by Tijan
He blinked a few times, his forehead wrinkling before he tipped his head up, gazing at the sky. “Fuck. Fuck!” Exhaling, he focused on me. “Your boyfriend just owned me, and here I was, thinking I had the upper hand.”
My throat swelled. I didn’t know how to respond to that.
Apparently, neither did Cross, because he kept quiet.
Finally, Channing said quietly, “You remain at the house. You got it?”
Cross’ eyes flicked up to his.
Channing nodded at him. “You too. Shit ain’t ideal, but you’re right.” His eyes closed a moment, and an ominous threat hung in the air between us as he said, “Don’t get pregnant, Bren. I mean it.”
“I won’t. I’m not. We’re always safe.”
I shifted on my feet, my belly heating up and rising north.
“Jesus.” Channing glanced up again, just for a moment. “What do I need to know about this town rivalry?”
The tension in the air had eased.
My lungs could inflate once again. We were on to crew business. That was a good middle ground for us, a bonding ground even.
Cross spoke for us. “That’s ours to deal with.”
“Cross—” Channing said.
“It’s high school stuff. That’s our terrain. Not yours.”
“It’s mine if it’s going to hurt people in the community.”
“What? You’re going to go fight a bunch of Academy Crusties? You need to loosen the strings, give us some freedom. We’ll take care of it.”
“People got hurt the last time this happened. Someone almost got raped.”
“And that guy went to prison. I’ve heard the story, and that guy was one of ours.”
“Broudou was not one of ours,” Channing hissed right back.
“He was from Roussou. You know what I mean.”
Channing stared at him, thinking. His hands dropped, and his shoulders loosened. “Fine. I’ll back off if you do one thing.”
Cross and I waited.
“You come to me before you step over a line you can’t unstep from. You hear me?”
Cross nodded.
My brother’s gaze pierced me. “Bren? I need you to give me your word.”
I forced my head up and down. My throat burned.
“No stabbing people, especially school officials, and especially under video surveillance. You got me?”
Fine. I earned that one. “I hear you.”
“Good.” He let out a soft curse under his breath, eyeing Cross. “You’re a scary little shit.”
Then my brother rounded, slapping Cross on the back harder than it needed to be, but Cross barely moved. He took it, and with a nod, my brother went into his bounty-hunting office. His guys followed him, except my cousin.
Scratch stepped up next to me. “If there’s a situation you can’t go to him about, call me. Okay?”
I nodded.
He held up his hand, pinkie stretched out. “Promise me, Bren.”
I hooked my finger around his. “Promise.”
That was good enough for him. He turned around, his shoulder bumping mine, and he flashed me a grin as he moved around the beginning of the line, ducked behind the door bouncers, and slipped inside the bar he half-owned with my brother.
“Why do I feel I just escaped a grizzly bear’s hold on my throat?” Cross murmured.
I grunted. “Because you did.” I gave him a look. “That stuff about me…”
I stopped myself.
Cross waited, hearing what I couldn’t say. He reached out, taking hold of my neck and drawing me close.
“I got you,” he said softly before bending down for my mouth.
That was all I needed.
Relatively speaking, the street dance was uneventful.
I say relatively because it was Roussou, it was a street dance, and you know how our lives go. But as far as the town rivalry, nothing happened. There were a few sightings of Crusties, Academy and Public, but they kept to their side of the town, and we kept to ours. Just like the old days, or that’s what Heather once told me.
So now we were on day three of District Weekend.
The Frisco party was in the woods, similar to the bonfire Fallen Crest was supposed to do. Both had fires, but Frisco’s put Fallen Crest to shame. Their main bonfire was as tall as a building, almost lighting up the sky.
“I think I’m in pyro-love.” Zellman stopped in his tracks as we got closer. The parking lot was filled to the max, with cars lining the gravel road both ways for a full mile.
I glanced around, noting that there were no houses. There was a field on our right, and woods spread out on the left, with the bonfire in a clearing that attached the two. It had metal grates all around it to keep it contained. Trucks had been positioned around the field and near the woods, their gates down and the beds filled with coolers.
