Page 66 of The Intruder

I think about it for a moment, then shake my head. “Nah, if we do something like that, it will freak her out, but her hair will just grow back.” I raise my eyes. “We want to do something to her that’s permanent. That ruins her life forever.”

“Whoa.” His eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

“I’m just saying…if we’re going to do something to Brittany, we should make it count. Really make her pay.”

“Or…” He offers me a lopsided smile. “We could forget all about Brittany, because she sucks and is completely unimportant. And I like you way better now that I know you’re definitely not related to her.”

A tiny bit of my anger fades away, and somehow, I find myself smiling back at him. Anton’s smiles are seriously contagious. “You like me better now?”

“I do,” he confirms. “And I already liked you a lot before.”

“You…you do?”

“Of course I do.” He sounds surprised I’d even question it. “You’re completely badass. You’re smart. You don’t take crap from anyone. And…” His cheeks turn slightly pink. “I think you’re the prettiest girl in the whole school.”

And when he says that, he reaches across the bench and takes my hand.

It’s not the first time Anton has taken my hand. He’s done it a few times when leading me somewhere or helping me off the swings. But this is the first time he just randomly reached out and grabbed my hand. And I don’t dislike it.

It’s kind of nice, actually.

Anton is right. It doesn’t matter who my father is. Screw that jackass who got himself tossed in prison. I’ll do just fine without him. And who cares about stupid Brittany Carter and her fake smile and perfect life?

Anton scoots a little closer to me on the bench while we continue holding hands. I’ve never held hands with a boy before—not like this. I keep worrying about my hand getting too sweaty, but he doesn’t seem to mind or notice. And then he leans in toward me. My heart speeds up in anticipation of what might happen next.

And then the back doors to the school swing open.

It’s bad enough being interrupted but even worse when I discover that the people who have intruded on us are none other than Brittany Carter and her BFF Meredith. Great.

“Oh!” Brittany’s pretty blue eyes widen when she notices Anton’s and my hands intertwined. “So are you two, like, dating now?” She looks over at Meredith, and the two of them burst into giggles. “That is so cute.”

Anton’s face goes bright red. I yank my hand away from his and shove it into my jacket pocket. I can’t believe after everything that’s happened, Brittany is continuing to ruin my day.

Just leave, I beg her silently. Leave us alone.

“By the way,” Brittany adds, “I’m sorry about that whole misunderstanding about my dad. I overheard him telling my mom about it. That kind of sucks for you.”

My face feels like it’s on fire. I want to say something just as terrible back to Brittany, but I can’t think of anything. What retort can you give to someone who’s perfect? Anyway, it’s Anton who speaks up. “Believe me, Ella didn’t want to be part of your shitty family.”

“Hmm, that’s not how I heard it,” Brittany says in a singsong voice.

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Anton’s right hand ball into a fist. Pulse control, Anton. Don’t get in trouble.

But he’s not going to do anything. He wouldn’t hit a girl.

“Anyway,” Brittany says, “I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone. You two really are meant for each other.”

I rise to my feet. “What is that supposed to mean?”

She lifts a shoulder. “Well, his dad is a drunk, and your mom is a hoarder. That’s what my dad said anyway. And you’re both poor. Seems like a good match.”

Hoarder. In my heart, I always knew that’s what my mom is. But somehow, I never heard anyone say that word before. Anton sure never said it. And hearing it come out of Brittany’s mouth hurts more than I thought it would. I take a step toward her.

“Take that back,” I spit at her.

“Why should I?” She blinks at me. “It’s true, isn’t it?”

I grit my teeth. “No, it’s not.”