A Whole New Crowd (A Whole New Crowd 1)

It wasn’t a question from him, but I nodded. “Yes. He’s my friend.”

“I told you to stay away from him—”

“The second you threatened to have me shot is when your advice was no longer wanted.” I wanted to hurt him like he had hurt me. “Tray’s never hurt me like you have.”

He laughed, shaking his head. “I see your verbal skills are still intact. You haven’t gotten too soft over there in white picket fence land.”

“Fuck you.”

The words were out of my mouth before I could hold them in.

He barked out another laugh. “I have a lot I can say on that one, but I’ll keep it to myself.” His radio sounded and Krein’s voice came over, “We got him in the back.” Jace lifted it and spoke into it, “I’m sending Taryn back to you.” Then he pointed to the exit door. “Your friends are out there waiting for you. Go away, Taryn.”

I flinched. It didn’t hurt any less than the first time. A lump formed in my throat, but I refused to accept it was there. Screw him. I swept past him. “I hope Brian continues to hate you. I hope he hates you so much that he doesn’t want anything to do with you and leaves town, just like I did.” I got to the door and started to push it open.

“So do I.” His words stopped me.

Then I shoved through the door. The pain mixed with fury and I stopped just outside the door, bent over, and took gaping breaths. Then I brushed away the tears and headed to the back parking lot.

Everyone was waiting for me, everyone that mattered now.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Samuel was taken to the hospital. Mandy cried into Devon’s arms, and Jennica rolled her eyes. Grant was fine. He’d been in the bathroom the entire time. No one asked what he was doing in there, but Amber remained by his side. Tray gave me a ride to the school and I went home in my own car that evening.

That was a week ago. Shelly and Kevin decided it was family weekend so Mandy wasn’t allowed to have friends over. They looked at me, ready to say the same warning, but it died in their throats. I snorted. I saw it on their faces. The same thought had flashed in both of their minds: Taryn doesn’t have friends. That was fine with me, though. After seeing Jace again, I was fine with some hibernating. When we went to school the next week, things remained quiet. A few others remembered my stand-off with Amber and were confused when the fighting hadn’t continued. I had to laugh at that. Her plan to get revenge backfired.

It was the next Friday when Mandy told me her and Devon were back together. I wasn’t surprised. She was an idiot, and I realized my sister would continue to do idiotic things. Did she enjoy hurting herself, because that’s what this would do to her. He was going to cheat again. She would be hurt. She would forgive him, forgive Jennica again, and the cycle would continue.

I was done. I washed my hands of my sister. When she told me about a party that night, I had no intention of going. I went home instead. Austin was downstairs and I could hear other voices, including a few girls.

“Hey, honey,” Shelly said as she bustled around the kitchen.

I hopped onto a stool. “What are you doing?”

“Austin brought a bunch of his friends home. He never acts like it, but it means a lot to him if I prepare food for them.” She put a grocery bag on the counter and threw me a grin. “Gotta do it, all those kids like to eat, you know.”

I grinned. “He got a girlfriend down there?”

Shelly laughed. “That’s my thinking too. Maybe we should ‘investigate’ later, hmmm?”

As she took out a pan from the oven, she washed her hands and then pulled out pizza dough. “You’re making homemade pizza?” I had never had homemade pizza. That was what normal people did with their normal parents. This was my family now.

“It’s Austin’s favorite. Mandy’s too before she decided her life was a diet. They have the same tastes in a lot of ways. Pizza, lasagna, but now Mandy loves salads. Poor thing.” Her eyes lit up. “So, Taryn, you and I haven’t had a lot of alone time. You’re not going out tonight? I know from Mandy that there’s always a party going on.”

I looked away. “Yeah, there is.”

“No party for you?”

I shrugged and turned back. She was staring at me, a slight glimmer of concern there, but she gave me another soft smile. There was pity instead. I hated seeing that. “You know, I could have friends.”

The pity disappeared and she straightened from the counter.

I added, “Just because I grew up in the foster system doesn’t mean I’m less than anyone else.”

“Taryn, I didn’t mean—”

“I’m here tonight because I want to be, not because I don’t have friends or I wasn’t invited to the party. I could go to any party I want. You might think to ask yourself why your adopted daughter is staying home and your real daughter isn’t?” As soon as I said those words, I cursed in my head. There was a fine line and I didn’t want to narc on Mandy.