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

decorating his face now. What had happened after that eleventh day? How much time had passed until he could laugh freely like this, away from that devastating darkness that was his and Emma’s life in that basement?

“Your snot is stuck to your nose.” He pointed at it.

“What?!” I screeched and pressed the tissue back against my nose. He doubled over with laughter, smacking the mantel with the palm of his hand.

“You’re something else,” he said through his laughter, looking at me with a shine in his eyes that made my knees go weak. “I’m just teasing you.”

My head began to throb. I sat down on the couch and grabbed a new tissue to blow my nose.

“Since you obviously can’t resist picking on me, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. Besides, my parents will come home soon, and I don’t want them to see you.”

He straightened himself up and grew serious. “I already told you you’re not a good liar, and it’s only one o’clock. Both of your parents are working, so I find it hard to believe they will return home so early.”

I leaned my head against the back of the couch, not even bothering to deny it. My high temperature was getting to me.

He sat down on the other end of the couch, making sure there was enough space between us. I could feel his stare on me, but I refused to look away from the tissue I twisted in my hands on my lap.

“You didn’t answer,” I said. “What’s with this sudden change?”

“Maybe I finally saw how much damage I’ve done.”

I dumped the tissue next to the others on the table and crossed my arms over my chest.

“As I told you, back then I felt I had no alternative,” he continued. “You brought me a real shitstorm when you came to our school, and I needed you out so I could stay sane. I hoped you would finally have had enough and leave because each time I saw you at school… Each time, I had to relieve something that was destroying me.” He looked away and squeezed his eyes shut.

His words ripped through me, dousing what little warmth I’d felt in the last few minutes. “You needed me out so you could stay sane? But what about my sanity? You made my life shitty. You destroyed piece after piece of me, making me so small. Do you know how many times I cried myself to sleep or couldn’t sleep at all because of you? It was horrible!”

He stood up and went over to the windows, crossing his arms over his chest. “Then why didn’t you leave?”

Tears pooled in my eyes as I raised myself from the couch. “I wanted to. So many times, I was so close to leaving. But I couldn’t, and I would’ve hated myself even more if I’d let you chase me away from here.” I closed my eyes briefly to hold back my tears. “And to think you hurt me to make me leave just because you couldn’t handle my presence… It’s awful. You’re awful.”

His whole form tensed visibly, but he didn’t turn around, standing motionless for a while. He flexed his hands.

“I know. And I’m sorry.” The words were barely whispered, but they were there, locking me into disbelief.

I gritted my teeth. “You’re sorry?”

“Yes.”

“Is this a trick? You want me to fall for your apology so you can hurt me more later?”

He turned around to face me, frowning. “What? Of course not. You think I’d tell you how I felt then if it was?”

I just crossed my arms over my chest, studying his expression for a long moment. It looked sincere enough.

“I turned what you told me on Friday night over in my mind, and I realized I’ve gone too far. I’m sorry for causing you all that pain. I’m sorry for treating you the way I did. You didn’t deserve it.”

I didn’t feel his apology, even if it was real. I couldn’t after what he’d just admitted to me.

“Well, I don’t accept your apology.”

He scowled. “Why?”

“Because I don’t feel you’re really sorry, and you’ve gone too far since way back. Since day one, actually. I was even bleeding that day, and it was all because of you. Sticking my finger down my throat because of you is nothing compared to all the messed up things you made me live through. So no, we can’t turn over a new leaf. There’s too much bad blood between us.”

He clenched his jaw. “You really have to make this hard?”

I coughed. “I make it hard?”

“Yes, because I didn’t come here to fight. I came to apologize.”

I looked away as I drew in a shaky breath, refusing to dwell on the pain in my chest. I wanted to forgive him. I wanted to say we were cool. But I wasn’t ready. It didn’t feel right.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Maybe it’s too late, Blake. Maybe I don’t care about your apology anymore.”

I didn’t hear him move, but in an instant, he was right in front of me. I gasped when he pulled my chin up and made me look into his tormented eyes, the urge to touch him strong. He was so close to me, and it would have been so easy to just lean into him and seek his embrace.

“What do you want me to do? Grovel at your feet?”

I moved my chin out of his grasp. “Yes, Blake. That’s exactly what I want you to do,” I snarled before I could stop myself. “You think one half-assed apology is enough for me to get over everything you’ve done to me?”

His eyes hardened. “Half-assed apology? What kind of game are you playing?”

“Game?”

“You say you like me, but you’re playing hard to get.”

I frowned at him, hating that my feelings were fully exposed to him. “I’m not playing hard to get! I don’t even want to be with you.”

The muscle in his jaw flexed.

“Good,” he said. That one word wasn’t supposed to