Ethan's POV (Bonus Book)

Chapter Seventeen - Ethan's POV

Unpacking the last of my books out into my locker, I lazily slammed it closed.

 It had just gone lunchtime, meaning it was officially time for me to do what I nearly always did when I got let out too early. Which was pretend to look busy against my locker as a poor excuse to 'accidentally' bump into Mia in the corridor. 

Pathetic, I know, but in my defense, it was Lucas that had given me the idea. He'd named it the 'casual-lurking, technique.' And rather interestingly, I'd seen him using that very technique around May's locker last week...

Leaning against my locker, I reached for my phone and started to aimlessly scroll through it. I saw a couple notifications flash up from my soccer group chat about our meet-up this evening. I rolled my eyes as I saw the conversation shift to a debate about who on the team everyone reckoned would make the best-looking girl. 

  Don't ask me how they got onto that topic. But, considering how enthusiastically long Lucas's replies were, I'd say it had something to do with him. 

That boy honestly chatted about the weirdest shit.

I quickly typed into the group chat that I'd be late to our meeting before flicking the chat to silent mode. I had therapy today hence why I was going to be late. It could be a bit of a nuisance sometimes, but I couldn't deny I needed it, considering how close I got to clubbing Ben in the face the other day.

Lost in thought as I scrolled through my notifications, I barely noticed someone was close into a shadow blocked my light. Before I had a chance to look up, my phone was roughly slapped out of my hand, hitting the floor with a loud bang.

"What the fuck?" I hissed as I angrily glared up at whoever had done it.

 My eyes narrowed further as I looked into the two disgusting green eyes of Connor Mitchell. Straightening myself up, I immediately became on guard. 

Despite the fact we were cousins, Connor was absolute bad news. Our parents had forced us to play together as kids, and back then, we used to be quite good friends. I was actually kind of jealous of how well he used to get along with my dad. There was just something about the way my father looked at him – like he was so interested in him.

 I remembered there would even be days where my father would take him out with him – only him. Then sometimes, they'd be stuck together alone in his office for hours. I hadn't a clue what they were doing, but my father never let me in.

Then my dad got arrested, and for whatever reason, Connor decided to evolve himself into the absolute piece of shit he was today. He got into drugs, got arrested a few million times, and decided it was funny to relentlessly bully me all the time. 

One time, when we were twelve, he threw me down the stairs then said it was an accident. Another time when we were thirteen – he locked me in my basement right before telling me to kill myself. He acted like I truly hurt him like I was the personal reason for all the pain in his life.

 Everything came to an end though, when I got to fourteen, I was stronger then, and he knew that, so he stayed away. We didn't talk to each other in school and avoided one another. 

Well, for the most part...

Focusing my gaze back on Conner's, I found him watching me with an easy, mocking smile. "Oops, I was a little clumsy there," he shrugged.

 Ignoring him, I angrily snatched my phone from the floor before glaring him up and down. "What the fuck do you want? Come to update me on your latest trip to juvie?" I bit back.

Connor smiled mockingly. "Wow, that's a lot of superior talk for someone whose father was a raping monster. And you know, what they say, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree...," he drawled as he lazily surveyed my figure.