Do You Dare? by Lylah James

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Lila

I stumbled out of school, my legs feeling a bit shaky. My knees were bruised from where they had slammed me on the bathroom floor. My lips throbbed, and I could feel a headache coming. That was one hell of a slap, kudos to Bethany.

As I walked through the main gates, the bus drove past me, and I stood there, dumbfounded. Damn it, I missed my bus. Fists clenched, I held in the urge to cry because now was not the time for it.

It was cold. I was moody and in pain.

But I. Would. Not. Cry.

“Lila!”

My steps faltered at the sound of Maddox’s voice. Huh.

“Lila, what the fuck?” he called out. I looked over my shoulder to see him running toward me. His mouth was curled in a dark scowl as he approached me.

My dark hair fell as a curtain around my face, and I looked down at my feet. I didn’t want him to see the bruises, didn’t want his pity or his stupid, mocking laugh.

But Maddox, being Maddox…

He crowded into my space, his front pressing against my back. His arm curled around my waist, and he pulled me into his body.

“How did this happen?” he asked, his voice low and serious.

“What do you want?”

“The back of your skirt is ripped. Doesn’t look like an accident. Who did this?”

What?

I pushed away from Maddox and reached behind me to realize that he was right. There was a large tear in my Berkshire skirt, big enough for my panties to be visible and everyone could see it. No wonder I felt the cold breeze on my ass.

Anger flared up inside me, and I let out a shuddering breath.

I didn’t want to cry because I was hurt or humiliated. They were tears of outrage, and I swiped at my cheeks, refusing to let Maddox see them.

“Lila,” Maddox said slowly. The sound of my name came from his lips so softly, as if he cared. It was stupid, but my heart still did a silly jump.

He grasped my shoulders and turned me around to face him. I kept my face lowered, but he was having none of that. His fingers grazed my cheeks, and he brushed my hair away from my face.

When he let out a string of curses, I knew he saw the bruises. His hand clenched my arm, and he dragged me to the bench. I tried to pull out of his grip, but he held tight.

He sat me down and knelt in front of me, looking like a dark, angry warrior. He was…pissed?

“Who did this?” he asked, his voice hard and strained.

“Your girlfriend,” I shot back. I wretched my hand from his grasp and crossed my arms over my chest. “She isn’t too happy of our friendship status.”

His eyes turned into slits, and he gave me a hard look. “Bethany,” Maddox hissed under his breath. “She’s going to regret this.”

I scoffed at that. “I don’t need a protector. I can take care of myself.”

His lips twitched. Even though his expression was hard and serious, the humor was back in his blue eyes. “No, you’re right. You’re the dragon.”

Ha. Very funny.

I rolled my eyes and looked around us. Most of the students had gone home already, and I was probably two or three of the few who took a bus, since everyone had a car or a driver to pick them up. Perks of being rich, I guessed.

“What are you doing here?”

Maddox dragged his fingers through his hair, still short since his last haircut. I couldn’t decide if I liked the long hair better, but I missed his poodle hair.

“Coach needed to speak to me. I was about to leave when I saw you walking out of the building and noticed the tear in your skirt. Nice panties, by the way. It reminds me of your cherry lips.”

Mental facepalm incoming: 3…2…1.

Maddox brought his hand up, his thumb brushing over my sore lips. “Are you going to tell me what happened?”

I gave him a sheepish grin. “I can tell you about the part where I broke her nose and choked her.”

“Atta girl,” he praised out loud. “I was almost worried you were going to tell me you didn’t fight back.”

He grabbed my water bottle from my bag, and I watched as he wet his handkerchief. Against my nature, I stayed silent and watched him. His eyebrows furled in concentration, his lips in a firm, straight line, and his eyes darkened as he studied my bruises.

Maddox pressed the wet handkerchief over my lips, rubbing gently to clean the dried blood. I flinched but stayed still for him. He then swiped it over my cheek, which was almost on fire. Bethany’s ring must have caught my skin. I let out a sigh when I realized it would be a nasty green or purple shade tomorrow.

“I don’t like how you got hurt because of me,” he finally admitted. Maddox touched my cheek, his thumb hovering over my wound. His touch was gentle and soothing.

“Feeling guilty, Poodle?”

His eyes snapped to mine, glaring. “It’s not funny.”

“What’s not funny, Poodle?”

“Lila,” he warned.

“Yes, Poodle.”

“You’re hurt!”

I pressed my finger over my cheek and winced, then gave him a nod in confirmation. “Yup, I can feel that.”

He fumed, silently. His jaw clenched, and I swore I heard his teeth grinding together. Finally, I let the poor guy out of his misery. “I don’t blame you. Bethany was a bitch. I dealt with it, and it’s over now. Little scratches can’t hurt me because they don’t leave permanent scars.”

Maddox stood up and offered me a hand. I grabbed it, and he pulled me up to my feet. “Fine. Let me drive you home.”

The world came to a halt at his words, and my knees weakened.

I suddenly forgot how to breathe as my eyes watered. Sweat trickled down my forehead and between my breasts. I choked on my saliva as the gut-wrenching feeling in my stomach had me wanting to throw up.

The long, jagged scar between my breasts throbbed with a ghostly ache, a reminder. It wasn’t painful anymore, but my body and my mind remembered the pain.

“No,” I choked out.

Maddox gripped me by the elbow. “For fuck’s sake, Lila. Just let me–”

“No!”

He didn’t understand; he didn’t fucking understand.

I stumbled back and away from him, desperately trying to count backward.

Ten… nine…eight…

“Lila.”

His voice sounded so far away, as if I was submerged under water, and he was yelling at me from the sky.

