The Love of My Bully

“I knew you’d need a ride and well, I don’t see a reason why I can’t give you one. We’re friends, aren’t we?” he asked.

“You know we’re not friends.” They weren’t anything.

He shrugged. “If you don’t want the ride, get the fuck out of my car.”

She stayed perfectly still, staring straight ahead of her.

“Just what I thought.” He pressed his foot to the gas.

Pru couldn’t bring herself to look at him. To do that, she’d be admitting she liked that he’d come to pick her up.

“Where’s Sean when you need him?” he asked.

“He’s busy.”

“Of course he is. The wimp is probably playing on his computer or something.”

“He’s probably studying. Next year is important. He wants to get into…” She couldn’t remember the college he’d picked. She was a really bad friend. Gritting her teeth, she growled. “It doesn’t matter. I know he’s busy and he only wants the best.”

“Have you ever noticed, Pru, you’ve surrounded yourself with an asshole and a whore who are both self-centered pricks?”

She glared at him. “I didn’t hear you had much of a problem with Ree.”

He laughed. “Are you jealous?”

“I’m not even going to give that one an answer.” She wasn’t jealous. Whatever he wanted to do with his body was more than fine with her. It was his, anyway.

Resting her elbow on the door, she stared out of the window, watching the world go by. It was still pouring down rain and she felt a chill to her bones.

“She didn’t mean anything,” Drake said. “I was angry at you. She was just a distraction.”

Pru looked at him, not understanding him again. “Pull over.”

“What?”

“You heard me. Pull over.”

“I’m not going to let you get out in this weather. You’re stubborn, but that doesn’t mean I want you to get hurt.”

“Ironic coming from a guy who has hurt me every single step of the way. It doesn’t matter. I’m not stupid and I’m not going to get out to walk. Just pull over.” She rubbed at her head, feeling the stirring of a headache. This wasn’t how she wanted to spend her evening but there was nothing she could do about it.

Drake flashed hot and cold and it was starting to give her whiplash. One moment he seemed like the asshole bully, and the next, a reasonable gentleman, calm and collected. She was starting to wonder if he had multiple personalities with the way he was behaving. He pulled over to the side of the road. A car blared his horn at him, but Pru didn’t care.

“Well, what was it you wanted to say to me that couldn’t wait until we got somewhere private or at least safer?”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she asked, turning toward him.

“There’s nothing wrong with me.”

“What is this? What do you want from me?”

Drake sat back. “You want me to make a list?”

“I want to know what the hell is going on here, Drake. One moment you’re hating me. We’ve hurt each other for as long as we’ve known each other. We fight all the time. I avoid you as much as possible and I don’t for a second think you like me.” Even as she was speaking, she remembered their kisses.

Locking of lips did not make for such a dramatic change.

“Then you leave like I’ve done something to you. I don’t get you. You’ve gone from being the bane of my existence to demanding I be at your party. You’ve slept with Ree and bragged about it. We kissed and things got weird, and then you were suddenly everywhere I turned. You disappeared again, and now you’re back. You seeing this here?”

“Yes.”

“What is going on? Why are you doing this to me?”

“I don’t know!” he yelled at her.

She pulled back, the anger taking her by surprise.

“You think I’ve got a clue what’s happening here?” he asked.

Pru shrugged.

He shook his head. “You’re beneath me. You’re so far fucking beneath me it’s not even funny.”

She rolled her eyes. “Back to money again. Why am I not surprised?”

“It’s easy for you. Your parents don’t expect you to do the right thing by their books.”

“What the hell does that even mean? Of course they want me to do right. It’s not always about the money, Drake. It’s about being a good person. Is that all your parents want? You to make money? To only associate with people who will better you in some way?”

“Yes.”

His answer surprised her.

“We’re the wealthiest family in town. They want to keep that title. Why is it so hard for you to see that?”

“Why are you hanging around with me then? I can’t give you anything. I’m just me, Drake. No matter how many times you kiss me or how much you want me to be different. It’s never going to happen. I’m only me and you’re only you. Just tell me what it is you want.” This wasn’t doing any of them any good.