“We can’t always get what we want, Finn. That’s life.”
“Don’t think about the consequences. Did you enjoy yourself last night or not?”
Her nostrils flare, and I see her calculating behind her smile. “Very much. Yeah. Really fun. I especially liked the heart palpitations. And having my doctors scold me for hours about not overdoing myself? That was my favorite part.”
I stop and rub my forefinger over my bottom lip. The mask is starting to crack. If I push a little more on her…
A strange thudding noise stops me in my tracks. I look below and notice someone with their arms up, a phone in hand, taking a video of me and J.
The Grave City Crew articles are fresh on my mind, so when I see the tattoo of the crew on his arm, I recognize it immediately.
What are they doing here?
Our eyes connect.
The guy suddenly sprints down the stairs.
Without thought, I take off after him.
Chapter Twenty-Three
J
Finn Cross is flirting with me.
Which is awful and not at all what I want.
Why isn’t he disgusted anymore? I went all out, even kissing his arm like a lovesick fangirl to really give him the ick.
Everything was going to plan.
What changed?
I’m trying to figure out a way to shake him when the air around Finn suddenly turns charged. He’s glaring down at something.
What is he staring at?
Footsteps clatter beneath us, and Finn takes off like a gunshot, chasing someone down the stairs. I peer over the edge of the railing.
Finn grabs a man dressed in a T-shirt and sagging pants. That’s exactly what the guys outside Redwood Prep last night were wearing.
Did they come back for someone?
The thug flings a punch and Finn ducks it.
He throws another and Finn ducks that one too.
The thug changes tactics and tries to grab Finn by the neck. Moving fast as a blink, Finn evades him and drives his entire body into the other guy.
The two slam hard into the railing.
I wince. Finn still has bruised ribs and that guy looks a lot bigger than him.
Should I call a teacher? The cops?
Metal clatters, and the sound of their punching intensifies.
My heart thuds against my ribs. What should I do?
