Trapped (Bullied Book 4) (Bullied Series) Vera Hollins (best large ereader txt) 📖

his shoulder. Oh come on! Leave us alone! “Look at you. Mama’s boy is finally on a date.”

I dug my fingers into my thighs. If there was anything I hated more than being bullied, it was seeing others bully Kevin. Someone always picked on him in one way or another, and I couldn’t stand it.

Jumping out of my shell, I snapped at him, “We aren’t on a date. And don’t call him that.”

“You could’ve fooled me,” Steven interjected. “You defend him like a real girlfriend.”

“We need to give her a medal,” Masen said to Steven.

“Exactly,” he agreed, sporting a creepy grin.

“Give her a medal—for the fattest girlfriend in the world,” Blake joined in, and the girls chuckled. I squeezed my hands into fists, feeling like I could start crying any moment now.

“Since when do they let trash in this place?” Blake asked, sounding and looking bored. “We have to talk to the manager. His staff has some cleaning to do.”

I bit the inside of my cheek and glanced at Kev’s and my unfinished food. I itched to run away, but I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of seeing me running. They had seen me running too many times already.

“Ignore them,” I mouthed to Kevin and picked up my phone to go on Instagram, relying on it to help me endure this.

“They are no fun,” Steven said in a fake whining voice. “They don’t want to talk with us. So rude! Boohoo.”

He exploded into a loud hysterical laugh, probably gathering the attention of the whole diner. Who knew what drugs he’d used today?

Kev sent me a message. Do you want to go?

Yes, but I don’t want it to look like we’re running away.

Then we’ll finish this and go. Okay?

Deal.

The waitress brought them their drinks, and Kev signaled for the check. I took a bite and chewed quickly, each passing second seeming like an eternity. I could feel his stare on me, but I refused to look at him. My cheeks burned as I bit into my cheeseburger again. I didn’t taste anything as I chewed, scrolling through my Instagram feed so I wouldn’t have to look at him.

“Tonight’s races are going to be fun,” I heard Steven say. “I’ll make good money.”

“They’re not that fun because they’re a piece of cake. It will be an easy victory for Blake or me,” Masen said.

“Like always,” Blake replied in his deep voice, and before I could stop myself, I pulled my gaze from my screen to look at him. My stomach backflipped because he was already looking at me, his fiery gaze making me feel like there was no one else here for him but me. It didn’t make sense. If he hated me so much, he shouldn’t have been paying attention to me. He shouldn’t have been looking at me like that.

“Don’t sound too smug, bro,” Steven told him, and I broke our eye contact. “I heard rumors about some guy who’s supposedly unbeatable. T said he’s going to race at the track soon.”

“Let him come. We’ll show him how it’s done,” Blake said, talking a big talk.

I took the last bite of my cheeseburger. Sar had told me about their revolting gang activities. They participated in illegal races and fights, and some other members were also involved in theft and drug dealing. T was their gang leader. I just couldn’t understand why someone would ever join something as horrible as a gang.

Blake, Masen, Steven, and Hayden had been in that gang for a long time, but more than a month earlier, Hayden had finally gotten out of it, leaving his troublesome past behind for Sarah and himself. He had to go through hell in order to leave, and even had a brush with death when other gang members jumped him out. It had taken him weeks to fully recover.

Just imagining Blake in that same situation filled me with inexplicable fear. I shouldn’t have cared about that. That was his life, not mine. Yet, I was afraid for him. I wanted to laugh at myself for being afraid for my bully. I was so susceptible.

Kevin finished his burger and took the last gulp of his Coke just as the waitress brought us the check. Finally.

“Let’s go,” I said when we paid for the meal and stood up. My cheeks turned red as tomatoes because they all turned and silently watched us leave.

I hurried past their table, too aware that I had to pass Blake to get my freedom, but he moved quickly. He threw his Coke at me, and the liquid landed all over my jacket and jeans. I halted with a gasp.

My embarrassment hit an all-time high when the countless stares of the customers around the place were pinned on me in prolonged silence. One young teenager raised his phone as if he planned to film me, and I turned my head away from him. I felt like a zoo attraction.

Anger, shame, and hurt boiled to the surface, getting stronger when I met Blake’s gaze, which was full of contempt. He smiled sardonically.

“Oops,” he said, loudly enough for the people around us to hear him. “My hand slipped.”

I had difficulty swallowing. “When? When will you stop doing this?” I could barely say it, my voice breaking. He showed zero remorse as usual.

His smile disappeared in an instant. “I’ll never stop,” he said in a low voice only I could hear. “You can run, Fats, but it won’t make any difference.”

My eyes filled with tears, which meant I had to escape before I got humiliated even more. I wasn’t going to let him see me cry. The stains on my clothes represented the shame, regrets, and pain I’d carried for a long time, and I was so sick of it. I wished all my problems could be magically eliminated. I wished a day would come when I wouldn’t have to fear Blake or others and could live my life in peace.

I couldn’t look at anyone as I rushed with Kevin