Catherine's POV
I was halfway to my room when his voice cut through the hallway, low and sharp. "Wow," Julian said. "He now drops you off."
My heart almost leaped out of my chest. I spun around so fast I nearly tripped. "Jesus, Julian! You scared me!"
He leaned against the wall like he'd been waiting there all evening, arms crossed. "Didn't mean to," he said, though the tiny smirk tugging at his lips said otherwise.
I rolled my eyes, trying to hide how my pulse was still racing. "Then maybe don't lurk in hallways like some creep?"
He pushed off the wall and started walking toward me with deliberate steps. "I asked you to stay away from Collins," he said simply.
I blinked. "Excuse me?"
"I am going to have to make myself clear again." His tone dropped lower. "I don't want to see you around him."
A short, incredulous laugh left my mouth. "Get this into your thick skull, Julian, you can't decide who I talk to."
He stopped right in front of me, close enough that I could feel the tension radiating off him. I instinctively stepped back two paces before my back brushed against the wall.
"I'm serious, Catherine," he said, deepening his voice. "He's not the kind of guy you should be around."
"Oh, spare me," I challenged back, folding my arms. "At least he doesn't act like an emotional hurricane."
His jaw tightened and his eyes darkened. "You don't understand."
"I don't want to!" I snapped. "You said you didn't want me meddling in your life, remember? So stay out of mine!"
I tried to push past him, but he moved faster. His hand shot out, snaking around my waist, and before I could process what was happening, I was pinned between him and the wall. His left arm slammed against the wall above my head, caging me in.
My breath caught.
"Goddamn it," he muttered with a rough voice, his breathing uneven. "Why do you always have to be so stubborn? It's killing me."
My chest rose and fell rapidly. His face was too close that I could feel the heat of his breath brushing against my lips.
"Julian," I whispered, trying to steady my voice. "What are you doing?"
His gaze flickered from my eyes to my lips. For a second, it felt like the air had been sucked out of the hallway. His fingers lifted just barely, tracing my bottom lip like he wasn't aware he was doing it, then his jaw clenched, and he pulled away sharply, his hand falling to his side.
"You're too easy," he said coldly. "Collins will have you in his bed before the week's over."
The words hit harder than I expected. I froze, my face burning, not from embarrassment, but pure anger.
What an offensive remark to make!
"What the hell is your problem?"
He didn't answer. His silence only made it worse. So I walked up to him and slapped him hard enough that his head turned slightly.
"If Collins wants me in his bed," I said, my voice shaking, "then maybe I don't mind. I'm attracted to him too."
His eyes flared. "Catherine—"
He said my name like a warning, his voice rough with fury.
Before I could even blink, Gabriel appeared from the hallway, wide-eyed and confused. "What's going on here?" he asked, looking between us.
Julian didn't answer. He clenched his jaw and turned abruptly, storming off toward his room. His door slammed hard enough to leave me startled.
Gabriel turned to me, his eyebrows raised. "Care to explain?"
I threw my hands up. "What?"
He kept staring, waiting for an answer.
"Don't look at me like that," I snapped. "Go and talk to your brother. That moron is getting on my damn nerves."
Then I stormed into my room and slammed the door shut behind me.
—-
A few days later, I finally stopped expecting things to get better. Julian and I barely spoke, not even a glare exchanged in the hallways at school, and as for Tessa, she changed too.
I spotted her near the cafeteria and waved. "Tess!"
She looked right at me, then looked away, pretending not to see.
Before I could even process it, Sasha and her crew appeared behind her. They were now laughing with her, arms looped like they'd been besties for years.
What the hell?
That's when it hit me that she wasn't ignoring me by accident. She'd switched sides.
I tried talking to her later that day, but every time she saw me, she turned away, walking faster or suddenly remembering she had "somewhere to be." It hurt more than I'd admit.
By the end of the day, school had become painfully dull.
I couldn't even complain to Tessa about my day without getting a cold shoulder.
I sighed, walking out toward the parking lot, hoping to easily find Gabriel but my steps faltered when I saw Julian.
He leaned against his car like some model out of a magazine, shirt sleeves rolled up, head tilted slightly as he talked to a blonde girl. She laughed at something he said, flipping her hair. He smirked, and something twisted in my chest.
I wasn't jealous, at least, that's what I told myself. I called whatever I was feeling.. anger. I was angry that he got to ignore me, judge me, and still flirt with whoever he wanted.
What a hypocrite!
My fists clenched around my bag strap and then, as if fate read my mind, I saw Collins walking across the lot with two of his friends. His eyes met mine and he smiled.
Before I even realized what I was doing, I walked straight toward him.
"Hey," I greeted, smiling back a little too brightly.
He stopped, asking his two friends to go ahead. "What's up, Catherine?"
"Good," I butted out fast, and before I could chicken out, I reached for his hand, locking our fingers together. That was a very stupid move but anything to infuriate Julian.
His eyes flicked down to our hands, a flash of surprise crossed his face, but he didn't pull away. "Uhm… are you okay?" he asked slowly.
"Yes sure," I said with a shrug, even though my toes were curling up in my shoes. "Actually, I wanted to tell you… I changed my mind about your party."
His eyebrows shot up. "Really?"
"Yeah," I said, smiling like it was no big deal. "I'll come but only on the condition that you come pick me up."
That wiped the confusion right off his face, replacing it with excitement. "Be assured that I'll be at your doorstep in time. Thank you."
I faked a giggle, and said, "Guess I'll see you then."
The whole time, my peripheral vision was locked on Julian. He wasn't talking to the blonde anymore. His jaw was clenched, his hands shoved deep in his pockets, and his gaze was fixed on me.
I pretended not to notice.
As Collins waved goodbye, I took a few steps back, giving him my best "oh, you're so adorable" smile, and even faked a blush before turning away.
Julian's eyes followed every step I took.
Yes! Mother fucker! Choke on your anger!