Grape Vine Crew

by Erin Trejo

  “Ace,” Fox calls his name but I recognize the look in his eyes. There’s no point in talking to him.

  “Shut up,” I tell him.

  “Fuck you. He’s our brother. Ace, come on, man,” Brody says this time. I laugh under my breath because they are pushing him. Nothing good comes from that. I would know.

  “Ace.” One more time and Acen spins around punching the wall. He storms out the back door as I laugh a little louder now.

  “Go,” Fox whispers in my ear. I nod my head and follow out the back door although I have no idea why. I shouldn’t care about what just happened but for some stupid reason I can relate to the pain. I find him standing against the back of the house with his hands planted against it, his head hanging between his shoulders.

  “She was a good liar,” I tell him as I come to stand next to him leaning against the house. I reach into his pocket and grab his cigarettes before lighting one up. He doesn’t move or speak the whole time.

  “You shouldn’t get so angry,” I add.

  “Why the hell not?” He asks tipping his head to the side to glare at me. I shrug my shoulder.

  “There’s no point. People lie all the time, Acen. Who cares? Let them lie.”

  “What kind of sense does that make?” He asks looking confused. I blow the smoke between my lips as he watches me.

  “All the sense. Think about it. Who do you trust?” He shakes his head trying to blow me off but I ask again, “Who do you trust?”

  “The guys. I trust them.”

  “And only them. They have never lied to you right?”

  “No.”

  “Then why do you care what someone like her has to say? Why put your effort into caring? She’s a goddamn liar, Acen. Stick with the good ones. The one’s you trust to tell you the truth.” He shoves off the house and turns to look down at me now.

  “Who lied to you?”

  “That’s a loaded question.”

  “Thought so. Who?” I take a deep breath not knowing why I do anything I do anymore. I shouldn’t answer him. I shouldn’t give him this part of my life but for some reason I think he may need it.

  “Everyone. Everyone has lied to me.”

  “Very specific,” he huffs.

  “When I was little, my mom made me call multiple men daddy. I never had a clue who they were or what a daddy really was. They were nothing but abusive bastards. They said, don’t tell anyone, Layla. They will never believe you. The last one? My stepdad, Rico? He’s the worst of them. The lowest of the low, sickest of the sick. You know? Maybe they weren’t liars after all. Maybe if I told my mom she wouldn’t have believed me because her drugs mean more to her than I do.” Turning on my heel, I take two steps when he says it.

  “I believe you.” I laugh and turn back to face him.

  “You can’t believe me, Acen.”

  “Why not?” He asks stepping toward me.

  “Because I’m a liar.”

  “Not about that. I can see it in your eyes. They tell everything about you, Lala. Everything.” I laugh a sad laugh while shaking my head.

  “You can’t spot a lie when it’s right in front of you, Ace.”

  Chapter 17

  Acen

  She walks in the front door and motions for me to follow her. I glance around the shit house she lives in. It’s in far worse condition than the one we live in. Layla comes from the kitchen with a bag of chips, salsa and three different liquor bottles in her arms. She nods toward the door next to me. I move to open it and she walks past me and inside.

  “This is home, huh?” I ask watching her set everything on the table next to her bed.

  “If that’s what you want to call it.” She doesn’t look over at me while she opens the first bottle of Fireball and brings it to her lips. I watch her swallow before she turns and offers it to me.

  “What do you call it then?” Our fingers touch when I take the bottle from her. She watches me, haze in her eyes. She doesn’t know she’s as beautiful as she is. She doesn’t see it. Natural. No makeup, no fancy hair products. She’s just her.

  “Hell. I’ll be right back.” I nod my head and watch her walk into what I assume to be a bathroom. She’s in there a few minutes when she comes back out in yoga pants and a t-shirt. My cock gets hard seeing the way they hug her small frame.

  “Jesus,” I hiss under my breath. She ignores me, walking past me and grabbing a small speaker off the table. Punching a few buttons on her phone, music comes over her small speaker. Layla grabs a blanket and tosses it on the floor before she drops onto it. She motions for me to sit, so I do.

