“Want me that badly?”Mira giggled.
“Tell me what you want from me.”
“I already told you,” she said.“I want you back.”
As much as I hated Mira, Diya couldn’t find out what happened.Astrid didn’t want Diya to know; she had made that clear today.I needed to get those pictures off Mira’s phone, one way or another.And while I usually wouldn’t care about who knew what about me, something deep inside me … didn’t want to hurt Astrid.
I’d do anything to keep her safe.
CHAPTERTEN
ASTRID
I sankinto the plush pink velvet of Ruby’s enormous king-size bed, my fingers tracing the embroidery on her throw pillows.Ruby was a pink girl—pink hair, pink clothes with the occasional black to spice things up, pink decor, pink everything.
Diya and Seraphina giggled on the couch about some meme that a freshman had created with our old principal’s head flying across the football field with the captionYou had to be thereor something like that.
Seraphina usually couldn’t hang out with us after school because she was busy tutoring the worst of the worst students at Redwood.She loved it though … a bit too much if you asked me.But I was happy we could all finally hang out.
I really needed it after the past day I’d had.I couldn’t go home and get fucked again.My raw pussy was aching from how many times that I had done it today with all the guys in The Crew.All except Cairo.
Warmth gathered between my legs at the thought of him again.He might be on the nerdier side, but, God, why did I feel like he was hiding something sinister underneath that facade?
The innocent ones were never quite innocent.I would know.
A chandelier cast a soft yellow glow across the room.I shifted my focus from my best friends to the window that overlooked a blooming garden with perfectly trimmed bushes.God, to have Ruby’s life …
Well, every part of it except her nonexistent family.
But maybe a nonexistent family was better than my asshole stepbrother.
Bella and Jade were sprawled on the fluffy rug near the bed.Jade was leaning back on her forearms, dressed in all black, while Bella was on her stomach in a frilly white dress, batting her lashes at Jade.
They’d always been too close to just be friends.I was sure they liked each other.
“Okay, but tell me why Marc’s dad is so hot?”Ruby asked.
A giggle escaped my mouth.“Marc, as in your boyfriend?”
Ruby hopped up onto the bed next to me and showed me her phone.A zoomed-in picture of Mr.Henders, the baseball team’s coach and a doctor who worked with my father, was plastered on the screen.
Excitedly, Ruby kicked her legs back and forth.“Look at those muscles!”
I offered her an exaggerated eye roll.“Oh my God.”
“What?”she asked, smacking my arm.“It’s better than you.”
After sending her a death glare, I returned to looking at the phone, feeling Diya’s gaze on me.I told Diya everything, especially anything and everything boy-related, but I didn’t want her asking about this.Not now!
“Okay, but what about Diya and Mr.Garcia?”I asked to take the attention off me.
Diya’s face turned red, and she shot up, waving her hands around.“I don’t like him!”
“Oh my gosh, you totally do.”Jade giggled from the rug, holding a hand over her face.
“No, no, no, no!”Diya continued to wave her hands like a madwoman while shaking her head and glaring at me.“I don’t like him!”
“Wait,” Bella asked, giggling too.“Isn’t he your stepdad?”
