Fight Dirty (Black Rose Kisses 1)

Honestly, I don’t eve

n think I can picture him sitting in a classroom, taking notes or asking questions like some kind of average student. There’s nothing average about any of these guys. So I just ignore his comment and file the information away for later.

He flashes me a cocky smile just a second later, glancing over and winking in my direction. “Besides, I don’t need college. I’ve got plenty of skills. You can attest to that, can’t you?”

I roll my eyes, letting the innuendo and the moment pass.

Once he parks the car, we get out and walk across campus. My first class is a good hike away from the parking lot, and I’m not looking forward to walking with Levi for the whole thing. It’s pretty clear he’s not just going to drop me off and leave, or wait in the car for me to be done for the day.

Before we get halfway there, I hear someone shout my name. I don’t even have to look to know who it is, and a second later, Scarlett comes hurtling up and gives me a hug so tight I can feel my ribs protesting.

“You’re here!” she says, squeezing me.

“I’m here,” I echo, wheezing a little. “Scar, you’re killing me. Lemme go.”

She’s still grinning when she steps back, but then her eyes dart to Levi and her brows shoot up into her hairline.

I watch as she sizes him up, and while he’s taller than her by a good bit, I can tell when she decides she can take him. Her hands go to her hips in a trademark pose I know well. It’s the stance she takes when she’s about to rip someone a new asshole, but I cut in before she can make a scene.

“Scarlett. Not now.”

“But—”

She looks at me, and I shake my head quick. Her lips turn down in a pout, and I know I’ve ruined some of her fun. She loves when she has a chance to verbally destroy someone, and it’s not like Levi doesn’t deserve it, but I’m already running late for class, and I don’t want to deal with this here.

Besides, with my dad still indebted to the Black Roses, I have to be careful how far I push my luck with these guys. Rory just seems entertained when I sass him, and Levi seems pretty unflappable, but Sloan already seems to hate me. The last thing I need is to push any of them too far and get myself or Dad into more trouble.

“Let’s just go,” I say and start walking off, leaving the two of them no choice but to follow me.

We head the rest of the way across campus, and Scarlett seems content to ignore Levi, acting like he’s not even there as she chatters about campus gossip and a new hairstyle she wants to try. It’s purposefully boring and over-the-top girly, not the usual kind of shit we talk about at all. She’s probably doing it to annoy Levi, even though he doesn’t say anything about it or seem bothered by it at all.

When I glance at him, he’s looking around the campus, hands shoved into his pockets. Interestingly enough, he doesn’t stand out as much as I would have thought he would.

He’s tall and quiet, but there are plenty of tall and quiet guys around. Someone whizzes by on a skateboard, a bright pink hat barely containing blonde curls, and it’s perfectly normal. Maybe he would have been able to blend in if he’d gone to college. Maybe it’s just my perception of him that makes that whole concept seem weird as hell.

“Okay, I should go,” Scarlett says, breaking into my thoughts and jerking her head in the direction of the science building. “I have to go pretend like I understood the chem homework.”

I bite back a grin, because I know she probably does understand it a lot better than she thinks. She holds herself to a super high standard and is never satisfied with anything but perfection, which is why her grades were a lot better than mine in high school.

“Have a good day, Scar.”

“You too,” she says, pulling me in for a quick hug before giving Levi a look that clearly says I’ve got my eye on you.

I watch as she walks off, then turn to head toward the humanities building in front of us. “I have two classes in there,” I tell Levi.

“Okay,” he replies. “I’ll be out here.” It sounds more like a threat than a promise when he says it.

“Super,” I mutter under my breath and then head in.

Nothing in my course schedule for this semester is that rigorous that it requires my constant focus. I’m mostly doing my Gen Ed requirements, sitting through basic English Lit classes and a math class that I’m pretty sure I already took in high school. It’s a good stepping stone toward getting my degree one day, once I’ve figured out what I want to do with my life.

Thinking about that makes me think about Dad, and how he’s always said I could do anything I put my mind to. He wanted more for me than just fighting and living at home with him, but it’s hard to think of a future when you’re not sure what you want from it. It’s even harder now, when I can’t think about the future without thinking about what could happen to him.

I already lost my mom. I can’t lose my dad too.

Professor Kennings drones on up at the head of the class, talking about symbolism in Pride and Prejudice, and I barely hear what he’s talking about, doodling in the margins of my notebook and staring out the window.

When we’re finally released, I throw everything back in my bag and peek outside to see that Levi is still there, posted up outside the building with a look on his face that keeps anyone from getting too close.