Letting You Go (Stone Lake 1)

“How are you doing, Luna?”

“I’m good,” I grumble, barely resisting the urge to add that I was better before he got here.

“You got a date for the Mayday Dance?”

Shit.

“Nope, I wasn’t planning on going.”

“You’re the captain of the cheerleading squad,” he says, and I frown because I have no idea what that has to do with anything.

“Larry, I need to get to class—”

“It won’t look right if you don’t go to the Mayday Dance.”

“To who?”

“To everyone, Luna,” he responds, and I wonder if he realizes how whiney his voice can sound. “How about we go together?”

“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” I tell him. “I really better get to class. I’ll talk to you later—”

“Come on, Luna. Don’t be like that,” he says, grabbing my arm and pulling me back around to face him. His hold is hard, with a bruising force, shocking me.

“Let go of me,” I gasp.

“Come on, the whole school is talking about how easily you gave it up for Gavin Lodge.”

I jerk my arm, trying to get free. I’m so intent on getting away from him that at first, I miss what he said…and then it hits me.

“Let me… What did you say?”

“If I’d known you like to go slumming, I would have handled you differently, Luna.”

“Go… Handled me…” I’m sputtering, not really knowing what to say. My stomach twists and turns and I can feel bile rising. I knew it.

I knew it.

I knew it felt like the entire school was looking at me differently.

“Lodge has been bragging about it to everyone. He said you caught on fire for him. If you like it dirty, Luna, I can give it to you even better than him. There’s no reason for you to look on the poor side of town.”

I shove against him now, his words disgusting me.

“Get away from me!”

His hold tightens for a brief moment before his fingers rake against my skin, making it burn as he draws blood. I cry out from the pain, looking up at him, and that’s when I see Gavin launching his body into Larry, taking him down on the floor.

I step away from them a few feet, holding my wounded arm and staring in awe as Gavin starts hitting Larry repeatedly.

Chapter Ten

Gavin

“You fucking bastard,” I growl, slamming my fist over and over into Larry. I don’t let up either; I whale on him. When I saw him grab Luna and heard the pain in her voice, I saw red.

I fucking lost it.

I charged at him, forgetting everything else. All I want now is to hurt him for the way he just hurt Luna. That’s all I have on my mind as I hit Larry repeatedly. Punching him so hard that the skin on my knuckles is cut. I feel someone pulling on my body, trying to drag me off of him. I fight them too. I don’t let go of my target. I’ve had a lot of frustration and misery over the years and right now I decide to unload it all.

Directly on his face. Fucking asshole.

Eventually, they pull me from him, my energy too driven, too spent to fight more than one foe at a time. I begin to let my surroundings filter back in. That’s when I hear Luna crying, and see the crowd gathering around us. Principal Issacs is talking, but I don’t make his words out. They’re drowned out by the amplified sound of the blood rushing and pounding in my ears and Luna’s tears. I try to go to her, to stop them, but the principal grabs me by the arm. I could probably take him—I’m pretty sure about it, but he has the security officer with him.

“Luna,” I demand, wanting to talk to her.

She lifts her head to look at me. Her skin is pale, tears are running unchecked down her cheeks, and a look of betrayal on her face that I don’t think I’ll ever erase from my mind.

“Gavin,” she says, her voice thick with tears.

“Alright, boys, let’s get to the office,” the principal says.

“Luna—”

“Why Gavin?” she asks, and I frown, confused.

I can’t tell her why Larry hurt her. I figure it’s mostly because he’s an asshole and she probably already knows that.

I want to stay with her, to talk to her, but they’re pulling me away.

“I’ll be back,” I tell her, needing to reassure her. “I’ll find you when I get done,” I add when she doesn’t reply.

I watch as my brother comes up and puts his arm around her shoulder—giving her comfort when it should be me. I try to jerk away from the principal again.

Bastard.

I feel jealousy slide through me with the force of a runaway train. I pull against the principal’s hold, needing to get him away from her.

“Get your damn hands off of her,” I growl.