7: Forced Lunch

IVY

There was no way out of this. No loophole, no clever excuse that would get me out of Demi’s grip. I had to go through with it. I inhaled sharply, gripping my tray as I got up from the table and made my way to Brandon's table.

The second we neared the table, Brandon's gaze snapped up, and his sharp golden-brown eyes locked onto me, narrowing instantly, and his expression twisting into something downright hostile. His lips curled, just slightly, like the mere sight of me had soured his entire meal.

Well, fantastic.

I briefly considered turning around and going back to my table. But I couldn’t.

So, with every ounce of forced calmness I could muster, I slid into the empty seat across from Brandon, setting my tray down like I belonged there.

Demi, on the other hand, plopped down beside me without a care in the world, stretching his arms out like this was the highlight of his day.

Ass.

“Hi,” I said quickly, zeroing in on the only person at this table who wasn’t looking at me like I was a stain on their existence.

Amari.

She turned to me instantly, her full lips pulling into a warm, easy smile.

“Hey.”

And just like that, the tension in my chest loosened. A little.

She didn’t carry that untouchable energy that Lycans in her position usually had. She was just… relaxed. Comfortable. Like she actually wanted to be here.

“I’m Ivy. Brandon’s stepsister.” I introduced myself, offering a small, hopefully-not-awkward smile.

Amari’s reaction was almost immediate. Her face lit up with surprise and delight and her glossy lips curving into a dazzling smile.

“Oh my gosh! That’s amazing,” she gushed, her excitement catching me slightly off guard.

“I had no idea Bran had a stepsister. He didn’t mention you at all!”

Typical.

“I’m so glad to meet you, Ivy! I'm Amari. I guess that makes us kind of like family, doesn’t it?”

I highly doubted Brandon would ever see it that way, but I wasn’t about to say that out loud.

“Yeah, I guess it does.”

“That’s so cool! So,” she said, leaning forward, “tell me about you. What clubs are you in?”

Okay. That was unexpected.

I blinked, thrown off for a moment before clearing my throat.

“Uh, press club. I write and edit for the school paper.”

Amari’s face lit up with interest. “That’s so cool. I was actually thinking of joining the cheer squad.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You were thinking of it? Or do you already know you’re joining?”

She laughed, a warm, light sound that somehow made the tension at the table feel a little less suffocating.

“Okay, fine. I am joining. I just haven’t officially signed up yet.”

I smiled. “Figured. You’ve got the vibe.”

“The vibe?” She leaned in slightly, intrigued.

“You know,” I said, gesturing vaguely. “The confidence. The whole presence thing. Like you could walk into any room and own it.”

Amari grinned, looking both amused and flattered. “I like that description. I’m definitely using that.”

“Feel free. No royalties necessary. And welcome to pinewoods.”

“Thank you, Ivy.” Amari chuckled, and for the first time since sitting down, I felt like I could breathe.

Brandon’s glare still burned into the side of my face, and Demi was probably waiting for me to mess up just so he could rub it in later, but for now?

Talking to Amari felt normal. And right now, I’d take all the normal I could get.

But then Demi had to ruin it.

He straightened up, puffing out his chest like he had something important to say.

“You know,” he said, turning to Brandon with a smug little smile, “I’m in the football club too.”

I internally groaned. Here we go.

Brandon barely looked up, his expression one of pure indifference. “Really?”

Demi, completely missing the lack of enthusiasm, nodded eagerly.

“Yeah, I’ve been playing for a while. I mean, I don’t get much field time, but—”

Brandon blinked, slow and deliberate. “Oh. You’re the guy that’s always benched.”

Silence.

I felt the table tense. Demi’s face froze, his smile twitching at the edges. His entire body went rigid for a split second, like his brain was short-circuiting trying to process the insult.

Meanwhile, I clenched my fists under the table, biting the inside of my cheek to stop myself from bursting into laughter. The sheer brutality of it. No hesitation. No filter. Just straight-up annihilation.

Amari looked between them, pressing her lips together, but I could see the amusement dancing in her eyes. She was trying not to laugh too.

Demi, however, was not amused.

He quickly forced out a chuckle, his posture stiff. “Well, you know… coaches have their favorites.”

Brandon had already stopped caring. He didn’t even acknowledge the weak attempt at saving face. His attention had shifted elsewhere, making it painfully clear that, in his mind, this conversation was already over.

I wished that was the end of it. I really did.

But, of course, Demi wasn’t done humiliating me.

As if my life wasn’t already a full-blown tragedy, Amari’s gaze flicked between us curiously.

“So, how did you two start dating?”

My stomach twisted violently.

Demi’s arm slid around my shoulders in one smooth motion, his grip firm—too firm. His fingers pressed into my skin just enough to make his point.

“Oh, Ivy should tell this one,” he said, his voice syrupy sweet. But beneath the surface, laced between every syllable, was a warning.

I swallowed hard. My pulse pounded in my ears. My mind raced.

What do I say? What do I say?

I couldn’t tell the truth. I couldn’t say, Well, he blackmailed me, and I’ve been trapped ever since.

So, I lied. Like I've always done with anybody who cared to ask.

I forced a tight smile, making my voice sound as casual as I could. Though I already knew I was overcompensating.

“It’s actually kind of funny. We had this English assignment in sophomore year, and Demi completely forgot about it until the last minute.”

Amari perked up. “Ooooh, what happened?”

“Well, he begged me to help him because I was the smartest person he knew. So, I agreed and we spent the whole afternoon in the library, and then we ended up getting locked in there.”

Amari gasped, her eyes widening. “No way!”

I nodded quickly. “Seriously! By the time we noticed the doors were locked, it was already dark.”

Amari was eating it up, her hands clasped together like this was the most adorable thing she’d ever heard.

While I hated every word that came out of my mouth.

“Anyway, we got out a couple of hours later. After that, he kept finding excuses to talk to me. He was really persistent. The good persistent though.”

I hesitated for half a second, long enough for Demi to squeeze my shoulder in warning.

“Eventually, I said yes. And… yeah, we’ve been together ever since.”

Amari’s face softened. “Aww, that’s so cute.”

Demi, the insufferable bastard, played right into it. He pressed a kiss to the side of my head, his grip tightening just enough to keep me from pulling away.

“It is. But I knew she was worth the chase.”

I felt sick.

I forced a laugh, trying to act like the whole thing didn’t make me want to crawl out of my own skin. Across from me, Amari was completely buying it, smiling at us like we were some adorable couple instead of the absolute disaster that we actually were.

And then I made the mistake of looking at Brandon.

He wasn’t just annoyed anymore. He was pissed.

His jaw was tight, his grip locked around his fork like he was this close to snapping it in half. His eyes flicked between me and Demi, dark and unreadable, but there was something there.

Something angry.

I quickly looked away. I had no idea why he was mad. Maybe he just found me that annoying. Maybe I was ruining his lunch.

Honestly? Didn’t matter.

All I wanted was to get out of Demi's grip and out of there.