Broken Bad Boy

22

PERCIE

Remy Larkin showing his signature smirk to the girls who glanced at him was not news anymore. He

was the definition of a class A jerk.

Who wouldn’t notice him, by the way? When he walked like he was on the runway. He got the looks,

money, and power from his dear daddy. Well, some girls liked guys like him, owning a little bit of

popularity.

He surprised me when he patted my shoulder—that never happened since last year we had the same

classes together. Then he dropped.

I snorted. “Remy, you patted the wrong guy, dude.”

“No, man. Come to my party at the Frat house. Bring your new girl, Matthews.” He smirked, and it

pissed me off. There was something nasty about this invitation that I could smell from a mile.

What I found hard to believe was how he remembered my name.

I narrowed my eyes at him. I could see the glint in his eyes. “New girl?” Unfortunately, I didn’t have any novelbin

idea about the girl he was talking about.

“Come on, man. The last time I saw you with a girl—when was that? Uh, at last year end’s party. Wit—

what’s her name?” He patted his finger on his chin. “Cassie, right? Yeah, Cassie.”

I clenched my jaw hard enough my teeth would crack. I still remembered how I pressed Cassie against

the wall in that Frat house. I was drunk, but I remembered everything I did.

I had no plan on going to any party again, but after burning my parent’s house, I wanted to forget what I

did by drowning myself with alcohol and releasing my anger. It didn’t do any good to me, though. When

Cassie started flirting with me, I didn’t resist. It didn’t end that night. She became my fuck buddy for a

few days.

Every time I slept with her, I had to push back the thought of how Cassie and her friends treated Chloe.

They called her names because Chloe was overweight. I didn’t sleep with her for vengeance, but I

stopped it because she was a bully.

“Let me set the record straight, I didn’t bring her there. I went there alone.” I rolled my eyes and walked

away from him. I knew he was still following me. I didn’t know what he wanted from me, and I wouldn’t

give him the satisfaction of allowing him to get under my skin.

“Whatever, Matthews. Just come to my party and bring your girl.”

I paused to face him. “Just for an ideal of curiosity, what do you exactly want from me, Larkin? I’m not

going to your party, and I am telling you now. Whoever the girl you’re talking about won’t be there with

me.” I tried hard to be calmer, but my hands already formed into fists, itching to punch his smirk off his

fucking face.

“I’ll invite her instead, then?” He raised his brow, challenging me.

“Invite anyone you want. Who gives a fuck?” I left him alone at a quick pace to get the hell away from

him. My mind was still drilling the thoughts of the girl he was referring to—his next victim.

Before I could think further, someone grabbed my arm. I cursed under my breath, groaned, and

squeezed my eyes shut.

“Percie!”

“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” I snarled at Hailey before I even opened my eyes. I didn’t

have to—I knew that voice with all my being—her touch, her tiny hands around my arm, her

overwhelming presence. Since my swapping of memories that night, we grew closer.

“You were running out of the building, so I had to catch you up before you could go far. Why are you so

grouchy?” Hailey asked, frowning.

“Don’t you have my number?”

“Hey!”

Again, I cursed under my breath the moment I recognized the voice behind me. Hailey’s eyes widened

and tightened the grip of the books pressed against her chest. And so as her grip around my arm.

“Hi, I’m Remy. Matthew’s friend.”

I rolled my eyes. Since when did I become his friend? He offered his hand to Hailey. Hailey just looked

at him like he came from another planet.

I cleared my throat.

Finally, Hailey shook his hand. “Hailey.”

Remy smiled, showing his dazzling white teeth. I took a huge breath to control my anger, not to punch

the smirk off his face.

“I invited Percie, and you come to my party with him at the Frat house this Saturday, Hailey. Hope to

see both of you there.” When Remy used his charms just like he usually did to every woman he wanted

to get into their pants, that was a red flag.

My nose flared in annoyance. Hailey was going to be his next victim if I would not do something about

it.

