Or a pencil.

Because I left them on the kitchen counter.

I mentally curse myself for being an idiot.

I turn to the guy sitting next to me. “Can I borrow a pe—”

Words die in my throat when he tilts his head and those intense eyes—one cobalt blue and the other emerald green—slice through me like a hot knife through butter.

I’ve seen those haunting eyes before.

Dread has my stomach coiling because I know exactly who I’m staring at.

Trenton Knox.

Knox

When an animal is shot by a hunter but doesn’t die, the humane thing to do is put it out of its misery and kill it.

However, it’s way more fun watching them suffer.

I’d almost laugh at this turn of events if it didn’t piss me off so much.

Aspen Falcone—the irritating little girl my parents once forced me to play with when I was a kid—has found her way inside Black Mountain Academy.

Only she isn’t so little anymore.

The last time I saw her was at the beginning of the summer. She was at a bookstore in the mall with a friend…leafing through a copy of Hamlet.

She’d been every bit as skinny, hideous, and annoying as the first time I’d laid eyes on her—and despite my inability to tear my gaze away—the sharp sting of hatred had burned just as strong.

But it’s obvious the ugly duckling syndrome is long gone now that her nose finally grew into the rest of her face and she filled out in all the right places.

Briefly, I let my gaze fall to her tits. Her perky D cups strain against the white fabric of her shirt, threatening to pop out at any moment.

However, it’s the utter fear swimming in those bright green eyes that makes my dick hard.

The room grows silent—so silent I can hear the sound of her heart beating like a freight train.

Fuck. Aspen looks terrified. Her ivory skin is coated in a sheen of sweat and her two crooked front teeth dig into her plump bottom lip as she steals a nervous glance at the door, no doubt debating whether she should make a run for it.

Too late.

The energy in the classroom buzzes with anticipation as everyone looks on with bated breath…awaiting my next move.

Each and every one of these losers fears me, and if I make it clear that she isn’t to be messed with…they wouldn’t dare cross me.

I could do the noble thing and draw the line in the sand.

I could take the scared little bird under my wing and protect her.

I could show my new wounded animal some mercy.

But mercy wasn’t something I was capable of.

I hold her gaze. “You need a pen?”

She visibly swallows. “Yes.”

My lips curl as I pick up my pen and throw it across the room. “Go fetch, fire crotch.”

The room erupts in snickers and howls as she slinks down in her seat.

My mother once told me that the first time she saw my father, it was love at first sight.

It was the exact opposite for me when I saw Aspen Falcone.

I hated her face and the stupid freckles lining the bridge of her nose.

I hated her smile and her crooked teeth.

I hated the carefree way she giggled and how the wind blew her long red hair as she swung on the swing.

I hated the way she looked at me when our gazes collided—like she could see all the demons taking up residence in my black soul.

I hated her for prying and asking shit she had no business asking.

I hated her for breathing the same air as me.

I hated her for existing.

10th grade

Knox

Anger boils my blood as I watch them in the empty classroom.

Aspen’s pointing to something in a textbook, attempting to teach Ken Ruckman—an offensive lineman on the football team—how to do math during her lunch period.

But the dumbass is too busy focusing on her.

My hands clench into fists when he leans in way too fucking close for my liking. “Sorry, it’s still not making any sense.”

Aspen looks up. “Oh.” She digs her teeth—teeth that now have braces on them—into her bottom lip. “Let’s try a different approach.”

Grinning, he sets his pencil down. “Or…how about you come to my house later and tutor me there?”

Irritation crawls up the back of my neck.

Every guy at school knew to stay the fuck away from Aspen.

Not because I was jealous.

But because ruining her life was the only thing that brought me any kind of satisfaction.

And right now, she was a budding flower that needed to be plucked from the dirt before it could blossom.

“Um.” A pink blush stains her cheeks as she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “I mean, I guess I could.”

The douchebag grins. “Great.” His gaze drops to her chest. “Maybe after we can watch a movie and hang out?”

Over my dead fucking body.

Aspen

Oh. My. God.

Was Ken Ruckman flirting with me?

Holy crap. I’ve had the biggest crush on him ever since last year when he recovered a fumble and saved the game against the Vikings.

And now he’s asking me to tutor him at his house and watch movies.

I want to pinch myself to make sure this is actually happening because I’m not the kind of girl football players ask out on dates.

I’m the kind of girl they avoid.

“Sure.” My cheeks heat, and I’m positive I must be blushing. “That would be—”

Words get trapped in my throat the moment I see him…looming over us like a dark storm cloud.

Instantly, my heart pounds with dread.

Trenton Knox—or just Knox, as everyone calls him—is the bane of my existence.

Not only did he go out of his way to make my life a living hell every day…he made sure I was a social pariah who had no friends.

I should have known he’d be lurking nearby, no doubt searching for more ways to make me suffer.

God, I hate him.

So much so, I find myself constantly wishing for him to either get hit by a bus, or get caught doing something stupid and be thrown in jail. Unfortunately, the latter would never happen because his father is an FBI agent.

I glare at him. “What are you doing here?”

Ignoring me, he shifts his attention to Ken.