"Hey! You've been avoiding me all damn day! Now you can't escape," Eli snapped, his impatience evident as he cornered me in the hallway. I felt trapped, caught in his glare. Where the hell was my business partner when I needed him? "Now tell me why you've been ducking me?"
"I told you I had things to do and I don't feel like talking to you anymore. Leave me the hell alone," I grumbled, trying to brush him off.
"I've got tickets to a concert—"
"What the fuck, man? Did you not just hear me? I've got shit to do. Go with my sister or something; she likes all the bands you're into," I rolled my eyes, my annoyance bubbling over.
"Are you really missing a concert I invited you to?" He gasped, clearly taken aback. "I've got the ticket just for you! You can't turn me down now!"
Yeah, I can, and I know from the past life that I lose my mind with you there at that concert! I get left alone, I get hurt in a mosh pit, you disappear with some older lady while I'm taken to the hospital, then you turn around and accuse me of ruining the entire night for you. The last thing I wanted was a repeat of our old drama—especially with my new plan already set in motion. "Why don't you fuck off?" I suggested, and to my relief, Eli took a step back, looking wounded but ultimately acquiescing.
"Ugh, another fucking day of listening to the Spencers and their high and mighty bullshit," another classmate chimed in, his voice dripping with disdain. I'd almost forgotten that my name carried weight at this school, and it wasn't very favorable.
"Don't even bother. No one cares about that guy," another kid added, fanning the flames.
"Well, since your family just started making enough money to send you here, I guess you wouldn't know me," I shot back, trying to hold my ground.
"He's the one that his family doesn't like," another kid chimed in, as if that mattered.
"Oh, so you're that other Spencer? Jack?" The first kid laughed sarcastically. "I haven't heard that you're qualified to really learn with us. You know everyone else is working hard to succeed. So why are you even here?"
His words struck deep, the memories of past humiliations flooding back. How had I forgotten the relentless bullying I endured for being Eli's shadow? The total blatant isolation I felt. I'm pretty sure Debbie was orchestrating it all from behind the scenes. "How rude," I muttered, feeling the heat of embarrassment rise in my cheeks.
"What's rude about it? I mean, your father is nothing but a crooked thief after all," he retorted, pushing further. The class fell silent, all eyes on me, waiting for a response. This kid had no idea who he was dealing with.
"My father's a thief? Where did you get that kind of information? Your father works under the financial aid of my father's company. Everything your father does has to be approved by my father, correct? I guess you're unaware since you just came into this kind of money and joined high society, but unlike you, I was born into this shit. I got a puppy recently, and even he knows who the master of the house is. If you don't know how these kinds of things work, you'd better watch out. Maybe you can learn a bit from my puppy; you want to meet him?" I crossed my arms, my confidence growing.
The kid went red in the face, the truth cutting deeper than I intended. "No wonder people are fed up with you! You're such a piece of shit!" he screamed, desperation creeping into his voice.
"My partner isn't fed up with me. In fact he likes me quite a bit," I smirked, the revelation surprising even me, but if there was anytime to use Damien it was now. I just didn't think I'd have to use this card so damn quickly.
"Partner?! What partner would ever want someone like you?! Your only charm was your long hair and the fact that you were so submissive and maybe that you looked a little like a chick! That's clearly gone now! Whatever partner you have will get tired of you real soon anyway! You're not even worthy of being looked at for longer than a few seconds! You're utterly boring and unappealing!" He screamed, and his anger began to expose his vulnerabilities.
Before I could retort, the kid was yanked out of his chair by a larger force. Finally, my backup had arrived. "What the fuck is going on here? I'll leave him? How do you know? Are we friends or something? You know me?" Damien asked, his voice low and threatening.
"Uh, Damien... uh, sir," the kid stuttered, his bravado crumbling away completely as he was being held up by his shirt. "I didn't think it was you he was talking about."
"I tend to be rough with the people I'm close with. Now that we're friends, here's some advice: There's nothing more repulsive than some jealous asshole chirping away without even knowing who he's talking about. Stop making moves on my partner like this. I don't like it at all," Damien threatened, his presence commanding.
"I didn't know you two were business partners!" the kid yelped, panic etching his features.
"Business partners? Hell no, we're much more than that." Damien let the kid go and walked over to plant a surprise kiss on my cheek. I could feel Eli's eyes burning into us, his expression pure disbelief and rage.
I get it. Damien was doing the most right now.
"You're late," I said, trying to keep my tone casual. Truthfully I was very annoyed with him already. I don't like late arrivals or surprise affection.
"My sincere apologies, babe. I was getting some things in order so I'm a bit late. Who knew you'd just be in here listening to absurd comments," Damien leaned in closer to whisper in my ear. "You should've called me or something. I'm pretty sure I told you that fake or not, you're still mine. Don't lower yourself to anyone; it's an insult to me. Play your role correctly."
I bristled at his patronizing tone but nodded. "It was nothing. I don't ever get worked up over trash."
"Trash?!" the kid screeched. "You damn low born—"
"Can you really call me a low born? I'm the sole heir to the Spencer fortune. I'm your future boss, you know? What do you have? If I'm not qualified to be in this class or school, what makes you think you are? Isn't your status highly questionable at this point?" I smirked, watching his face turn an even deeper shade of red.
The tension hung in the air, thick and electric. Eli stepped closer, concern etched on his face. "You're really dating Damien Anderson? Is that why you've changed so much?"
In my previous life, I never dared to show this side of myself in front of Eli, but now I reveled in it. I'll never suppress myself again. "You got a problem with it?" I challenged, leaning into my newfound confidence.
"You're clearly not the kind of person who would say that. Why would you say something so harsh?" Eli asked, a mix of confusion and concern clouding his eyes.
"You don't know what kind of person I am, though. You were never interested in that. You feel bad for that kid? Go and comfort him. This is the perfect opportunity for you to play hero like you always do, after all. You saw what went down and said nothing in my defense, just like you always have. Some friend you are," I smirked, enjoying the way he flinched at my words.
"Let's go get some food, baby. I'm dying to feed you," Damien interjected, grabbing my bag and snaking his arm around me, pulling me close as if he were about to kiss me again. I turned my head away, acting shy.
"Fine, let's go," I said with my cheesiest smile. Together, we left the classroom, and as soon as we were out of sight, I dropped the smile. "Let go of me now."
"No way, you need to stay vigilant, honey. We've got a tail," Damien chuckled, his voice low and conspiratorial. "Rose has been pushing it lately, and I'm not allowed to make her stop stalking me myself. You need to make her stop without threatening the business relationship our parents have."
I thought about my past life, where Damien was married to Rose and was seen as a laughingstock in the business world. If I played this correctly, I could save her from her lifetime of misery and keep up my side of the deal. "Fine," I said as we entered the large gazebo outside the school. The structure was impressive, with high ceilings and intricate woodwork, surrounded by dining tables that invited students to gather and socialize.
"Go get me some water, and I'll handle it," I instructed, scanning the area for signs of Rose.
"That's my boy!" Damien pinched my cheek, laughing at my very annoyed expression.