  “What’s this?” I ask her motioning to the floor.

  “It’s me.”

  “That’s pretty damn cryptic after what you heard at my house,” I tell her.

  “Are we sharing now? Wanna cuddle and braid each other’s hair too?” She asks with amusement in her tone, her eyebrow raised.

  “She’s a bitch. Always has been. Treated Clarissa like she was nothing. I always felt like something was off.”

  “That doesn’t mean she didn’t care,” she says.

  “What the hell do you think it means? She didn’t care about us. Her drugs were more important.”

  “Maybe she had her reasons,” she adds. I turn to look at her as she takes down more of the Fireball. She looks buzzed. Or maybe she just doesn’t give a shit.

  “Where’s your dad?”

  “Which one?” She raises an eyebrow.

  “She never told you about him? Like ever?” She shakes her head no. Not that it should surprise me. Clarissa has told me that her mom isn’t much different than ours. Or at least hers anyway.

  Layla tips the bottle to her lips as she lays her head back bobbing to the beat. She must be into rock because that’s all I’ve heard coming from her speaker.

  “Brody seems to like you.”

  “And you seem to hate me,” she says pointing the bottle my way. I smirk and let out a little chuckle at that one.

  “You push me. I don’t like being pushed.”

  “Well that’s just a sad life then, Acen.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Who wants to go through life not being tried and challenged?” I hear someone knock on the front door. Layla closes her eyes, clenching them tightly before she stands and leaves the room. I shift and look down at the pad of paper on the floor. Lifting it in my hands, there’s at least forty names on it. All men. One has a check next to it. What the hell? Hearing her coming back, I rip the page off and stuff it in my pocket when she appears in the doorway with a man. He isn’t a kid. He’s a grown man, probably in his fifties. I stand from my spot on the floor as Layla motions for me to come out of the room. I do it without thinking and the guy walks in. Layla turns, hatred shinning in her eyes once more.

  “What the hell is this?” I ask pointing behind her. A tear, one fucking tear slips down her cheek. I’m not even sure she notices it.

  “This is Thursday.” She closes the door and I hear the lock click into place. I’m shocked. I don’t know what to say here. What the hell is happening? Tugging at my hair, I turn to head for the door when a woman stops me.

  “Who are you?”

  “Acen. I’m Layla’s friend.” She snorts a laugh.

  “Layla doesn’t have friends.”

  “Who is the guy in there with her?” She laughs, clearly high out of her mind. She grabs a spoon and sits on the couch. I watch her go about getting her drugs ready to shoot up and it pisses me off. It’s too much like that bitch at my house. Huffing out a breath, I turn back for the door.

  “It’s Thursday,” she whispers. “It’s Thursday.”

  With that I leave, pulling the door closed behind me. I’m no closer to understanding her now than I was when I first met her. She’s confusing and pushy. She’s sexy yet she’s the goddamn devil. She’s everything I should run from yet I’m pulled to her. Heading down the road, I spot the guys out front of my house standing on the curb. They all look over when t
hey hear me approaching.

  “You good?” Fox asks.

  “I’m good.”

  “Ready to talk?” Cato asks me as I nod. I grab the joint that Brody holds out to me, taking it and bringing it to my lips.

  “He knows more than he’s saying. He said there was shit that was going to go down. Word on the inside is Shadow has knowledge of things that could affect us all.”

  “Shadow wouldn’t do that! He’s been the only one that’s ever helped us!” Fox roars.

  “I know, man. I don’t get it. I don’t put a lot of faith in what he says anyway,” I add.

  “Is that why you almost killed her?” Cato asks nodding toward the house.

  “She’s a liar. You saw it.”

  “So how do you know he isn’t just saying shit about Shadow to rock the boat?”

  “I don’t know that. That’s the problem. I just have a bad feeling about this.” The guys nod knowing that there is something simmering in the air. You can feel it.

