Bully Me (Bully Me #1) (2 page)

Kaine hurried down the hall and into the gym locker room. Luckily, it was the last day of school and nobody was too concerned with her clearing out her locker. She grabbed her gym shirt and extra sports bra and tore off Camden's jacket, throwing on the bra and pulling on the shirt. She breathed a sigh of relief once she was dressed again. She grabbed Camden's jacket and slipped it back on. She couldn't help but notice how good it smelled. She was almost disappointed that she would eventually have to give it back to him. There was something safe and comforting about having something of Camden's so close to her.

Kaine considered her options. She really just wanted to go home, but she didn't want to give Shane the satisfaction of seeing her run. Taking a deep breath, she held her head high and walked to her second period history class.

Kaine managed to make it to lunch without another confrontation with Shane. She considered eating in the library, but remembered her promise to eat with Lucy today. She wasn't about to give up her chance to make a friend just because she might run into Shane the asshole again. She couldn't avoid him forever. Walking into the cafeteria, she scanned the room for Lucy.

"Kaine!"

She followed the voice and saw Lucy waving her over. Kaine smiled in relief. Before she took a step forward, a large body blocked her path.

"Where'd you get that shirt, piggy?"

She gasped, looking up at Shane. Kaine was a big girl, but Shane was huge. He towered over her by at least 3 inches, but his muscular form made him seem even bigger. Trying not to be intimidated by his hateful leer, Kaine tried to stare him down.

"These are my gym clothes. Because some pervert thought it was hilarious to rip my clothes off of me and grope me."

His eyes narrowed at her. "I didn't touch you, you fat bitch," he lied.

She nodded. "Sure, Shane. Whatever you have to tell yourself to feel like less of a piece of shit." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she instantly regretted them. She was furious at him, but getting him mad was a bad idea. After seeing the hateful gleam in his eye when he was touching her, she wasn't sure what he was capable of.

Shane eyes widened at her boldness, then he smiled. A slow, cruel smile. "Oh sweetie, you fucked up now." He took a step towards her.

Before he had a chance to move any closer, he went flying across the room. Kaine gasped and jumped back as Camden jumped on top of Shane, pummeling him with his fists. "What the fuck!" Shane yelled, pushing Camden off of him. Shane jumped on Camden, grabbing him by the shirt. Camden easily pushed Shane back, grasping him by the throat. As big as Shane was, Camden was even bigger. Shane gasped for breath. "What the fuck, Cam?"

The whole cafeteria was cheering, watching the fight between Camden and Shane. Camden punched Shane again. Realizing that he couldn't get back up, Shane tried to put his hands up and protect his face. Camden took the opportunity to punch him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Shane rolled over on his side, gasping for air. Camden stood up and watched Shane pathetically grasp his stomach. "Get up," he growled.

Shane sat up, still clutching his stomach. A trickle of blood ran down his face. "What the fuck?" He repeated. "What's your fucking problem?"

Camden grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to where Kaine was standing, shocked. Camden hauled Shane up and pushed him towards Kaine. "Apologize."

Shane glared at Camden. "For what?"

Camden tightened his grip on Shane's shirt. "You know what for. You're not going to ever bother her again. You're not even going to look at her. And you're sure as hell not going to touch her. Apologize."

Shane glared at Kaine with a hateful look. "Sorry, Kaine. It was just a prank." The look in his eyes told her that he wasn't sorry. In fact, Camden had probably made things worse for her. But the fact that he had cared enough to defend her warmed her heart. Kaine nodded awkwardly at Shane. "Whatever," she muttered. Camden let go of Shane and pushed him away. "Fuck off, Shane." He turned to Kaine. "Are you ok?" She nodded without speaking. She could feel the entire cafeteria starting at her.

"Hey!"

Kaine turned and saw Mr. Murphy storming toward them. "You!" He said, pointing at Camden. "And you," he directed at Shane, who was glaring at Camden. "Come with me. Now."

Shane and Camden followed Mr. Murphy out of the cafeteria.

Kaine glanced around, feeling 100 sets of eyes on her. Putting her head down, she hurried to Lucy's table and smiled sheepishly at her. Lucy stared at her, wide eyed. "Did Camden just beat up Shane for you?"

