“What are you doing, babe?” Becky asks him.
He waits until after he’s done before he answers. “Just posted your guys’ picture.”
Her phone buzzes on the table.
“We’re throwing you a party,” I tell Austin.
She was picking up her drink but stops at my words. Her eyes narrow on me with suspicion, then dart to Deke. “Why?”
“Because you earned it,” he says simply.
“What did I do to earn a party?” she asks slowly.
“Who the hell cares?” Becky asks excitedly.
The bell rings, and they get up to throw away their trash, and I turn to Deke. “Who did you invite?”
He smiles. “Everyone.”
I walk out into the hall, and I find her and Becky by their locker. “I’ll pick you up at ten,” I tell her.
“It’s tonight?”
I nod.
She blows a long breath out. “Where is it?”
“The beach,” Becky answers, already checking her Facebook.
“It’ll be cold.” Austin frowns.
Becky just laughs and walks off to class. Austin looks up at me. “You’re up to something.”
I lean down and kiss her neck. “Aren’t I always?”
“Cole,” she whispers and pushes me away. I go willingly and look down at her. “Please don’t embarrass me.”
I frown. “What? Why would you think …?”
“You have a tendency to prove you’re right, and I …” She looks away from me and lets out a long breath. “Never mind.”
She turns to walk away, but I grab her arm and pull her to a stop. “What?”
“After the other day … what I told you …” She sighs heavily. “I get it,” she says softly “You guys run this school. This town.” Her eyes meet mine. “But you …” She pauses again, and I search her eyes, waiting to see angry tears, but instead, I see nothing but sadness. And I don’t like it. I hate Bruce Lowes even more for allowing her mother and boyfriend to treat her the way they did. “That night in my bedroom, you told me that you could make me nothing. But what you didn’t know is that I’ve always been nothing. But here”—she holds her hands out wide—“you’re something, and no matter how hard I try to hide in the dark, you pull me into the spotlight. And that’s not where I belong.” With that, she walks off down the hall, holding her books to her chest.
I walk into fifth period and sit down next to Deke. “Are you friends with Austin on social media?”
He snorts. “She won’t add me. I know she saw my request.”
“Shit!” I hiss sitting back in my seat.
“Why?” he asks.
“I wanna see her page.”
He laughs. “Well, I can make that happen. Hang on.” He leans forward and grips Becky’s shoulder. “Let me see your phone, babe.”
“Why?” she asks.
He rolls his eyes. “It doesn’t fucking matter why. Just give it to me,” Deke orders.
She huffs but passes it back to him. He presses some buttons and then hands it to me.
“How do I look at pictures?” I ask.
She says she was nothing. Somehow, I don’t believe that. Her mother and boyfriend probably just made her feel that way.
“Here you go. Just scroll to the side,” he instructs me.
I come to a picture of her and a guy. He’s about her height and tattoos come up from underneath his shirt and stop at his jawline. He’s got big black gauges in his ears. His right arm is over her shoulders, and she’s looking at him like she loves him. I’ve never seen that look on her face before.
“Who the hell is that?” Deke asks.
“I don’t know,” I growl.
“Oh, that’s Martin,” Becky says, looking down at it now.
“Who the hell is Martin?” Deke growls.
“Her ex,” she answers.
I never thought that she may not be available. The thought never crossed my mind. Just like Celeste said, I always get what I want. Boyfriend be damned. But it’s nice to know that I don’t have to take her from him. Makes this easier for me.
“Were they serious?” Deke asks Becky.
“She doesn’t talk about California much, so I don’t think so. I just know they were together because of the pics she has of him on there.”
Deke yanks the phone from my hands, and I lean over in my desk as he brings another picture up. It’s of her standing in a living room. She wears a black leather mini-skirt and black fitted top. Another brunette her age stands to her left. A man behind her. He looks a lot older. He has a cigarette between his lips, and his eyes are right on her ass. I know exactly who it is. Her mom’s boyfriend.
“Next,” I order.
Deke moves on to another one of her, and it looks to be inside a club. There’s neon lights, and she has her head thrown back, that guy with the tats has his head buried in her neck, his hands gripping her ass.
“Next,” I growl.