Being the Bad Boy's Victim (27 page)

Have you ever had a friend that you just couldn’t imagine losing?

Other than Jess, for me, it was Liam.

I couldn’t bear to lose a friend like Liam. And no matter what, I wasn’t going to.

“Where are you going?” Connor asked as I made my way to the exit with Jess.

I looked at him quickly before speaking.

“Home,” I said quickly.

He raised an eyebrow suspiciously and looked at Jess in question.

“It’s true!” she said, laughing nervously at the end.

I inwardly groaned and shifted my bag, glancing at the door.

“Listen, I have to go home. But maybe we can hang out later?” I offered, hoping he would accept it.

“Fine,” he said after a few of moments of silence. He swooped down to give me a small kiss, before stepping to the side.

I blushed a little and grabbed Jess’ hand, leading her to the exit. Once in the car, I let out a breath that I didn’t notice I was holding.

“Why did you lie to Connor? Haven’t you been telling him that you’ve been trying to talk to Liam?” Jess asked as she put on her seatbelt.

I frowned and started the car, pulling out of the school parking lot.

“I… I don’t know,” I said truthfully, driving slowly down the street. “I just don’t think Connor will approve.”

“So why are you doing it?” she asked.

This whole week, Jess has been questioning my decision to see Liam. It was annoying, like she just couldn’t see things through my perspective.

“I’m not losing a friend,” I said, pulling onto Liam’s street. My heart was pounding in my chest and my hands grew clammy.

“Is that…?”

“What’s Anna’s car doing here?” I asked, as I was parking mine. Jess frowned, an unreadable look crossed her face. We both gasped as the door flew open, and a distressed Anna walked out. Ducking down, we made sure she couldn’t see us as she got in her car and drove off. When she was gone, Jess and I slowly sat up and looked at each other.

What the hell was that about?

“Are they sleeping together?” I spat out, glaring out the window of my car. I could tell Jess was worried about me—well, more about my reaction to what we had just witnessed. But I mean seriously, what was that?

“I don’t think Anna would do that…”

“Then, what was she doing?” I cried out as I roughly slammed the brakes, causing Jess to lurch forward.

“Maybe she was dropping off his homework?” It came out like a question, which meant even Jess doubted that.

“Oh yeah, definitely,” I drawled out sarcastically. My hands were shaking and I was taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself down. In all honesty, I probably looked like a crazy gorilla on the verge of a killing spree. So I decided to postpone the talk with Liam, and headed to Connor’s place.

Just as I parked the car in front of Connor’s house, Jess asked something.

“Why do you care?”

I froze up, not expecting that question. I kept my eyes forward as I searched through my mind for an explanation.

“I… I don’t.” Yeah, that was the best I could think of.

Jess let out an annoyed sound, causing me to look over at her in confusion.

“Do you love Liam?”

I was taken aback and my hands began to grow clammy again, my stomach twisting in knots.

“Wha—— no! Not like that! I love him like a brother.”

“But you love Connor?”

I hesitated, and my voice seemed to suddenly disappear.

“Bella, do you love Connor?” Jess asked persistently.

“Yes,” I replied, my voice was shaky, breathless, and barely audible, yet the answer was clear. I loved Connor.

Jess paused, her mouth forming a thin line across her face. She seemed to be thinking over what I had said, probably plotting her next question.

“But you want to be friends with Liam?”

“Yes,” I said, my voice was firmer this time, and I was ready for whatever else she might throw at me.

“Why?” was her next question.

Okay, I guess I take that back.
I looked around, unsure of what to say.

“He… Well, I… It’s just, he is a good person,” I stammered, my face becoming a deep shade of red.

“There are a lot of good people in the world. Are you going to go out of your way every day to try to be their friend?”

I opened my mouth slightly, my head aching from the interrogation.

“Jess, I just… You need to understand that…” I paused, looking at my hands. “Why don’t you want me to be friends with him?” I curiously asked her.

Jess stared at me for a while before speaking. “I don’t have a problem with you being friends with Liam.”

