Lost Boys (Slateview High 1)

“Hey, girl! Nice to see you out and about and fitting in all the way,” Jessica said, giving me a wink as she made a show of checking me out from head to toe, taking in my outfit for the evening—a skirt I had cut short and a cropped top.

I grinned, striking a little pose.

“I’m a chameleon.”

Misael and I hung out with Liam and Jessica for a while, all of us talking and moving to the music at the same time. But when several minutes had gone by and Bishop and Kace still hadn’t returned with drinks, I grabbed Misael’s arm, leaning up to shout over the music.

“Let’s go see if Bish and Kace need help!”

He nodded and made a gesture to Liam and Jessica that we’d be right back. They nodded and kept dancing, arms wrapped around each other and bodies pressed close together.

I laughed as we made our way through the crowd, keeping a firm grip on Misael’s hand. “They’ll forget we were even there in a second.”

He glanced over his shoulder at them, grinning and rolling his eyes. “Yup.”

We headed downstairs, since I was pretty sure that was where the kitchen was. We found the entrance off a long hallway, and when we stepped inside, I spotted Bishop and Kace by the collection of kegs that served as the party’s source of booze. They were talking to a couple of guys I didn’t recognize, probably students from the other school. A few obviously drunk girls hovered around the kegs, and one of them had wrapped her arms around one of the boys I didn’t know, rubbing her body against him and kissing his neck.

I pulled a face as Misael and I moved through the crowd toward them. God, if I ever act that desperate, I hope—

Before I even had time to finish the thought, another one of the girls who’d been hovering around the drink station sauntered forward, wrapping her arms around Bishop. A third made a move on Kace, running her fingers over his chest as she stalked toward him like a predator.

And something inside me just… snapped.

I didn’t know what propelled me forward. Bish was already pushing the girl away from him, but that hardly even mattered to me anymore. The way she’d looked at him, the way she’d touched him…

No. You don’t get to touch what’s mine.

I was across the room before I’d even realized I was moving. My hands connected with the girl’s upper chest, shoving her backward in a forceful blow.

“Back the fuck off!”

She stumbled slightly, shock contorting her features as she caught sight of me. Then her lip curled in a snarl, and she moved to shove me back. I was ready for her though, and when her hands connected with my shoulders, I grabbed her wrists, yanking her off-balance.

I wasn’t a skilled fighter, and I had no idea what I was doing.

But it didn’t matter. Because I knew what I wanted.

This bitch needed to learn to keep her hands to herself.

As she spun to the side, losing her balance, I grabbed a handful of her hair. She shrieked in pain and anger, and I heard several shouts and yells around us. I barely registered the audience we’d drawn though—my focus had narrowed down to only what was in front of me, as if I had blinders on to the entire rest of the world.

Using my grip on the girl’s hair, I yanked her closer to me, forcing her to look over at Bishop. When I spoke, my voice sounded harsh and ragged, completely unrecognizable.

Jesus. Who the fuck am I?

“Do you see that boy over there?” I tightened my grip, forcing her a little closer as she lashed out, her hands contorted into claws. “Do you see him? He’s mine.”

“Get off me, you fucking psycho!” the girl shrieked, twisting in my grasp.

I gave a sharp tug on her hair, turning her head toward Kace. The girl who’d been running her fingers down his chest had backed away from the fight, her eyes wide in drunken shock.

“Do you see that boy? With the blond hair?” I was breathing hard now, so hard it was almost impossible to get the words out. It felt a little like I was outside of my own body, like I was watching some other girl do this, not me. “He’s mine too.”

With that, I wrenched her around, surprised to see that Misael was right behind us—it looked like he’d frozen mid-run, as if he’d darted after me to stop the fight but then had decided maybe I could handle it myself after all. Some emotion I couldn’t identify glinted in his eyes, and his nostrils flared as I used both hands in the girl’s hair to tilt her head up toward him.

“And this boy. He’s mine too.”

I finally released my grip on her hair, shoving her away from me. She stumbled, almost losing her balance in her high heels, but righted herself at the last second. Her hair was wild, and her face was flushed as she turned around to stare at me with eyes like saucers.