Page 15
“Boys are not better than girls!” I stomp my foot in exasperation. “I’m just as good as any of you.”
“Prove it,” Axel taunts.
“Name your terms.”
“A race,” Kaiden quips.
“No! She always beats me in races,” Zie complains. My eyes flash triumphantly because it’s true. I’m a damn good runner and I’m not bad in the pool either.
“And she’s definitely smarter than me,” Kaiden adds. I smile at his compliment. He’s always the nicest to me out of the three boys.
“Okay. You think you’re so strong, Odile Kemp?” Axel challenges me. I nod. “Hit me. If you can make me bleed, I’ll concede that you’re just as good as me.”
I hesitate. Do I want to hit Axel? Yes I do. Am I scared to? Absolutely. But I have a point to prove and he has me so riled up that I think I can actually do it.
I pull back my arm and curl it into a fist. I don’t really know what I’m doing, only that Kaiden once said not to tuck my thumb inside, so I make sure it isn’t.
Axel is laughing, not believing I’ll do it. Taunting me.
I snap.
My fist flies out and makes contact with his mouth. Damn. I was aiming for his nose but he’s so much taller than me!
My god that really hurts. I shake my hand out and Kaiden quickly catches it in his to check on me. The knuckles are pink but there’s no blood. He gently runs his finger back and forth over the bumpy bones and it tickles.
“Well done,” he whispers.
“This is bullshit! You’ve been teaching her!” Axel accuses.
I look up at him. Blood is trickling from his mouth. He has a split, slightly swollen lip. I did that. I’m torn somewhere between pride and horror. Part of me wants to rush over to him and apologise, to see if he’s okay…but I can’t. I can’t back down or show weakness so I grin at him instead.
“See. Girls are just as good as boys.”
“No they’re not,” he snaps, spitting blood into the grass near my feet.
“You said—” I cry but he cuts me off.
“I said you’re just as good as me. You’re way better than any normal girl, Peony. That’s why you’re one of us.”
I flush with pride.
Table of Contents
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- Page 15 (Reading here)
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