by Rachel Jonas
“I told you some of it, the part about him wanting you as far away from me as possible, but he was more specific than that,” she finally admits. “His instructions were to not only break your heart. He said to break you.”
I’m stunned, but probably shouldn’t be, considering we’re talking about Vin. Pushing a hand through my hair I try to wrap my head around this shit.
I can tell you what I do know—it’s the last fucking straw.
It’s not just that he’d try to force Southside out of my life, but that he’d threaten endangerment of hers and Scar’s to get it done. I’ve never been one of Vin’s biggest fans, but this more than solidifies the fact that I hate that asshole.
With every-fucking-thing in me.
“I didn’t just pack my bags because I’m scared shitless,” she confesses. “It was also because leaving would be easier than hurting you, making you hate me.”
It feels like there’s a knife twisting in my chest. It’s one thing to know my father’s a grade-A deadbeat when it comes to being any kind of father to us, but it’s something altogether different knowing he’d actively try to destroy my life, knowing he’d physically harm someone.
“I only have two months to make a clean break,” she adds, raising my heartrate even more.
I’m seeing red, fighting the urge to spiral into a full rage. “Is that everything?”
“The important parts, but there was just something about the whole thing that made me certain his threats were anything but empty. Especially the part about making me and Scar disappear. He hinted at there being people interested in bidding on us and, I have to be honest, West, the only thing I could think about was all these missing girls. What if he’s involved with that?” she asks. “I’m probably not supposed to know anything about this, but when I was with Ricky earlier at the diner, he said something—a word that stuck out to me.”
“What was it?”
She fidgets a little, like she’d rather not say.
“He mentioned hearing the term ‘cargo’ being tossed around. What if that’s code for the girls they’ve been moving in and out of Cypress Pointe? What if that’s what he plans to do to Scar? To me?”
I grab hold of her when her voice shakes.
“That won’t happen.”
“But how do you know? There’s no way either of us can say for sure he won’t make good on his promise if I don’t make good on mine,” she fires off. “I can’t take that risk, West. I absolutely could not live with myself if something happens to her.”
Holding her is the only comfort I can offer, because with how tight these two are, I know there’s nothing I can say to ease her mind.
I’m rifling through my thoughts, putting pieces together now that I know the specifics of Vin’s threat, now that I hear out loud what she thinks he’s involved in. There are still a ton of missing pieces, but I fully believe Vin’s capable of the shady-ass shit Southside just accused him of. But what he’s definitely not banking on is that he’ll have to get through me if he intends to get to her.
A flash of light outside has me leaving her to peer through the blinds.
“Is that him? Is he back?”
It breaks my heart to hear how terrified she is of him.
I shake my head. “Just Ricky.”
As much as I hate the guy, I don’t think having him on lookout tonight is a bad idea. If things are headed in the direction I think they’re headed, he and I may need each other to some degree if we intend to protect Southside from whatever Vin has in mind.
“I don’t think I can be alone tonight,” she admits, and I can’t believe she thought I’d even consider leaving.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Her loaded stare stays trained on me and she eventually nods. I feel her emotions all the way across the room. Which is why I double back toward her, pulling her up from the floor to hold her tight.
As expected, she’s a ball of anxiety and nervous energy, making me want to skin my father alive. More than I already wanted to.
“I’m terrified,” she admits. “For me. For Scar.” Her words are muffled against my neck. She squeezes tighter and I place a kiss in her hair.
“I’m having an alarm system installed tomorrow,” I reveal, which has her leaning away to stare at me.
“I can’t let you do that. It’ll cost—”
“Fuck the cost,” I cut in. “It’s happening whether you agree to it or not. I’ll need your key to get in, then I’ll hang out here after school while you’re at practice, because you are going to practice,” I add quickly, seeing she’s about to protest. “I know that’s the last place you want to be, but we’ve gotta go about things like nothing’s changed. So, by the time you make it home, it’ll be installed.”
She stares. There’s more she wants to say, but I’m guessing she knows I’m firm on this. There’s no way she’s staying here after this without both of us knowing she’s protected.
“Okay,” she nods, unable to hide the sense of relief this brings even if she hates that I’m paying for it.
Words come to mind. They’re kind of transparent, and not ones I’d typically say, but I know she needs to hear them, needs a little more reassurance.
“I’ll always protect you. No matter who or what you’re up against. And you have my word, Southside, no matter what it takes, I’m gonna fix this.”
There’s no response at first, which I hope is because she’s letting that sink in.
Standing here, holding her, I have no clue what expectations she has when it comes to this relationship. But what I do know is that I have to be the best for her. The best at whatever it is she needs me to be. And if what she needs tonight is for someone to exist with her in the silence, or hold her until the fear subsides, then that’s what I’ll be.
But first chance I get, mark my words—Vin will feel my fucking wrath.
@QweenPandora: Whoops! Was it something I said?
