Chapter 9: " Hell Hath No Fury"

His laughter rang in her ears like nails scraping against glass. Then, without warning, he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face him.

"You were too easy. Too gullible." His eyes gleamed with amusement. "What did you expect us to do?"

Lily was on the verge of breaking down, but she refused to give him that satisfaction.

"So?" she muttered.

David stopped laughing. "What?"

Lily lifted her chin, her eyes wet but burning with fury. "So what if I looked stupid? So what if I looked gullible? So what if I looked easy, huh?"

David blinked, caught off guard by the fire in her voice.

"Maybe…" Her voice trembled, but she didn't stop. Tears rolled freely down her cheeks. "Maybe it's because I was always at home by myself, with no one to play with, that I acted like a child around you guys." She sniffed, wiping at her face with the back of her hand. "Maybe it's because no one ever called me pretty, that it felt good when you did."

David shifted uncomfortably, but Lily wasn't done.

"Maybe because everyone treated me like I was one of the boys, I clung to the way you treated me differently." Her breath hitched. "Maybe it's because no one ever told me they liked me as a girl… that I was easy to fool."

Her voice rose in frustration and heartbreak. "So what, David?! So fucking what?!" she shouted, her chest rising and falling with each ragged breath.

David remained silent.

Lily shook her head, her expression twisting with betrayal. "What did I ever do to you people?" she whispered. "I thought of you guys as friends. I thought Destiny was the funniest friend I could ever have, even though he was older than me. And Divine…" Her voice wavered, and she paused, swallowing back a sob. "I saw her as a sister. She was the first person I could truly talk to—my age mate, my classmate. And yet, she didn't even think twice before joining you to humiliate me."

She let out a bitter laugh. "Well, I guess blood is thicker than water. What did I expect?" She exhaled sharply, her hands trembling at her sides. "The fact that I actually believed she would stand up for me—even when I wasn't there—just proves how much of a fool I really was."

Lily took a step forward, her eyes locked onto his.

"Listen to me, David," she said, her voice deadly calm. "Go tell that charlatan you call a brother that I said fuck him. And if there was a stronger word for it, I'd say that too. And that sly fox of a sister?" She took another step closer, her face inches from his. "And you?"

David stiffened as she stared straight into his eyes, her presence unshakable.

"You all can go to hell," she whispered. "And never. Come. Out."

David clenched his jaw, his hands curling into fists. "You—"

Before he could say her name, Lily's fist connected with his face.

The impact sent him stumbling back, his balance failing him. He hit the ground with a thud, dazed.

Lily rolled her shoulders back, shaking out her stinging fist. She stepped closer, looking down at him with nothing but disdain.

"So, you don't remember that I know how to fight, huh?" she scoffed. "Make a move on me again, and I'll show you exactly how I was able to beat Joshua."

David's eyes widened slightly at the name.

He knew very well that compare to Joshua, Lily could take him out as easy as blowing out a candle .