Liana River's POV.
"You think you are special, huh? Think you can just throw yourself at anyone you like and get away with it?"
"I didn't mean to -." I tried to plead, but he cut me off.
"You are nothing, River. A stray mutt in a school of purebreds. And this your latest stunt is the last camel that will break your bone."
"You are hurting me," I choked.
"I planned to do worse."
My eyes were about to fall out of their sockets, and I now find it difficult to breathe."You...you...let me go."
Derek Mackrell released his grip but still had his large palm over my neck. "You think Alec gives a damn about you? Hell no. That snobbish son of a gun only cares about himself."
"It was stupid of me to send the message, please let me go," I begged after inhaling and exhaling for several seconds.
Derek had an evil grin on his face as he pressed his body against me. He immediately jerked my two arms up and then pinned them to the wall. "I will take you under my protection, Liana River. I didn't find you as distasteful as the rest of the students. Just be my girl, and you will be safe."
Derek's face suddenly loomed toward me in a bid to kiss me, but I evaded his mouth and then spat in his face, and the psychopath just laughed and then licked my spit.
"This just got me aroused."
Derek's lips crushed my lips without prior warning. Despite my protest, his mouth moved from my lips, down to the spine of my neck, and then towards my breasts. His eyes were bloodshot, almost like the colour of embers. And his breath was so hot on my skin.
"Please...please let me go."
Derek paused midway and then asked," I love the fear in your eyes... You agree to be my girl, don't you?"
"Get off me," I yelled and then tried to pull my wrists out of his grip.
"Don't be a fool, Liana. Do you think you can throw me off?"
Something snapped in me. A survivor instinct, I guess. With my last strength, I drove my right shoulder into Derek's stomach and then punched him on the face when he let go of my wrists and then bent towards me. He grunted and stumbled back, and I didn't wait, but grabbed my bag and bolted for the door.
A few steps away from escape, I heard some footsteps before a hand yanked me from behind and then hurled me into the wall. A loud groan escaped my throat, and my eyes snapped as I landed with a loud thud.
"You made a big mistake, River. Now you are dead meat."
Derek was on me immediately. He used his knees to pin my wrists, jerked my head up by my hair, and then banged it on the tiles. "I was trying to be nice to you, River. Now, I will have to knock you out and then have my way."
Derek only let go of my head when I no longer had the strength to resist him. Pain throbbed from the back of my head, and I could feel an overwhelming darkness approaching.
"You will pay... You will pay for -." My voice trailed off as the darkness loomed closer. I thought his evil grin would be the last thing I would see, but a loud voice jolted me back to consciousness.
"Get off her now. "
A second later, Derek was pulled off me and then slammed against the wall.
"You are nothing but a cheap son of a bitch, Derek. "
The voice that filtered into my ear was calm, cold, and dangerous. And my eyes instantly flew open.
A tall, lean boy stood over Derek and began to punch him in the face. He had dark curled hair that stopped just before his eyebrows, and on his face was the coldest storm-cloud colour of irises I have ever seen. I had seen him before. He's always alone. Always watching me. I later found out his name was Jace Cader, and his father was the leader of the notorious Deadbeat Mafia Organization.
"This isn't your business, freak. Get off me now.' Derek screamed back as he tried to block Jace's punch to his face. But his screaming mellowed when Jace produced a sliver blade dagger, and then waved it surgically in front of him.
"Touch her again, and this will go straight into your heart, Derek. And in case you want to forget -." The blade immediately moved towards Derek's face and peeled some skin off his cheek. "- This will remind you."
Jace rolled off him, and Derek scrambled to his feet and raced out of the room immediately. Jace then stepped towards me and crouched beside me.
"Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?"
I nodded. I was too shocked to talk and was afraid I would make a fool of myself if I forced myself to. My back ached, my shoulder throbbed, and I could feel blood dripping out of the gash at the back of my head. But all these pains were nothing when compared to my fear of what would have happened if Jace hadn't arrived when he did. Derek would have rape me, murdered me, and then walked freely. Nobody will connect him to the murder by the time my corpse is discovered here.
Jace dipped his hand into his back pocket and brought out a hamburger. "Have this. I know you skipped lunch."
"I...I can't pay you for this now."
"I don't want you to pay back."
"But why? Why are you being kind to me? Why don't you act like the rest of the students? Stop looking at me like that, Jace. You're supposed to hate me and not smile at me."
"I like you, and I want to be your friend. "
Damn liar!
My subconscious screamed to me to beware of Jace's Trojan horse. Was I overreacting?
Nobody had ever done anything for me for free before. No one except my mum. Everyone else wants me to pay back one way or the other.
"Thank you," I said.
"For what?"
"For everything. Saving me from Derek and for this hamburger. "
"We are friends, right?"
I bobbed my head and smiled.
"Then you don't have to thank me. Come on, let's get out of here and treat your wounds, then we can go and report Derek's assault to the school authority."
The breeze was welcoming when we stepped out of the restroom building, and for the first time since I could remember, I appreciated the gift of life.
On our way to the school infirmary. Only one question raced through my mind as I stepped after Jace; what did Jace Calder want from me?