Looks like the whole crew showed up to rally around their girl after that last post. Not sure what BigDaddy did or said, but one thing’s for sure.
The Golden Boys, VirginVixen and SeXyBeAsT aren’t having it.
I know what you’re all thinking. It’s probably not smart to potentially make an enemy of the city’s most powerful man, but if there’s one thing you should’ve figured out by now, it’s that I don’t take sides. From the greatest to the least, if there’s gossip to share, you’d better believe I’m on the job.
Don’t want all of Cypress Pointe rifling through your dirty laundry? Well, might I suggest being a bit more careful next time? Just a tip.
Later, Peeps.
—P
Chapter 5
BLUE
“So, yeah. That’s everything.”
I’m nervous as hell having just admitted all that, laying mine and West’s entire story at Dr. Pryor’s feet.
In the spirit of full disclosure, we made sure to even include the parts that don’t paint either of us in an innocent light. From West admitting he made me his emotional punching bag for several months, to Parker’s sprained ankle being the result of retaliation on my part. We left no stone unturned.
Now, with it all out in the open, the look on Dr. Pryor’s face has me even more uncertain.
Neither West nor I are squeaky clean, but Parker took things to a whole other level. And, honestly, it just felt damn good to expose her—the video leak, the peanut sauce fiasco, my near-drowning in the pool.
All of it.
But there’s another side of the situation—the fact that I’m not sure any of this matters in the big scheme of things. For instance, potentially getting Parker expelled from Cypress Prep could be somewhat of a moot point. Seeing as how I’m not even certain I’ll be here long. West is holding out hope that things will work out, but I’m nowhere near as optimistic. Then again, I admit life’s left me feeling a bit jaded.
Dr. Pryor lowers her gaze to my file, but still hasn’t said a word. She sort of just let West a
nd I vomit out all this information without any feedback on her part. So, I’m honestly not sure if admitting all this just landed us in hot water right alongside Parker.
Dr. P. reaches for a pen and jots something on the first sheet inside my folder. Sitting here, on the opposite side of her desk, I reach for West’s hand. Maybe this was a bad idea, and we should’ve just taken this whole story to our graves.
“You two were brave coming here today, disclosing this information.”
“It felt like the right thing to do,” I say, flashing a nervous smile.
She nods and seems pretty chill, which eases some of the knots in my gut.
“Well, I’m glad you knew you could talk to me. Of course, I wish you’d come to me sooner, but the important thing is that you’ve given me something to work with.”
“So… what now?” I ask, watching as she closes my file.
“Congratulations, Ms. Riley. You’re officially off probation.”
The announcement is made in that stoic tone of hers, but I know she’s pleased.
I’m not entirely sure what to say in this bittersweet moment, so I keep it simple.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, but let me be clear. There’s still some red tape to cut through, but I’m certain the board will decide in your favor. Besides, I think we all know this shouldn’t have fallen on you in the first place.”
Her gaze briefly flashes toward West, and I don’t miss the cold look she isn’t shy about giving. Actually, she’s been like this since we first stepped foot inside her office. From there, her opinion of him only continued to sour, growing as he confessed to his side of things—like plastering the posters about Hunter all over the halls, and placing a target on my back when I got here.
Trust me, I’ll be the first to say none of that shit was pretty, but as the girl who endured it, I’m the only one qualified to say he’s earned my forgiveness. And in my book, that’s what’s important. Not the opinions of anyone on the outside looking in.
Dr. Pryor eventually tears her eyes from West and I breathe a bit easier. It’s nice being back on her good side, even if I’m not really sure how much that still matters. At least this is one thing crossed off the long list of things I need to set right one way or another, whether I stay or go.
“Well, I appreciate you hearing us out,” I conclude, just before West and I both stand to leave.
“Actually… there is one other thing I need to say.”
We stop and turn when Dr. Pryor calls out to us. Right away, her gaze lands on West again and my heart picks up speed like before.
“While it isn’t lost on me that it took a lot of courage for you two to come into my office today, I’m nowhere near impressed with you, Mr. Golden.”
With that, she clasps her hands on top of the desk.
“For the record, understand that if you weren’t who you are, and if I didn’t know that any action taken against you would result in your father storming this building to raise hell, I would personally see to it that you face the harshest punishment the board would allow. The things you’ve done in the name of revenge are completely unacceptable.”
The room is dead silent now, and somehow, her stare is both cold and hot all at the same time.
I have no idea what’s running through West’s head, but I know he doesn’t take kindly to being called out, talked down to. So, when he nods, I’m even more confused. And if I’m not mistaken, that’s humility I see in his stare when he meets Dr. P’s gaze.
“You’re absolutely right,” he admits. “I messed up too many times to count and I can’t take that back, ma’am.”
“Damn right, you can’t,” she seethes. “Now, I have no clue what you did or said to earn this young lady’s forgiveness after everything you’ve done, but you should be thanking your lucky stars that she came in here to vouch for you, instead of heaping coals on your head.”
