Being the Bad Boy's Victim

  He sighed and grabbed my work, but I pulled it away just in time. He frowned and glared at me.

  “This is a trick, isn’t it?” I snapped, putting all my books back inside my book bag.

  Connor scowled and stood up, walking around the table to my side and cornering me.

  “This isn’t a trick. I really am one of the top students here.”

  I scoffed and flung my book bag over my shoulder.

  “I’m serious!” Connor said, exasperated.

  I glared at him, unsure if I should believe him or not.

  “Then tell me why your parents think otherwise.”

  Fifteen minutes later

  “So I just tell them I’m failing because they refuse to be proud of me,” Connor said.

  “Wait, you mean your parents don’t know your actual grades?”

  He scoffed, “They know nothing about me. I’ve been a disappointment to them ever since Ch— Well, anyway, they bought me a house just so they wouldn’t have to see me.”

  “But if they knew you weren’t blowing off school, then they wouldn’t be dis——” I started.

  “I have nothing to prove to them,” Connor snapped.

  I could tell that he was getting mad, so I decided to lay off the subject. One thing I noticed was that he hesitated. He was about to tell me something. ‘…ever since Ch——’ I wonder what he was going to say.

  “I’m sorry,” I murmured, resting my hand awkwardly on his shoulder.

  He gave me a small smile before returning to his seat.

  “Come on, you’re going to need all the help you can get,” he joked.

  I scowled playfully and plopped back down on my seat before pulling out my books.

  Twenty minutes later

  “Bella! You can’t do that!” Connor exclaimed, ripping the pencil away from my hand.

  “Waaaaaaaaah!” I screamed, dropping my head to the desk in defeat.

  Ten minutes ago, Connor would have laughed. But at that point? Well, I was pretty sure I was just pissing him off.

  “Bella, we’ve been over this!” Connor said with a sigh.

  I lifted my head, ready to yell. “Well, you’re just a horrible teacher!” I snapped instead, glaring at him.

  “Or you’re just stupid,” Connor muttered, stacking up all my papers.

  I pulled out my phone to check the time, 2:50 pm. Ten minutes left. I wasn’t going to make it!

  “I’m not stupid,” I murmured, putting everything away. I collapsed back into my chair and glared at Connor.

  “Yes, yes, you are.”

  That did it.

  “Die!” I wailed, lunging across the table. I caught Connor by surprise and was able to get a couple of good slaps in before he pinned my wrists on the table, forcing me to lay on my back.

  His eyes twinkled mischievously as he leaned over me.

  “Jerk!” I snapped as I struggled. My breathing hitched when I realized Connor was getting closer. I could already feel his hot breath on my neck.

  Ring, ring, ring!

  Talk about being saved by the bell! I then bolted out from underneath Connor and grabbed my backpack, running towards the exit.

  “Not so fast.” He grabbed my arm, which really surprised me because I didn’t know he was right behind me. Well, just so you know, bad things happen when I’m surprised.

  Slap!

  “Haha. Oops!” I laughed nervously, ran out the door and to my locker, and then straight onto someone.

  Liam.

  “Hey! So, I was wondering if I could have your number?” Liam asked, the faintest bit of blush on his cheeks.

  “Oh, yeah!” I said, as I took his phone from his hands and added myself as a contact.

  He grinned as I handed it back.

  “Thanks! So I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, walking off.

  I couldn’t help but grin. Oh, God! I didn’t like Liam, did I? I grabbed my backpack and headed outside, only to realize my car wasn’t there.

  “You’re coming with me, dollface.”

  I turned and saw Connor smirking at me. I frowned and realized that I would have to go back on the “vehicle of death.”

  Ten minutes later

  I managed to not hold on to him for too long after the ride was over. The second he stopped, I pulled away, and muttered a small ‘thank you’ before turning to leave.

  “Wait,” Connor said, grabbing my wrist.

  “What?” I asked, confused.

