Being the Bad Boy's Victim (22 page)

Connor

“Connor.”

“I know, I know,” I muttered, shoving past James as I headed upstairs, but not before grabbing a bottle of vodka… to drown away my sorrows with.

I shook my head as I took a gulp, falling backwards on my bed. What was I thinking? I scowled as the burning sensation went down my throat, causing me to wince a little. Trying to make Bella jealous was absolutely stupid. This whole thing was useless.

Bella doesn’t like you
, I told myself, taking another swig of the numbing drink. I groaned as I thought back to my once “foolproof” plan. I was going to make Bella jealous by flirting with a bunch of girls, sleeping with them if I had to. I was trying to get under her skin, but I guess it just pushed her to Liam. I shook my head in disappointment.
I always get the girl. Always.

“Man, what are you doing to yourself?” Matt asked, standing by the doorway. “It’s been barely two months and you’ve been so hung up on this girl. It’s like you’re… never mind.” But he stopped talking, looking down at the floor. Despite my spinning head—a sign that the vodka was taking over, I sat up and glared at Matt.

“What were you saying?” I asked, my tone low and dangerous.

“Noth——”

“Matt!” I snapped.

“It’s like you’ve gone soft!” Matt blurted out, watching me cautiously.

I growled and stood up, standing straight in front of him. “I am not soft,” I spat out, leaning down a bit.

He shook his head in defeat and turned to leave. Angrily, I grabbed his shoulder, shoving him into the wall across the hallway. “What do you want me to do? Huh?” I roared, getting up on his face.

Matt winced and pushed me away lightly. “I didn't mean…”

“Should I go back to sleeping with a bunch of girls? Getting shitfaced every night and starting fistfights for fun?" I seethed, slamming my fist into the wall. I ended up stumbling backwards, faced with a now angry Matt.

"Yeah, well that was you! But you’ve changed. And now, you act all messed up because of Bella,” Matt sighed, looking down at his hands. “I don’t like this. I miss my friend.”

All my previous rage got washed away at hearing those words. “But…” I started.

“I don’t like seeing you this way,” he said quickly, looking at me. “I’m not saying you can’t chase after Bella anymore. What I am saying is that the plan you’re using now, it’s changing you.”

I frowned, not understanding what he meant. “What do you mean?”

“He means that because of your pathetic chasing after Bella, people think you’re going soft. You’ve been acting that way lately. And as much as you may want to deny it, it’s true,” James said, now standing in a simple t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

I shrugged numbly and went back into my room, locking the door behind me.

They were right. Bella was making me insane and I hated it. I don’t chase after girls, they chase after me. Dropping myself back on my bed, I realized something. All this drama and shit Bella has brought me, it wasn’t worth it. She wasn’t worth it.

Looking up at the plain, white ceiling, I let out a breath of air. I was done with her. If she wants to be with Liam, so be it. 
I am Connor Michaels. I can and will get any girl I want, whenever I want.

A small smile quirked on my lips.

I am back!

Bella

It has been a full week of school.

Connor hadn’t talked to me, not even once. Well, I guess it would be hard to when he was constantly with other girls. Jess and I made up, which I was grateful for. She was my best friend and I didn't like being mad at her.

Oh… and Liam and I are dating.

So, yeah…

At the lunchroom

“How was your date last night?” Jess asked, leaning forward as I picked out the mushrooms in my salad.

“It was amazing!” I couldn’t help but brag. Liam and I weren’t official yet. Although, we had been going out almost every night.

“You guys might as well just say that you two are boyfriend and girlfriend,” she said, her eyes twinkling.

At the sound of the word boyfriend, my eyes flickered over to Connor’s table, where he was currently sucking the face of some junior while Matt was talking to another girl. James? Well, James was alone. I noticed that lately he hadn’t been with many girls. None, actually. Glancing back at Jess, I noticed her staring over at James.

“Jess? Something you’d like to tell me?” I asked, excitement running through me.

A faint blush appeared on Jess’ face. My eyes bugged out as I looked from James to Jess, piecing everything together.

“You like…”

“Shut up!” she hissed, glaring at me.

I closed my mouth, fighting halfheartedly against the smile that was threatening to show up on my face.

