Real Girl (Aston Creek High 4)

Her tears finally start to dry after half an hour of sobbing and just as she straightens on my lap and raises her head to explain what the fuck happened, an old Firebird comes screeching into the lot beside us.

Skylah’s head whips around in a panic until the guy gets out of the car and she sees his familiar face.

Rivers stands before us and I see the confusion on Skylah’s face. He’s the last person she expected to see here today, but she doesn’t say a damn word about it, just nods, grateful that he’s here at all, accepting any help we can get.

Just when I think we can start working out what the fuck we’re going to do, the passenger door of the Firebird pushes open and another guy gets out. He’s covered in tatts and looks to be about the same age as Rivers. The guy even has my girl gawking for a second. “I hope it’s cool that I brought my boy, Noah,” Rivers grumbles, meeting my eyes over the top of Skylah’s head. “You can trust him.”

I look back at Noah, trying to figure out if I can trust Rivers’ word. I’ve never met this guy and while he looks like the kind of guy to rob your house and steal your girl, there’s also something in his eyes, something that tells me that he’d go to the end of the world for Rivers and if Rivers needs him to help him here today, then he’ll give his absolute all and that’s all I can ask for.

I nod, letting him know that I’m cool with this and he nods right back before making his way around the Firebird to stand with our group, but there’s something strange about the way both Noah and Rivers hover around us. They’re not just standing here, waiting to hear what’s about to go down, they’re protecting her.

Their backs are never completely turned, their eyes constantly searching for a threat, and they stand with military precision, strong and lethal, ready to act at a moment’s notice.

These guys have seen bad shit in their lives and what’s more, they’re now standing on the other side, stronger than ever. These are the kind of guys I want standing at my girl’s back.

I run my knuckles down Skylah’s back. “It’s time, Virago,” I murmur. “We need to end this but we can’t do it unless we know what the fuck has been going down.”

One last tear falls from her eye and as she raises her chin to meet my eyes, she falters. “I…” her voice cracks and I watch as she struggles to find the words. “I killed him.”

Fuck.

Damian steps into her back as I repeat what she just said in my head.

‘I killed him.’

“What do you mean you killed him?” Damian questions as I search her eyes. “What the fuck happened last night? Who did you kill?”

Rivers and Noah both shuffle in on high alert, ready, and prepared for any threat, only now just realizing what kind of bullshit they just agreed to involve themselves in.

“Marcus,” she whispers, not moving her eyes from mine. “He found out that Lucien screwed him over and he dragged me back there and they got into a fight. They had their guns out and flailing around and when a gunshot went off, I just…I ran.”

Fuck.

“Marcus came after me. He knocked Lucien out and then grabbed me. He said because I wasn’t a virgin anymore that he didn’t want me. I was used and dirty and that he was going to talk to his lawyers about getting the marriage annulled…”

I search her eyes, wondering how this could have possibly gone from giving her exactly what she wanted into killing the guy.

Tears continue falling, her fingers fisting into my shirt. “He said that because he had been screwed over, that he should get something in return.”

My world shatters as I grab her shoulders, forcing her to keep her eyes on mine. “Did he touch you?”

She shakes her head. “He tried…but he didn’t get that far.”

“What happened, Virago?”

She cries. “He pulled my robe up and got my leg…” She swallows, forcing herself to continue. “I didn’t want to do it, but I knew what would have happened if I didn’t. He was going to hurt me, just like Lucien did.”

I see Noah hang his head as he listens but I tune it out. Right here, it’s just me and Skylah. “His hand was going down and I just…I just did it. I stabbed him with my knife.”

Fuck.

My arms wrap around her and I crush her into my chest, hating this torture she’s feeling in her soul. She fucking killed a man and while he more than deserved it, it’s bound to leave a scar, a fucking nasty one at that.

She continues, sniffling against me. “He was in shock and was staring at me like he couldn’t believe I’d just stabbed him and then before I knew it he was on his knees. He tried to reach for me and was asking for help, but I couldn’t move. I just stood there watching him slowly die. But…”