  “I saw you talking to Liam. And I heard from many people that he asked you out,” Connor said. “Is that true?”

  My heart was racing. “N-no,” I mumbled.

  Connor smiled, dropped my wrist, and said, “Good.”

  I was almost at the front door before he spoke again.

  “Because, Bella, you’re mine. I won’t let anyone get in my way of having you.”

  I froze and whirled around just as he rode away.

  Oh, God! Did I just put Liam in danger?

  Chapter 09

  Connor

  “Dude, she’s lying to you,” James said, lazily falling on the couch.

  I scowled and sat down in the armchair next to him.

  “Yeah, man. I saw it with my own eyes,” Matt said, sprawled out on the other couch.

  I cursed and glared at them both. “I warned her what would happen,” I said, curtly.

  Matt and James exchanged looks before one of them spoke.

  “Listen, Connor, you’ve always been known as the guy who gets the girl. When other guys find out that Liam is getting closer to her, she’s going to be seen as free meat,” Matt said with a shrug as he turned on the TV.

  I frowned as I thought about it. Matt was right.

  “What am I supposed to do? Beat the crap out of Liam because he talked to Bella?”

  “I don’t get it.” I turned to look at James, who was now sitting up, his brows furrowed.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You normally get the girl in a matter of minutes, maybe hours or days. But with Bella, it’s different. It’s been nearly a week,” James pointed out.

  “Well, remember Sarah? It took me two months to break her,” I pointed out. “Oh, and remember Anna? She took me nearly three and a half months.”

  Matt and James both nodded, and then Matt said, “We were worried for a second that you were going soft.”

  I scoffed and looked at them. “Like I would ever go soft for someone. Bella is no different from the rest. Sure, she’s entertaining and very stubborn. But in the end, she’ll crack and give in to me.”

  Sure, when we kissed, it was amazing! Something about her made me want to be with her, get closer to her. And yeah, it pissed me off that she wanted nothing to do with me. But I couldn’t let myself fall for her. That would never happen.

  “Bella is a nice girl. I’d hate to see her get hurt,” Matt said, mostly to himself.

  I exchanged looks with a surprised James. What? Does Matt like her now, too?

  And you know what? That notion made me angry.

  Wait, what? Oh, no! Do I have a competition over her? Guess, I’m going to have to try another technique then.

  Bella

  I woke up much earlier than usual. I begged my mum to go with my dad to work, so that I could take my mum’s car. And I spent nearly twenty minutes trying to cover up the large hickey on my neck. But even now, there was still a faint shade of purple left.

  I was just about to get into the car when I heard the familiar roar of an engine—a motorcycle’s engine. I looked up to see Connor taking off his helmet. A grin stretched across his face.

  “Bells, I take you to school now. Remember?” Connor stated.

  I let out a short laugh and began climbing into the car. I tried to close the door only to have it blocked.

  “Connor, what are you doing?” I snapped, glaring at him.

  “Come on, Bella. Don’t be stubborn,” he said, gripping the door firmly in place.

  Even then, I continued to tug
effortlessly at the handle in an attempt to budge it. Suddenly, Connor’s face lit up, and he smiled.

  “What?” I asked suspiciously, leaning away.

  Connor leaned down, ducking his head into the car. “Let’s ditch,” he said, his eyes bright.

  I frowned and shook my head in disbelief, putting the keys in the ignition.

  “Bella,” he warned, narrowing his eyes at where my hand was.

  “Connor, there is no way I’m going to ditch with you. Hell! There is no way that you’re going to get me out of this car!” I snapped, trying to close the door.

  Connor raised an eyebrow and leaned farther down, so that his whole upper body was now inside the car.

  “You leave me no choice,” Connor whispered, causing me to look at him in confusion.

  Before I could react, Connor unbuckled me and slightly lifted me up, only to push me then into the passenger seat. I opened my mouth to protest as Connor slid in, shutting the door behind me.

  “What are you doing?” I asked loudly, pushing him angrily.

