“Maybe we should all go for a swim in the pool?” I jumped in. I thought that having two boys fighting over me would feel good, but it didn’t. My attempt to make Phoenix jealous was backfiring like a motherfucker.
Regret, meet your new friend,remorse.
“Why? To wash the piss off?”
“No one peed on anyone, Josh,” Molly huffed with a sigh.
“Not my type of kink, man,” Phoenix pointed out loftily.
“That’s not what I heard,” Cash smirked, scratching his chin with his thumb.
Phoenix folded his arms across his chest, making him look more intimidating, and the smaller guy backed down.
“I get the message, OK.” Cash held up his hands, his fingers spread wide.
“What are you guys fighting over?”
“No one is fighting,” Molly said, pushing to her feet. That had Hudson up in seconds.
“Stay out of it, English, let the big boys talk it out.” He narrowed his eyes at Josh’s blue mouth. “You look like you blew a Smurf, man.”
Verity laughed, and Phoenix rolled his shoulders and stepped into Cash’s personal space again. “Yeah, why don’t we go ‘talk’ about this out front?”
“Maybe because I need all my fingers to play ball?”
“Smart man,” Nix sniggered.
“Neither of you is going anywhere,” Molly panted, disentangling herself from her boyfriend and pushing between the two big guys. “Storm will…”
“Storm will what?” the girl in question declared, coming to stand by our group, her eyes suspicious. As usual, she was the epitome of the all-American beautiful woman, but Storm wore a pretty mask that hid a mind as sharp as a razor. I noticed her makeup was smudged. Reed was behind her, with his shirt buttoned in the wrong holes. At least he’d lost the cardigan I’d seen him put on earlier. For the love of God, could the scenario become any more screwed up?
“OK, time out,” Hudson cut in, pushing through the crowd, forcing everyone to move back a step. I didn’t miss the way Phoenix winked at me with a grin. Did he find it funny? My blood started to boil.
“I think we’re all on the same page now. You’re all to keep your hands off my sister.”
“So now she’s your sister,” Storm huffed.
“This is bullshit,” Cash huffed.
“And you’re a spineless prick,” Nix belted back.
“I’m standing right here, you know. I can speak for myself,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. It pushed my breasts together, and I didn’t miss the way Phoenix’s eyes followed the motion.
“Shh, baby girl, let the grown-ups talk,” he whispered, holding a finger to his lips. And I snapped.
Dropping my arms, I moved around Hudson and Molly and came to stand in front of the two idiots.
“Enough already. I’m my own person, and I don’t belong to anyone. And as for you two, telling all the boys at school to stay away, enough is enough. I will see whoever I want to see, and it’s none of your business,” I whisper-shouted, pointing a finger at Hudson and then Phoenix. “So, get that through your thick skulls!”
“You warned all the guys to stay away from her? Ah, that’s cold, man. She’s a big girl; surely, she can make her own decisions. What are you now Harper? Seventeen?” Cash said.
“Sixteen, fucktard,” Nix shot back.
“Almostseventeen,” I added.
I saw Josh and Michael silently mouth the wordfucktardto each other with childish glee, and Verity had half of her drink dribbling down her chin. Molly’s face crunched up as she shot Hudson a death glare.
“Yes, that’s right, Mols. Your boyfriend and dickless here have scared the living shit out of any boy who looks at me. Hud probably sent the same message about you. Possessive jerk that he is.”