Rap music was playing, but not too loud. People were chatting, laughing, and drinking. As we neared the party, a guy was leading a girl into the field. Another girl was weaving around, her friends trying to hold her upright. A guy walked up to her, bent down, and threw her over his shoulder. Her friends started saying something to him, but he turned around.
“She’s drunk. She needs to go home and to bed. Take her, or I’m taking her.”
Two of the friends grumbled, but one grudgingly went with him. They passed us without a glance.
Zellman frowned at them. “I don’t recognize them. They must’ve been shipped to Fallen Crest.”
“Jordan!”
Turning around, we could see Sunday leading the charge, but it was Tabatha who had called out.
Sunday, Monica, Tabatha, Lilac?, and about four other girls had all come together. Taz was walking behind with Race next to her. More Roussou guys were behind Race, mainly athletes. I recognized Harrison trudging in the rear, pulling at his collar and frowning at his surroundings.
“Baby.” Tabatha moved around Sunday and Monica, going to Jordan’s side, snuggling into him. His arm rested over her shoulder.
Sunday stopped in front of Zellman, both of them sizing the other up.
She scowled at him, her arms folding over her chest. “I’m going on a date with someone from Fallen Crest next Friday night.”
“Prom is Saturday.”
She lifted a shoulder. “I’ll still go with you.”
He frowned.
Her scowl lessened to match his frown.
Then, he shrugged. “Fine.”
“Fine,” she snapped before pivoting on her heel and storming away. Monica was fast on her heels, muttering at Zellman, “You’re such an asshole.”
He watched them go before turning back to all of us. Seeing our attention, he stuck his hands in his pockets. “What? I’m not going to be forced into a relationship. She wants to date other guys, fine by me.” He harrumphed, a very un-Zellman thing to do, and headed after them at a slower pace.
“Hey, Z! Wait up.” A couple of the Normal guys hurried to catch up.
Jordan frowned after him, his arm tightening around Tabatha. “I’m his partner for the buddy system.”
Tabatha groaned. “Be my partner.” She smiled up at him, batting her eyelashes.
Jordan gazed down at her, his eyes softening before pinning Cross and me with a pleading look. “Please?”
We all knew what he was asking.
“Tab, who’s your partner?” Taz sidled up on the other side of Tabatha, Race completing the circle as he stepped between Taz and Cross.
Tabatha’s smile tightened. “Lila is.”
Lila! Her name was Lila.
Lila spoke up from behind her. “I’m here! Buddy system here.” She pushed her way in between Tabatha and Taz. She held a hand up. “Hi everyone. I’m here. I’m taking this whole rivalry thing seriously.”
Jordan frowned at her. “You should, because it is serious. People went to prison last time because of this shit.”
Her smile faded, and she blinked a few times. “Excuse me?”
T
he rest of the guys moved past us with Harrison behind them, walking alone.
“Harrison!” I waved him over.
He stopped, staring at me. “Me?” His eyes widened, and he scanned the rest of the group, lingering on Jordan and then on Cross, who watched him with his head tilted to the side.
“Yeah. You.” I waved him over. “Come here.”
He took a step, then stopped. “Why?”
“Who’s your buddy?”
His mouth flattened. “At home.”
“The fuck?” Jordan barked at him. “You shouldn’t be here then. It’s not safe.”
Harrison’s gaze grew wary. He knew full well how dangerous it could be, but that was for another day. I jerked my head toward Lila. “You have a new partner for the night.”
“Excuse me?” Lila said.
I ignored her. “Meet Lila. Lila, meet Harrison.”
“No way—”
I smiled. “If I see you without him five feet away, I’ll put you in the hospital.” And because I wasn’t sure if she was narc-y girl, I added, “You won’t know how you got there. You won’t know who actually put you there, but you’ll wake up and only have yourself to blame.”
She seethed.
Tabatha was grinning, biting her lip.
Taz frowned.
