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thirty-four.

Author: Chihiro
last update Last Updated: 2024-11-18 01:44:57

Cora

"Beckett?" I ask as I shield my eyes from the lights. "What's going on?"

A wicked laugh fills the area. "How pathetic are you, Peasant Bitch," the familiar voice of Heather snarls. "Did you actually think Beckett liked you? As if anyone would like a poor loser like you."

Even though the flashlights are still shining in my eyes, I can make out forms all around me. Heather, Jayson, their friends, and a handful of others. And then Beckett standing near Heather, his lips curled into a sneer. Not the sweet smile he showered me with all night.

Every cell in my body pricks with betrayal and disappointment. I knew it. I knew it was too good to be true.

With a scowl, I rise to my feet. "What do you want, Heather?" I demand.

She storms over and gets in my face. "Do you have any idea how much trouble I'm still in because of that shit you pulled at my party? My parents cut me off for an entire month. I'm forced to wear the same outfits twice!"

I fold my arms across my chest. "Boo hoo?"

"I to
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    CoraMy eyes barely opened to slits, I see Alessandro falls to his knees and gather me in his arms. He holds me close to his chest, taking off in the direction of the parked cars.He leaps into the passenger seat of an expensive sports car as Colt takes the driver's seat."Floor it!" Alessandro yells.With a screech of tires, Colt pulls out of the property and zooms away. I'm throbbing with pain all over that I can barely register what's going on. I think I'm still in Alessandro's arms. And I think I feel how strong and warm his body is. And I think he smells really good.Colt makes a sharp turn, sending me and Alessandro sliding across the seat. He tightens his hold on me before I smash into the car door.I think I pass out for a few seconds, because the next thing I know, Alessandro flings the door open before the car comes to a stop and races to the Tunnel. Colt is not far behind. He dashes out the girls' dorm and toward the boys'."You're not taking her to the nurse?" Colt huffs a

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  • Hated By The Bully King   thirty-six.

    CoraThe guys are quiet as they continue pressing on my wounds. They keep peeking at them with slight frantic looks, even Alessandro. Does he actually...care that I'm hurt? He, the guy who hates my guts and made it his mission to get rid of me from day one? A part of me wonders if this is some sort of prank, like maybe he and the guys are pretending to care so they can hurt me even worse in the future. Maybe I should shove them away and tell them to leave me the hell alone. But then I remember the way Alessandro took the guys down, the way he carried me in his arms, the way Colt used his ninja moves, and the shocked and worried look on Ethan's face when he saw me in this state. There's just no way they're not sincere."Alessandro, can you take over for me?" Ethan asks. "I want to clean her other cuts."Alessandro leans forward and applies pressure to my other wound with his free hand, his eyes dead-locked on mine, still carrying slight hesitation and fear."Am I doing it right?" Colt

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  • Hated By The Bully King   thirty-seven.

    CoraI wake up to excruciating pain all over my body. When my eyes snap open, I discover I'm not in my room at the dorm but in a strange one. The white walls are bare, not even a clock. It smells like...guy.Everything comes crashing down on me. The party last night. Being pelted by tomatoes and then rocks and stones. Getting saved by Alessandro and Colt. The two of them and Ethan cleaning my wounds.Raising my head a little, I search the room, which is so spotless it almost looks like it's not even in use. Like it belongs in an ad in some rich magazine. That's when I spy Alessandro half-lying on a chair near his desk and Ethan sprawled out on the floor.I understand why Alessandro's here—this is his room—but Ethan spent the night here, too?When I try to sit up, my body explodes in such intense pain that I cry out and flop back down. Both Alessandro and Ethan's heads jerk up, and when they find me awake, they bolt to their feet and hurry over. Alessandro stands a few feet behind Etha

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  • Hated By The Bully King   thirty-eight.

    CoraWith another unsure look thrown at me, Ethan leaves the room. Colt pulls Alessandro's desk chair closer to the bed and plops down, presenting me with another one of his boyish smiles.I can't help but laugh, even though it makes my body ache."What?" he asks."Do you know what kind of effect your smile has on girls?"His grins. "Yep."I laugh again and shake my head. But that makes the bed shake, which makes my body shake, and I release a soft moan.Colt's on his feet, his eyes crazed with worry. "You good?""I'm fine," I assure him. "But maybe I shouldn't move. It's okay, Colt, sit down. I'm not going to break."He nods and sits down."That was some sick karate moves, by the way," I tell him. "I didn't know you were such a ninja."He offers me a smile. "My dad got me into karate when I was barely out of diapers. You know, to learn self-defense in case I got kidnapped or something. I didn't think I'd actually have to use my skills."I release a deep breath when the memories from

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  • Hated By The Bully King   thirty-nine.

