Calix moved closer and curled a finger around a strand of my hair.“I don’t care who you are to my sister, Hellcat.You areminenow—all mine—and I will do what I want to you, where I want, in front of whoever I want.”
My heart pounded so hard that I could hear it in my ears, my cheeks burning.“Wh?—”
“Never mind!”Diya called from a ways away.
I shoved her brother away as she approached.
“The doors are locked.I’ll just get it tomorrow …” She paused and furrowed her brow.“What’s going on here?”
“Tell him to stop being an ass,” I said to her, slipping into the car, my mind racing.
Diya said something to her brother that I couldn’t hear over the sound of my clunky car starting, and I gripped the steering wheel so, so, so hard.If I wasn’t careful, my best friend would find out that I’d slept with her brother.
CHAPTERNINE
CALIX
Sittingin the corner booth of Galaxy Grub, I absentmindedly swirled my straw through the last of my strawberry milkshake.The leather booth was worn in multiple places, scratching against the back of my legs.
Rush and Arch played pool near the bar, where Frasier flirted with a cheerleader.We weren’t supposed to be in here, but Rush’s dad knew a guy who knew a guy who owned this place, so they let us—and most Redwood seniors—slide.
Cairo sat across from me, finishing up some Physics homework, quieter than usual tonight.But I didn’t mind because I was so fucking lost in the thought of Astrid from last night and this afternoon by her car.
“Hey, asshole,” Arch shouted.
I snapped my gaze up to him and nodded.“You talking to me?”
“Get your mind out of the fucking gutter and play a game with me.”
Rush retrieved the balls from the table and placed them in the center, his jaw tight.Once he handed me his pool stick, he snatched his food from the bar and then collapsed in my spot in the booth.Cairo peered up at him through his glasses and grabbed a fry off his plate, then returned to his work.
“You daydreaming about fucking my stepsister again?”Arch asked, lining up for his turn.
“Shut the fuck up.”
“Her pussy’s good, isn’t it?”
“You should know,” I said, trying not to sound too annoyed.
Last I knew, Rush and Arch had had a bit of ameetingin the bathroom with Astrid.Apparently, they had left her in a tiny bikini to wear for a top.I didn’t know what pissed me off more—that they’d fucked her or that I hadn’t gotten to see her bouncing around Redwood like that.
“She’s an annoying little bitch, but—God—her head is the best in Redwood.”
I sank a ball into the hole.“That good, huh?”
Arch threw me a smirk.“Jealous?”
“Of a dick like you?”I chuckled.“No.”
When Arch missed his shot, he cursed and laid his stick across his shoulders, holding on to it with both his hands.He shuffled backward a couple of steps, watching the balls roll across the table.“Your mom getting any better?”
“No.”
“Fuck, dude,” he murmured, shaking his head.“She has to.”
I blew out a breath and pushed a hand through my hair.“I still don’t think Diya knows that she has cancer.I told her that she should tell Diya, but she doesn’t want her to worry.It just fucking sucks that I can’t help her.”
“I can ask Astrid’s dad if?—”
