All the Little Lies (English Prep 1)

He rolled his eyes. “We’ll see about that.”

“We’ll see what?” she asked, but I tuned their argument out as I glanced back at Madeline. She was still staring.

“Want me to say something?” Christian’s whisper hit my ear.

“No. I can handle it on my own.”

I could tell he was grinding his teeth back and forth.

“What?” I asked under my breath.

His stormy gaze found mine underneath his thick eyelashes. He messed with the tie hanging around his neck. “I’m your boyfriend. I’m supposed to stick up for you.”

I bristled at the thought. “Not to someone like Madeline.” I glanced around the table, and thankfully, no one was paying any attention to us. “She's just jealous that she could never truly snag you.”

“If she bothers you, let me know. I don’t like the idea of someone messing with you.”

A ghost of a smile touched my lips. I leaned in closer to Christian, my knee touching his. “I can handle much more than you give me credit for.”

His tongue darted out to lick his lips. “Trust me. I know.”

My core started to tighten, but I ignored it.

“Then let me handle Madeline. A scowl or two from her is nothing compared to the real threat out there.”

Christian’s lips formed a straight line as the reminder of my father’s past lingered in the air. It was something we both tried to push away, but it never truly left our minds.

“I know,” he finally said as the bell rang for class.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom real quick,” I said, reaching up and planting a small kiss on his lips. Piper and Ollie were still in some sort of feud, so once I said my brief goodbye to them, I headed for the navy doors, clutching my books in my hand.

“Hey, wait.” Christian pulled me back by my shirt and whipped me around. Our peers were walking past us slowly, pretending not to sneak a glance at their king with his girlfriend.

“What?”

Christian’s hands wrapped around my face as he brought his lips down to mine. My entire body grew warm as his tongue swiped over mine. All the breath left my body when he pulled away.

“I just wanted to kiss you.”

Butterflies flew around in my belly when he winked at me and started to follow his friends. I shyly glanced around the hallway and met the eye of several people. The girls’ mouths were hanging open, and the guys were all shaking their heads, wearing grins.

My face was still flaming as I entered the bathroom and even as I washed my hands afterwards.

The whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing was new territory for me. I thought I wouldn’t like it. I thought the attention would bother me. But turned out, not much bothered me with Christian by my side.

My head swung to the left as the bathroom door opened, and soon, my light and fluttery feeling disappeared.

Madeline’s eyes dug right through me. Here we go.

I continued to wash my hands as she stared at me, blocking the door like a bouncer at a bar. Doesn’t she know I can knock her flat on her ass in seconds?

“Well, spit it out, Madeline. I know you have something to say.”

Her foot tapped the tiled floor as she waited for me to look at her. I took my sweet time drying my hands and gathering my books, knowing very well I was going to be late to class.

“So, how does my pussy taste?”

I couldn’t help the laugh bubbling up my throat. “Are you serious? That’s the best you've got?”