He and Royce run off, and not a minute later, they’re peeling out of the parking lot.
Mac nods his head to the others, pushing the alarm button on his car.
Raven slides in front of me. “Don’t piss him off, stay here. I’ll find you if it’s serious,” she promises when she doesn’t have to.
My mind spins, considering if I should listen, behave as he wants me to.
I squeeze my eyes shut, a small growl escaping as I spin on my heels and head back inside the school. Maddoc, Raven, and Mac driving off behind me.
My steps slow when I spot Chloe leaning against the frame, her eyes following Mac. “We’ll never be on their level, will we?”
When I don’t respond, she looks my way.
“Come on, Victoria.” She tilts her head. “I know you fucked up somewhere, and it’s no secret I tried to fuck over Raven when she first came to Brayshaw.” She sighs and looks off. “I love Mac, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous of his position with this family. My dad ran their security all my life, was their most trusted man, and mine isn’t even allowed to answer his phone if I’m in the same room. Every call, he steps out... away from me.” She meets my gaze only to look away again. “Worst part is it’s no one’s fault but my own.”
I eye her a long moment, not understanding why she’d open up to me, but somehow knowing she has no one else to admit this shit to.
Her dad embodies Brayshaw, she was born to be a part of it, and she fucked it up.
I get it.
I try to walk back inside, away from someone I don’t trust, who doesn’t trust me, but my feet don’t move me.
I hold in my groan, and dig into my backpack, pulling out a half a joint.
I already ran out of second period, what’s the rest of the day?
It takes Chloe a second, but then she looks over.
A grin twitches her lips, and she shrugs, pushing off the wall.
I follow the brunette Barbie to her little convertible and slide inside.
She adjusts her mirrors as the top goes down and puts the car in drive. “In three, two...”
Her phone rings and she laughs, answering with a wink.
Mac’s voice comes through the speakers, deep and gravelly. “Baby.”
“Baby,” she mimics, turning out of the parking lot.
I pull a lighter from my bag, holding the flame over the end of the joint while rolling it in my fingers to make sure it’s equally lit.
“Don’t make me spank that ass, gorgeous.”
Chloe laughs. “Is that supposed to convince me to go back, because talk about a rebound?”
I want to roll my eyes, but a small grin forms instead.
She laughs silently when Mac growls. “Meet me at my house in a couple hours. Daddy isn’t home until six.”
“Done.”
The line goes dead, and we both laugh.
“Only good thing about my dad working at the school is I’ve got more alone time at home.” She looks over with a grin, holding her hand out, so I pass it over. “So I heard you stole Amber’s shit that night at the warehouses?”
I shrug. “She tried to steal mine.”
“I guess she did, didn’t she?” A loud laugh leaves her, and she smiles. “You should pawn the purse, it’s a limited-edition Cartier. Worth bank.”
“It’s not worth shit now.”
She looks over.
“I tossed it in one of the bonfires with everything in it.”
Her jaw drops, but a giggle quickly follows. “Man. It’s almost cute how clueless you group home girls are.” Her eyes pop back to mine. “I didn’t mean that like a total asshole.”
I can’t help the small grin that escapes, and an easiness settles over us.
Chloe drives a little longer, pulling over at a small park, and we sit silently for a few minutes, smoking and thinking, when she asks, “Do they know?”
She wears a tight smile, and unease creeps over me.
“Do they know what?”
“My dad was head of security, Victoria,” she says softly. “If there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s snooping without getting caught. I’ve seen shit the boys never have. How do you think I stayed on top before Raven showed up? I’ll give you a hint—not because they liked me, but because I was aware.”
“Out with it, Chloe.”
“Mallory,” she says instantly.
My pulse hammers against my temples, and I shift to face her full-on to try and hide it.
“What about her?” My voice comes out raspier than I intended.
Chloe offers a sad smile, as if she knows I’m doomed to the end. “Do they know what you did?”
Oh fuck.
“Chloe...” I trail off, shaking my head. “You—”
“We all have secrets, Vee. Some are just bigger than others.”
“Yeah?” I snap, pushing past the pressure in my chest. “And what’s yours?”
“Did you notice how I kept grabbing the joint from you, twirled it around my fingers and passed it back?”