Wild Girl (Slateview High 2)

“Yeah. Nathaniel told us about it a couple hours ago,” he said, a strange timbre to his voice. “Wanted to make sure we had a heads-up, and also wanted us to pass along the message not to forget about the favor. Your father knows who’s responsible for getting him out of the clink. He’ll be expected to be the one to repay when the time comes.”

I nodded, numb. Honestly, right now my mind was miles away from debts that needed to be repaid. That seemed like such a far away concern. My current concerns were more relevant and pressing. More immediate.

More personal.

Kace put an arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer, letting me nestle against his shoulder.

“You don’t look so hot, Coralee,” he murmured, his voice rough. “Figured you’d be over the moon.”

I shrugged, though we were pressed so close together that my shoulder barely shifted.

“I’m glad my father is out of prison.” I bit my lip, forcing down the sudden tears that stung the backs of my eyes. “I’m… grateful. I’m glad Nathaniel helped. I just didn’t think it was going to happen so soon…”

“Well, when Nathaniel says he’s gonna get somethin’ done, he gets that shit done. He’s never really been one to beat around the bush.” Kace rested his chin on top of my head, and I felt him breathe deeply. “When… are you leaving?”

That was the part that hurt the most. Because it truly put into perspective just how little time we had left.

“A few days,” I told him, my voice cracking. “Apparently, Nathaniel was very thorough in helping my dad get his charges dismissed. We even got all of our seized assets and property placed back in our hands. Mom’s pulling me out of school before the week is out, and then we’re… we’re going back home.”

Even saying the word home felt fake. This place had become my home. These three boys were my family, my heart.

And I was leaving it all behind in the blink of an eye. I couldn’t even blame anyone else for the suddenness. It had been my determination to clear my father’s name that had been responsible for this.

“I see,” Bishop muttered, his voice thick

“It—it doesn’t mean this is over, right?” I sat up, pushing away from Kace a little so I could turn to face the others too, swiveling my head to meet their gazes as a sudden wave of panic swept through me. “I mean, I know how this started out. There was nothing… romantic or deep about it. But something happened between us—all of us. I don’t want that to go away just because I’m leaving here. I’d never leave the three of you behind like that. You know that, don’t you?”

The desperation in my voice was heavy, but I couldn’t help it.

Knowing that I would have to leave regardless of my own wishes was one thing—I could defy my mom by keeping the boys in my life, but I couldn’t outright defy her by refusing to go back home. She had the resources now to make me go, and I was sure she wouldn’t hesitate to use all of them.

But I needed assurance that my being gone wouldn’t mean this was over. Not after everything

we’d been through. I was moving back to my old neighborhood, but I’d still be in Baltimore. I wasn’t going to a foreign country or anything.

There was no reason we couldn’t stay in each other’s lives.

If they wanted that.

The boys were quiet for several long moments, and my heart seemed to beat slower with every second that passed. I couldn’t even put into words what these three boys had come to mean to me, and I was sure they felt the same. But still, fear closed my throat as I remembered how much they had despised me and my entire family when we’d first met.

I would be going back to all that. Would they despise me again?

Kace’s arms tightened around me, but it was Bishop who finally spoke, his hazel eyes glinting fiercely.

“You really think we’re gonna let you off the hook that easy, Cora?” he said. “Of course this ain’t gonna change anything between us. You’re our Princess. You’re ours. You living it up in a fancy-ass mansion ain’t gonna change that.”

He sounded so confident.

I wished I felt half as much faith as he did.

His words cracked something open in my heart though, and heat sparked low in my belly as a strange sort of determination filled me. I would do everything I could to make his words be true.

My stubbornness had gotten my father out of jail. It could keep these three boys in my life.

Because I wasn’t sure I could breathe without them.

Crawling into Kace’s lap, I hooked the back of Bishop’s neck to bring his face close to mine, my other hand trailing over Misael’s leg.