06

« Well… » Jess cut in, looking down.

« Wait what ? » I asked, confused.

All the girls shared looks, and in the end, it was Natalya who finally turned back to and spoke.

« Connor is the school delinquent. He transferred here in sophomore year, and in that year, he took the virginity of every single virgin in the grade. And yes, that’s a lot of girls. » She said, noticing my wide eyes.

I was completely shocked.

« You may be wondering how he did it. Well, every girl had hope. They all wanted to be the one- you know ? The one that would change him, make him commit for once. He played every girl here. » Natalya said grimly.

I looked around the table, looking at all the ashamed looks on every face. I couldn’t help but feel bad. It really wasn’t hard to believe, really.

« He has been arrested twelve times, but his dad is one of those high class billionaires, so he is never gone for long. » Claire spat out, obviously pissed at that.

« Oh, and he has a temper. » Claire stated, the rest of the girls nodding their heads in agreement.

« Has he ever hurt someone ? » I asked in a whisper.

Anna scoffed, « He hurt every girl he used. But yeah, people stay away from him for a reason. »

I looked around, searching for Connor. Immediately I noticed him with two other guys at a booth near the back of the lunchroom.

« Who are the two guys with him ? » I asked curiously, watching them.

« Matt and James. Bad and dangerous, but Connor… he’s much worse. » Jessica informed me.

As I continued to stare on, James turned his head, locking eyes with me. Instantly I turned away, blushing furiously. After waiting a bit, I turned again, only to have my heart stop beating. Matt and James were now staring in my direction- oh god, please no. I couldn’t help but watch in fear as James nudged Connor, making him look in my direction.

Well, I best be going. The second Connor’s eyes narrowed, I murmured a quick excuse about not feeling well and quickly stood up, grabbing my tray of untouched pasta. As I was making my way to the trash, I made the mistake of turning to look back at them.

But the thing is, Connor wasn’t there anymore. Instead, James and Matt sat there smirking mischievously at me.

Confused, I scanned the area near their booth, but Connor wasn’t anywhere to be found.

I turned to leave, bumping into someone.

Well, I found Connor.

« Excuse me, » I said politely, waiting patiently for him to move. He gave me a disgusted look and smacked my tray upwards, throwing the pasta into my face. Just my luck, the pasta was still very hot. I let out a scream as the sauce burned my face, falling hard on my ass.

« This happens to those creative b*tches who think they can mess with me. » Connor announced, James and Matt now flanked at either side of him. With that, the three exited the room, while Jessica helped me up, and the rest of the girls went with us into the bathroom.

15 minutes later

My face was red and blotchy and tears leaked from my eyes. The girls moved around me, helping by cleaning off the mess and putting cool paper towel on the slight burns on my face and neck.

« Sh… hun, don’t cry. » Claire murmured, rubbing my back soothingly.

I leaned over the sink, sobs racking through my body. I know, pathetic right ? It’s just Connor, he reminded me of this guy. In London I was in a year long relationship with this guy, what people couldn’t see past my fake plastered smile was that he was beating me. A lot.

But concealer can only hide so much.

Basically, the guy was carted off to some special boarding school, and while my life started to turn around, we were forced to move here. That’s the reason I was so pissed about coming back for my senior year. Just as I thought everything was getting better- it didn’t.

When I finally stopped crying, the bell rang, signaling sixth period. Here goes nothing, I thought, plastering that same fake smile on my face.

« Aw, you’re all better ! » Jessica cooed, giving me a small hug.

That’s what you thing- hell, that’s what everybody thinks.

Connor’s POV

What the f*ck is going on with me ?

Ever since I put that b*tch into her place, this feeling has been growing inside me. It was almost as if I felt… bad ? Could this possibly be what guilt feels like ?

No… it couldn’t. Connor Michaels never feels guilt- not now not ever. I headed to AP Psych, taking my seat next to Matt. Suddenly the room was filled with gasps and whispers, making me look up only to lock eyes with-

Bellatrix Brown.

Then that feeling hit me again and I saw the red marks on her face and neck. It grew from the bottom of my stomach, rising throughout me.

Holy shit.

Why do I feel guilty ?

Bella’s POV

AP Psych, a class that would normally be really easy for me, but instead, I was too distracted. When I had walked in, I locked eyes with him. And shockingly, he looked guilty. But I brushed that off, I mean seriously, Connor Michaels ? Guilty ? Ha. That would never happen.

50 minutes later

AP Bio.

It’s hard to concentrate when the guy you now hate so much, is burning holes in your back. Literally. I could feel his stare for the whole fifty minutes, making the whole class time very uncomfortable.

The bell rang, and I fled from the room in attempt to not get stuck in the crowds. Next I had Study Hall, but because Jessica missed the English lesson, she had to go back and make-up some work, leaving me with no one for fifty minutes.