Renegade Hearts (Rebels of Sandland 1)

“What? You need a break from my dramas? Fine. I won’t bother you again. But know this, Liv. You’re insane. What makes you think-”

I was rudely cut short by Kian, the Renaissance wannabe, who grabbed a chair and plonked himself down at our table. I hadn’t even seen him come in. His joining us did nothing to dampen the fire in me that Liv had created by being my un-appointed dating guru though. I wasn’t finished with that subject, not by a long shot.

“Wow,” he said, looking at each of us in turn. Then he smirked and shook his head. “Chase Lockwood must have a fucking death wish if he thinks he can come in here and ask you out.”

“Oh my God. What are you even on about? I’m not going on a date with him. I’m not dating anyone.” I was so over this. I felt ready to hunt Chase down and put him in his place. Tell him in no uncertain terms that his dick was never gonna get wet. Not with me, anyway.

“Oh, we know. Ryan shut that shit down years ago.”

Say what now?

“Come again?” I leant forward in my chair and screwed my face up.

“Quit talking in riddles, short stack, and tell us what the fuck you’re on about,” Liv said, getting straight to the point as usual.

“You know… Ryan and the whole ‘nobody is allowed to date Emily’ thing he kept harping on about at high school. Oh. Did you three not know about that? Shit. I don’t think I was supposed to say anything. On second thoughts, forget I spoke. You didn’t see me here.”

I threw myself back in my chair, rolled my eyes and let out the biggest sigh of the day. This guy was un-fucking-believable.

Kian went to stand, but Liv grabbed his arm, forcing him back down into his chair. “Not so fast, tiny Tim. We’re gonna need you to spill the tea.”

“I can’t. They’re my boys.” He grinned like a child that’d been caught stealing cookies and guessed his sweet smile would get him off the hook. Not a chance, dude. Not this time.

“And we are three hormonal teenage girls who can and will make your life hell if you don’t tell us exactly what you know,” Liv barked back at him. She was immune to his charms. We all were.

“He doesn’t have any say over who I date. He never has.”

I was so pissed off. I knew they were behind this. They prob

ably sent Kian in on a mind-fuck exercise just to toy with my head a little more. Make gullible Emily think Ryan is a knight in shining armour. Why not? The brother isn’t around to deny it. Those boys liked playing me, but I wasn’t going to dance to this tune.

“It was my brother, Danny, who warned guys off, not Ryan.”

“That’s just what he’d want you to believe. Oh shit. I’m gonna go to hell for this. If you ever rat me out, I swear, I will haunt your asses for eternity.”

“We have good asses. The pleasure will be all yours. Now spill,” Liv said, giving him her best death stare.

“It was never Danny who warned them off. It was Ryan. Ryan’s had a thing for you for years, Em. I thought you knew that? When I saw you come out with them yesterday and with you going to the hospital, I figured he’d pulled his head out of his ass and done something about it.”

“You’re wrong. That makes no sense, at all.” Here we go again with the mind games.

“It kind of does. He does look at you like you shit rainbows and unicorns when he thinks you’re not looking.” Liv spoke like she was jealous, turning her nose up in disgust.

“Liv, that’s the shittiest analogy I’ve ever heard. And he doesn’t look at me.”

“He does, Em,” Effy chipped in. “Even I’ve noticed it.”

“Yep,” Kian added like he was one of the girls. “The guy is crazy. Obsessed. Totally and utterly-”

“You can stop now,” I said feeling embarrassed, mortified and generally uneasy about all of this.

“If he hears that you’re going on a date with Chase Lockwood, of all people, he’s going to lose his shit. Like I said, Lockwood must have a death wish.”

I wanted this conversation to be over with. I couldn’t even think straight.

“No one needs to lose their shit, because I’m not going on any dates. And Kian? I’d prefer it if you didn’t tell anyone else about this, especially Ryan.”

“Like I’m about to let it slip that I pissed all over his biggest secret.”