Kaine laughed. "I'm pretty sure it wasn't for me. I think that fight has been a long time coming."

"Maybe, but Camden threatened him to leave you alone. I think it's romantic," she said dreamily.

Kaine burst out laughing. "Romantic? Lucy, there's no way that Camden has any kind of romantic feelings towards me."

"Why not? You're so pretty. And he's so hot. You'd make a perfect couple."

Kaine was speechless. Her? Pretty? She wanted to laugh out loud. She knew she wasn't as ugly as Shane and his friends made her out to be, but she never felt like she was pretty. Especially with her weight problem. Ignoring her new friend's assessment of her looks, she changed the subject. "So what are your plans for the summer?"

Lucy grinned at her. "Our new house has an inground pool. I'm literally going to hang out by the pool and do nothing this summer."

Kaine smiled wistfully. "I wish I had a pool. My dad keeps saying he's going to put one in, but every time I remind him he makes an excuse."

"So just use mine," Lucy said. "It'll just be me there anyway. It'll be fun."

Kaine smiled excitedly. "Really? That does sound fun."

Lucy nodded enthusiastically. "Hell yeah. I can't wait for today to be over. Is that all you're eating?" She asked, nodding at Kaine's apple.

Kaine shrugged, feeling self conscious. "Yeah. I'm kind of on a diet." She didn't add that the diet she was on had started right now. After what Shane had done to her earlier, she didn't have much of an appetite anyway. But it had also been the last straw for her. Kaine made a vow to herself right then and there to never be made fun of about her weight again. She was done wasting her life trying to be invisible. Her mom would have wanted her to be happy, and she was far from happy. Kaine and Lucy chatted about their summer plans for a few more minutes then made plans to join a gym. Luckily, she didn't have any classes with Shane. She just hoped that she could avoid him for the rest of the day.

Mr. Murphy stared at the two boys, shaking his head. "You know, just because it's the last day of school doesn't mean that you can do whatever you want," he snapped. "There's a zero tolerance policy for fighting."

Shane nodded seriously. "Sorry, sir. It was just a disagreement. We shouldn't have gotten physical."

Camden just glared at Shane. “He started it."

Shane burst out laughing. What a little bitch. “I’m pretty sure you jumped me, Camden."

Mr. Murphy shook his head at Shane. "Given your history with me, Mr. Ellery, I find that highly doubtful. Detention for both of you. Get out of here."

Camden stood up to leave, grateful for the minor punishment.

"Detention? But it's the last day of school. Come on," Shane muttered. This time Camden was unable to control his laugh. Shane shot him a dirty look.

"You're lucky it's not more. Now go to class," Mr. Murphy said, dismissing them.

As soon as the boys left Mr. Murphy's office, Shane shoved Camden into the lockers. Camden sighed. "You really want to do this again? Cause I'll just whoop your ass again and you'll run away crying like a little bitch."

Shane backed off. "What the fuck is your problem, man? You trying to get into Kaine's plus size pants or something? Ugh."

"I don't like bullies," Camden replied. "I'm sick of watching you act like you're better than everyone. And apparently, you're the one trying to get into Kaine's pants. You probably just ran out of time after you ripped her shirt off."

"It was just a prank," Shane repeated. "Although, for a fat girl, her tits were pretty nice. Felt good, too." He smiled at the look of fury on Camden's face. "And you can drop the ‘nice guy’ act any time now. Seriously, why do you care anyway? Unless you like her."

Camden shook his head in disgust. "You're a fucking asshole. Remember what I said. Stay the fuck away from her." He turned and stormed off to class before Shane could say anything else. He didn't trust himself not to kick his ass again.

Shane stared after Camden, fuming. He had been shocked when Camden jumped him. He and Camden had been friends for years, and he was pissed that someone like Kaine could get in the middle of them.

Kaine.

God dammit. He had gone too far before. He had intended on just talking to her, but the sight of her made him so mad. He took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. He would apologize to Kaine later. Camden, though, was going to get the ass kicking of a lifetime.

