“Don’t forget about my party this Saturday. My parents won’t be back until Sunday night,” Bri says.
“It’s time to get high, drunk, and laid!” Danny exclaims.
“Hell yeah, man,” Aiden adds, high-fiving Danny.
“Josh, where’s Art?” Lilah asks.
“Do I look like his fucking keeper? I don’t give two shits where he is.”
“That fuckwad is in first period with Cin and me. I was about to kick his ass. Tell your cousin to keep his eyes off my girl before I beat the shit out of him.”
Josh’s eyes roam over my face to search my reaction to Trevor’s comment. “He bothering you, Cin? I’ll let my dad know so he can get the boot.”
“He’s not bothering me. He only wanted to bait Trevor, and it worked,” I reply.
I can’t jump on the “let’s crucify Art” bandwagon. He’s hurting. His cries break my heart.
“As if he wants Cin,” Bri scoffs. “He can’t stop looking at me.”
Lilah rolls her eyes. “That’s where you’re mistaken. He wants me.”
“Fuck him. You both can have me. You know what? I have a great idea. How about we have a threesome on Saturday?” Danny wags his eyebrows, throwing his arm around Bri’s shoulders.
She shrugs him off. “Oh, you already had your chance, so I’ll pass.”
“Fuck you then.”
Robbie looks at Bri. “Did you invite him to your party?”
“Duh. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Fuck, come on, Bri,” Robbie says grouchily.
“Hey, it’s my party, and I’ll invite whoever I want. If you don’t like it, stay home.”
“If he steps out of line, we’ll fuck him up.” Zeke cracks his knuckles.
“Do you want your nose broken again?” Dex muses.
“I swear to God, Dex, you say one more thing about my nose, it’s going to be curtains for your ass.”
“There’ll be absolutely no fighting in my house. I mean it. If my parents find out I had a party, I’m toast. I’ll be punished for the rest of the school year.”
“He was just defending himself since you’re all a bunch of bullies,” Anneli remarks.
The boys grumble but make no comment.
“He tried to kill himself,” Josh says.
I jerk my head in his direction, and so does everyone else.
“Josh,” I admonish.
“What? It’s true.”
“You’re shitting me,” Danny says in disbelief.
“I shit you not. After his brother died, Art went…” he circles his index finger at his temple.
