No one has ever wanted me to stay before.
Footsteps echo across the cracked pavement.
I don’t bother looking up. I don’t need to. No one ever comes back here, to this forgotten corner of the school where the dumpsters rust and the walls are covered in a decade’s worth of crappy graffiti. This used to be our spot. Mine, Noah’s, and Reece’s. Our sanctuary to ditch class, to pass a cheap joint around until our heads were numb, to brag about the latest hookup with a girl who was stupid enough to fall for our bullshit.
Noah and Reece plant themselves right in front of me, their shadows covering the little sunlight trying to shine through the gray clouds overhead.
Neither one says a word at first. They just stand there, staring at me.
Well, that’s fucking new.
The silence lingers until Reece finally breaks, his jaw clenched and his eyes steely.
“What the fuck are you doing, Jace?”
I lift my gaze to meet his, letting the unlit cigarette hang between my fingers as if I have all the time in the world.
“Living my best life. You should try it sometime.”
Reece’s jaw tightens so much it could crush diamonds.
But it’s Noah’s face that makes my stomach twist. That eerie calm. The deadly stillness. The kind of quiet that comes right before someone’s fist connects with your face.
“Aubrey told me what happened this morning,” Noah says, his voice flat and razor-sharp.
Yeah. Of course she fucking did.
Of course, Bells’ little friends rushed straight to their boyfriends, delivering the story along with a huge sign that had the word ‘asshole’ stapled to my forehead.
“And?” I drawl, letting the word linger like bait.
Reece closes the distance between us. “And you should stay the fuck away from Lola.”
A laugh tears out of me. “What, you her personal bodyguard?”
“She’s not someone you mess with,” Reece snaps.
I cock my head, letting my eyes drift over him slowly. Assessing. Mocking.
“That so?”
His hands ball into fists, knuckles going white. “She’s not another pussy for you to chase, fuck, and forget by Monday.”
Something vicious coils in my chest at that moment. I shove off the wall, invading his space just enough to make my point clear. I don’t do intimidation.
“You two have gotten real fucking chatty with your opinions lately.” The mask slides back on effortlessly, that carefully constructed armor I’ve worn so long it’s practically fused to my skin. The role I perfected. The part I play better than anyone. “You used to be fun,” I say, flicking my gaze between them. “Now look at you. Pussy-whipped into early fucking retirement.”
Noah’s expression is dangerous. “Watch your fucking mouth.”
My grin spreads, all teeth and no warmth. “Or what?” I ask.
He’s laid me out before. Outside the school, months ago, when he caught me walking Aubrey home after her shift at the diner.Didn’t bother with questions. Didn’t wait for my side of the story.
I respected the shit out of him for it. I still do.
But this… This isn’t about Aubrey. This isn’t some misguided knight-in-shining-armor bullshit over his girl. This is about Bells. And these two idiots think they’ve got me figured out when they don’t know a fucking thing.
Reece lets out a bitter laugh, shaking his head like I’m the punchline. “You think this is funny?”