The end of day bell rang, and everyone, along with Kaine, jumped up and ran out the door. She couldn't wait to get out of this place. She stopped at her locker, making sure it was completely empty. She had made plans to go to Lucy's house later, and she couldn't wait. Lucy had made a few other friends in the short time that she had been here, and Kaine hoped that they would become her friends too. A summer filled with friends and swimming sounded fantastic. She shut her locker and turned around, walking right into Shane. Her breath caught in her throat and she looked around, desperately trying to find Camden, or anyone that would help her.

"Who are you looking for?" Shane asked casually, not moving. Kaine shook her head. "Nobody."

"Uh huh," Shane smirked, not believing her. "So anyway, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

Kaine raised her eyebrows. That was the last thing she expected him to say.

"You're sorry?" She repeated.

Shane laughed. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"Well...yeah. It is." Kaine looked in his eyes, trying to gauge his sincerity.

"I went too far before. And this whole year. I'm sorry for humiliating you. I won't bother you anymore. Unless you want me to," he said with a smile.

Kaine felt her face turn bright red. "No, I'm good. Thanks though." She didn't tell him that she forgave him because she didn't. And she didn't believe for a minute that he was really sorry.

He shrugged. "Whatever. See you around."

Kaine stared after him for a minute, wondering what he was up to. She made her way outside, just in time to see the buses pulling away. "Oh, come the fuck on!" She cried out loud. This day was never going to end.

She pulled out her phone and called her brother. Her dad wouldn't be out of work until 5, and her brother was home from college for the summer. The phone rang and went to voicemail. "God dammit, Jay," she muttered. She texted him.

Pick me up? I missed the bus.

After a minute her phone beeped with a new message.

Can't. Work till 4. Can't you get a ride from a friend?

She rolled her eyes. What friends? She didn't even know Jay had gotten a job. She typed back.

They all left already.

She went back inside and went to the library, sitting down. She looked at her phone and saw a text from Jay.

K. I'll pick u up at 4:15

She looked at the time and scowled. It was only 2. She wondered if Shane had made her late on purpose. She felt stupid for standing there and listening to him. She pulled a book from the shelf and started reading, only half paying attention. By 2:40, she was going stir crazy. She usually loved the library, but since it was the last day of school, she couldn't wait to leave. She wondered if she should just walk home. It was probably a good hour walk, but it was a beautiful day out and she could use the exercise. And she would be home before Jay got out of work. Making up her mind, she put the book back on the shelf and gathered her stuff to leave.

As she left the library, her heart skipped a beat when she saw Camden walking in front of her. Her first instinct was to hang back for a minute so that he didn't notice her. But she really should thank him for sticking up for her today. "Camden!" She called, hurrying to catch up to him. He turned around and grinned when he saw her. "Hey Kaine. Why are you still here?"

"Missed the bus," she replied. "I just wanted to thank you for defending me. You didn't have to do that."

He shrugged. "Honestly, I've been waiting to do that for awhile. Shane's a bitch. How are you getting home?"

"Walking," she answered. "I was going to wait for my brother, but he can't get here for another two hours."

"Where do you live?"

"Gramatan Ave."

He shook his head. "Isn't that like 5 miles away? That's crazy. Let me give you a ride."

She shrugged shyly. "It's not that far. I don't want to inconvenience you."

He grabbed her backpack and slung it over his shoulder. Kaine smiled at the sweet gesture. "You're on my way home. I'm not too far away from you. Come on."

Kaine followed him to his car and he opened the door for her. She got in, trying to hide the smile on her face. She knew this wasn't a date or anything, but his sweet gestures made her swoon.

Camden pulled out of the parking lot. Trying to break the awkward silence, she asked, "Why are you still here?"

"Detention," he replied, grinning at her. "Shane and I both got detention. We're lucky that's all we got. I think Mr. Murphy just mentally checked out already and didn't feel like dealing with us."

Kaine laughed. "Well, I'm sorry that you got detention."

He glanced over at her. "I'm not."

She looked out the window, trying to hide her blush. Was he flirting with her? No, probably not. He probably just meant that it was worth it to beat up Shane.

Thankfully, Camden changed the subject. "Shane didn't bother you anymore today, did he?"

"No. Not really. He did apologize though."

"Oh really?" Camden asked suspiciously.