  He smirked as he adjusted the mirrors. Then, he buckled himself up and started the car.

  “Don’t even…” I hissed, locking my hand onto his wrist.

  “You leave me with no choice,” he said with tone of amusement. He backed out of the driveway and began driving down the street.

  “Connor! Get out of my car!”

  He glanced at me quickly. “Put your seatbelt on.”

  I frowned and crossed my arms defiantly. Connor raised an eyebrow.

  “Challenging me?”

  I didn’t reply, only smirked at him. I watched as Connor shrugged and looked forward, continuing to drive.

  “I’m giving you one last chance,” Connor said, turning to look at me.

  I shook my head and glared forward. Suddenly, Connor’s foot stomped on the gas pedal, sending us flying down the empty road. I let out a strangled scream, and I gripped his wrist tightly as I felt the fear rise through me.

  “Stop! Please slow down!” I screamed, tears pricking the corners of my eyes.

  Connor continued to stare forward as he sped down the empty street. I shut my eyes closed, remembering the last time I was in a situation like this.

  Flashback

  “I…I-I’m s-sorry!” I wailed as I clutched my bruised stomach and desperately cradled my broken body in the passenger seat.

  “Sorry doesn’t cut it!” Sam roared.

  The car sped up as he gripped the wheel tightly. I flinched and shrunk back in the seat, my body was shaking from the sobs. The searing pain in my stomach reminded me of how violent Sam could get.

  “I d-didn’t cheat o-on you!” I whimpered as I choked due to my sobs.

  “Liar!” he bellowed. His fist, which came from nowhere, hit the side of my head, which, in turn, caused my head to smash against the window. I let out a blood-curdling scream and clutched my head in pain, blood seeping through my fingers.

  “Fucking whore!” he snarled as he slammed his foot on the brakes. My body jerked forward but was held back by the seatbelt. I felt my ribcage painfully crack, causing another scream to rip through me. Then, the door flung open, and Sam unbuckled my seatbelt and yanked me out.

  “P-please! No!” I screamed and raised my hands in a weak attempt to push him away.

  “You did this to yourself!” he spat at me. The last thing I remembered was his fist coming straight for my face.

  Connor

  It was a joke. Honestly, I was speeding through empty streets so that Bella would just finally put on her damn seatbelt. I had no intention of making her that upset. If I had known it would, I never would have started speeding up.

  I just turned into another empty street when I saw Bella squeeze her eyes shut and curl up into a ball. And I was about to ask her what was going on when she turned pale and started shaking violently in the seat. I panicked and slowed down, pulling over by the side of the street.

  “Bella?” I asked, placing my hand lightly on her leg.

  At the touch, her eyes flew open and she let out a bone-chilling scream. She took one look at me before she started sobbing and moving away, pressing her body up against the door.

  “Bella? Bella, what’s going on?” I asked, seriously worried.

  She squeezed her eyes shut. She was sobbing and shaking. I quickly got out of the car, rushing over to the passenger side. I opened the door and unbuckled her, pulling her out of the car.

  “No! P-please! Not again!” she wailed.

  I held her wrists as she attempted to hit me.

  “What are you talking about, Bella?” I asked, pushing her gently onto the side of the car so that her movements were limited.

  “I didn’t do it!” she screamed, tears were flooding down her face. It made me extremely worried.

  What the hell is going on?

  “Bella! Calm down!” I said, locking her arms to the side of the car. She tried to fight me off, but I made sure she couldn’t escape.

  “Bells, please,” I whispered, pressing my body onto hers.

  Suddenly, she froze and looked up at me.

  “C-Connor?” she asked, her voice weak, cracking a bit.

  “It’s okay, Bella. I’m here,” I whispered, pulling her into a hug. I rested my chin on the top of her head, rocking her slightly back and forth.

  Bella

  It happened all over again. Well, I thought it did.

