Page 11 of Broken by my Bully

God, he’s gotten handsome. His round face has melted around a sharp jaw and a proud nose. Round eyes more hooded, eyebrows casting deeper shadows.

His freckles are still there, though. His golden brown tan.

And here I am. Mousier, paler, a ghost of the girl in the woods.

And I’ve gained weight—physicallyandemotionally. Enough that I’m considering starving myself so I don’t have to hunt through bargain bins for larger clothing.

The corner of Kai’s mouth twitches, and I’m flung back in time and more than halfway across Agony Hollow, to the woods behind the trailer park where we stayed. He’d get the same look on his face when he was about to suggest a fun game for the afternoon, one we hadn’t played before.

Does he still have such an active imagination? He’d come up with the most unhinged role-play scenarios back then.

His favorite was Columbus and Jane, a brave explorer and his wife traversing jungles teeming with savage animals. We’d be swatting mosquitoes and complaining about how thirsty we were the whole afternoon as he hacked at whatever foliage got in our way with a blunt kitchen knife he’d found in a dumpster outside the trailer park.

Sometimes I’d object to being the wife. But anything was better than staying at home with Dad.

Kai walks up to my chair…and just keeps going.

Past me, onto the podium.

He flops down onto his seat and tosses the last few notebooks back onto the desk, running his hands through his hair like he just used up the last of his energy. He hooks his hands behind his head and stares at Professor Rooke, completely ignoring my flabbergasted face.

“Everyone got one?” Rooke asks.

I turn to him, shaking my head, but he’s looking at the top row of students.

“Good. In the coming weeks, you’ll be keeping a diary. For those of you with experience, this will be a little different.”

I look back at Kai. He’s still watching Rooke.

What the actual fuck? I’m glaring so hard at Kai, Professor Rooke’s voice zones out.

“…three criteria for each entry, making sure…”

Three years is a long time to hold a grudge, Kai.

“…help you determine…”

Yeah, I’m one to talk. I was never good at letting go either.

“…are there any questions?”

Shit. What just happened?

My attention snaps back to Professor Rooke. He’s smiling at the class again, and it might be petty as hell, but I feel totally left out.

I lean over to the redhead beside me. “What does he want us to do?” I whisper.

She frowns at me. “Which part?”

Jeez, how long did I zone out for?

“Good. Class dismissed.” Rooke flicks his fingers toward the door, a wry smile on his lips. “Now get the hell out of my sight.”

Students pause to put away their laptops or speak to a classmate, but most head straight for the door. Kai is already on his phone, a deep eleven between his brows. I stand, my notepad smothered against my chest. The redhead nods at me before she leaves, and I quickly turn to follow her.

“A moment please, Miss.”

I freeze in my tracks when I realize Professor Rooke is speaking to me. When I glance over my shoulder, his eyebrows twitch up as he drops his chin. “Yes. You.”