“What?” Lila sputtered, pointing at Harrison. “Why aren’t you giving him the same threat?”
“Because he’s the student council president. Even drunk, I’ve got a feeling he abides every law and doesn’t break any rules.”
“He broke a rule just coming here tonight.”
Harrison coughed, holding a hand up. “Uh. Technically, I didn’t because I made sure to walk in with Roussou people, and I was planning to stick close to the Roussou crowd tonight.”
“Why are you here?” Lila shoved out of the group, facing off against him. Her hands found her hips.
“Because it’s District Weekend.” He spoke as if that made perfect sense. “I’m the president of our student body. If something happens that could affect us at school, I prefer to have first-hand knowledge.” He paused a beat. “Why are you here?”
Lila had no response.
Tabatha laughed. “She’s here because she’s hoping Cross and Bren suddenly break up and she can get lucky.”
Lila whirled around, paling. “Bitch!”
Tabatha waved a hand. “Get lost, Lila. I don’t think there’s a place for you in my friend group any longer.”
Blood drained from Lila’s face, leaving her as white as a sheet. “What? Why?”
“Because I don’t like how you talked to Harrison just now. He’s already been accepted at Yale.” Tabatha was smug with Jordan’s arm over her. His hand curved around her hip. “Bet you didn’t know that, huh?”
Lila’s eyes bulged as she looked back at Harrison, her demeanor much more timid.
Harrison glared at Tabatha. “You weren’t supposed to tell anyone.”
Tab shrugged, stretching almost lazily under Jordan’s arm. “Harrison, you’ve been my neighbor all my life. You never sing your praises. Let me have this moment.”
He grunted, but tugging his shirt again from his neck, he started forward. “Let’s go, Lidia. I suddenly need a beer.”
She went after him. “It’s Lila—”
Then they were swallowed by another group of students, ones we didn’t recognize. They glared at us, and Jordan sighed. “Let me guess. Fallen Crest just arrived.”
Sure enough.
Zeke Allen was smack in the middle, his beefy arms around the shoulders of two girls. His guys were lined up behind him, most with their arms around a girl as well. I was having déjà vu to a nineties high school movie.
Slowing down as he passed, Zeke smirked a frosty smirk until he got to me. Then it grew calculating. “We got people in common,” he said. “Coach Strattan and Malinda McGraw are my neighbors. Did you know that, Monroe?”
“Piss off, Allen.” Jordan let go of Tabatha, stepping forward to block me.
Cross stood next to him. Race came up beside me.
“We gonna have a problem tonight?” Cross asked, his voice quiet.
Zeke stopped in his tracks, his smirk falling as he took in Cross. “Nah, man. I mean, you guys might have a problem tonight, but not us. We’re all chill.”
His friends laughed, the sounds raucous and almost degrading somehow.
Zeke moved forward, the girls with him giving us nasty looks as well. He lifted his head in a nod. “Don’t hesitate to reach out, Monroe. I can loan you my family lawyer. Since you tend to get in trouble with the law.”
“The fuck?”
Now Cross was pissed. “I’m getting real sick of his obsession with Bren,” he said so only the four of us could hear him.
Jordan lowered his head. “Yeah. Me too.”
Race spoke up. “What’s that about a lawyer?”
Jordan shook his head, watching the rest of their group trail past us. “Who the fuck knows. Maybe about her parole or something?”
Cross turned to face me. “You know what he’s talking about?”
I shook my head. “No. I assume he’s focused on me because my brother knows Mason Kade. Maybe? It’s a stretch, but…” I shrugged, studying Zeke again as their group got refreshments from the first truck. “I have nothing to do with them. He’ll figure it out, and that’ll be it.”
I hoped.
Cross grunted. “I doubt it. The guy wants in your pants.”
I swung my head back to him. “You think?” That didn’t seem right.
“I know so.” He tapped my arm. “I recognize the look.” He touched my chin. “It’s the same look Harrison has.”
It took a second. “No way!” I started laughing.
“Yeah, way.” He stepped back, his hand lowering to his side. “Watch yourself with Harrison.”
