Forgotten (Falls Elite #1)

12

Lex

The week had passed rather uneventfully, and for once, I felt a rare sense of peace. No pranks, no whispered insults, no subtle sabotage. Tate Bell had left me alone, and I was beginning to believe that maybe, just maybe, I could finally breathe. Perhaps he had found someone else to torment, someone else to focus his twisted sense of humor on.

Maybe I was free.

I sighed in relief, walking through the school hall with a bit of a lighter step. The thought of getting through this year without any more run-ins with Tate was more comforting than I wanted to admit. I headed toward my locker, the hum of student chatter a distant noise in the background. Just as I reached out to grab my locker handle, I was abruptly shoved hard against it.

The metal rattled with a harsh clang, and my body jarred from the impact. A sharp gasp escaped my lips, more out of surprise than pain. My head snapped to the side, eyes narrowing as I immediately knew who it was. Tate stood over me, his tall frame looming ominously. One hand rested beside my head on the lockers, pinning me in place. The smirk on his face, that familiar, insufferable smirk, made my skin crawl.

Of course, I wasn't free.

I glared up at him, heart pounding, the anger flaring up like wildfire. "What the hell, Tate?" I spat, pushing against his chest. But it was like trying to move a statue—he didn't budge. His broad shoulders blocked out the hallway behind him, making me feel like I was trapped in a cage.

His smirk widened as if this whole situation amused him. "Missed me, Carson?" he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. His eyes gleamed with a mix of arrogance and something darker, something that made my stomach twist with unease. "You seemed to be enjoying your week. Thought I'd remind you I'm still around."

I clenched my fists, the urge to punch him rising with every second that passed. "Enjoying my week without you," I shot back, my voice cold. "Until now."

Tate's smile didn't falter. Instead, he leaned in closer, his face only inches from mine. "You've got a smart mouth for someone who's been walking around like a ghost," he murmured, his tone shifting. It was lower now, more threatening, like a snake ready to strike. "Don't get too comfortable. I'm just getting started."

I scoffed, rolling my eyes despite the knot forming in my stomach. "Are you serious right now? You've got nothing better to do than harass me?" I pushed at him again, harder this time, but it was like pushing against a wall. Tate barely moved.

"I don't harass," he said, his voice calm, but the threat was clear. "I just make sure people know their place. And you, Lexi, seem to have forgotten yours."

His words sent a chill down my spine, but I refused to show it. I wasn't going to let him see me flinch, wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. "Oh, please," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Your little power trip doesn't work on me, Tate. Go bother someone else."

Tate's eyes darkened, and for a moment, the smirk vanished, replaced by something colder, sharper. His fingers tapped against the locker next to my head, the rhythmic sound cutting through the noise around us. "See, that's the problem," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm not bothering you. I'm just reminding you who's in control here."

My heart pounded in my chest, the weight of his words pressing down on me. I hated how he could make me feel like this—cornered, powerless. But I wasn't about to let him have the last word. Not this time.

"I don't care about your control, Tate," I snapped, finally managing to slip out from under his arm. I took a step back, putting some distance between us. "You don't scare me."

Tate's smirk returned, but there was something sinister about it now, something that made my pulse quicken. He stepped forward, closing the gap I'd just created, his presence suffocating. "Is that right?" he said softly. "Then why are you shaking?"

My breath caught, and I glanced down at my hands. They weren't shaking, not visibly, but I knew my body was betraying me. The tension, the adrenaline—it was all there, bubbling just under the surface. I looked back up at him, anger flaring in my chest again, masking the flicker of fear.

"I'm not scared of you, Tate," I repeated, gritting my teeth. "You're not as important as you think you are."

He chuckled, the sound low and mocking. "Maybe not to you," he said, taking another step closer. "But I don't need you to be scared. I just need you to remember—" he leaned in, his voice barely audible, "that you're not untouchable."

I swallowed hard, the weight of his words pressing against my chest. There it was, the real threat hidden beneath his playful banter. Tate wasn't just toying with me—he was making sure I knew that he could do worse. That he would do worse if I crossed him.

"Whatever," I muttered, turning on my heel. I needed to get out of there, away from him, away from the tension and the way he made my skin crawl. "You're pathetic," I tossed over my shoulder as I started walking.

"See you at the bonfire, Lexi," he called after me, the smirk still in his voice.

I stiffened but kept walking. I wouldn't let him win. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing how much he'd rattled me.

:_:

By the time I made it to my next class, my head was spinning. I couldn't shake the encounter with Tate, couldn't forget the way his voice had curled around me like a trap. I hated how easily he got under my skin, how quickly he could turn my day upside down.

As I took my seat, Eliz glanced over at me. "Hey, Lex, you alright? You look... tense."

I forced a smile, trying to push the thoughts of Tate to the back of my mind. "I'm fine," I lied. "Just... had a run-in with an idiot."

Eliz raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess—Tate?"

I sighed. "Bingo."

She shook her head. "That guy's a menace. You know he's probably just doing it for attention, right? He doesn't know how to function unless he's being the center of someone's world."

"Yeah, well," I muttered, leaning back in my chair. "He can go be the center of someone else's world. I'm done with his games."

Eliz grinned. "Good for you. You coming to the bonfire Friday?"

I hesitated for a second, Tate's mocking voice echoing in my mind. I knew he'd be there, but I wasn't going to let him scare me off. "Yeah," I said, nodding. "I'll be there."

Eliz smiled. "Good. It'll be fun. Maybe you can forget about all the drama for a night."

I nodded, but deep down, I knew better. Tate wasn't the kind of guy you could just forget about. Not when he made it clear that he wasn't going to forget about me.

As the day wore on, I kept replaying the moment at the lockers in my head, Tate's words looping like a broken record.

"You're not untouchable."

I hated how much it affected me, how his stupid threats lingered long after he was gone. He was trying to break me, I realized. He wanted me to feel like I was always looking over my shoulder, waiting for him to strike.

But I wasn't going to let him. Not this time.