The bell rang, signaling the end of the fight, and I managed to get one more punch in before Dex was forcefully pulling me up and off of Gio.
I could barely hear Jazz Hand’s voice because I was so focused on Cosette’s face in front of me, so close to mine as she looked both proud and worried while wiping my face with a cold towel.
“I’m still mad at you, but you look frickin’ badass, Combs,” she said, now offering me a smile.
I grinned back at her, but my teeth must’ve been covered in blood if she was cringing, her lips drawn back and nose wrinkled in a disgusted snarl.
God, please don’t let her think I look like shit.
Please look at me and think that I look just like the bad boys you’re dating.
I tried to suck it in, but I did not like the rusty taste one bit.
It must’ve been the frown on my face that followed after her look of revulsion, because she was then giggling at me, like we aren’t in the middle of a goddamn illicit fight club.
“Come on. Let’s get you out of here so we can fix your face.”
14
NERO
“Maybe you shouldn’t go home tonight,” Cosette said, her brows still creased with concern as she continued to fuss over my busted lip, eyebrow, and knuckles.
She had been carefully monitoring my injuries, as if I might bleed out if she let her attention slip for even a second.
“I think so too. I don’t want to worry my mom.”
The four of us, including Dex, were at a gas station, and he went outside to refuel the car while the three of us stayed put inside.
“We could always check in at a hotel overnight. I’m sure Dex can still drive the hour way back, but I know he’s tired too,” Siege chimed in from the passenger seat.
After noticing him glance at the rearview mirror, deciding by the smile that was now on Cosette’s face, he reached for his phone, likely with the intention of finding a hotel nearby.
C let out a little ‘yay’ before she went back to tending to my wounds.
“Change of plans,” Siege announced, his voice echoing in the confined space as Dex climbed back inside after having filledthe tank. “We’re staying at a hotel tonight. We’ll head back tomorrow morning.”
“Thank fuck,” Dex muttered under his breath before pulling out of the gas station and merging back onto the highway.
It’s been a long day, and while it would be comforting to be home after a day like this, I’d much rather pass out as soon as we possibly can, the ache in my bones screaming for a mattress.
Following Siege’s directions, we took the third exit and found ourselves at the luxurious hotel. The hotel was a well-known international chain, easily recognizable by its familiar logo.
“Siege, I was thinking more of a motel, or roadside inn, or something,” Cosette muttered in awe, gazing out the window like I did.
“As if I’d let us stay at one.”
After the car came to a stop, four bellhops surrounded the car from each direction, opening our doors for us, and I thanked the man who opened mine on my way out.
“That thing costs more than your life, be careful,” Dex said, tossing the key to the valet as we got out, and C was quick to chastise him when we entered the lobby.
“Will you please stop doing that whenever you get valet service?”
Dex wrapped an arm around C and he looked at her with such a soft expression you wouldn’t even know he’s getting scolded at.
Siege, his face devoid of emotion, walked past us, as though he was used to Cosette and Dex’s dynamic by now, and headed for the concierge.
As the woman behind the desk regarded the four of us, seeing a bunch of teenagers, and examining the state of my face, I could already hear the rejection before it even came.
