Chapter 3

"Adam, you're not going to stop them?" I was pinned to the floor, humiliated.

"You've got a temper. Maybe you need the lesson."

Adam distractedly straightened Grace's dress.

Eric and Grant scoffed.

"Molly's been brawling with us since we were kids. What damage are a few girls going to do?"

They yanked my hair and slapped me hard across the face several times.

I hit the ground, my cheek burning.

Seeing that Adam and the others barely glanced at me before turning back to Grace, the girls dragged me into the bathroom.

"Poor thing. You're going north? It's freezing up there. Might as well get soaked here first."

They dumped a basin of cold water over my head and locked me in a stall.

"Sit in there and think about what you did. Let's see how long it takes Adam and the rest to remember you, you scheming bitch."

They took my phone.

I climbed onto the toilet and tried to go over the top of the stall.

I crashed onto the floor on the way down.

Pain tore through my ankle like the bone had split.

Dragging my right leg, I pounded on the bathroom door.

It rattled and didn't budge.

It wasn't that I'd never been bullied before. But no one had ever dared do it in front of my childhood friends.

While I was being dragged away, they were still holding Grace and comforting her. They didn't look at me once.

I lowered my head and wrapped my arms around my knees.

The graduation dinner began.

Outside, the sounds of celebration came from another world entirely.

"Did Molly go home?"

A familiar voice, right outside the door.

"I don't think so. I saw those girls drag her off."

"Teaching her a lesson is fine, but they shouldn't overdo it. It's hard to explain to our parents."

Adam kicked the door impatiently.

I was about to send him a Mind Link.

"Adam, how long are you planning to keep playing boyfriend with Molly?"

I recognized the voice. Scott.

He'd confessed to me when we were sixteen, and I'd turned him down because I already had feelings for someone else.

"Two, three months? Once she's up north, I'll use the distance as an excuse and end it."

I bit my lip and swallowed the cry for help.

"I think of Molly as a little sister. I know I shouldn't have tricked her into going north alone."

"She always looks at me like I'm the sun. She says I'm her fated mate. But I've never felt the bond."

"If being her boyfriend for two or three months makes her happy, call it making it up to her."

Scott gave a lazy laugh.

"Brutal. You make it sound like you're serving her a last meal. Let me know when you two break up."

"Why? Planning to go after her?" Adam sounded amused.

"Don't you like Grace? Why do you care?"

Scott punched his shoulder lightly.

"Molly turned me down when I confessed. Why shouldn't I get some payback and have a little fun with her too?"

...

Their voices faded.

A storm seemed to tear through my chest.

They left me locked in there all night.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital bed.

Adam sat beside me, holding my hand.