Seven…six… five…four…three…two…one.

I opened my eyes and took a shuddering deep breath. Maddox was staring at me with an unreadable expression, and it angered me, not knowing what he was thinking.

Was it pity? Or was he judging me? Did he even notice I just had an anxiety attack?

“I’ll take the bus… thank you for the…offer though,” I spoke, trying to hide the tremors in my voice.

He took a long moment but finally gave me a slow nod. Maddox silently peeled his blazer off his body. I didn’t expect it, but he stepped closer to me, his body flush against mine. He was a whole head taller, so he towered over me. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and I stilled, my lips parting in shock. When I looked down, I saw him tying a knot with the sleeves of his blazer around my hips. It laid heavily against the back of my ass and legs.

He was… covering up my ripped skirt.

“I got you,” he breathed in my ear, before pulling away.

I opened my mouth to say thank you, but I couldn’t find the words. Maddox looked over my shoulder and gave me a small smile. “The bus is here.”

I nodded, still stupidly silent. Say something, damnit. Anything.

His hands were shoved in his pockets as he watched me climb into the bus. I settled in the back, like always. Maddox was still watching me.

I pressed my palm against the window, and he grinned, boyish and sexy.

Thank you, I mouthed as the bus drove away.

***

The next morning, as I stepped out of the house, Maddox and his car were there waiting. He rolled down his window and beckoned me over.

“What are you doing?” I asked. “Stalker much, Coulter?”

He handed me a brown paper bag. “Good morning to you, too, Sweet Cheeks. You look better today. No bruises, I see.”

My bruises, which I had successfully been able to hide from my grandparents, were covered with makeup. I shrugged and took whatever Maddox was offering me. “Makeup did the trick.”

I peeked inside the bag. Mint. Chocolate. Muffin. Oh my God!

“You–”

“You’re welcome,” he said.

I let out a laugh. “Seriously, what are you doing?”

“I thought you said we were friends.”

I eyed him suspiciously. “We are.”

“So, I’m getting you breakfast. You and Riley tend to share lunch, right?”

I couldn’t decide if this was sweet or dorky, neither of which suited Maddox Coulter. I gave his SUV a once over. “I’m not getting in your car if you’re trying to bribe me with my favorite muffin. For all I know, you could be a kidnapper or an axe murderer.”

Maddox winked. “I’d make a sexy axe murderer, admit it.”

I rolled my eyes, for the umpteenth time, and took a bite of my mint chocolate muffin. “My bus is here,” I muttered around a mouthful. I bent down, so we were eye-level and gave him a smirk of my own. “You can follow me to school. Like you followed me home yesterday. You need to improve your stalking skills, Coulter.”

The look on his face was comical. Busted, Poodle.

I winked and sashayed away.

We rode to Berkshire separately, although it didn’t quite feel like it. The muffin he gave me kept me company. I tried to devour it slowly, but mint chocolate was my one and only weakness.

Maddox was waiting for me at the gate when I stepped off the bus. He hoisted his bag on one shoulder and gripped my hand. Surprised, I looked down at our interlocked fingers as he pulled me into the building. Wh-what?

“What are you doing?” I asked with caution.

“Holding your hand.”

His hand was warm and strong. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but I didn’t pull away. “Why?”

His eyes briefly met mine before he went back to staring everyone else down. “Because I need the world to know they can’t mess with what’s mine.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to rebut him. I didn’t need a savior, didn’t need to cower behind Maddox’s back because I could handle all the haters on my own. Yesterday, I let my claws out and I was no longer worried about using them.

But when I saw the look on his face, hard and serious–I swallowed the words.

Something in his eyes told me he wasn’t going to budge on this matter.

I didn’t know why I kept silent and let him hold my hand. It bugged me why I did it, but then I pushed the feeling down.

We marched through the halls, and the students stepped out of our way, like the ocean parting in half for us to walk through.

I bit my tongue, held my chin high and kept my hand in Maddox’s. His grip was firm, but comforting. I expected the whispers to follow us but was met with…nothing.

By lunch time, I couldn’t bite my tongue any longer. The day went on just like this morning. The other students avoided eye-contact, no one glared or sneered at me and no one dared to approach me. Even Riley found it odd.

When Maddox reached for my fries, I slapped his hand away and leveled him with a look. “Did you do something? Did you threaten people? They’re acting weird.”

Riley gave me a grunt of agreement.

Maddox took a bite of his sandwich, simultaneously throwing an arm around the back my chair, before glancing around the cafeteria to give his kingdom a once over. “I think you were threatening enough for both of us.”

“Huh?”

“Bethany’s nose is not broken, but you did a number on her. Gossip travels fast.”

“They’re scared of me?”

“They’re scared of us,” he amended.

I picked at my fries, no longer hungry. “Am I going to get in trouble… for hurting Bethany?”

Colton pushed back against his chair, rocking on the two back legs. “No, you won’t. We took care of that already.”

My eyes snapped to Maddox, frowning. “So, you did threaten someone.”

The side of his lips quirked up. “I have my ways.”

I should’ve been mad; I should’ve told him to mind his own business.

I really should have.

But then I had a brief moment of realization – he was protecting me. Even though I told him numerous times that I didn’t want him to. It was a very different Maddox, from the one who was jerk to me and it was shocking to the say the least. I was curious how far he’d go… to be my friend.

The moment Maddox and I did that pinky swear outside of my Gran’s grocery store, it became obvious that my business was his and his was mine. It was an unspoken understanding between us.

We both shared a smile.

And that was it.

The beginning of something Maddox and I weren’t ready for.

That day, we somehow sealed our friendship.

Friends?

Yeah, friends.