Page 200 of Broken by my Bully

He reaches over to help me, like I’m a fucking child, and I slap his hand away.

“I don’t need your help!”

Then I’m bolting out of his car, to the Land Rover. Pulling at thehandle as I furiously swipe away at the incessant stream of tears. The wind throws my hair against my mouth. I spit it out, shrugging my face against my shoulder.

He comes up behind me. “Haven…”

I hear the keys jangle, and I turn just enough to see them dangling from his hand. I snatch them away from him, fumbling, dropping them.

“Calm down.”

“Shut the fuck up.” I finally get the car unlocked, wrenching the door open so fast I almost hit myself in the face.

Wouldn’t that have been hilarious?

But I can’t close it, because Bastian’s holding the top, and he’s leaning in. “We’re going to talk this out like adults?—”

“No, because I’m a fucking child, remember?”

“I never said that.”

“You did!” I tug at the door. “Leave it! I’m late for my shift!”

He hangs his head and sighs like it’s so fucking hard being an adult with unlimited money and no problems. “You don’t have a shift.”

I bark out a laugh. “Yes, I fucking do. But not for much longer if you don’t. Let. Go!” I keep yanking at the door handle, but it’s like playing tug of war with a pit bull.

Bastian glances away, looking dead fucking serious when he turns back. “You don’t have a shift, Haven, because you don’t work at the diner anymore.”

I stop tugging. “What?”

He licks his lips. Rolls his bottom one between his teeth. Not like he’s stalling, but like he’ssavoring.“You should be studying, not serving patty melts.”

“I should…” I shake my head as icy prickles shoot through my fingertips. “What did you do?”

“The sorority provides you with full room and board. If you need anything else, you can just come to me. You don’t have to workanymore.” He delivers every word with a zen-like assurance that makes me want to scream.

Tears warp the world until I blink them free. “Bastian, what did you do?!”

“I called them. Told them you were quitting. They’ll send your last check to the sorority. I gave them the?—“

I lunge out of the car and shove his chest with all my might. He steps back, holding up his hands, taking another deep breath like he’s trying to keep his cool.

“You’re a fucking lunatic!” I ward him off with a pointed finger. “You stay the fuck away from me. Stay the fuck out of my life. Just…fuck off!”

I slam the door and throw the gearshift in reverse, taking off with his Land Rover at a dangerous speed. At the next intersection, I bang my hand against the steering wheel as I fight back a sob.

Then I realize it’shissteering wheel, that I need to take this car back to his house and fetch mine.

I pull over and have a good sob about it, so I don’t cause an accident. And then I drive back to the sorority house, because even though I desperately want to drive to the diner and beg for my job back, I’m in no state to do that right now.

Got to pull myself together first.

Got to figure out how to get out of this invisible trap Bastian’s spun around me like a motherfucking spiderweb. But even as I think it, I know it’s too late.

He’s already in my life.

In my head.