West nods again and I catch Dr. Pryor’s eyes when they shift toward me, my bandaged knuckles. Her eyes narrow and I feel the question on her mind before she even asks it.
“There something else you’d like to tell me, Ms. Riley?”
I stand in silence, especially when I take note of the knowing look set on her face. It makes me question things. Like whether she knows about Vin’s visit, heard about it through Pandora’s post. Maybe she even knows there’s more to him than meets the eye.
In short, I’m left feeling as if she’s aware. Maybe not aware of everything, but something.
“N—no, ma’am,” I manage to answer, but that doesn’t seem to ease her mind any.
“Well, should you decide there’s more you’d like to discuss, you know where to find me. My door is always open.”
I nod, still trying to read her. “Of course. Thank you.”
Her stare lingers a moment longer and the tight smile she offers makes me even more suspicious. But then, she lowers her head to focus on the document she’s just taken from the corner of her desk, leaving West and I to assume we’re dismissed.
“One more thing,” Dr. P. calls out the second we reach the door. “You’re to speak to no one about this. Parker will likely be expelled for that stunt she pulled. Once that happens, I can almost certainly say that her scholarship and possibly even her college admission will be in jeopardy. What she did is by no means a small offense.”
“We won’t say a word,” I confirm with a nod.
This time, when Pryor glances down at the paperwork, she doesn’t speak again. I exit the office with West, and while I should be pleased with the outcome of this visit, there’s still a dark-ass cloud hanging over my head.
A cloud with a name—Vin Golden.
@QweenPandora: Haven’t you heard, PrincessParker? Big girls don’t cry.
Apparently, you missed that memo, because I’ve received a slew of pics in the past hour. All of which very clearly depict you bawling your eyes out after leaving Dr. Pryor’s office this morning. What’s got you feeling so down, Princess? Could this possibly have something to do with everyone’s fav dysfunctional couple being seen leaving that same office not even twenty minutes earlier?
To add to the mystery, Mr. and Mrs. Holiday just showed up a bit ago and they did not look happy. What’d you do this time, Princess? Cross the wrong King’s queen again?
Hmm… guess this one’ll remain a mystery. For now, anyway.
Later, Peeps.
—P
Chapter 6
BLUE
“You look miserable. Say the word and we’ll slip out the back door. I’m kind of a pro at it.”
The offer has me peering up as West flashes a smile.
“Thanks, but I’ve been off academic probation all of, what, half the day? I dare not tempt the gods so soon.”
“Just saying, we have options,” he adds with a casual shrug.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
We’ve been posted here, leaning against the brick just outside the cafeteria for five solid minutes. I can’t seem to make myself go in there today. My stomach’s in knots, my head’s throbbing… the works. However, I’m not in the least bit confused about what’s brought it all on.
The possibility of uprooting your entire life in the very near future can take its toll on a girl. Barring there isn’t some miracle that manifests out of thin air, my mind is already made up. I know West will likely do everything in his power to stop me, but I’ll do what’s best for Scar at any cost. Even if that cost is my own happiness.
This is precisely the reason being near West stirs a strange mix of emotion inside me now—disbelief knowing we’ve come so far only to possibly lose everything, sadness knowing I’ll always miss him if I go. Even after the dust settles and years have passed, there will be no getting over him.
No getting over this. Us.
That churning in my gut has me looking away from him. Seems stupid to let myself fall deeper at this point.
Two months—that’s the vague cut-off I’ve been given.
There’s some small comfort in knowing West would at least understand my reason for leaving if I have to go, but that makes nothing about this easier. Vin wants an ocean of distance between his son and me, and he’s kept tabs on me long enough to know threatening Scar was the way to get the job done.
West casually slips an arm around me and my thoughts shift. There are others nearby, hordes of kids rushing into and out of the corridor, but it feels like it’s just us. Like always.
I’m drawn deeper into his side, and somehow forget the vow I made to myself last night—while I tossed and turned beside him in my bed. I swore to start pulling away for my own sanity, because I have to do something to make this hurt less. But being near him now, all of that has gone out the window. My point is proven when I reach for the hand that rests on my shoulder, lacing my fingers with his.
Damn it, Blue. Don’t do this to yourself. Ease away now so you don’t have to tear yourself away later.
West nods at one of his teammates who’s headed in for lunch, and I use the moment to correct my mistake, slipping my hand out of his. To avoid him reading too much into it, I take my phone from my pocket and check it for the millionth time. Keeping tabs on Scar has become somewhat of an obsession today, and West knows it. If she doesn’t respond to my texts within thirty seconds, I go into a full panic.
Letting her leave for school from Jules’s house sent my anxiety through the roof. Probably because I couldn’t lay eyes on her myself as she walked into the building. Vin’s warning repeats in my head, and I wish I believed he only meant to scare me, but I know better. Something tells me he’s not one to make idle threats.