    CoraEthan cradles me carefully in his arms as he makes his way to the girls' dorm, Colt following behind. Ethan's chest is so hard, but soft at the same time. Not too massive, but pretty big. The warmness from his body seeps into mine, making me feel like I'm wrapped in a toasty cocoon. My eyes droop a few times, only to snap open by Ethan's movements.When we get to my room, I almost dig my claws into him, not wanting him to remove me from that comfortable cocoon.Ethan lowers me on my bed, then pulls my blanket up to my chin. "Are you sure you'll be okay here all by yourself?"Colt fluffs my pillows, but they're nowhere as soft as Alessandro's."I'm sure," I say. "Besides, you guys will get expelled if they catch you in here past ten."I crane my neck toward the door, checking if Alessandro is coming down the hallway. Hoping he is. But I don't see anyone other than a girl heading to the bathroom with her caddy. In fact, I haven't seen him all day since he brought me breakfast. Etha

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  • Hated By The Bully King   forty.

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  • Hated By The Bully King   forty-two.

    Cora"Are you just going to stand there?" Alessandro asks as he swipes to the next page of his menu.For a second, I worry again this is a trick. Maybe Alessandro plans to get the whole school to "accidentally" spill their lunches all over me? But then I remember their heated conversation in Alessandro's room. Alessandro was pissed that Jayson and Heather took things too far. And the way he held my head in his lap..."Cora, sit," Ethan offers.I'm about to pull out the chair, when he leaps to his feet and yanks it out. I get a whiff of manly soap. He smells so freakin' good. "Thanks," I tell him as I lower myself on the chair.Ethan slides my menu over. Still reeling from all this, my hand is a little shaky as I flip it open. My eyes soak in all the options. Everything looks so damn good.After a few minutes of quietly studying our menus, Alessandro waves his hand and a waiter flies over in less than five seconds. Definitely faster than when they serve me and the rest of the school. "

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  • Hated By The Bully King   sixty.

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  • Hated By The Bully King   fifty-nine.

    CoraAs soon as the driver finishes helping us bring the bags to the front door, it bursts open. "Cora!" Mom flings her arms around me and squeezes me so tight I might pop. "I've missed you so much. So, so much! Let me have a look at you." She steps back and studies me from head to toe. Her eyes shine with love and pride. "Oh, honey. You're so beautiful.""Mom," I hiss, my face flushing. My eyes slide to Alessandro."Oh, Alessandro! What an honor to have you in our home!" She throws her arms around him and squeezes him, too. "Welcome, welcome. You and your father are always welcome in our home."Alessandro stands as still as a statue in Mom's arms. Totally stunned. Like he's not used to getting hugs.Dad grabs me in for a hug, and then I'm back in Mom's arms, and then Dad wraps his arms around the two of us. I might have been embarrassed if I didn't relish this as much as them."Come in," Mom says as she takes Alessandro's hand and leads him into the house. "We prepared some refreshme

  • Hated By The Bully King   fifty-eight.

    CoraFinally after a long week, Friday evening rolls around. I'm so excited to go home and celebrate Mom's birthday. It's been so long since I've seen my parents—since the pool incident.Once all my bags are packed, I ask a staff member to help me carry them outside and call for a car. I send off a text to the guys, reminding them that I'm going home this weekend. Colt and Ethan have already said their goodbyes during lunch, but Alessandro wasn't around. He hasn't responded to my texts, either.The staff member carries out the large present I bought for Mom. I know she's going to love it."The car will be here any moment, Miss Williams," he tells me."Thanks so much."I catch sight of Alessandro walking with Henry Miles. They say a few more things to each other before Mr. Miles pats his back and climbs into a waiting limo. When Alessandro notices me, he heads over, his eyes dipping to my bags."You're leaving?" he asks."Going home for the weekend, remember? I texted you twice.""Oh,

  • Hated By The Bully King   fifty-seven.

    CoraI'm so wiped when we get back to campus that I collapse on my bed. My head hits something soft. The narwhal. I reach for it and hold it in my arms, smiling as I relive the moment Alessandro tossed it to me. I hug it close to my chest. "The guy who won you is the most puzzling person in the world. Will I ever understand him?"Digging my phone out of my pocket, I tap out a text to Alessandro.Me: I never thanked you for the narwhal. So thank you.Alessandro: Was easy to beat Colt.Me: Ha.Alessandro: He thinks he can beat me, but I win every time.Me: Don't you ever get sick of being the best at everything?I add a laughing emoji to show him I'm just teasing.Alessandro: The only way to be successful in life is to win.Me: It's okay to lose sometimes. It gives you character. Makes you humble. Makes you want to try even harder the next time.He doesn't answer. I stare at my phone, waiting for the text to come. But it doesn't.I fling my phone away and hug my new friend. "I think I p

  • Hated By The Bully King   fifty-six.

