I started to hyperventilate, and shame further crushed my lungs as blood whooshed in my ears. I thought I’d outgrown this particularly embarrassing trait. I tried to free myself from Lane’s bruising grip but didn’t have enough oxygen for the job. Chase’s cold smile sent chills down my spine, and I winced as he cocked his fist. This was going to hurt.
Before the blow landed, however, a pounding on the earth made my eyes fly open. Augustus Walker, wearing his practice uniform, was racing toward us, and Ozzie wasn’t far behind. Hopping over the fence, Walker barreled his way into the circle. He grabbed Lane’s wrist and yanked it in the wrong direction. Lane yelped and let go of me, holding his hand to his chest.
Still unable to breathe properly, I fell to my knees, gasping as I watched the other boys—seeing Walker’s fierce expression—take a step back.
Of course I’d noticed the hot baseball player on the first day of school. He was only a few inches taller than me, but his blue eyes, pretty muscles, and country-boy charm caughteveryone’s attention. Today, with his clenched fists and golden hair whipping in the wind, he looked like a boxer, like he could take down anyone with a single punch. He feinted forward with a ferocious glint in his eyes, and Chase DeWitt, the bully of all bullies, flinched.
As Ozzie hopped the fence, Chase—realizing he and his dickhead friends were outgunned—spat on the dirt. “Never mind. This asshole isn’t worth my time.”
Acting as if they’d won, they fled the scene. In the meantime, I’d gone to my hands and knees, wheezing through tears and snot. Walker knelt next to me, putting his hand on my shoulder. “You’re all right now, Hen. Let’s slow it down. Just breathe.”
His strong Texas accent and reassuring words helped my chest to release.
“You okay, cuz?” Ozzie asked, kneeling on my other side.
My breathing slowed as Walker pulled a bandanna from his back pocket. “Here. Haven’t used it.”
Humiliated and kinda turned on, I took the soft cloth and wiped my tears before blowing my nose. “Uh, thanks. I’ll wash this and bring it back.”
“Nah, you keep it.” He helped me stand as Coach slowly jogged up to the fence.
“Everything okay?” he asked, eyeballing me. My mascot antics had put me on his shit list, so I wasn’t surprised by his lukewarm attitude.
Walker, seeing the score, squared his shoulders. “I was going to take Hendrix here to Mr. Paige. I figured he’d be the most help.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. Practice is over anyway.”
Nice priorities, jackass, I thought, then remembered that Coach was related to the DeWitts through marriage or something. God, I hated living in a small town.
Walker put his arm around me. “Thanks, Coach.”
We walked together to Mr. Paige’s classroom, where we were grateful to find he hadn’t yet left for the day. Unlike Coach, Mr. Paige looked like he was going to bust a vein when he found out what had happened. We didn’t talk about what Chase had done to Holden, but I knew Mr. Paige had to be thinking about it when he promised that Chase would never be allowed on campus again.
Pointing to his watch’s rainbow wristband, he said, “Look, I want you to feel safe at school. I’m always here during lunch and after classes. You and the rest of the Lost Boys can hang out here if you’d like.”
“Lost Boys?” Ozzie asked, scrunching his nose. “Like the kids fromPeter Pan?”
Gesturing at my black hair and pale skin, Walker joked, “Or maybe like the kids from that old vampire movie.”
Mr. Paige pretended to drive a stake through his heart. “How dare you call that movie old? It’s from the late eighties.”
“Not to be rude or nothin’, but I’m pretty sure you just made my point for me.” Walker’s eyes sparkled, then went thoughtful. “Though I’m glad Ozzie and Hen and their friends have a safe spot. That’s real nice of you, Mr. Paige.”
“You’re welcome here, too, Walker.”
He blushed again. “Maybe. If I wouldn’t be in the way.”
I decided right then and there that Augustus Walker Junior was the swooniest guy on the planet.
Heh, I thought as I made my way onto the Paiges’ property.Not much has changed.
Not even, unfortunately, the fact that the DeWitt family still had a hate-on for the Lost Boys.
CHAPTER 10
sawyer
I snarled when I saw Ren’s beat-up loaner truck, which Hen had parked haphazardly in front of the cabin. Sure, he was a grown man with free will, but I didn’t think Ren needed to be supplementing his ability to get out and wreak havoc. Especially if it involved my parents.
