It's been three days since Thea summoned her inner warrior goddess and busted my lip.

Three days of festering emotions that burn in my chest like acid and three days of wrangling in the beast demanding submission from the girl strutting away with confidence I want to crush in the palm of my hand.

"You better watch out, man." Mason chuckles at her threat. "Triple T is on a warpath."

A war she doesn't have a chance of winning.

My friends find her newly discovered backbone comical and while her threat is empty, the way she's pushing her limits is seriously pissing me off.

I poke at the cut on my lip and settled back in my seat. The tray of food goes untouched because I would rather brood over the sassy mouthed trouble maker than stuff my face.

And to think, I almost felt bad that my friends have been giving her shit all week. Not that I asked them to. I also haven't called them off and why should I? She knows the score and can handle a few childish pranks.

Still, I'm not a total apathetic asshole. I had a momentary reaction to go to her when I caught the flicker of hurt that crossed her face at the stupid pig masks. Screwing with Thea has been the highlight of my day since eighth grade. The thrill turns into something else when others join in. It borders on a sense of protectiveness that I beat back with a battering ram.

Today's stunt was courtesy of my girlfriend and so was the lie about pressing charges. I'm a lot of things, being a snitch ain't one. Thea is my problem to deal with and said problem is getting out of hand.

Never in a million years would I have thought her bold enough to strike me and it wasn't some weak hit. The force of it rattled throughout my body like a tambourine. If that's what a slap feels like, I would hate to be on the receiving end of her right hook.

Being an athlete, I should've easily blocked the hit. Honestly, I didn't see it coming. Because of my arrogance, there's a chip in my control that's rapidly spreading. I've tried to repair the damage but after tasting my own blood, something insidious seeped out.

It's attracted to her defiance and wants more.

I roll my shoulders, uncomfortable with the way my eyes keep roaming over to her table.

Fucking Thea.

She never should've shown her face at one of our parties. Or maybe I should've just left her alone. Either way, all bets were off the moment I spotted her on my territory wearing that damn dress and dry humping on the dance floor.

In my defense, I did politely ask her to leave. Well, as politely as I could when seeing red because some chump had his grimy hands all over her body. I also warned her and, of course, she didn't listen. The girl is as stubborn as she is a pain in my ass.

I'll admit, I took things too far. I can blame the green-eyed monster for that mistake. Regardless, I can't ignore what she did and it's by sheer force of will that I didn't choke the life out of her in front of a party full of witnesses. I stood there, vibrating with rage, as I mentally locked everything down like a powerful storm was due to make landfall.

I let Thea read me like an open book.

I let her call me worthless.

I let her dig into my mind, pulling out the truth for everyone to hear.

And then, I just stood there as she walked away with vindication straightening her spine.

While everyone picked their jaws up from the floor or tucked their phones away, Noah pushed me into one of the bedrooms. He tried pulling me back from the ledge while Ashlie did the opposite. She ranted and raved, talking big shit that she couldn't back up. I ignored them both, focusing on Thea's words that had once again cut into the very core of my being.

She clearly saw what others didn't. Not even my girlfriend of two years is that observant which makes Thea a threat that needs to be eliminated. Or, at least, beaten down until she's too weak to fight back.

I go through the rest of the day, plotting on ways I can wrangle in my little misfit. I've let her slide this long because I was afraid of what I would do or how far I would take things. The small restraint keeping her safe is waning and the more she pushes me the more I want to bend her until she breaks.

When six period rolls around, I take my seat in the back and half way listen to Mason and Chauncey talk about some show they're bingeing on Netflix. This is the only class I have with Thea and she's sitting up front, all studious and shit, with her text book already open to the last page we were on yesterday.

The bell rings right as Mr. Talbert enters the room. Once everyone is settled, he takes out the stack of papers from his side drawer and waves them in the air.

"I've graded everyone's pop quiz and let's just say, many of you aren't reading your assignments." He looks around the room lingering on a few students and they sink down in their chairs. "Thea, can you pass these out, please ma'am?"

"Sure."

She rises from her desk and my gaze immediately lands on the way her stretchy jeans cup her ass. Today she's wearing a burgundy sweater and black jeans. Her hair is pulled back into a low bun and the little gold balls in her ear glint under the lights.

It's clear that she's lost weight which has only accentuated her curves. I lick my lips and despite our issues, I can't deny she looks good. To hell with what the runways and fashion magazine's beauty standards, Thea reminds me of a 1960 pinup model. All hips and ass with a cinched waist and shapely legs I wouldn't mind draped over my shoulders as I have my fill of her.

While she passes out our graded assignments, I notice someone else discreetly checking her out. Mr. Tinsley, older than us by a good six years, gives her a quick perusal and that same feeling from Saturday night returns. I refuse to call it jealousy so I ignore the irritating emotion.

As she gets closer, her coconut scent wafts around me. I breathe it in, temporarily forgetting who the intoxicating perfume belongs to. My body doesn't care, though, and I see why Adam succumbed to Eve and the forbidden fruit. We let our dicks get in the way of common damn sense.

"How long did it take to stuff yourself in those jeans?" The question is out before I can choke it down.

She freezes, the paper crumpling in her had.

"About as long as it took you to get through that last sprint yesterday at practice." She slams the paper on my desk, cocks a brow, and continues down the aisle.

Heat flames up the back of my neck and I swear the girl doesn't have a lick of self-preservation. Bringing up my performance is a low fucking blow and the equivalent of calling me a one pump chump.

Another poke.

The monster brushes against my sin, baffled by her strength and the way she stands up to me.

He wants to tame her, make her submit. I almost laugh out loud. Thea is too damn willful to submit to anyone, least of all me.

Then again...

I lick my lips, readjusting in my seat because the more I think about it, the more I'm turned on by the challenge of getting someone as feisty as Thea to surrender. Having that control over her, watching the struggle, and pleading with me to, to..

Fuck, I don't even know but damn if the fantasy isn't making me rock hard.

I think about it for the rest of the day, into the evening, and the middle of night when I wake up with my had wrapped round my cock. Sweat covers my chest and I bite my lip to keep the long suffering groan from slipping out.

My hips buck and I grip the sheets as I jerk off to the memories of her pursed lips, the hate swirling in her dark eyes, and her husky voice as he rips me a new one. Everything I hate about her lights me up in way I don't want to acknowledge outside of my fantasies.

A shiver racks my spine as I drag my thumb over the head of my cock. I imagine that it's Thea's hand bringing me to the brink and my muscles start to lock. Pleasure has me seeing stars and my orgasm hits me like a full speed tackle. I groan, long and deep, until my release ebbs and I'm sinking into the mattress.

I stare into the darkness of my room trying to catch my breath. The cool air from the fan chills my skin and I barely have the strength to reach over for a tissue to clean myself up.

As I drift off, still reeling from the aftershocks, an idea sparks to life.

The more it forms, the crazier it sounds. It's reckless enough to get me suspended, kicked off the team, or arrested. But, if I can pull it off, it'll be hot as hell and will give me the payback I need.

I fall asleep with a smile on my face.

Poor Thea. She's not going to know what hit her.

*************The next chapters may be triggering. Just a warning***********************