“So? Are you…?”

“I do not like James,” she said, her voice calm and steady. “I barely even know him. And I guarantee you, he doesn’t know me.”

I didn’t buy that for a second.

“Hey, babe,” Liam whispered into my ear, sitting down next to me.

At that moment, I chose to do a wonderful impersonation of a tomato.

“You’re cute when you blush,” he said, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Jess laughed as I slapped his chest, glaring playfully at him. When the bell finally rang, we parted ways. And Jess and I were walking back to our lockers when…

“Oh, Connor. Yes,” The girl moaned as Connor sucked her neck.

I cringed at the sight, turning to open my locker.

“Oh, yes! Baby, yes!” she said loudly.

I couldn’t stop myself as I turned back around.

“Can you two please stop dry humping each other right now?” I hissed, watching as his hand slid up her shirt. After a couple of seconds, Connor pulled away, smiling smugly at me.

“Jealous?”

“Of what?” I asked distastefully.

His smirk only grew bigger as he turned back to the girl, poised for another attack with his mouth.

“Seriously, can’t you two find a room? It’s not like you haven’t done that before,” I guessed. Knowing Connor, he must have fucked a girl in every room at least once. Heck, maybe even twice.

“You really are jealous,” Connor said, not even glancing back.

“No, she isn’t. I’m sure everyone else would be equally as happy if you two leave,” Jess cut in, standing by my side.

I let out a gasp of surprise as Connor whirled around, towering over the both of us, causing us to shrink back into the wall of lockers.

“If you’re not going to watch what you say, Jess, then neither will I,” he snarled.

I watched in amazement as he stormed off, leaving the girl to trail behind him.

“Jess, what does he…?”

“I’ve got to go,” she muttered, walking off without another word.

I stared down the hall at the retreating backs of Connor and Jess.

What the hell was going on?!

After I grabbed my books from my locker and shut it, I realized that there was something going on between Jess and Connor, something that I wasn’t supposed to know about.

And you know what? I felt bad for them. Why? Because I am Bellatrix Brown. I am stubborn, dramatic, and bitchy. And if there’s something I want—because of those very traits, I almost always get it.

And right then, I was out to get the truth.

“You’re just not going to tell me?” I asked, annoyance lacing my tone.

Jess looked at me, picking her food wearily.

“What’s there to tell?” she mumbled, looking around awkwardly.

I threw my arms up in annoyance, causing a couple of people to turn and stare. Jess flushed and began eating quickly.

“What’s going on?”

I looked around to see Anna sitting next to us. Then, I looked at Jess expectantly. But after realizing she wasn’t about to say anything, I spoke up.

“Jess is hiding something from me,” I said, glaring pointedly at her.

Jess looked up with her mouth full, chewing frantically.

“I’m not hiding anything!” she cried out, causing even more people to stare.

I leaned on the table, dropping my tone.  “Yes, you are. Don’t think I will stop trying,” I hissed, narrowing my eyes.

“You’ve been like this the whole week!” she exclaimed, leaning down as a bunch of people were now staring.

It was true. I had been incredibly persistent and annoying the whole week, not letting up once. But then, Jess was pissing me off. Why? Because she continued to avoid my question and lie to my face.

“Well, I have to go,” Jess said, walking away before I could say another word.

I growled in frustration, running my hand angrily through my hair. Glancing at Anna though, it looked like she was deep in thought. Frowning, I cocked my head to the side.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Well, it’s just…” She stared at the doors where Jess just walked through.

“What?”

“Jess only acts like that when she’s hiding something big.”

My eyes widened, and my throat went dry. What was Anna trying to say? What could Jess have done that was so bad? I turned to look at Connor’s table, where—as usual—he was making out with some girl.

“What do you think it is?” I asked, my heartbeat quickening.

Anna shrugged as she began eating. “Well, I’m going to need some details,” she said casually.

I crumpled my trash and leaned against the table.

“It was something Connor said to her. It’s like there is something they’re hiding from me. And I can tell that Jess really doesn’t want me to know what it is.” I paused, glancing back at Connor who was now watching me. “I think he is holding something over Jess’ head.”

