pitch. His thumb traces the outline of his own handprint, the marks he left on my skin.

"I should have been more gentle with you," he murmurs in a strangely soft voice. His fingers dig into the bruise, and I hiss in pain. "Who knew you were such a softie."

For the briefest second, I think I see something flash in his eyes. Remorse? No. Satisfaction. He likes seeing his marks on me. He likes knowing he put them there.

What a conflicting human being.

Why am I even letting him touch me so freely? Something must be wrong with me. His hand is still on my shoulder, his thumb still pressing into the bruise, and I haven't moved. Why haven't I moved?

I break free from the trance of his gaze and roughly swat off his hand.

"Just stay away from me, weirdo. I mean it. Keep your distance!"

Something about the way he gazes at me fills me with so much unease. Something crazy in his eyes makes me want to just get away.

"Since you won't leave... I'll go." I grab my towel and quickly wrap it around my waist. I start to leave when he suddenly says,

"Stay away from Lana from now on."

My fingers freeze on the doorknob. I turn around to meet the icy look in his eyes. The playfulness is gone. What remains is something cold. Something deadly.

I should have taken the warning.

"Who are you to tell me that? You don't even care about her!"

I've loved Lana before he even knew her. He has no right to tell me what to do. Even if Lana likes him, it still doesn't permit him to order me not to-

"You're right. I don't care about her." He takes a step toward me. Then another. "To me, she's just like the other girls who have been throwing themselves at me lately."

How dare he call Lana a slut?!

"But she has a hot body. I may take up her offer. Perhaps this weekend..." He tilts his head, watching my reaction with keen interest. "I wonder what sounds she'll make when I test her out-"

Fury explodes from within me. I barely feel myself move, but the next thing I know, I lurch at him, and my fist connects against his jaw.

"Shut up, you fucking son of a bitch!" I roar at him. Pain explodes in my knuckles, but I don't fucking care. I just hope he feels just as much pain.

Pierce's head snaps to the side from the impact. When he turns back to face me, his eyes are gleaming. Excited.

"Does the thought of me with her upset you?" His tongue darts out to lick the blood from his lip. "Or is it something else that's bothering you?"

I punch him again, harder this time.

"You don't deserve Lana! Stay away from her, bastard, or I'll fucking make you!" I growl in infuriation.

Pierce wipes his lip with his thumb and stares at the blood. Satisfaction floods through me when I notice his bleeding bottom lip.

The bastard is still smirking. Does he fucking enjoy getting hurt?

"More," he says quietly. "Hit me again."

What?

"Come on, preacher boy. I know you want to." He spreads his arms wide, leaving himself open. Vulnerable. "Show me what you've got."

Fuck. He's crazier than I thought.

He steps toward me intimidatingly, closing the distance I'd created. I stand my ground, meeting his gaze squarely, refusing to back down.

"You can't even land a proper blow. If you really want to hurt me, then do it properly!" He growls, and before I know it, he suddenly grabs my throat, slamming my back against the bathroom wall.

"Argh!" I cry out from the brutal force and the pain while hating myself for giving him the satisfaction.

The tiles are cold against my bare back. His hand is hot around my throat. The contrast makes me dizzy.

"Look at you..." He sneers, and his grip on my neck tightens painfully. His face is inches from mine, close enough that I can see the individual drops of water clinging to his eyelashes. "So pathetic. So weak."

Is he trying to kill me?

"You seem to really like her, huh? You can't even hide how you drool over her." His thumb strokes the side of my throat, almost tender, even as his grip remains crushing. "Tell me, why would she ever get together with a wimp like you?"

My eyes flash with indignation.

I attempt to shove him off, but he easily slams my body against the wall again, harder this time, knocking the breath out of me.

His harsh breath lands on my face as he leans even closer. Our noses are almost touching. If either of us moved an inch-

"You don't even have what it takes to challenge me..." I feel his hand move against my towel, grasping it firmly.

"What are you-"

Before I can let out the words, he yanks off my towel, tossing it to the floor. The cold air hits my exposed skin, and then I feel his fingers wrap around me.

My body freezes instantly from shock and humiliation.

His hand. Gripping me like he owns it.

"How are you going to impress Lana with this?" His voice is low, mocking, his breath hot against my ear. "Or does it get bigger when you're excited?"

His grip shifts, and despite everything, despite the fear and the rage and the humiliation, my body betrays me. I feel myself twitch in his hand.

No. No, no, no.

"But still..." He squeezes, and I bite back a sound I refuse to identify. "It's not enough for you to use on anyone. Not enough to satisfy her. Not enough to satisfy anyone."

His grip tightens, and anger and embarrassment flood through me. But underneath it, something else. Something hot and confusing that I shove down violently.

"Fucking retard! Let it go!" I yell, but his grip only gets stronger.

"I don't like your language." His eyes gleam abnormally as he cups me, surging my entire body with panic. "Tell me... Should I just crush it?"

He's a maniac.

He may actually do it.

I start to shove him with my palms, to no avail. One of his hands is still gripping my neck, and the other is wrapped around me. The force of his body keeps me trapped against the wall. I can feel every inch of him pressed against me. I can feel that he's excited.

Why is he hard?

"Please... Just let it go!" The plea leaves my mouth. At this point, I just want to get away from this psychopath. Away from the heat of his body. Away from the confusing signals my own body is sending me.

"What was that? Say it louder." He tilts his head to stare down at me. His thumb brushes over my tip, and I jerk violently.

"Let it go! Let go... It hurts... Please!"

My legs cower with relief as he releases me.

"Good boy..." He says, patting my hair. His fingers card through the wet strands, almost affectionate, and I grossly feel like a dog. Like a pet he's just finished training.

I set some distance between us, still struggling to catch my breath.

"Stay away from Lana. It's so annoying to see you hover around her every time." His eyes are dead cold and flash with warning. "Consider this my last warning to you."

He turns to leave, then pauses at the door. He looks back at me over his shoulder, "And Kai?" He smiles, slow and dangerous. "I'll be watching you."

He leaves the bathroom. I'm left alone, shaking, to replay the madness of the whole situation again and again.

My body is still reacting. I hate myself for it.

***

I race down the hallway, wondering why everything keeps going so wrong. First, it was the awful incident with Pierce, and now I can't believe I forgot my laptop in the classroom.

If anyone finds it and opens it...

Shit!

I can't even think about what will happen. My whole life as it is will be completely over.

I sprint into the empty classroom. I spot my school bag on the desk.

I open my bag, and much to my relief, my laptop is still safe.

Whew!

It is certainly a close one. My laptop is password protected, so I don't have to worry about anyone gaining access to it during this short time.

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