He just held me as I slipped the hood off his head and looked up into dark green eyes.

“I was never trying to scare you,” Will said, rain glistening on his face and wet hair. “I just wanted to see something.”

I stared at him, because I couldn’t speak no matter how hard I tried. I didn’t know what was wrong with me, I...

I wanted to go, but…

I didn’t want to leave.

I liked this.

But I twisted out of his hold, stumbling backward and landing on my hands away from the glass. A smile glinted in his eyes, and he dropped to his hands and knees, too, watching me with mischief.

My heart raced again, hearing the glass crunch under his palms, and I held his eyes, scooting back slowly as he moved toward me.

But just then, he moved with the speed of light, barreling right at me, and I yelped as I leapt to my feet and so did he, but before I could run, he crashed into me and pinned me to the wall.

I exhaled hard, trying to keep the smile off my face, but I couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped. My heart was beating so fast.

His body pressed into me, and I could feel his eyes on me as he tipped his chin down, his nose nearly brushing mine.

“Get… get…get away from me,” I stammered, because I was trying not to laugh.

A drop of sweat trickled down my back, his body on mine making it too unbearable to even breathe.

He took my chin in his hand and lifted it up, trying to get me to look at him.

His heat surrounded me, and the pulse between my thighs throbbed.

I didn’t want him to go anywhere.

And I hated that.

Blinking long and hard, I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked up into his eyes, hardening my gaze. “You’re all assholes,” I said, grabbing his wrist. “Boring and predictable, and maybe that shit works on everyone else, but not me.”

I yanked his fingers off my chin and shoved him in the chest, stepping away.

He didn’t want me. He wanted to use me, and no matter how much I wanted to indulge a fantasy of fun and excitement, I’d be the one to pay later. Not him.

Getting me into bed, so he could get laughs when he told everyone what a lousy lay I was or rub it in my brother’s face that he’d gotten me to spread my legs, were the only things he was interested in.

No. He wasn’t going to win.

“Unlock the doors,” I told him.

But he just stared at me for a moment, and instead of heading to the hallway and toward the stairwell doors that had been locked, he walked for the wall of windows, the wind and rain barely staying at bay beyond the broken glass.

“Unlock the doors,” I said again, walking over to his side.

“Why?” he asked.

I scowled. “Why?”

What do you mean, why?

“I wasn’t trying to scare you,” he said, staring out at the rain pummeling the roof, “but why wasn’t I?”

“Real monsters don’t wear masks, William Grayson III,” I retorted. “They look like everyone else.”

He kept staring at the rain, but he didn’t respond.

“Now unlock the doors.” I turned around. “You’re pathetic, and you’ve wasted my time.”

I walked for the classroom door, but then I heard his voice behind me.

“They won’t let you walk home in this weather,” he said.

“They can’t stop me.”

“I won’t let you walk home in this,” he clarified. “You’ll sleep here tonight.”

I glanced over my shoulder at him, placing my hand on the door handle. “Make me.”

And before I could even turn the doorknob, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, tapping the screen.

“‘Stop it, you’re scaring me,’” I said on the recording. “‘Whatever will I do? Don’t be too hard on me, Daddy.’”

I stopped breathing for a moment, every muscle in my body losing strength. My hand dropped from the knob.

“‘But I admit, I like it when you’re hard on me. So hard.’”

I closed my eyes, hearing myself moan on the phone. Shit.

I turned around, meeting his self-satisfied little smile and knowing he’d recorded his prank. They always documented their dumb crap on that stupid phone.

I almost walked out. My feet almost took that step, and they could post that online for everyone to have a good laugh. My brother would get angry, because his mind would make up whatever story was the easiest to go along with what he thought was happening in that recording, too.

No skin off my nose because I was used to it.

But then Will said, “Door’s unlocked. Go get some pizza.” And he picked up his mask off the floor. “We’ll clean up here.”

I hesitated, looking around at all the broken glass and how much trouble I’d be in if my brother found out I’d helped make this mess. Even though I was kind of defending myself, I still didn’t want him to have any idea of what happened up here because he’d just blame me.

I blinked long and hard. Fine.

I walked out, charging down the hallway and through the doors to the stairwell.

I should be at home. I should be with my grandma.

He just wanted to play with me to prove he could.

But… a night away was rare. At least I could relax, knowing Martin wouldn’t be here. I had my earbuds and a book.

I still wasn’t giving Will another inch tonight, though. The lock-in was filled with witnesses. Let him try.

I kicked rocks all the way back down to the gymnasium, ignored the pizza, and planted my butt on the bleachers.

Opening my phone, I tapped the app and tried to continue reading The Night Eternal as the music and activity went on around me.

But after ten minutes, I’d barely absorbed a paragraph.

And when he and his friends finally came back downstairs, I forgot about the book as I waited for him to come over and try something.

Engage me. Annoy me. Tease me.

But he didn’t.

He left me alone.

I faltered for a moment, a little confused. I expected him to try to piss me off or coerce me into the scavenger hunt they were having or something.

But he just left me sitting there, the minutes stretching into an hour, and the hour stretching into two.

Just as I thought. To prove he could…

The band director called my brother and asked if I could put in more work-study hours by helping in the kitchen tonight. Then they’d keep me over since it would be too late to go home.

Martin was probably fine with it since I was “working,” but I didn’t for one second think the director came up with that lie herself.

Because I didn’t help in the kitchen at all.

I just sat there, trying to read on my phone. Will glanced over every once in a while as he spent time with his friends or slow danced with some girl to make sure I was where he’d left me.

He just liked making me sweat. That’s what this was about.

Control.

Before I knew it, the lights were dimming and Will was shoving me toward his sleeping bag smack-dab in the middle of Michael, Kai, and Damon.

I groaned. Did I really have to be here?

“Take it.” He pushed me again, and I stumbled. “I’m warm enough without it.”

Like I care about your comfort. Seriously.

He laid down on the mat next to his sleeping bag—black with red and black-checkered lining—and I stood there, scowling.