Playing with Fire

“Mr. St. Claire, I see you decided to finally grace us with your presence.”

I stared at him coolly, refusing to throw him a bone.

The girl next to Reign had the good senses to slap Reign’s hand away from under her skirt as all eyes darted to us.

Addams leaned his thick waist against his desk, oinking as he pushed his glasses up his nose.

“Tell me, Mr. St. Claire, are you even faintly interested in gaining higher education?”

Truthfully, I wasn’t. But this hellhole was far enough from Maine to lie low and do what I needed to do to keep my family from going bankrupt.

“Use your words,” he instructed haughtily. “You do know how to speak, don’t you?”

I smirked. I wasn’t easily flustered. Came with the territory of being numb across the board. People couldn’t touch me if they tried.

And they tried.

Often.

“Pursuing a degree seemed like a great excuse to leave the dump I lived in, and Sher U is pretty affordable for an out-of-state college. Jury’s still out on the educational staff, though.” I sat back, crossing my arms over my pecs.

“Burn!” Someone cackled.

“Holy shit,” another student bellowed. “St. Claire is handing asses in the ring and out of it.”

Laughs exploded from every corner of the room. Professor Addams’ mouth slacked, and his cheeks turned flamingo pink. It took him a full minute to recover.

“Give me one reason why I should let you get away with what you just said to me.”

“Because you were transferred here from an Ivy League university under mysterious circumstances, which no one cared to explore. Guess what?” I opened my arms theatrically. “I have all the time in the world. How is that for a full sentence for you, Professor Addams?”

“Pfft.” Reign raised his arm in the air, opening his palm, like he was dropping a mic.

“Savage to death.” East chuckled.

“You think you’re so clever, don’t you, West St. Claire?” Addams huffed.

“Discipline me or let it drop. You’re drawing it out.” I yawned.

He turned back to his slideshow, shaking his head. Idiot.

Half an hour later, I strode out of class. Reign had his arm flung over the nameless chick, and East was scrolling through his phone, probably debating the girl he wanted to take out tonight. I decided to drop the bomb. Now was as bad a time as any.

“I’m starting to work at That Taco Truck tomorrow.”

Technically, I was starting today. That Karlie chick was supposed to teach me how to work the grill this afternoon.

At first, there was no reaction. When I didn’t expand on the matter, because it was pretty self-fucking-explanatory, Reign proceeded to snort-laugh.

“Umm, why the fuck?”

“Strapped for cash.”

“You don’t get enough juice from fighting?” He screwed up his nose. Reign had zero financial worries. When he wasn’t playing ball, he was chasing tail. College to him was a string of parties and games, with hookups and pregnancy scares crammed in-between for dramatic relief. I, however, was busy paying my parents’ loans, financing my own education, and saving up so I wouldn’t have to go back home once I graduated this year.

Nameless Chick gasped. “That makes no sense. Everyone says you’re loaded.” I didn’t answer. Getting dicked by one of my frenemies didn’t make her a certified accountant.

“Do what you gotta do, man. Let me know if I can help.” East hoisted his duffel bag over his shoulder, putting a lid on the subject.

“Maybe he’s got the hots for Toastie,” Reign mused. “And he’s looking for leeway. I mean, she is smokin’ once you put a bag over that face.”

“The burn victim?” Nameless Chick flattened a hand over her chest. “Isn’t it tragic? One of my sorority sisters knows her from high school. Heard she was in cheer and drama before she turned this way. She was real pretty, too.”

I had no doubt I was going to knock every tooth out of Reign’s mouth at some point in my life. He was a mean bastard and picked on people constantly. Anything to make his idiot friends laugh. His choice in female companion was obviously just as poor.

Reign cackled.

“Seriously, man, shut up.” Easton collared him, swinging his body so he was an inch from crashing against the wall.

We reached the double doors of the entrance and split. Reign and East had practice, and Random Chick was off, probably doing random shit. I was about to head out when I heard shouting coming from the crack of the door by the exit.

“Fire! Fire!”

It was coming from the makeshift auditorium, where theater and arts rehearsed these days while they built a brand-new theater across campus grounds.

I burst through the doors.

They were rehearsing. Phew.

The door was ajar, practically inviting me to take a look. It wasn’t like I had anything better to do. I had half an hour to burn before I met Karlie at the food truck.