Jesus. He’s insane. “Own being a whore?”

“Ninety-nine percent of the girls walking around school have had a cock in their mouth, Stray. You’re not fucking special.”

“That may be true, but they weren’t drugged and taped without their—”

“Boo fucking hoo,” he taunts before his voice evens out. “Just because their perception of you has shifted, doesn’t mean yours has to.”

With that, he slams the door and treks over to Shadow’s car.

Even though Knox is a rude asshole, he kind of has a point.

I can’t change what happened, or how people will think of me now.

But I can change how I react to it.

I can still be the nerd who wears her pearls and gets good grades.

Besides, there’s only a few months left before we graduate. I never have to see these people again.

I climb out of the jeep with my head held high, ignoring all the whispers and pointed fingers as I walk to my locker.

“Are you okay?” Brie questions as I transfer some books into my bag.

“I’m fine.”

And even though it’s not true…I pretend it is.

Because projecting the image I want people to see is something I’ve always been good at.

Chapter 17

Knox

“Have a nice nap?”

Confusion mars Ken Ruckman’s face when he opens his eyes and looks around the empty football field.

He tries to move, but he won’t get very far.

Given he’s handcuffed to the scoreboard.

“What the fuck?” He struggles against the cuffs, but he’s still out of it so he doesn’t have much strength behind the movements. “What the hell are you doing, freak?”

Picking up my father’s police baton, I slap the end of it against my open palm. “I like to call it—giving you a taste of your own medicine.”

The drowsiness from all the Thorazine I slipped into his water bottle before school ended makes his words slur. I thought about slipping him a roofie like they did to Aspen, but I want him to remember every moment of this.

“What are you talking about?”

Halting my movements, I inspect the baton. “I heard you had a little fun with my stepsister this weekend.”

He snorts. “More like she had a little fun with me, if you know what I mean—”

I thump the side of his face with the baton, grinning when I see a stream of blood trickle out of his mouth.

“Why do you care?” he spits, his features twisting in pain. “Everyone knows you hate Aspen. Hell, if anything, I did you a favor, freak.”

Leaning down, I get close to his face. “I don’t need your favors.”

The confusion is back on his face. “Okay. Duly noted. I still don’t get why you’re defending her.”

I bitch smack his other cheek with my open palm, because someone like him doesn’t deserve my fists.

“I heard you got into Notre Dame.”

He quirks up a brow. “Yeah…yeah, I did. But what the fuck does that have to do with anything?”

A shrill howl cuts through the air when I bash the baton against his right knee, enjoying the crack it makes.

“Congrats, man. It’s a shame you won’t be playing football for them.”

Or anyone else.

A tremble runs through his large frame. “I’m sorry, Knox. Is that what you want to hear?”

Nah. It’s too late to apologize.

What’s done is done.

“Please,” he begs when I raise the baton above my head again. “I’ll do anything you want, Knox. Anything.”

I pause, deciding to have a little fun with him.

“Anything?”

He nods emphatically. “Anything, man. Just don’t end my career over some bitch that neither of us like.”

I sigh. “I mean, you’ll be off the field for a while, but I only hit you once in your right knee so chances are good that you’ll make a full recovery.”

He breathes a sigh of relief. “Yeah.”

“But since you’re offering to give me whatever I want…I should probably take you up on it, huh?” Stepping between his legs, I stroke my chin. “Decisions, decisions.”

He swallows thickly. “Whatever it is, I got you.” He starts rattling off a stream of suggestions. “Need me to fuck someone up for you? I’ll do it. Want me to wash your jeep? I’ll make it happen. Buy you lunch every day for the rest of the year? You got it, bro. Hell, I’ll even rub your feet—”

“I want you to suck my dick.”

Disgust twists his features. “What the fuck? I’m not a faggot.”

I hold his stare. “Why not? It’s the same thing you made Aspen do to you after those bitches drugged her.” Shrugging, I motion to the baton. “But since you refuse, I’ll just have to finish what I started.”

He eyes me warily. “Okay.”

I cup my ear. “What’s that?”

Deflated, he drops his head. “I’ll do it.”

Undoing my zipper with my free hand, I move closer. “You gonna swallow my load like a good boy, too?”

He looks like he’s about to gag. “Jesus.”

“Are you?” I bite out, taking my cock out of my pants.

His eyes snap shut. “Whatever you want.”

I take out my phone and press the record button. “You’re gonna like sucking this big cock, aren’t you?”

When he doesn’t answer, I grab the back of his head. “Tell me how much you’re gonna like sucking it.”

“I’m gonna like sucking your big cock,” he grits through his teeth. “Now can we get this shit over with?”

“Open,” I instruct.

Begrudgingly, his mouth parts.

“God, Ken,” I grind out, stepping closer. “Who knew you were such a whore?”

Shooting him a malicious grin, I unleash a stream of urine into his mouth.

He sputters and gags before dry heaving.

And that’s when I whack the baton against his other knee over and over, crushing it until it’s nothing but a flab of loose skin.

I clasp his chin, forcing him to look at me through his tear-filled eyes and wet face. “If anyone asks, you were jumped by two men wearing ski masks, so you couldn’t see their faces.”