Bad Boy Hero - Tanglewood Academy

My stomach sinks. I’m wearing a black dress I found on sale in an online shop, paired with the same Converse she teased me for last time we met. Crap. But I force a smile, and try to fake the confidence I don’t feel. “That’s me. How’ve you been?” We’ve said hello once or twice around campus, but I haven’t really talked to her since that first day here.

Bette glances from me to my duo of friends and back, her smirk widening. “I didn’t expect to see you here. I haven’t seen you anywhere, in fact, since the semester started. Where do you girls hide her?” She glances at Leah and Sara, then back again, wide-eyed. Waiting.

“Um… well, I’ve been kinda busy, and—”

“She’s such a homebody.” Leah tries to save me, patting my arm.

“Boring.” Bette pouts. “Missy, I thought you were going to be more fun this year!” Her expression turns sly. In that moment, more than at any other that I’ve known her, Bette reminds me of her brother. “Or has something more… interesting got your attention lately, hmm?”

I freeze, my mouth drying up. Of course my mind immediately leaps to the alleyway. To Keanen backing me up against the wall, sliding his hand under the waistband of my jeans. Do you want more of this? I can still hear his low, husky voice, the taste his lips on mine.

“Oh, just, y’know, getting used to managing all the classwork we have here, and, uh…” What do rich people do for fun? “Going shopping of course.” I laugh, a little too high-pitched, and Bette’s gaze drips over my outfit, her nose wrinkling ever so slightly.

Damn. I knew I wasn’t prepared for this level of scrutiny.

But before I can change the subject or try to distract her, a now-familiar baritone voice interrupts us. “Bette. I do hope you’re not terrorizing our Missy. You know you’ve got a bad habit of doing that.”

Shit. Keanen.

My stomach drops all the way through the floor now. Beside me, Leah and Sara have gone silent and wide-eyed, gawking at the show.

Bette turns to face her brother, one hand on her hip, her sly expression immediately souring into something far more dangerous. She looks… pissed. “Our Missy, hmm?” She glances from Keanen to me, and back again, her eyes narrowing. “Please tell me you’re not desperate enough to rebound on this poor innocent freshman girl. She doesn’t know how terrible you can be.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure she does.” Keanen, for his part, glances straight past his sister as if she’s not even there, his eyes fixing on mine.

I can’t look away. I want to—I know I should. I should pretend there’s nothing between us, try to calm Missy down, since she’s clearly furious about the possibility. But my heartbeat is so loud it’s echoing in my eardrums, pulsating at my throat.

And Keanen’s staring at me the same way he did in the alley. As if he wants to devour me whole, right here and now, no matter who’s watching.

Beside us, Bette scoffs. “Unbelievable. Three weeks into your senior year and you’re already slumming it. Well, I’m sure father will love to hear about you taking the scholarship kid under your wing.”

My cheeks flush bright red at that. When I glance over, Leah and Sara are inching away now, as if they want to put physical distance between themselves and me. I don’t blame them. I wouldn’t want to hang out with me either, right now. Not with all this coming out. “Who said,” I start, but Bette cuts me off.

“Please. You think I don’t know who we—I mean, who our father is kindly issuing scholarship grants to every year?” Her gaze drips over my outfit again. “If I didn’t know already, though, that dress would be a dead giveaway, I have to tell you.”

Keanen finally looks away at that, the storm cloud on his face darkening. “Do you always have to be such a shit, Bette?”

His sister’s jaw drops. For a moment, she’s silent. In fact, the whole room is. I dare a glance away from the drama to realize that every person in the sorority house living room right now is gawking at us, red Solo cups of booze in hand. I feel like an animal on display at a zoo.

Suddenly, nausea hits me. All I want to do is run. Get out of here as fast as I can.

“I can’t believe you’re choosing her over your own family,” Bette finally hisses, low and furious.

“Well, you’re making it pretty damn easy to.” With that, Keanen shoulders past her and grabs my wrist, jerking me from the hazy daze I’d fallen into. “Come on. We’re going.”

Grateful for the excuse to flee, even if it is with the most dangerous boy on campus for me, I let him lead me gently through the crowd of the party. As we near the door, the crowds part before us, people still watching with open awe—and maybe a hint of giddiness, too. I hear more than a few smothered laughs as we shoulder outside, into fresh air.