Hailey gave him a small smile enough to show him appreciation. She looked at me with furrowed

brows. She must have noticed that with what was going on, it did not amuse me.

“See you both on Saturday, Matthews.” He patted my shoulder. “Hailey, pleasure meeting you.” He

smiled at her once again before he walked away.

“I thought you don’t have a friend, Percie,” she said as she joined me in the hallway.

“I guess we just became friends less than five minutes ago. We had classes together last year, but we

never talked.”

“Are you going to his party?” she asked with hesitancy.

I stopped, facing her. “Are you interested in going to his party, Hailey?”

She wrinkled her nose when she noticed that I wasn’t in a mood to talk about Remy and his fucking

party.

“No. I’ve never gone to a party like that.”

I sighed. “Good.”

She looked up at me. “What?”

“Nothing. You were running away from him, weren’t you?”

“Yeah. He must have noticed me with you before. He invited me and wanted me to be at his party

because of you. If you want to go, I will send you there.” My stomach twisted into a knot. My offer

wasn’t exactly genuine, but if it would make her happy, I could watch her from a distance.

I knew what Remy was up to when he invited me. He wanted a new girl to toy around like Hailey, who

was innocent and maybe still a virgin. And I’m not going to let that happen. He was a jock, slept with

every woman he wanted. He wouldn’t take Hailey seriously. He would just hurt her once he was done.

Fuck!

Hailey startled me with a nudge.

“What?” I just snapped at her.

“You zoned out and cursed.” She rolled her eyes.

I couldn’t believe I just said that out loud.

“I was saying that Dad is planning on buying me a car. He said you could help me choose the car since

you were a mechanic.” The excitement in her voice was palpable. Her smile just made my heart flutter,

and it was unsettling how she managed to do that to me. Hailey was getting more beautiful every day.

“Do you have a driver’s license?”

She nudged me. “Of course.”

“Then why didn’t you buy a car before?”

She didn’t answer.

“I’m sorry. Forget that I asked. That was insensitive.”

“I drove Dad’s car once. When I passed by the grocery store, I had a flashback. I hit the car into the

garbage can.”

“I’m sorry.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and squeezed it.

She looked up at me. “Dad said, you helped me a lot since I stayed with you. Every Sunday after you

left, he allowed me to use his car, and I came home safe. I need to have a car so that you can go to

school alone without waking up early morning.”

“You are not a burden, Hailey. If that’s what you’re trying to tell me.”

“I know your classes won’t start an hour after my class Percie. You can still get an hour of sleep, and

you also have to wait for my class to end. You already let me stay in your place. I realize how much I

abused your generosity and kindness.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “You’re unbelievable. Did you hear me complaining?”

She shook her head.

“I started to have a normal day since I met you. I guess we both have benefited from this little

arrangement, don’t you think? I like the thought that you’re going to school and going home safe as

well. It made me sleep well at night.”

“And you can’t go out on a date as long as I am with you.”

“Date? Who said I’m going on a date?” I unlocked my car. We both got in.

“My classmates asked me if we are dating. They were happy when I told them that you are my

roommate and we’re like siblings.”

Fuck me now. I wanted to punch someone in the face. She thought we were siblings? Just kill me now.

“You are not planning on buying a car because you can’t go out on a date when you’re with me and

because those guys out there might think that we’re dating, are you, Hailey? Don’t reverse the story

because I’m not planning on dating someone.” I swallowed hard. I liked her a lot. So much it hurt that

she thought I was like her brother. Ouch, Hailey. You just threw my hopes out of the fucking window.

“It’s not like that—”

I gritted my teeth and gripped the steering wheel, making my knuckles turn white. I glared at her. “Then

what it is? You never heard me complaining. If you want to buy a car, I’ll help you, but not because I

can’t date someone when you’re with me. That’s the most ridiculous reason I’ve ever heard!”