Page 60 of The Surprise Play

Worrying my lip, I start to panic that he’ll get in trouble for doing that. What if she reports him for verbal abuse or for threatening her? What if the people standing around heard him say that stuff andtheyreport him?

What if she’s now meeting up with Jade and planning a revenge mission against me—the hippo girl she’s been trying to keep in her place ever since elementary school?

“Hey, stop doing that.” Wily brushes his thumb over my bottom lip. “You’re gonna make yourself bleed.”

I give it one more nibble before pressing my lips together so he can’t see them anymore.

“Satch.” He wiggles my hand. “Tell me who that evil little viper was.” The way he spits out the last couple of words is a clear indication that he’s getting agitated again, and I really don’t want him heading off to class too angry to hear anything.

So, I force out a breath and try to play it off the way I usually do. “Don’t worry about it. Honestly. It’s not a big deal.”

“Are you kidding me?” He bends down so he can get in my face. Tipping my chin up, he looks me right in the eye. “Satch, it’s a big deal. People shouldn’t be talking to you that way.”

“Well, it’s…” My shoulder hitches. “People hassle each other sometimes.”

His eyes pop even wider, his mouth opening in clear vexation. “That was not playful hassling, that wasoutright verbal abuse!” His expression is so exaggerated it’s almost comical, but I can’t find it in me to laugh because I’m still burning with humiliation.

I dip my head and swallow, figuring I’d rather melt into the concrete than have to admit all the nasty words I’ve had thrown at me over the years.

“Who else has spoken to you like that before? Has she?” He points behind himself and I peer around his body, sudden terror seizing me.

Is she there? Did she come back?

But the coast is clear.

It’s just us. Hiding around the corner of the building. I’m safe here. With him.

I sag with relief, but that only makes Wily’s eyebrows flicker, his expression deepening with concern.

Crap. I need to tell him something, right?

But…

I don’t want to!

It’s so humiliating.

I don’t want him to know all the things that were done to me. Why should I give him reasons to see me the way they do?

Lowering my chin, I bite my lips together again and wait out the silence. It’s awkward and horrible, and Wily will get impatient soon. But that’s good, right? Maybe he’ll huff and walk away, and we can just forget this whole thing.

“You know her, don’t you?” he finally mutters. “She’s definitely spoken shit to you before, and you just let her.”

“What?” I look up, not sure how to feel about that. “I… you don’t… I…” I huff and finally manage, “People are entitled to their opinions.”

“That wasn’t an opinion,” he hisses. “It was bullshit!”

“Well, isn’t it better to just ignore it, then? I mean, how else am I supposed to respond?”

He tips my chin again, his eyes bright with intensity. “You look at her, and you tell her toshut the fuck up.”

My eyes bulge, my skin starting to burn like I’ve just been dancing naked in a sandstorm.

“I… I can’t…” Shaking my head, I take a step away from him. “I can’t say that to someone.”

“Well, you should.” He gives me an emphatic look likeI’mthe crazy one for not immediately jumping all over this. “Besides, she’s not a someone. She’s a viper! A full-blown, foulmouthed bitch. And she deserves to be put in her place.”

“It’d just make it worse.” I grip my bag straps. “It’s better to stay quiet and walk away.”