  Chapter 18

  Layla

  School sucks. I hate being here. I hate the looks. I hate basically everything about this place. I could run. I could pack up what I have and leave but where the hell would I go? To Rico? No, that bastard ruined my life. The only thing he’s going to get from me is a death sentence. I turn the corner to head to the gym when I spot him. My heart nearly beats out of my chest. What the hell is he doing here?

  “New teacher,” Clarissa says when she sees me standing here.

  “What class?” I ask feeling my throat closing up. He can’t be here. What kind of sick world is this? Don’t they background check these fuckers?

  “Our last period, History.” Just as the words leave her mouth, he turns to face us. A smile tugs across his face that makes my stomach churn. Without even thinking, I turn and run to the nearest bathroom. In the first empty stall I come to, I lose it. Everything I ate for lunch leaves my stomach in a rush.

  “Lala?” I close my eyes when I hear Fox. What is he doing in the girls bathroom?

  “Go away,” I grumble.

  “What happened? I saw you take off.” Of course he did. I stand up and flush the toilet before opening the door and moving to the sink. I glare at him out of the corner of my eye hoping he will leave but he doesn’t. Instead, he’s on his phone texting.

  “I had to pee,” I tell him. He chuckles.

  “No, you didn’t.”

  “Are we sharing bathroom stories, Fox? You need to know every time I go?” I snap a little louder.

  “He might not, but I do.” Goddamn him. Why did he have to text Ace? I cup my hands and rinse my mouth before I grab a paper towel and clean my face.

  “You are the last person that needs to know anything,” I remind him. I grab my bag, hefting it back over my shoulder but the guys block the door. I look between the four of them, waiting for one of them to say something, anything.

  “What happened?” Cato asks this time.

  “Are you kidding? My stomach hurt. That’s it.” I grind my teeth, anger seeping through my pores. They are going to make me snap and then I feel bad for them.

  “Talk to me,” Brody edges closer. If I could say it to anyone it would be him but he’s been just as distant as the rest of them lately. I shake my head and look away willing them to just go away. I hear the growl come from Acen before they all turn and leave the bathroom. All but Fox that is. I step toward the door when he steps up next to me.

  “Whatever it is he will find out.”

  “That I had a stomach ache? I think I already told you that much.”

  “Don’t be so stubborn when it comes to him, Lala. He has his ways. We all do.” Ignoring his words, I shove past him and out of the bathroom. Strolling down the hall I keep glancing around to make sure I don’t see Ben anywhere which I don’t. As soon as I get into the gym, I drop onto the bleachers when Clar comes over and sits next to me.

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing. I’m fine.”

  I’m a shell of myself. I’m lost in my own head the rest of the day. I move but I don’t really know what I’m doing. Class to class I go as my stomach clenches. Stepping into our last period class a little early, I have to see if it’s him. I know I shouldn’t but I can’t stop myself. As soon as I step in I can feel him.

  “Layla. Been a long time,” he says his voice dripping with lust. My chest rises and falls rapidly as I turn to face him.

  “Why are you here?” he steps closer to me, his scent invading my mind. The past comes back like a freight train slamming thousands of pounds of images into me.

  “Tell me you didn’t miss me, Layla,” he says his hand coming up to my cheek. His touch is just like I remember it. Soft and gentle but it doesn’t stay that way. It never has. I cringe but I can’t move.

  “You sick bastard.” Tears burn the back of my eyes.

  “I told you I’d be back. Where is she?” Bile burns the back of my throat then the bell rings. I know that more people will start coming in and he knows it too. His hand falls but he doesn’t move away from me. Instead, I turn and run. I shove my way through the crowd to get out of the room. I run down the hallway when I hear Clar call my name. I can’t stop, I won’t. I need to get out of here and breathe. I need air.

  “Acen!” I hear Clar call to her brother but even that doesn’t stop me. Shoving through the doors, I run through the parking lot and down the road. My legs hurt, my lungs burn but I can’t stop. I need to get the hell out of here. The harder I push myself, the more I feel. I can’t do this. I’m slowly falling apart and there is nothing I can do to stop it. A car pulls up alongside of me and I slow my run to a walk.

