Victor: Her Ruthless Crush by Theodora Taylor (beach read book TXT) 📕

Mountain translated, “It’s easy to see why you value your friendship with these two guys more than you did your relationship with Byron. Why you would lie to them and betray Byron to keep them. Your crew is real loyal.”

The sarcasm in his tone was thick and cruel. But Jake wasn’t nearly as easy to intimidate as his friends.

“You can't hurt me,” Jake said directly to Victor, his voice petulant. “You know who my grandfather is.”

A tense couple of seconds passed.

Then Victor cranked his head to both sides—before socking Tim in the gut.

Tears sprang into Tim's eyes after Victor punched him. But I wouldn't call the sound that came out of his mouth crying. It was more like several choked gurgles as his lungs tried and failed to fill with air. Then, he, too, keeled over on the floor.

Victor stepped over the fallen boy’s body to sign further to Jake.

The American Mountain once again provided the translation: “Yes, we know who your grandfather is. So this time your friends will take your punishment. But there is no honor in this for you. Your face is broken. In exchange for us not breaking anything else or reporting this matter to your grandfather, you will stay away from Byron and his sister, apologize, and never speak their names again.”

As confident as Jake had sounded the last time he was in a locker room with Byron before winter break, he appeared the very picture of impotence now. He was both smaller and weaker than “the Chinese Boy.” And instead of two men flanking each of his sides, all Jake had was his former friends laid out on the floor.

There came another tense silence.

Then, Jake turned to Byron….and solemnly apologized to him in Japanese with a stiff bow. My mouth fell open as I watched from the shadows of the lockers.

“Yeah, and we’re going to need you to apologize to Dawn too,” the American Mountain informed Jake after he stood up straight from his bow.

Suddenly Victor, who I hadn’t thought had registered my presence, was looking straight at me.

I stood there, frozen in place, unable to do anything but stare back at him.

The four teenage boys in the locker room were all within a couple of years of Victor's age. But he looked so much older.

No, older wasn't the right word.

Powerful.

He looked so much more powerful than any other boy his age could ever be.

And the most powerful boy in the room raised his hand and motioned for me to come forward.

A monster inviting me to stand before him.

No, not inviting. Again, I’d chosen the wrong word.

Commanding.

He was commanding me to come out of the shadows and into his powerful light.

The urge to run traveled up my back like a shiver.

But I didn't.

He beckoned me, and I stepped out of my hiding place, like something enthralled.

9

VICTOR

Victor held himself perfectly still as he watched Jake apologize to Dawn.

The Nakamura boy chose stiff and formal English this time. And perhaps knowing the issue would be forced if he did not show her the utmost respect, he bowed even lower to Dawn than he had her brother.

Victor considered making the two other boys do the same. By the time the shamed Nakamura scion was done, they had struggled back to their feet. But upon further thought, he decided against it.

His blood was merely simmering as opposed to boiling now. And a strange possessiveness took hold of him. He didn’t want these boys to talk to Dawn. He didn’t even want them to look at her.

His eyes swung back to her as they inevitably did whenever they were in the same space.

“Is the apology acceptable to you?” he signed to Dawn.

She nodded slowly, her eyes two saucers inside her creamy brown face. He sensed she was still too shocked to sign or answer him out loud.

But a nod was all Victor needed. Her answer told him that his goal, his only reason for transferring to this school, had been achieved.

Victor nodded to Donny then. And Donny told Jake and his cohort they could go in Japanese.

The three boys wasted no time running away. The one who had peed himself didn’t even change out of his bright yellow basketball clothes. The coach had explained to Victor and all the other new basketball team recruits that it was strictly against Tokyo Progressive’s rules to walk its halls dressed in anything but the school’s uniform. But perhaps some things scared Yoshi more than being caught outside the locker room in his piss-stained shorts.

Good. He would end up doing much worse than pissing himself if he ever touched Dawn again.

He returned his gaze and his thoughts to Dawn, whose shocked expression still hadn’t given way.

Her reaction told him that he had been correct about her innocence. Her father surely had done much worse things to Nakamura’s enemies than Victor had to those boys. But he had obviously protected his daughter from ever seeing such violence.

Was she pleased about what he’d done for her? Or horrified? Victor couldn’t tell.

Her brother, on the other hand, made his feelings about the comeuppance Victor had delivered quite clear.

“That was so sick, man!” Byron signed and spoke at the same time, just like his sister. “V, I can’t thank you enough.”

Victor had only introduced himself to Dawn’s younger brother for the purpose of his mission. But he liked the two years younger kid just fine. He had a sense of humor similar to his sister, and Victor had silently laughed at a few of his antics as they completed their classroom assignments together.

He was glad Byron approved of his violent tactics. But Dawn still hadn’t said anything.

For the first time, she was staring at him, but not in the way he couldn’t help staring at her. She was staring at him like she had no idea who he was.

She looked…what was that American slang word she had taught him?

Ah, yes, he remembered now. Shook. Dawn had explained that this form of the word was