Page 9 of Dear Future Husband

“Occupied,” he growled over his shoulder at the girl who peered at us through the cracked door. I recognizedher immediately.

Hannah Lacy looked me right in my eyes. The eyes I knew were full of held back emotion, willing her, with all the unspoken pleas locked in my soul, for her to help me, but she didn’t speak. Hannah pushed her round glasses up the bridge of her nose and walked out, leaving me alone to face my demon.

Twisting back to me, ignoring the way I inhaled sharply when his fingers grazed my neck, Clayton nabbed my long, curly braid off my shoulder. He held the braid up, breathing in a deep, embellished whiff.

“You smell sweet,” he cooed, and I swallowed hard. Desperately trying to keep down the contents of my rolling stomach that threatened to crawl up and out of my throat. Dipping into my space closer, our noses nearly brushing, he smiled with all his teeth. “Makes me wonder how sweet you’d taste.”

A whimper squirmed past my tight-lipped mouth. I refused to breathe, to allow his smell, his breath, his arrogance to invade my senses any further. Hopefully, if I held it in long enough, I’d at least pass out.

How pathetic.

I was pathetic.

“Maybelle?”

For once in my life, I believed in divine intervention. Watching my brother barge into the bathroom with Hannah Lacy on his heels, was the most seraphic scene I’d ever experienced.

“What the hell is going on here?” Liam barked and Clayton physically shrank back from me. Except that smile of his was an ailment still holding strong to his face.

“Ah, here comes brother. Nothing is going on. Me and Mason were just chatting.”

Liam’s usually light blue eyes were dark as he stared Clayton down. Then he was on the boy. Liam grabbed Clayton by the collar, holding him against the wall. They were almost pressed nose to nose as Liam asked, “Whatare you doing in the girls’ bathroom with my sister?”

The tone of my brother’s voice was deep, vicious. A type of anger I’d only ever witnessed from him once before.

The abrupt action had a startled squeak squeezing out of Hannah from her spot in the bathroom corner.

“Did you touch her?” Liam accused and Clayton laughed in his face.

“Don’t be so dramatic. No, I didn’t touch her. I didn’t do anything, just ask her.”

Both boys turned to me then. I had to hold the sink behind me in order to keep upright.

“What happened, May? Did he touch you?” Liam asked.

I was centuries old cobblestone, trembling and breaking down with the quaking earth. I couldn’t make sound. I couldn’t cry out; all I could do was shake my head and pray for the moment to end.

“See,” Clayton snarked.

Liam didn’t look at him. His eyes remained on me, silently pleading with me to say what I needed to, but I couldn’t.

It shattered something deep in my heart to hear the long-irritated sigh leave Liam as he stepped away from Clayton. “Stay out of the girls’ bathroom, you creep.”

Clayton’s grin was full of triumph as he slid me one last wink. “See you tomorrow, Mason.” Then he slithered out.

Liam didn’t look at me, and I wanted to burst into tears. Rather, Liam twisted to Hannah, who was still cowering in the corner. “Thank you for coming to get me, Lacy.”

Hannah nodded, face a little flush as she stared up at my brother—awe-struck. But the reaction to my brother was brief as she turned her attention to me. “Are you alright, Maybelle?”

Honestly, I was a little surprised she asked, thoughthat girl was technically the only friend I had. Flustered, I nodded and said in an airy voice, “Yes. Thank you.”

Smiling her farewell, Hannah pushed her glasses up her nose and exited the bathroom. Leaving me and Liam alone.

Still, Liam didn’t look at me as he turned for the door and said back over his shoulder to me, “Come on, May. Let’s go home.”

I numbly followed Liam out to the car, keeping a respectable distance. The rehearsal had ended, and the hall was teeming with high schoolers. But my twin pushed through, not stopping when numerous students tried to get his attention.

He only stopped when his best friend threw an arm around his shoulders.