To me? He was just another boy who had too much power in his hands and didn’t know how to use it. Maddox was no hero to me.
If he expected me to worship the ground he walked on, like all of his fangirls, he was about to be thoroughly disappointed.
Riley leaned forward and tapped me on the nose with her index finger. “Stay out of his way, Lila. He’ll fuck you up so bad and leave you broken. Boys like him can’t be trusted.”
Her voice was thick, and I could see the emotions playing on her face. Jasper really broke her. Her scars were not visible; she hid them with a pretty smile, but I knew she still hurt inside.
“Don’t worry. I have no plans to play his game.”
Riley squinted at me. “I don’t believe you. You’re competitive by nature, Lila. If he pushes, you’re going to push back twice as hard.”
I bit my lower lip and gave her a sheepish look. She was right…
“How about this? I promise not to fall for him.”
“One less girl in Maddox’s harem,” she agreed.
I rolled my eyes. “Okay, today is Thursday. How about we meet up on Saturday? I’ll go over whatever you need help on with you then.”
Riley nodded before her cheeks flushed. “You’ll have to start at the beginning. Don’t kill me.”
“This is going to be a loooong Saturday.” She kicked me under the table, and I hissed out a laugh.
“Bitch.” Riley threw her empty plastic bottle at my head, laughing.
The rest of my day was uneventful. I stayed out of Maddox’s way. There were a few whispers in the halls about me, but I ignored them, too.
I felt pretty confident that, after today, everyone would forget about the coffee shop scene, and Maddox would most definitely forget about my existence. He had plenty of girls to distract him.
Except… I had never been more wrong in my life.
The next day, my nightmare began.
CHAPTER THREE
Lila
The next morning, I found Maddox outside our English class. He was leaning against the wall, his long legs crossed at the ankle with his hands stuffed in his pockets. His expensive leather shoes were shiny and wrinkled free. He was missing his navy blazer, but his pristine white shirt was rolled to his elbows, exposing his strong forearms. His tie hung loosely around his neck.
He was pretty to look at – I had to admit, but the sight of him annoyed me.
There was a curvy blonde girl attached to his side, practically plastered against him. She whispered something into his ear, but he wasn’t paying attention. Maddox looked bored, and the poor girl was trying too hard. Run away, don’t fall for his charms. I wanted to shake some sense into her.
The moment his gaze fell on me, he slowly grinned.
My blood simmered, and I pressed my lips firmly together, refusing to acknowledge him. I tilted my chin up and marched forward. If I ignored him, he’d go away – I told myself.
Too bad it was nothing but false hope.
When I tried to walk into the classroom, Maddox pulled himself away from the girl. She protested, but it died in her throat when she noticed it was useless.
He shifted sideways and placed his arm out, blocking the door and effectively stopping me from stepping inside. “Hey, Garcia.”
Maddox threw me his signature smirk in an attempt to melt me. I rolled my eyes. “Coulter,” I said in acknowledgment. “You’re in my way.”
I tried to push past him, but he didn’t budge; granted, he was a whole foot taller than me, but Maddox was an immovable wall. “It’s quite comical that you think you can move me.”
There was just something about Maddox that irritated me. It was like he had hit a nerve I didn’t know I had. He made me feel edgy. I didn’t know why I felt like that, but I was defensive around him.
“A knee to your dick will move you alright. So, either you move with no injuries, or your baby making machine will be in danger.” I cocked my head to the side while holding my bag over my shoulder and waiting for him to move.
My lips crooked up in my fakest and sweetest smile.
Maddox stared me down for a second before he eventually moved, bending slightly to his waist and putting his arm out to motion inside the classroom. “Ladies first. After you.”
I rolled my eyes a-fucking-gain because he was so goddamn annoying. Pushing past his hard body, I walked into class with a huff and settled in my chair. He sauntered inside like he owned the room and walked past me to his desk at the back of the classroom.
Maddox purposely brushed against my shoulder as he did so. “Whoops, my bad,” he muttered gruffly. I could hear the laughter in his voice.