5. Levi

5

LEVI

A s we walk back to the frat house, I think about the confrontation we just had with Lyric.

It felt good to confront her like that, to tell her off for the way she treated us and take her down a peg or two. A twisted sense of relief settled inside as I watched her face contort in fear, realizing she wasn't going to be able to get away with what she'd done to us, that she wasn't going to be able to sweep it under the rug and pretend it never happened.

Admittedly, I think I'd taken the entire thing the hardest of the three of us. The Hudson's took me in and losing them was like a punch to the gut after everything I'd been through. All I wanted was to look into her eyes when she explained why she did it, but it looked like she was still trying to claim she was innocent.

"Looks like we have Intro to Sociology with the princess," Archer says, stepping into my room without knocking.

"Perfect," I say, grinning as I tug on a pair of combat boots. "She gets to enjoy the pleasure of our company while we make sure she knows exactly how serious we are about this entire thing."

The two of us finish getting dressed and head out, walking across campus together. Zane is still asleep since his class doesn't start for another couple of hours.

We enter the classroom, making a beeline to sit on either side of Lyric, who's planted herself far back in the lecture hall.

She ignores us as we settle down, trying to pretend she doesn't see us, but I make sure my knee brushes up against hers. She stiffens, and I smirk to myself. Bingo .

Lyric was always weak for our attention, even as kids. Archer stretches out, faking a yawn as he reaches his arms up and drops one loosely behind Lyric's chair.

She shifts, moving to stand up, but I throw an arm out, blocking her from going anywhere.

"Where do you think you're going, Songbird?" I ask, using our old nickname for her.

Lyric sits back down, slumping in her chair. "Please, just leave me alone. If you want to hate me forever, fine, but please don't do this to me."

"We're only getting started," I whisper back. "We can do this all day."

More students start filtering into the lecture hall, filling up the seats. She has nowhere to go now, and she's trapped between us.

Pulling out a notebook, she tries to ignore us again, but I nudge my foot out, knocking over her book bag.

"Oops, sorry," I say, tone mocking. "How clumsy of me."

As she bends down to gather the contents, Archer shifts his foot so he knocks her pencil case into the row in front of us. Lyric has to jump up and scramble to get it, glaring at us as she sits back down in her seat.

The professor strides in at that moment, pulling out the syllabus to go over. While Lyric is taking notes, Archer's elbow nudges into hers, causing her hand to slip and mess up her work.

"Stop," she whispers harshly.

"Sorry about that," he says, a smirk on his lips.

I lean into her space, whispering into her ear as the professor continues speaking. "Do you even belong here, Songbird?" I ask. "You probably can't hack it in a school like this. Bet you wish you'd gone anywhere but here, don't you?"

Lyric's face gets increasingly redder as I speak. "You have no idea how pissed I was when I saw your face again. You're nothing but a worthless, traitorous bitch."

She closes her eyes for a moment, hands shaking. "Stop," she whispers. "Please, I'm begging you to stop."

"I'm not saying anything that isn't true," I remind her in a soft voice.

"You don't know anything!" Lyric shouts, jumping up and slamming her hands on her desk. "Stop talking to me!"

The professor and the entire class go silent, all eyes on her.

"Is there something you need?" Professor Nelson asks, blinking. "What's the commotion?"

"I need to move seats. This man is bothering me," Lyric says, crossing her arms.

"I just asked if I might possibly borrow a pen," I lie, giving him the most innocent look I can muster.

"Perhaps you need to leave class until you can gather yourself, Miss," the professor says, staring down the bridge of his nose at Lyric over the rim of his glasses. "I'd suggest you get yourself together and come back to the next class."

Lyric looks helplessly between me and Archer, but we stare straight ahead. She gathers her books together and has to awkwardly shuffle between students to get to the door, all eyes still on her.

Archer and I give each other a small high-five under the desks. Mission accomplished. Now she knows exactly what we can do and that we're not backing down, maybe she'll be more amenable to our little arrangement.

The rest of class continues without incident and we walk out, only half surprised to find Lyric sitting there, waiting for us outside the classroom.

"Please!" she says, jumping up. "Please listen to me!"

"So you can manipulate us?" I ask, curling my lip into a sneer. Archer seethes next to me, arms crossed. "You manipulated us back then. You're going to manipulate us now."

"It's not like that!" Lyric protests. "Just listen to me! I can explain everything."

"We're done with this bullshit," Archer says through gritted teeth. "We know you never cared about us at all. Stop trying to hide behind that innocent fa?ade!"

"I don't understand," Lyric says, voice breaking. "Why can't you let it go? I was just a kid. What do you want from me?"

Tears fill her blue-green eyes and slip down her cheeks, shoulders shaking as she begins to sob. "I can't do this," she says, rubbing her face. "I can't do this!"

"Can't do what?" I ask, disgust filling me as I watch her cry. She's so manipulative. Even now, she's acting like the victim. "Can't take the fact that you're finally facing the consequences of your own actions? Can't take that you're finally about to experience comeuppance?"

She hangs her head, arms wrapping around herself. "What do you want?" Her voice is hoarse, and she blinks, brushing the tears away. "What is it you want from me? Do your homework? Buy you beer? Is that all?"

I glance at Archer, letting him take the lead on this. He grabs her by the elbow, steering us outside where we sit her down at a table.

"Not only that," Archer starts. "We expect you to be at our beck and call twenty-four, seven. Anything we ask, you have to do it."

"Are you going to make me set myself on fire or something?" Lyric asks, the misery clear in her voice.

"Who knows?" I shrug. Lyric looks up at me, fear in her eyes. "But for now, let's start with just obeying us."

"Don't even think about running to anyone for help, either," Archer adds, his tone icy. "We have ways of making sure no one will believe you."

Her shoulders slump slightly, the fight draining out of her. She looks down, her hands trembling. "Why are you doing this?" she whispers.

I step closer, forcing her to meet my gaze. "Because you owe us, Lyric. You owe us for what you did. And until we're satisfied, you belong to us."

She shudders, the weight of our words sinking in. "I don't have a choice, do I?" she says softly.

I shake my head. "No, Songbird. You don't. So, get used to it."

Archer smirks, enjoying the power we have over her. "And remember, the more obedient you are, the easier this will be for you."

Lyric takes a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "And what if I decide not to?" she demands. "What if I don't obey?"

I exchange a look with Archer, a silent agreement passing between us. I step closer, forcing her to meet my gaze. "If you don't, we'll make sure every day here is a nightmare. We'll make your life hell and there's nothing you can do to stop us."

Archer smirks, adding, "Our little stunt in class today? Simply a taste of what we can do. We can get you kicked out, ruin your reputation and make sure you have no one to turn to."

"I hope you didn't have big plans," I tell her, "because you can kiss those goodbye if you decide to act up."

She takes another deep breath, her resolve breaking. "Fine," she says in a small voice. "I'll do whatever you want."

"Good girl," I say, twisting the corners of my lips into a mocking smile. "Archer will be in touch to give you your instructions. Obey everything, exactly as written, or you'll make things worse for yourself."

As we walk away, I glance back, knowing this is only the beginning. She'll have to learn that she can't just do what she wants. She'll learn to follow our rules, one way or another.