“Like blackmail?” Anna asked, as she finished her fruit bowl.

I nodded, turning back to her.

“Well, I can’t tell you much, but I can tell you one thing. Your theory? It’s probably right. Jess probably said something, and now Connor is using it against her. I don’t know what she could have said. But it must be something big,” Anna said, trailing off. Then she stood up and gathered her stuff. “I’ll see you around, okay?”

I nodded numbly as she left, leaving me confused and worried. The bell rang, telling us to leave. So I picked up my things and was following the bustle of exiting students, when I was shoved into a hard body, and I found myself falling. Letting out a yelp, I held out my arms and prepared for the impact… but surprisingly didn’t actually make contact with the floor.

“You okay? Oh, it’s you,” my rescuer said.

Then I found myself looking into Connor’s deep brown eyes, and willing myself not to swoon. When I righted myself, I noticed that Connor’s arms still remained around my waist.

“You can let go now,” I muttered, placing my hands on his arms, trying to push them away. I let out a small squeak of surprise as his arms tightened, causing me to be pushed closer to his chest.

“What? No ‘thank you’?” he asked, his hot breath tickling my ear. I shivered involuntarily and blushed at the sight of Connor’s smirk. “Well?” he asked, his lips brushing against the side of my face.

“I didn’t need your help,” I said shakily, my breath catching in my throat.

He pulled me tighter so that he was looking directly into my eyes and our noses were nearly touching.

“Really? Cause it looked like you were going to faceplant if I didn’t save you,” he murmured.

I squirmed slightly, placing my hand on his chest.

“Just let me go,” I said, attempting to sound stern.

His smug grin deepened and he tilted his head to the side, his lips brushing against mine as he spoke.

“Say ‘thank you,’” he whispered.

I frowned and tried to push him away, a poor attempt to create some distance between us. “No, I’m not…” Then I let out a gasp of surprise as he began lightly kissing my jaw, working his way towards my lips.

“C-Connor, what are you doing?” I asked, my voice weak.

He pulled away slightly, positioning his lips above mine. Then, I remembered something.

“What are you hiding from me?” I asked, placing both hands on his chest, in case he tried anything else. His eyes flickered from my lips to my eyes.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, trying to lean back in.

I gave him a hard shove, catching him off guard. He stumbled back a step or two, while I placed my hands on the hips, jutting out my leg in that don’t-fuck-with-me-right-now-bitch pose.

“Don’t even…” I hissed, taking two menacing steps forward.

Connor raised his eyebrows and looked at me. Getting right up in his face, I was filled with a familiar confidence.

“I don’t know…”

“What are you hiding from me?” I asked slowly. “I know you have something over Jess’ head, so you might as well just spit it out.”

Connor’s expression went blank and he crossed his arms.

“I have to go now.”

As he turned, I yanked his arm back, stepping in front of him and blocking his path. Connor’s eyes narrowed, a telltale sign that I was annoying him.

“Answer me,” I snapped, ignoring the dangerous glint in Connor’s eyes.

He took a deep breath, which looked as if it was supposed to calm him down.

“I have to…” he said while trying to sidestep me.

“Go? Yeah, I get it,” I snapped, blocking his way. “You can.”

He took another step, which was quickly mirrored by me.

“Once you tell me what’s going on.”

I didn’t have a chance to react as I found myself being shoved into the row of lockers next to me. Connor towered above me, leaving only a couple inches between us.

“Don’t test me,” he growled.

My heart was racing as his words sunk in, fear rushing into me. After a few moments of silence, Connor pushed away and turned to leave.

“What would you do? No! What can you do?” I called out.

And then, I couldn’t help but let out a gasp of shock as I found myself in the same position I was in only seconds before.

“This,” Connor whispered.

I opened my mouth to reply in confusion, when I realized I couldn’t speak. Connor’s mouth was on mine, leaving me in a state of shock. I was frozen as his arms looped around my waist, pulling me closer. It seemed only then that he realized I wasn’t responding to the kiss. He pulled away a bit, letting his lips hover above mine.

