“And you?” Arizona asks, glancing at me. “What are your thoughts on my impending doom?”
My lip pouts out as my head pounds just a little bit harder. “I think thinking is too hard and we should just let the chips fall where they may … is that how the saying goes?” I question, raising my head off the table and immediately regretting it. “Anyway, my point is that there’s literally nothing you can do about it. If you’re going to develop more feelings for the guy, it’s going to happen whether you want it to or not, so until you’re certain that it’s not going away, you shouldn’t be stressing yourself. In the meantime, enjoy your senior year and invest in a vibrator instead.”
Arizona gapes at me, completely horrified with the idea of having to get herself off instead of letting Jax do it. “What?” she breathes. “Manual labor?”
“Girl, trust me. Get a vibrator,” Ilaria says. “There are some things that a vibrator can do that a tongue just simply can’t.”
Arizona’s cheeks flush before she indicates to me. “Why’s all the attention on me when we could be discussing the twins’ pool?”
“No, absolutely not,” I say. “That is not up for discussion. It’s humiliating enough as it is. Though if you really want to push it, I’ll have no choice but to remind you that even though I was the one who had the unfortunate incident, you were the idiots flailing around in it while you were trying to get out of the pool.”
“Okay,” Arizona says, her face scrunching in disgust. “I agree. It shall never be brought up again.”
“Good,” I say as my phone vibrates against the table.
Glancing down at the screen, I find an unread text from an unknown number and without questioning it, I open the message to immediately wish I hadn’t. My gaze travels over the words and each time it does, a weight drops down over my shoulders, reminding me of the ugly reality I’ve been avoiding.
Unknown - Keep blaming Colby for what you did, and I’ll have no choice but to find you, and when I do, it’ll be lights out, you fucking whore. Don’t worry, I know how you like it rough, so I’ll be sure to fuck you before I slit your throat.
I swallow hard, my gaze lifting to Tanner’s across the room as unease and fear rattle me. My hands begin to shake and the girls’ conversation fades to white noise. My heart pounds and my eyes grow watery. I lived in Hope Falls for years and heard shit like that every day, but I’ve never had something so violent and ugly directed at me before.
Tanner stands, and before I know it, I’m running across the cafeteria, my phone clutched tightly in my hands. “Bri?” Ilaria calls after me.
I don’t stop until I’m crushed against Tanner’s chest, his strong arms wrapped around me. “What’s wrong?” he demands, his gaze sharp as it sails around the cafeteria, searching for a threat. “What happened?”
I pass him my phone, and as he scans the text, his gaze darkens, and his hold becomes bruising around my waist. “Fucking Colby Jacobs,” he rumbles. “It always comes back to that piece of shit. I swear to you, Killjoy, I will find whoever the fuck sent this text and destroy them. No one gets away with talking to you like that, especially after what Colby has already put you through.”
Unshed tears fill my eyes as I crush my face against his strong chest. “It’s going to be okay,” he murmurs, his hand moving up and down my back as the rest of the guys move in, their expressions filled with concern, more than ready to jump to my defense at a moment’s notice. “It’ll be okay.”
The bell sounds through the cafeteria and Tanner hands my phone to Riley. I watch as it’s quickly passed around, and one by one, their faces become grim. “You’ve got biology now?” Tanner questions, his hands on my shoulders, putting the slightest space between us so that he can see my face. I nod and he glances toward Logan. “Aren’t you in that class?”
“Yeah, man. I’ve got her. No one will touch her,” Logan confirms, the reality of the situation like a weight on my chest.
“Don’t take your eyes off her for a fucking second, got it?” Logan nods as Tanner glances toward Riley and Hudson. “I want this fucker found.”
Jax hands my phone back to me, and I slip it into my pocket as Tanner takes my chin, forcing my freaked-out stare to him. “You have my word, Brielle. Whoever this fucker is won’t get within a hundred feet of you. Go to class with Logan, stick right by his side, and then I’ll drive you straight home after school.”
I shake my head. “You’ll be late for training,” I tell him. “I’ll be fine. It’s just a threat. I think this guy is just trying to scare me to save Colby, but it won’t work. Colby’s DNA was confirmed, and not even this stupid text is going to stop me from doing my part in putting him away. It’s just a scare tactic.”