He knew I was already on high alert regarding Zeke.
I didn’t agree with Cross, but I still nodded. He saw things I didn’t sometimes. “Yeah, okay.”
“I agree with Cross,” Race added.
“Not you too.” I groaned.
“Take it from someone who was interested at the beginning of school.” He spoke quietly, and I knew it was so Taz didn’t hear. “I see it in Harrison too, and the guy is smart, but he’s not girl-savvy. A crush can develop into something more serious—depends on how scared he is of Cross.”
Cross grinned. “The Yale fucker should be wetting his pants.”
Race laughed. “Yeah. I know. I was too.” He was lying...kind of.
I rolled my eyes, breaking from the group. “We gotta go find Zellman. Buddy system and all.”
“Hold up.” Cross grabbed the back of my pants. “Jordan, we’ll watch Z tonight. Find us later?”
“Yeah.” Jordan raised a hand in acknowledgment before folding over and nuzzling into Tabatha. Her hand slid around his neck. They would remain like that the rest of the night if they didn’t slip away for some privacy later on.
“Wait.” Race and Taz were coming after us. He tossed his arm around her shoulder too. “We’ll come with you guys.”
“Safety in numbers?” I teased.
Taz flashed me a smile. “More like I want to hang with my real friends tonight.”
Sounded like a plan. I could do with some Taz time myself.
Two hours and three beers later, I was sober.
Taz couldn’t say the same. She was beyond buzzed, which Cross and Race were shaking their heads over. I was more open-minded and accepting. Yeah, I surprised myself. Taz wasn’t slurring her words, but she’d told me for the eighth time how she loved me and viewed me as a sister.
After the ninth time, Cross finished his beer. “Okay.” He turned to Race, who was on a log parallel to us. “I’m thinking it’s time my sister goes home.”
Race gave Cross the slightest of nods. “Have you tried taking her home when she gets like this?” He raised his eyebrows. “Not so easy. Your sister gets feisty.”
�
��Fuck yeah, I do!” She burped, raising her beer in the air, and surged to her feet. Jumping up on the log, she hollered just as she started to fall. “Hey, everyone!”
I grabbed her legs, steadying her.
I don’t think Taz even noticed. She raised her beer higher, her shirt lifting from the movement. “Who’s here from Roussou?!”
A cheer rose up.
“Hell yeah, we are!”
“Yes!”
“Us!”
“Boo.”
She waited until they quieted, burped again, and yelled out, “Raise your beers, fuckers! ’Cause we’re Roussou, and we’re proud! Helllll yeah!”
Another roar went over the group nearest us, traveling to the other trucks, along with a few grumbles.
Cross groaned. “Like I said.” He hit Race’s leg. “Take her home, fucker.”
Race glared back. “You take her home. She’s your sister.”
“She’s your girlfriend.”
“Boys, seriously.” Tabatha sauntered over, sitting on the empty log across from our fire.
She was alone. “Where’s Jordan?”
“Checking on Zellman.”
I pointed to the next truck. Zellman was in the back, a girl on his lap. “He’s right there. And the point of a buddy system isn’t to leave while your partner is checking on someone else.” I rose to my feet, already scanning the area.
I hadn’t been taking stock while we were sitting, mostly because it was nice to relax and talk with Taz and Race. But now, seeing nine trucks spread out over the area, much smaller bonfires throughout and all the people walking around, I was a little taken aback at how many people were here. The lot was huge, and who knew how many were in the woods.
“Where is he?” I asked under my breath as Cross and Race climbed up on their logs.
I couldn’t see him.
“What the fuck?” Race growled, shooting Tabatha a look. “You dropped the ball, Sweets.”
She’d been all cool and relaxed, but now she stood with us. “What? How far could he get…?” She trailed off as she began looking too.
“What direction did he go?” Cross asked.
“I—” She gulped, starting to pale. She clutched her beer. “I don’t know. He just said he was going to check on Z, then come find me.”
I went truck by truck.