“Come on, Bells. You know you want to,” he whispered, his hand slipping under my shirt, resting on my waist. I flushed, and looked up at Connor. At that moment, he crashed his lips to mine once again. Only this time, I responded. I melted into the kiss, our lips moving rhythmically against each other. I felt Connor smirk, which caused me to make the sickening realization—I was making out with Connor!

Seriously?

Coming to my senses, I placed my hands on his chest, shoving him off of me. He stumbled back at bit, a confused expression on his face.

“You asshole!” I snarled. And before I could think it through, I slapped him, causing his head to snap to the side. Anger and annoyance filled Connor’s eyes and he took a step forward.

“Bella?”

I looked down the once empty hallway and at the confused Liam. He looked from Connor to me, not seeming to piece everything together.

“Liam.” I breathed out, pushing past Connor to walk over to him.

He gave me a small smile as he placed a small kiss on my cheek.

“You okay?” he asked, concern shadowing his eyes.

I nodded, glancing back at Connor. He smirked and walked over to us, passing by us, but not before whispering something.

“Are you going to tell Liam? Or should I?”

My blood ran cold as he walked down the hallway, pausing as he turned at the corner. He glanced back at me and winked before he disappeared from our sight.

“What was that all about?” Liam asked, breaking me away from my thoughts.

I turned to look back at him, flustered.

“Wha——? N-nothing,” I stuttered, still feeling flushed.

Liam only nodded, not catching the obvious.

“Well, I was worried about you,” he said, looking down at me. “You never showed up to class.”

I frowned, looking back. “I’m fine,” I murmured, my mind in other places. Well, other “people”, for that matter.

Connor, to be exact. Connor Michaels.

Connor

I grinned at Bella’s back as she continued to ignore me, something she had been doing ever since our little run-in. I could tell she was pissed at me, but that only added to the excitement. As soon as the bell rang, she bolted from her seat and sprinted out of the classroom, being the first one to leave. My smile deepened as I got up and followed her, a plan developing in my mind.

Walking over to my locker, I noticed Bella was leaning against hers and talking to Liam. Plastering a fake smile on my face, I walked over to them, my eyes twinkling at Bella’s look of annoyance.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, disgust lacing her tone.

Brushing it off, I grinned and pinched her cheek. “Oh, Bells, don’t be like that!” I said, enjoying the look of horror as she pushed away my hand, rubbing her cheek furiously.

“Connor, man. I was just about to see if Bella could leave…”

“Leave?” I asked, cutting off Liam.

“Yes, leave,” Bella snapped, closing her locker. She was about to take a step towards Liam, but was held back by my arm that was now on her waist.

“Sorry, she can’t,” I said, watching as Liam’s once happy expression evaporated.

Bella struggled, but my grip was firm, showing her that it was useless.

“Why not?” she asked, her temper flaring. A light pink had flooded her cheeks, telling me that she was frustrated.

“Bella!” I cried out in a shocked tone. “Don’t tell me you forgot about our tutoring session!”

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

“B-b-but we haven’t h-had one in so long!” she stuttered, her face reddening even more.

I resisted the urge to grin at her, and instead turned back to Liam.

“Sorry, Liam. But it’s my duty to make sure she learns,” I said, ignoring Bella’s furious struggling.

Liam looked at Bella and me, an unsure expression on his face.

“Well, okay then…” he trailed off, giving Bella a small peck on the cheek before turning to walk away.

I rolled my eyes as soon as he was gone. A peck? Really? Bella grabbed that moment of distraction as her chance to pull away, a look of fury and hate crossing her face.

“What the hell, Connor?” she exclaimed, which caused the remaining people in the hallway to turn and look.

I gave them all a curt wave and they quickly scurried out of the hallway, which, in turn, made me chuckle in amusement.

“Come on, Bells! It’s studying time!” I cried out with fake happiness, and she narrowed her eyes in annoyance. Then, I watched as she glanced down the hallway, where Liam had exited. I sighed and dropped my bag, running after her as she sprinted for an escape. I was nice, though. I waited until we were just at the door before I crushed her hopes and dreams of freedom.

“Where do you think you’re going?” I asked, scooping her up into my arms and throwing her over my shoulder.

She began cursing and yelling, and vehemently refused to shut up.