“So why? Why the interrogation?” I asked, my voice rising.

“Because I don’t think you made the right choice! I love the fact you’re with Connor and all. But really, would you have tried to visit him every day after school if what happened were reversed? Would you feel the same way? Would you also feel that you couldn’t afford to lose him? From where I stand, you seem to have made your choice according to what everyone else wanted for you, not according to what you wanted. But then I could be wrong. So tell me, Bella, who do you really want?”

My eyes flickered towards Connor’s house just as the door opened, revealing a very happy Connor. I sighed and looked at Jess.

“I don’t want to lose Liam. I want to stay friends with him… to talk for hours on end… to depend on him. I want to be able to look at him and not think of the pain I put him through, but rather of how happy he is and how happy he can be, even if I didn’t pick him. But despite what you think, Connor is my choice. I want that psychotic, sex-crazy maniac more than anyone else in the world. I don’t think I made the wrong choice. So yes, I know who I want. And although it wasn’t easy, I picked him. But I would have preferred to have made it easier on Liam. If I could’ve made it easier on him, I would’ve. And if the roles were reversed, I would still try to keep Connor as a friend.  Honestly, I want them both in my life. But as it happens, there’s really only one I couldn’t do without—and that’s Connor.”

After I finished talking, I then took a deep breath and got out of the car, walking towards Connor and feeling the butterflies invading my stomach as I zoned out everything else. The second I was in front of him, I immediately looped my arms around his neck.

“I need you,” I whispered.

Confusion clouded his expression, but it was all erased the second our lips touched. Electricity coursed through our bodies, and my heart felt like it was about to explode. When he pulled away, he placed his hand on my cheek, tracing circles with his thumb. We were breathing heavily, our foreheads touching. The moment was so perfect, like a scene from a movie, or perhaps a dream.

“You guys are going to have intense sex. I can tell.”

Our heads turned quickly to see Matt standing by the doorway, a huge grin on his face. I rolled my eyes and looked back at Jess, who was now only a couple of feet away. With a look of approval on her face, she gave me a small nod. I smiled and grabbed Connor’s hand, lacing my fingers with his.

“I like the moment and all,” he said, “but my ass is about to freeze off. And I know how much you love it, so let’s go inside.”

I laughed along with Jess and walked in, my cheeks blushing.

“Hey, Jess!”

I looked to see James at the top of the staircase, his eyes fixed on Jess. She smiled and blushed slightly, which made Matt and I coo and giggle. Laughing at their annoyed glares, I looked at Connor and caught him staring at me, his eyes twinkling.

“Take that! And that!” Matt cried out as he threw multiple pillows at me, running away and screaming like a six-year-old.

I let out a snarl, grabbed all the pillows I could, and chased him like a mad man. Then, I charged upstairs after Matt as he skipped every other stair in an attempt to lose me.

“I will kill you!” I screamed as he slammed the door, locking himself in his room. Suddenly, a large thump came from my left and I turned to see James pinned down by Jess, who hit him repeatedly on the head with a pillow.

“Suffer, motherfucka!” she cried out as he swatted helplessly at the pillow.

I burst out laughing and had to lean against the door to support myself. But just as I was about to stand up, a pillow smacked the side of my head.

“Oopsies!” Connor said, standing at the top of the staircase.

I narrowed my eyes at him and picked up the pillow slowly, squeezing it tightly.

“You are a dead man,” I hissed. I sprinted towards him, not once faltering as he fled down the stairs. I picked up speed as he ran to the living room, hiding behind a couch. I glared from the other side, knowing that the only way to get him was to dive across the couch—which was exactly what I did.

Lunging at him, I caught him by surprise, and was able to tackle him to the ground. After hitting him multiple times, he gave up and held up his hands in surrender.

“No!” Matt and James cried out as I stood up, cheering victoriously.

“Suck it!” I said, grinning down at him. My smirk slipped when he returned it. And the next thing I knew, I was lying underneath him, and he was straddling me.

“I have something for you to suck,” he said, his voice dark and husky.