  “What’s wrong, Layla? See a ghost?” Turning my head, I see Rico and his guys. Their doors start to open and I cringe. I won’t let them take me. I’m debating my options when I hear tires squealing. We all turn to look when I see Acen’s SUV barreling toward us. I look back to Rico with wide eyes. He just laughs, doors closing and they take off again. Blowing out a breath, I turn to walk away but it only takes seconds for Brody to leap out of the car and grab me.

  “Let me go!” I scream. This isn’t the day.

  “Can’t do that,” he says dragging me back toward the car.

  “Not today! Please, just don’t do this today!” I scream louder. Brody stops walking and sets me on my feet once more just as Ace climbs out of the car. He moves to stand in front of me, assessing me with his gaze. His hands come to rest on his hips as he glares at me.

  “You tell me what that was at the school and I’ll let it go,” Ace says keeping his eyes on mine. I can’t tell him that. I won’t. My head slowly shakes from side to side. Ace shrugs and nods his head at Brody. His arms wrap around me once more but this time I fight. I drive my elbow into Brody’s chest, forcing him to release me. I start to run when Cato leaps from the car grabbing me next.

  “He was a Thursday! God! He was a Thursday!” I scream as I kick at Cato’s legs.

  “Let her go,” Ace roars. Cato sets me down when Ace slowly moves to stand in front of me. Tears bite at the back of my eyes and I try to blink them away. Ace stares at me, a strange look on his face.

  “Is that what the list is?”

  “What list?”

  “This list,” he says pulling a piece of paper from his pocket and showing me. My mouth opens but no words will form. Why does he have that? He can’t have that.

  “You stole it.” He nods his head. “Why?”

  “I don’t know. What is it?”

  “It’s not your business,” I say trying to grab it from him. He jerks his hand back and shoves it back in his pocket.

  “His name is on that list. Ben.” Just hearing his name causes me to tremble. Ace sees it too.

  “It’s not your business.”

  “Yeah, you keep saying that yet I feel like making it my business, Lala! Are they all your fuck buddies?” He cocks his head to the side and stares at me. My heart sinks in my chest. He thinks he has me figured out. He d
oesn’t.

  “Give me the paper,” I say through gritted teeth.

  “I think I’ll hold onto it for now,” he says stepping closer and lowering his voice. “Unless you want to tell me why having Ben there freaked you out so much.” Acid eats at my stomach. I look into Ace’s eyes and I say the words that I haven’t said to anyone ever.

  “He raped me.” The words come out as a whisper but he heard them. No one else, just Acen. His mouth falls open as I stand there holding my hand out.

  Chapter 19

  Acen

  I don’t know what to say to her. I don’t know how to take that. He’s a teacher. How the hell does that happen?

  “Give me the paper,” she says holding her hand out to me. Unshed tears well up in her eyes but she blinks them back quickly. I shake my head.

  “The list.”

  “Is. Mine.” She grits her teeth.

  “One is checked off.”

  “Give me time and there will be more.” She keeps her gaze steady on mine as she speaks. There’s something lingering in her dark eyes. Something no one else sees but I do.

  “Who are they?” I ask once more.

  “You know what, Acen? Keep it. I don’t need it anyway. After what I’ve lived through, they are all in my head. Every single one of them!” She screams before turning on her heel and walking away. I watch her go, the guys looking at me as to what to do. I shake my head and let her have her space. We all stand in an awkward silence for God knows how long. Each of us trying to process and figure out what puzzle piece we are missing with that girl. It’s a good twenty minutes before Cato speaks first.

  “What the hell was that?” Cato asks.

  “She was raped.”

  “What?” Brody roars.

  “The new teacher raped her before. She has a list of names. All men.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Fox asks coming to stand next to me.

  “It means that girl is messed up. She has far more demons than any of us do,” I tell them.