  A week after that accident, I slipped into depression, and I had to be on meds for six months. After I was off the meds, I started having nightmares about the accident. It led me to being on more meds.

  The nightmares went away eventually. But every now and then, they just come back. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing, or where I am, they just do.

  “I-I’m sorry,” I murmured on his shoulder, hiccupping slightly.

  He pulled away slightly so that he was looking into my eyes.

  “Why don’t we head back to my house? You can take a nap or something….” Connor offered, trailing off awkwardly.

  I hesitated before answering. I was really surprised by what Connor just said. It was thoughtful. Not a word that I would typically use to describe Connor.

  “Thanks,” I said softly, looking at him from underneath my lashes.

  He gave me a small grin and pulled me into one last hug before we went back into the car. My heart was pounding heavily as we drove to his house. This time, I made sure to put my seatbelt on. There’s no way I’m going to school now, not in this state.

  I moved my head so that my hair created a thin wall between Connor and me, so I could sneakily glance at him. Truthfully, I felt bad for him. After I snapped out of my trance, the amount of relief that washed over his face was unbelievable. I felt guilty for putting him through that. Normally, it happens after I dream about it, at home.

  “We’re here,” Connor said softly.

  I noticed he was about to place his hand on my leg, but he hesitated and pulled away, watching me cautiously. I frowned as I got out of the car, following him to the door. As we walked, he kept glancing at me as if I was a ticking time bomb.

  “Do you want something to drink?” Connor asked as I sat down numbly on the couch.

  “Water, please,” I said. I watched as he stared at me for a few seconds before turning to walk into the kitchen. Had I really freaked him out? Who am I kidding? I turned into a psychopath in front of him. Of course, he was freaked out.

  “Here,” he said, handing the water to me.

  I gave a whispered “thank you” and took a sip. At the corner of my eye, I saw Connor still standing there, still watching me cautiously.

  “Do you… um…?” he started as he rubbed his neck awkwardly, “need to rest or something?” He glanced at me, taking a step back as if I was going to lunge at him or something.

  That did it. I slammed the glass on the table in front of me, causing a loud noise to echo throughout the room. Then, I stood up and faced Connor, glaring at him as I began my rant.
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  “Look, Connor! I know I freaked you out and all. But really? Why are you treating me like a kid who belongs inside an insane asylum?” I shrieked, throwing up my arms in emphasis. “I’m fine, okay? I don’t need any special treatment, especially from you.”

  Connor stared at me in bewilderment for a couple of seconds before he frowned and crossed his arms.

  “What the hell? I’ve been nothing but nice to you since your little ‘freak-out attack’ and this is how you thank me? And what do you mean ‘especially from you’?” he asked, his eyes narrowed, and a look of annoyance on his face.

  “You were being cautious! I don’t need you acting like I’m going to freak out at any second!” I screamed.

  “Well, with good reason. Look at you! You couldn’t even take two sips of water before you lose it again!” he snapped.

  I raised an eyebrow in annoyance. “What? You think I’m crazy?”

  “Exactly!” Connor said, smirking in victory.

  “Well, in that case…” I threw the remaining water at Connor, and it splashed all over his face and clothes. I grinned with satisfaction as I put the glass down, enjoying his shocked expression.

  “You really shouldn’t have done that,” he hissed and took a step towards me.

  I shrunk back in fear.

  I turned to make a break for it, only to be pulled back into his hard, toned chest. Bella! Stop thinking about his abs, I scolded myself. I let out a gasp of surprise as he whirled me around, keeping his arm around my waist.

  “Karma’s a bitch,” he said with a smug smile, while some of the water droplets fell on me.

  I let out a shriek as he lifted me up, flinging me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I pounded his back with my fists, but it was useless. This guy is pretty much made of pure muscle. I let out a gasp as cold air hit me, telling me that we were now outside. From what I could see, we were now in his backyard.

  “Connor, let me go this instant!” I demanded, shivering slightly.

  “You sure about that?” he asked.