Catch Twenty-Two (Westover Prep 2)

Ryan stands tall, never one to back down from a fight. He’s one of the school’s bad boys. He was never mean to us, but Piper and I never registered on his radar either.

“What in the world is going on?” a girl to my right mutters, but even though she’s not really talking to me, I shake my head in answer.

“Leave me alone!” Drea yells loud enough for the entire cafeteria to hear. “I told you I don’t want anything to do with you.”

Linc’s two best friends, Graham and Bennett stand behind him, mere inches away if they decide their friend needs help.

“That’s not going to happen, princess. You were given an ultimatum, and Ryan isn’t on that list,” Linc seethes.

“Ultimatum?” Piper whispers as we watch Drea shove away from all the guys and run out of the cafeteria crying.

“I can’t wait to get out of high school,” Dalton says, shaking his head. “There’s just too much drama for me.”

After what seems like hours, Ryan eventually shakes his head and shoves past Linc and his gang of idiots, and we can all finally take a deep breath. We grab our lunch trays and head to our normal table. Violet and Caleb are leaning in close to each other gossiping as usual. These two, along with a couple of other people, came along with Dalton when he and Piper got together. I speak with them while they’re around, but we don’t really hang out together outside of school.

“What?” Piper asks with a grin as she takes a seat beside Violet.

“Did you see that?” Violet points to the area of the cafeteria where the altercation just took place. Violet and Caleb both are juniors this year, which means unfortunately for them, they have one more year in this place. I cringe to even think what it’s going to be like for them after we’re gone.

“Yeah,” Piper says with a wince. “That looked like a big nasty mess.”

“Rumor is that it’s only going to get worse,” Caleb says, his bright blue eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Yeah?” Dalton asks.

He’s not exactly keen on the gossip, but he does like to know what’s going on around school, if for anything to try to keep Piper from the middle of any mess that may be brewing.

“Rumor is that Linc offered Drea protection,” Violet says.

“Protection?” My brow furrows. “From whom?”

Violet shrugs. “Don’t know, but apparently they made a deal, and she’s not keeping up her end of the bargain.”

“Her end?” Piper looks as skeptical as I feel.

“They share,” Caleb whispers. “Like all three of the guys.”

“Share what?” I ask, still not catching on.

Zeke clears his throat, but when I look over at him and the fire in his eyes, I feel like an idiot.

“What?” I turn my head back to them. “You’re telling me that Linc, Graham, and Bennett all share the same girl?”

“No way,” Piper says in disbelief. “That doesn’t hap—”

I look over at my best friend when her jaw snaps shut. I imagine she’s recollecting the three-way she walked in on the night she had her accident with Dalton. Three guys and one girl wouldn’t be that much of a stretch. Her lips clamp shut as her cheeks heat.

“Way,” Violet says with a wide smile on her lips. “Things around here are going to get crazy.”

“I wish they were into guys,” Caleb groans as a dreamy look fills his eyes. “I wouldn’t mind being the cream in that muscular sandwich.”

Piper and I laugh while Zeke and Dalton groan and throw wadded up napkins in his direction.

Only five more months and most of us will be able to walk away from this place forever.

I can’t wait.THE END