“Don’t you know it’s rude to tell tales,” I chastise Wes, laughing lightly to offset the brewing tension. “And I thought you said you needed to use the bathroom?”
A slimy grin graces his ugly mouth as he pushes his chair back. He slaps Zach on the back. “Sorry if I embarrassed you, man. Was just making conversation.”
Dad watches Wes walk away with narrowed eyes. “I’m sorry,” I whisper to Zach.
“Don’t apologize for that asshole,” he says his hands still balled into fists under the table. “And whatever you’ve just agreed to, don’t do it.” His eyes drill into mine, and a flush creeps up my neck as I realize he knows a lot more than I thought.
“I can handle Wes,” I lie, setting my napkin down on the table. I glance briefly at Blondie, but’s she’s still in ass-licking mode, and she hasn’t even noticed her boyfriend has left the table. “I need to powder my nose,” I say, grabbing my purse and standing. “I’ll be back soon.”
Zach goes to open his mouth, but I use my eyes to send him a silent message, and he shuts up.
I hurry out of the room and down the stairs to the lower level bathrooms, wiping my clammy hands down the front of my dress and wishing I’d brought my pepper spray with me. I don’t want to do this, but I can’t let Wes spout any more shit. He’s already planted the seeds of suspicion, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Dad wasn’t, at this very minute, talking to Wes’s parents to see what they know about Zach. If it’s as I suspect, and he discovers he was expelled because of a drug habit, it won’t take him long to put two and two together.
As soon as I walk into the empty men’s room, a hand snakes out, and I’m yanked sideways into the handicap stall. I react on instinct, kneeing Wes in the groin before he has time to lock the door. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing!” I bark, as he drops to his knees, cradling his crotch. “If my father discovers Zach was expelled for drugs, it’ll take him a hot minute to figure things out.”
“He … wasn’t … expelled … for … that,” he pants out, glaring at me. “Got kicked out … for screwing the principal’s underage daughter.”
Air whooshes out of my mouth, and my shoulders slump in relief. Thank fuck for that. But my relief is short-lived.
“You fucking bitch,” he rasps, staggering to his feet as he recovers.
“It’s your fault for scaring the shit out of me,” I snap, turning on my heel to leave when he grabs me around the throat from behind and pins me to the wall, pressing my cheek up against the cool tile.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going,” he demands, shoving my dress up to my waist and tucking it into my panties. “You’re going to pay for that.”
“No!” I scream, but he covers my mouth, muffling my cries, as his other hand pins my wrists behind my back.
“Get your fucking hands off her!” Zach roars, grabbing Wes by the back of his jacket and ripping him away from me. He shoves him into the other wall, and they go at it, swinging fists and throwing punches. I fix my dress, silently cheering Zach on as I watch them beat the shit out of one another.
Zach has the upper hand until Wes kicks his knee, and Zach cries out, tumbling forward, falling face-first to the floor. Wes is on him instantly, rolling him over and pummeling his fists into his face and his ribs. The look of rage etched in Wes’s eyes sends tremors of fear racing through me.
He’s going to kill him!That’s my only thought as I jump on Wes’s back, clawing my nails down his face.
He rears back, emitting a guttural roar, as he shoves me off, sending me skittering across the small space. My back slams into the wall with a loud thud, and pain rattles my tailbone, skittering up my spine. Adrenaline courses through me, and I ignore the pain, pushing off my elbows and charging at Wes again.
Zach is on his feet, but he’s clearly struggling to stay upright. He’s clutching his torso and swiping at the blood gushing from a cut over his eyebrow. I slam into Wes’s side, and the punch meant for Zach lands squarely on my nose, sending me reeling. Blood pumps from my nose as I lose my balance, falling to the floor again, my shoes flying off in opposite directions. My dress bunches up, exposing my lace panties, and I’m flat on the floor, moaning and pinching my nose as the oldies burst into the bathroom.
“What the hell is going on here?” Dad yells, his gaze bouncing around the space.
My mother takes in the state of me with a look of abject horror on her face.
“They ambushed me, sir,” Wes lies, swiping at a trickle of blood oozing from his split lip. “Apparently, I wasn’t supposed to mention anything about Zach’s expulsion. It seems he’s finally realized that having sex with an underage girl was disgusting and immoral, and he didn’t want you to know.”
“Weston?” Mr. Blakely pushes his way into the room as Zach helps me to my feet.
“That is not what happened,” Zach says through gritted teeth, and I clutch his arm tight in warning. We can’t tell them the truth, because then it’ll all come out, and it’s not like my mother would actually believe it of Wes anyway.
“It’s okay, Zach,” I say, seeing triple of him. Pain ricochets through my skull. “You don’t have to protect me.”
I face my parents, or at least, I think I do. “It’s my fault. I followed Wes here to tell him to keep his big mouth shut, and we got into an argument. Zach came to my defense, and then it got physical.”
“I’m very sorry, Mrs. Parker, but we’ll have to ask your daughter and her date to leave,” Georgia, the organizer, says, shaking her head in disgust as she looks between me and Zach.
This is the best news I’ve heard all night.
“I understand,” my mother says, shooting her an apologetic look. “And I’m very sorry for any embarrassment or inconvenience. If there’s been any damage, I’ll cover the costs. Just send the bill to my office.”
Mom takes hold of my arm, making an effort to be gentle, only because we have an audience.
