“To mention stealing after the shit show my dad put me through yesterday?” I offer wryly. “And how my entire life is up in shambles thanks to said thievery? Yeah. Yeah, I think it is.”
“Oh, come on.” She shoves me gently. “You’ve handled a lot worse, and your life is not in shambles.”
“Isn’t it?”
“So you have to stay with your dad another year. At least we’ll still be neighbors, right? And now that my brother’s officially moving here?—”
“Your brother’s moving here?” I ask. “Like…The Drift?”
She nods.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I just found out.” She shrugs. “I guess his extra-curricular activities are…lucrative?” She peeks over her shoulder and drops her voice low. “At the moment, anyway.”
I’d ask why she’s speaking in riddles, but I know Lexie. We’re in Harden Heights. And the extra-curricular activities my best friend is skirting around? Yeah…it’s probably best not to dive into specifics on this side of town. Probably best not to dive into specifics on any side of town. Not if I don’t want to be labeled a rat or wind up in handcuffs. Okay, maybe I’m being a little dramatic, but am I?
Just because I’ve kept my nose clean in The Drift doesn’t mean the rest of the town has. Even Lexie has been known to dabble in the shadier side of the law or gather a few spicy secrets from higher-ups when she’s at work, and who am I to judge?
“Like I was saying, I’m kind of glad you’re not abandoning me,” she continues.
“I would never abandon you.”
“Sure, you wouldn’t?—”
“I’m serious?—”
“Of course you are,” she says. “Now, like I was saying before you rudely interrupted me, Ethan’s in town, and since he has a fight tonight, I was thinking…”
I wait for her to finish her sentence, but the woman simply smirks at me, well aware she has me exactly where she wants me. “What?” I finally ask.
“What if we go?”
“To the fight?” I squeak.
“Yeah.”
“We never go to the fights. We never go to anything Harden related. And,” I ramble, as reason after reason manifest themselves. “Why is your brother going to a Harden Night, anyway? Your brother hates Harden Heights.”
“True, but he loves fighting, and from what I heard, he’s in line to fight Jagger tonight.”
“Wait, back up.” I pinch the bridge of my nose, regretting my lack of sleep even more because there’s no way I heard Lexie correctly. “What?”
“Supposedly, Ethan’s in line to fight the crowned prince himself,” she repeats. “Seriously, girlfriend. You have to start sleeping better.”
“I sleep fine,” I mumble. “It’s just…last night was a bitch.” I hesitate, digesting her words like they’re a bucket of rocks. She can’t be serious, though. Can she? And even if she is, the idea of Jagger—the man who had me pinned up against a dresser last night—fighting anyone is…well, I don’t even know how I feel about it. Does he deserve to have his ass kicked? Yes. Onehundred percent. No question. Do I want a front row seat to the man’s ass kicking? I mean, I am curious.
“Come on. You said you wish there was someone who could knock them off their high horses,” Lexie reminds me. “And since my brother is matched with Jagger and all, it seems to me like you might get your wish.” Her brows bounce up and down.
My wish. If I got my wish, Jagger would’ve returned my money, and I wouldn’t be in this situation. I drop my head back toward the ceiling and bite my tongue to keep from beating the dead horse more than I already have. Besides, this is…news. I don’t know how I feel about it. “And what if Ethan loses?” I argue.
“He won’t.”
“Okay, but what if?—”
“Will you stop being such a Negative Nelly?” she begs. “People are freaking out. It'll be packed. We should go. What do you say?”
I suck my lips between my teeth as the pros and cons list writes itself. Pro. I get to witness Jagger getting his ass kicked. Con. I could potentially run into my dad. Pro. I get to witness Jagger getting his ass kicked. Con. I vowed to never go to one of these stupidly orchestrated gatherings. Pro. I. Get. To. Witness. Jagger. Getting. His. Ass. Kicked.