    CoraEthan climbs onto the bar surrounding the queue line. I hop up next to him. We wait a short while before the guy opens the car door for us. Four seats make up a row. Alessandro is at my right while Ethan is on my left, and Colt is near Ethan."Enjoy!" the guy calls as he starts the ride.We make a turn to the left and then begin our ascent. I clutch onto the handles, kicking my dangling legs, every part of me wound up with thrill. Ethan's wearing a small smile on his lips, his face tilted toward the sun, his hair pushed back from his face.Colt's whooping."Cut that out," Alessandro mutters, his voice...strange. When I glance at him, I find him clutching the handles so tightly his knuckles are white. His eyes are squeezed shut."Alessandro, are you okay?" I ask.Colt chuckles. "He's good. Just a little—""I'm fine," he stresses. But from the way he grips the handles and squeezes his eyes even tighter, I know that's a lie.Ethan's head leans toward me. "Sandro's scared of heights.

  • Hated By The Bully King   fifty-five.

    CoraThe rest of the week passes by uneventfully. I've gotten used to the Princes walking me to class, and yes, the mini fridge is still in my room. I've fallen in love with the thing.I'm doing better in my classes, thanks to Ethan, I even nearly got a perfect score on our latest pre-calculus quiz. My lunches and dinners are spent with the Princes and I train every other day with Colt.After an extremely brutal session with Colt Friday night, I roll into bed and plan to sleep until noon Saturday.But someone pounds on my door at nine o'clock in the morning."Go away," I moan.The pounding grows louder and then a voice calls, "Get up, Super Cee!"One of my eyes pops open. Colt? With a groan, I drag myself out of bed and pad to the door, covering my mouth as I yawn. When I pull the door open, I find Colt, Ethan, and Alessandro."Morning, sleepyhead." Colt flashes me a grin.I groan again and march into my room, disappearing under my blanket."No, none of that." My blanket is yanked off

  • Hated By The Bully King   fifty-four.

    CoraColt's not only competitive, he's a hardass, too. He works me so hard during our first self-defense training session that I almost pass out. I'm not at all in shape. When we're done, I'm so exhausted and drenched that all I want is to shower and roll into bed. Ethan doesn't let me, though. He spends the whole afternoon helping me catch up with my schoolwork. Truth is, I'm basically holding at the same pace as the rest of my class, and I know he knows it. Does this mean it's an excuse for...what, exactly? To spend time with me? But we don't do anything other than homework, hardly even talk.Later that afternoon, Alessandro sends me a text, asking if I want to join him and the others for a movie. The school has a small movie theater that plays current and non-current movies, but I never ventured over because I didn't have a death wish. Though I've always yearned for it. I quickly tap out a YES! even though I'm sore and so exhausted.Ethan doesn't join us, though, because he's stuck

  • Hated By The Bully King   fifty-three.

    CoraAlessandro stands there for a moment, studying the ball and then the lane, the lane and then the ball. He looks totally lost.I walk up to him. "Put your fingers in these holes. And then try to aim for the middle.""I know how to play," he snaps.I hold up my hands and step back.He sticks his hands into the holes all wrong and holds it wrong."Alessandro, you're not doing it right." When I try to reach for the ball, he whips it away."I know what I'm doing.""Clearly not." I go for the ball again but he yanks it away. "Geez, dude, let me show you how to do it.""I said, I can do it.""Who's being stubborn now?" I grab the ball and his fingers slide out. "Like this." I stick my fingers in the right way, then hold it out to him. He once again puts them in wrong. "No, this way." I take his hand and guide his fingers into the holes. His skin feels so warm, and because I'm standing so close to him his smell engulfs me.His body stiffens at my touch. He makes a move to yank his hand o

  • Hated By The Bully King   fifty-two.

    CoraI sit down as Colt challenges a few other students. He whips their asses, throwing me a proud smile. After he's beaten every single one, he flops down near me, wiping some sweat off his forehead."I didn't know you were so competitive," I say."And you find it totally hot.""I never said that."He playfully digs his shoulder into mine.Alessandro stands there with his arms crossed over his chest and Ethan studies something on his phone. I can't believe how much fun I'm having with these guys, and I know they're having fun, too. Who would have thought something like this would ever happen?I don't want it to end.Jumping to my feet, I say, "I have the perfect thing to play."Colt raises his brows."Bowling!"They all frown."Come on, it'll be fun!""I don't bowl," Alessandro says.The other two don't look particularly excited, either."Have any of you ever bowled?" I ask."I have when I was a kid," Ethan says."I've had my share of bowling parties," Colt says.Alessandro flips som

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