I held my breath when I saw him take a step toward us.
“It’s time to go. Becky’s coming to get you,” he said to her gruffly.
“What? Why?” asked Tiffany bitterly.
“I called her, you can’t go home alone like this.”
“You’re boring now. You were more fun before juvie,” she declared, getting up.
“What do you mean?” I asked quietly, ignoring the fiery glances he kept shooting me.
“James was terrible,” she answered, piquing my curiosity.
“Why, he isn’t now?”
I looked for James’s eyes, but he was too busy finishing a slice of pizza, leaning on the doorjamb.
“Compared to how he was before, he’s an angel. Listen to this—”
The brunet sat down cross-legged on the bed.
“Take those boots away from there and go home, I’m serious.”
“Do you wanna be alone with her?” she asked.
James’s expression became sad. “No, I wanna take her home and get to bed.”
“Come on, then let me tell her first,” she insisted.
James grumbled, annoyed, then he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth while Tiffany turned a vape pen on.
“There was this girl who was the daughter of the owner of the smoke shop at the corner by school.”
I shook my head when Tiffany tried to pass me the vape pen.
“He saw her every time he went to get a cartridge. She barely even looked at him. All she thought about was studying and helping her dad. James got it in his head that he wanted her and wouldn’t leave her alone until she gave in.”
“Bygave inyou mean—”
“Yeah, June. He took her out on date after date until he slept with her at a party. Since the girl wanted something serious, and he didn’t, she told her brothers out of spite, and they beat him up to a pulp and left him in a pool of blood.”
“Oh my god, then what?”
“Then nothing.” He cut Tiffany off, leaving the bathroom with his shirt unbuttoned.
“And then Jamie here, along with Will, Jax, and Marvin, went to destroy her dad’s business.”
I was flabbergasted. James’s eyes shifted to one side impressively fast.
“But what did that poor guy do?”
“He lost his business, and his daughter lost her virginity in one fell swoop,” said Tiffany.
“You’re forgetting that I gave him back his money and now that asshole has a decent business and not a shack. Go on, White, move your ass, I’m taking you home,” ordered James, pointing me to the door.
“Me too,” intervened Tiffany.
“No, I can’t deal with both of you at the same time.”
