“You don’t know how to ask her nicely, do you?”
“Get in the car. That’s not an invitation, that’s a fucking order,” he insisted, getting in front of the steering wheel.
“James, you’re not thinking clearly.”
“Get her in the car, Jax.”
“Get her in the car? I’m not an object. I’ll go if I want to,” June screamed indignantly.
“Spoiler alert: You do, White. So move it. You’re wasting my time,” I heard him say before slamming the car door.
James looked furious, but June did exactly what he asked her to. She sat in the back seat next to me.
James and Will bickered while she caught my attention.
“What’s going on?” she demanded, slightly afraid, her eyes wide.
“Why are they acting like that today?”
You ain’t seen nothing yet, June White.
13
June
“You should’ve stayed in class,” Jackson said under his breath.
He always wanted to act like the tough guy around everyone, but his lips were trembling.
“You guys had something do with the attack on the principal, didn’t you? I can’t believe you . . . and I always defended you,” I murmured. James must’ve heard me, because he looked at me in the mirror with narrowed eyes.
“You still don’t fucking understand how the world works, do you, princess?”
Listen to wise old James, who knows everything about life.
I would’ve talked back, but for once I bit my tongue. The front of the car was brimming with tension, and to be honest, I was a little scared too. I stayed quiet for the whole ride, and when we reached a neighborhood full of modern houses instead of the club, I was scared out of my mind.
“We’re going to his house? Seriously?” I asked.
Jackson nodded, while James parked in front of the Hollywood-style homes.
And here I was wondering why those shady characters resorted to violence and crime. The answer was simple. Money. A lot of money. The guys got out of the car, and even though it would’ve been wise of me to stay in the car . . .
Knowing I was seeing Will act so off the rails overruled my common sense. The scene he’d just made with James made me realize how much I didn’t know him.
“June, stay close to me,” Will said when he caught me following them. The automatic gate opened and we entered the huge yard surrounding the house.
We were walking side by side when William took my hand.
A tall girl with mahogany-colored hair met us at the door. We walked into a large, well-lit living room with seats and decorations still wrapped in cellophane. It looked like no one lived there. The immense glass windows reflected our silhouettes, and I quickly noticed that one of us wasn’t there. James had vanished.
Jackson and I exchanged a worried look. Meanwhile, Will squeezed my hand even tighter. Sure, his grip was firm, but I had the feeling that I wasn’t really safe with him.
Hadn’t he just thrown a fit of jealousy a little while ago? Or was he just nervous because of the situation?
What if Will was just as violent James?
William seemed to notice my anxious state. He looked at me carefully, then pushed a lock of hair behind my ear.
