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my wrist hadnt ached or stomach flipped because james had actually hurt or scared me, but any touch like james' brought back memories. brought back trauma.

i felt his hand on my wrist again. and suddenly, the feeling was on my hips, and thigh, and throat. i squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head quickly, shaking the feelings out of my head.

a car horn blast jolted me forward, and i stepped to the side to let a limo leave maxton's gates just as i did.

focus, cassie, i told myself, let it go.

ruby's face and number popped up on my screen, and i inwardly cheered at the distraction.

"well, what did he want?"

i huffed, "he thought it was me who saw lydia and sutton doing it in his office, someone caught me walking out of his office and sent him proof." ruby gasped on the other side of the line, "and he threatened he'd use it to twist the story if i told anyone."

"what? that's sick!" she spat out, and by her volume i could tell she had already been home.

"im not fazed by it." i shook my head, flicking mud off of my socks that the car had splattered on them, "and i think that just pissed him off more. people in power like other people to fear them for it." i continued, "but he doesnt scare me."

"oh cassie im so sorry!" ruby had apologized as if he did, though, "i deserve this, not you."

"its fine, i'll handle it better, he wont get any entertainment from this at all." i smirked slightly as i strolled up my driveway, "in a week, this will all be forgotten."

ruby apologized again, and we hung up. i flew open both the door to my house and room, and pressed my head deep into my pillow. i groaned.

first encounter with a beaufort today, and i was proud of how i had handled myself. but my pride hated to admit he had an effect on me though. one of my past, with my trauma. he had triggered me. my past, the nights i no longer speak about. and thank God, the maxton elite still didn't know about.

maybe that's why james didn't scare me. i had much more hiding beneath the waters than that picture could ever match up too.

ruby, though blameless, did owe me big time.

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the next day, i strolled into school, vowing to myself to keep my eyes away from two people today, and possible the rest of my time here at maxton.

mr sutton and james beaufort. 

the first one went well. all through class i ignored his pitiful stares and awkward stuttering if i even picked my head up from my desk. and in the hallway right before class, i kept my eyes on my shoes. 

this was easy for me. this was just normal life here at maxton for me, just a bit more enforced; being invisible.

the second one hadnt gone as planned.

i had accidently made eye contact with james in the hallway, in between 4th and 5th. but maybe it wasnt as easy as i thought it could have been; he had made a bee line for me the second he noticed me down the hall. 

he planted himself right in front of me, like a wall restricting me of moving. to the left and right of me were students rushing to class, and in front of me was james.

"this going to be a daily ritual now?" i ask, putting on my bravest face, and reminding myself of my threat i made yesterday. and i reminded him with my eyes.

touch me and you die.

he took a step forward, a careful step. a slow one. and i backed up, and i swear i saw his lips twitch in a smirk. he did it again, and again and again, and somehow i found myself in a dark hallway. still face to face with james beaufort.

he really just moved you without touching you, i thought, why did you let him do that?

i didnt even know the answer to that question, and my pride wouldnt let me think twice about it. im not sure i had one. at least he hadnt touched me.

"i think we need to renegotiate."

i raised a brow, "because i clearly have told the whole school by now," i threw my arms out to the sides, "yeah, i think you need to raise your price." his eyes didnt appreciate my sarcasm.

his eyes leveled with mine, and something in them changed. like he was trying to read me, his pupils seemed to bare into my own. 

but i had always been a stone wall to people like james beaufort. they didnt bother me from a distance, and they wouldnt bother me inches close either.

"what do you want from me?"

"a..." i tapped my finger on my chin, "restraining order? maybe?"

"you think this is funny," he said as a small smile crossed my face, "everyone has a price. just tell me yours and we can be done with these daily affairs."

i just sent him the same look that i had been since the moment he touched me yesterday, utter hatred.

he smirked, and scoffed, at what i didnt know.

until he said, "so you do actually want to get caught for something else." he muttered, dropping his blue coat to the ground and beginning to unbutton his white shirt, "someone else."

"come on," he cooed, probably because my eyes hadnt shifted, not from the hatred scowl, or from boring into his own eyes, "a little experience with the hottest guy in school," he whispered, "in a dark hallway..." he smirked, stepping a little closer to me, "beats any hush money now doesnt it?" he mocked me from yesterday.

right as i was about to speak to that, probably throw in that the levels of his attractiveness may be agreed upon publicly but not personally, he spoke before i could, "i mean, maybe itll answer all the questions everyone has about you." i gritted my teeth to hide the shock his words caused, which was begging to alter my face, but i wouldnt let it, "why does one of the hottest girls in school hide so deep in the shadows of it?" he leaned in closer, "what are you hiding cassie bodart?"

i knew he didn't mean the comment in a nice, complement kind of way.

it was more of an insult. a you're sexy, why do you do anything with it kind of way. a kind that made me want to vomit all over him.

why would a guy like james beaufort not even notice that a girl like me was hot, but tell her? why did i suddenly care so much to find out?

"to stay away from pretentious jerks like you," i spat at him, "to keep myself from prostitution and situations were i need to make amends for my careless little sister by assaulting innocent people," i couldve kept going, but the rage in his eyes satisfied me enough, "and my price," i glared up at him, still with his coat on the floor and now two buttons undone, "is simple."

i picked up his coat and shoved it back in his chest, just as i did with the money yesterday, "all i want you to leave me is alone."

i stepped closer to him as well, but the difference between my attitude and actions seemed to make something in his eyes falter again, "and continued respect for my threat from yesterday. you do not touch me. not if you want to see tomorrow." 

and i walked away from james beaufort. again.

aggravating enough, i felt just as jolted from this meeting as i did yesterday.

but this time, it was words of his i needed to shake away, not feelings.