Captain pulls into the school and parks. “Look at these fucking people, standing around just waiting to see what happens next.”
Royce shakes his head, frowning. “We need to set shit right here, and quick.”
Captain glances my way and I jerk my chin, telling him to spit it out.
“You sure you’re up for this?”
“Up for what? This is our fucking school.”
“Yeah.” He nods with a glare. “And that’s your fucking girl who will be on the arm of a Graven. Collins fucking Graven,” he spits and my jaw clenches. “Like I said, you up for this?”
“I’ll snap his wrists, Cap.”
“And we’ll be right there to help you, my man, but we can’t ignore the fact that she made the choice. Do what you need to, but don’t forget where she slept this weekend.”
My eyes harden, and he shrugs, but his eyes show disappointment.
“You need to hear this, brother, who the fuck knows what’ll happen from here.” He eyes me.
“We already talked all this shit out, we go in there, treat her like the rest of them and play it by ear.”
“Yeah,” he nods. “I know we did, but I also caught the way your teeth started grinding the second we pulled into this parking lot, and the bounce of your knee, and the fists your hands are making right now.”
I throw my door open and climb out, turning back to lean in and grab my bag. “Point fucking taken.”
He gives a weak ass grin and they both follow my move.
We step in front of the SUV, Mac and Leo moving toward us as we do.
I look from Leo to the old Thunderbird he’s been driving. It’s a piece of shit, but still...
On a part-time paperboy’s salary?
“How long’d you have to save for that?” I jerk my chin toward the car but keep my eyes locked on Leo.
He shrugs, glancing back at it a moment. “‘Bout six months, but I’m making payments.”
I nod, shifting my eyes toward my brothers.
Royce looks from me to him, holding out his hand. “Badass, bro. Making it work.”
Could be true.
Mac steps in for props, right as Leo starts talking.
“That was some crazy shit at the rally the other day, huh?”
“We knew Collins was working his way in.” Royce shrugs and starts walking, so we all move with him, forcing Leo and Mac to stay behind or follow.
“But Raven, who would have thought,” the bastard keeps going, shaking his head.
“Every-fucking-body would have thought.” I swing a careful expression his way when I’d rather be pouring bleach down his throat for thinking he can speak freely on her. “She’s the daughter of a whore, what else would you expect? You really think we’d keep her around long?”
Acid lines my tongue at my own words, so I turn away before he sees the shift in my gaze.
“Speaking of whores,” Mac changes the subject, meeting my eyes a quick moment. “You guys hear Tisha Stevenson got caught sucking the judge’s dick at the cheer competition the varsity girls went to this weekend?”
“No shit?” Royce entertains him to help save face as Mac intended.
Leo gives a stiff laugh. “Yeah, we heard the coach walked in on it.”
Cap looks my way and I frown, following is stare when it shifts.
A group of girls stand in the middle of the hall chatting and I groan.
Fuck.
‘Course they’d all be ready and waiting day one.
I don’t bother covering my annoyance and keep toward my locker, but then laughter has me glancing down the hall in time to see Chloe step up to Mac and Leo and the others at the end of the hall.
Hmm...
I shift to Royce.
“Chloe?” He frowns, glancing down the hall and back, looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.
I shrug. “Why not let her run free on her, see if Raven cracks.”
“Not that I think Chloe’s brave enough to come hard at her, but this is Raven we’re talking about.” Captain glares. “She doesn’t crack.”
“Yeah, she cracks other motherfuckers.” Royce shakes his head, but then his attention is pulled down the hall and he frowns. “But if you wanna test the theory...” He looks back to me, anger and anxiousness taking over his features. “Mask your face, brother. She just walked around the corner. With him.”
I slowly shift my body to face the direction he’s looking, and as if lava was injected in my veins, everything inside me burns.
My eyes trail over her and my fists clench. My mind has been so fucked I didn’t even stop to think about how all her shit is still at our house – he must have set her up with clothes.
Keeping my cool is fucking useless and a deep crease takes over my forehead.
She tried to make it here, but these people know money when they see it.
Her head lifts and her eyes hit mine, but she doesn’t falter, not even for a second.