Renegade Hearts (Rebels of Sandland 1)

“Don’t believe everything you hear on the grapevine.” I wasn’t sure whether what she said was true, but I’d trust Chase over these four guys any day of the week. We’d known him for years. Lyla Thomas wasn’t the most trustworthy either. But I knew to keep my wits around all of them. You didn’t grow up in my house without learning how to stand your guard. Everyone had an ulterior motive. Or so my father said.

“I swear to God, he’d better stay the fuck away from me,” Ryan announced, and as if he’d heard him clear as day, Chase walked right over to us and sat down next to Effy.

“Effy, Liv.” Chase nodded at my two friends. “Emily, hey. Are you okay? Did you manage to get home all right the other day?” His eyes were kind, but I felt like he was directing his concern to the group more than to me. Making some kind of statement.

“Yeah, it’s all good. Ryan’s dad is sorting my car out.”

“Good job he was there.” Chase took a swig of his beer and looked at Ryan as he spoke. “Funny how he managed to find you. Out of all the mechanics in Sandland, he was the one to save you.”

“The fuck you saying, Lockwood? You trying to cause shit again, you little fucker?” Ryan looked ready to launch himself at Chase at the first opportunity he got.

“Where’s your guard dog, Hardy? Did Mathers run away with his tail between his legs?”

“You’re right about the chasing tail part,” Zak piped up, earning a chuckle from Chase at his effort at humour.

“Probably saw you coming and decided he’d seen enough shit for one day.” Ryan flung his empty bottle onto the bonfire, making the flames crackle and sizzle higher.

“What, no fight tonight? Not gonna use that mathematical genius of yours to rob us blind with your betting odds?”

“You want a fight, Lockwood? It can be arranged.” Ryan stood up as if he was gearing up for a showdown, but Zak stood too and put his hands up, trying to show some peace needed restoring at this piss-poor excuse for a party.

“Come on, guys, seriously? Are we gonna do this here? And in front of these beautiful women? I don’t think so.” Jeez, Zak was a smooth talker.

“I would fight you, Hardy, but I don’t want to be accused of animal abuse.” Chase smirked to himself smugly, but Ryan just laughed and grabbed a beer off a guy walking past him, before sitting back down. That mist of fury had evaporated, and he was back to being his usual guarded self.

“Anytime, mate,” Ryan said on a low growl. “I’ll go against you anytime.”

“Okay, let’s try and pretend we’re here for a good time,” Liv said a little too chirpily and stood up, grabbing mine and Effy’s hands as she did. “Girls, let’s go and dance, or do something other than sit here watching these boys compare dicks.”

We headed to another part of the clearing and it didn’t take long for Zak to join us.

“Listen, I’m sorry if we scared you away,” he said looking regretful.

“Oh, we know. That’s not how you scare girls away. You chase them down dark hallways in deserted warehouses, banging on the walls and laughing like a bunch of fucking freaks.” Liv was back into her bitch mode and obviously ready to fight my corner.

“That was nothing to do with me, and for the record, I don’t think they really wanted to scare you, Em. I think they wanted to make sure they got noticed.”

“There’s better ways to get into a girl’s knickers. Making her run for her life isn’t one of them,” Liv spat back before I could even form a sentence.

Zak gave a low chuckle and ran his hand over his face.

“Why were we invited tonight? We’ve never been welcome before,” I asked, hoping that of all the boys, Zak would be the one to give us a bit of honesty.

“Who said you weren’t welcome? Okay, yes, Danny didn’t want you, well, any of you at our parties, but it was nothing personal. Now, we just wanna make amends.”

“No, I don’t buy it.” I waited to see a flinch or something in his expression that’d give him away, but there was nothing.

“What’s not to buy?” He shrugged. “Fine. I’ll level with you. My man, Ryan, he might have a little crush on you. He’s shit at doing something about it though.” I almost choked on my beer. That was the biggest crock of shit I’d ever heard. I told him as much too.

“Bullshit! He told me I didn’t belong in this world. Told me to run away and never come back. What the fuck? That’s the furthest from a come-on that you could get.”

“That’s his version of foreplay. Sweet talk. I told you he was shit at it.” Zak shrugged again. He obviously bought that idea and he was sticking to it.

“I don’t believe you. Something is going on. I’ll find out what it is, and when I do, I’ll-”

“You’ll what? Piss all over our business? Run to Daddy and tell on us?”

“Careful, you’re starting to sound like them. Worried I’m the rat you all accused me of being before?” I said, nodding over to where Ryan and Brandon had been by the fire. Ryan wasn’t there anymore, and I did feel a jolt of something inside me, wondering where he was. I l