“And I’m yourcousin,” I remind him.
He goes to his desk and plugs in his phone. “You’ll probably get asked out the first day. They’ll compete to see who can get you first.”
“Getme?” I ask, thinking he means sex.
“Get you to go out with them,” he clarifies. “We don’t get many new people. Most of the guys there have already dated all the girls. They need someone new.”
“I have a boyfriend. I won’t be dating any of them.” I go and sit on his bed. “Why don’t they just date girls at other schools?”
“We’re it for private high schools around here.”
“They can’t date girls at public schools?”
“Hell no.” He walks over to me. “Twisted Pine is king. We have the power. We make the rules. Public schools follow us. Want to be us. The only area they do better than us is in sports but that’s starting to change.”
“You guys think you’re king? Seriously? That’s really obnoxious.”
“It’s the truth. And if you don’t go along with it, they’ll destroy you.”
“Who?”
“Everyone who goes there. We take pride in our school. It’s like family. We take down anyone who talks shit about it.”
“And yet you talk shit about public school.”
“And they talk shit about us. You protect your own. The place you belong. And starting next week, you belong to Twisted Pine.”
“I don’t belong there. I’m beingforcedto go there.”
“Tell anyone that and I promise you, they’ll make your life hell.”
“They haven’t met a New Yorker. They give me shit, I’ll give it right back.”
“I’m telling you, Rumor,” he says in an ominous tone. “Keep your mouth shut. I don’t care what you think about Twisted Pine and the people who go there. You need to pretend you belong. Pretend youwantto be there. You fuck this up and it won’t just be you they’ll go after. Braden and I are at the top of the food chain right now and there’s no fucking way you’re bringing us down.”
“Whatever,” I say, getting up. “I’m gonna go unpack.”
He holds onto my arm and looks in my eyes. “I’m serious. You’re not fucking this up for Braden and me. We own that school. We paid our dues. Worked our asses off to get where we’re at. We’re not going to stand by and do nothing if you fuck this up.”
“Meaning what?” I snap, staring back at him.
“Meaning we’ll take you down. Harder than anyone else there would.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“I’m warning you. Do what you want when you’re not at school, but at Twisted Pine, you play by the rules.”
“I don’t do rules.” I yank my arm from him and storm out of his room.
Who the hell does he think he is, threatening me like that? He can’t tell me what to do or how to act. I was starting to kind of like him. I was thinking we could be friends. But now I realize I can’t trust him. He’s nice one minute, and a jerk the next.
When I get to my room, I see my phone on the bed. I forgot to grab it when I left. I pick it up and see four missed calls from Axl.
“Shit!” I call him back. It rings and rings before he finally answers.
“Rumor, what the hell?”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
