lift up at the sight of the little blue dot next to his name.
How does he always know when I need something to pull me out of a spiral?
I know the Dravens are filthy rich but what are the rest of the Bonds doing for cash? I’m one more shitty Econ class away from dropping out and mooching off of them. Tell me one of them is decent and loaded, I need to figure out which one to befriend.
I snort at him, mostly because thanks to our constant messaging I know he’s joking and would never accept anything from any of them, and send a text back.
I’d rather stick pins in my eyes than take anything from any of them but if you’re fine selling your ass to them for an easy life, then who am I to judge? Who knows, you might actually get along with them.
I’m still grinning down at my phone, the three dots popping up as he starts to type out his reply, when the passenger door opens and North slides into the backseat with me. My vision is back to normal, so I think I must have my gift back under control, but it doesn’t matter anyway because North doesn’t look at me, not so much as a glance.
I should feel relief but honestly it just pisses me off how quickly he can dismiss me, just block me out like I’m freaking nothing to him, while I’m still struggling with all of the bullshit he’s thrown my way. I huff under my breath, sounding exactly like the petulant child he thinks I am, but he ignores me for his phone.
Two can play at that game.
I chat with Atlas, more flirting than anything else, and focus entirely on my screen. At first I’m only doing it to fuck with North, but Atlas is too good as a distraction and when I tell him that I’m messing with the other Bonds because they’re being assholes, he’s more than happy to keep me busy.
I’m not sure he’s ever going to get past them sticking that tracker under my skin.
When the car finally comes to a halt and the engine stops, I glance up and startle at my surroundings because we are definitely not at the dorms. Hell, we’re not even on campus anymore! The house we’ve stopped in front of isn’t a house at all, it’s a freaking mansion, and it only takes a quick glance around to see we’re clearly in a gated community of mega-mansions.
North has brought me back to his house.
I glance over to find him staring back at me, his eyes like a cold void as the contempt he has for me oozes out at me.
Fuck him. I cross my arms and slump back in my seat. “I am not getting out of this car.”
The driver immediately gets out of the front seat and steps around to open my car door, like he’s hoping I’ll cave to his boss just because of this one little act of consideration.
Joke’s on him, I don’t give a fuck.
“I don’t know why you enjoy being threatened, Fallows, but rest assured that I will do whatever it takes to get you out of this car. We’re here to eat dinner with the rest of your Bonds, put the phone away and get moving.”
I get out of the car but only because I can’t argue with North once he gets out unless I follow him. The driver shuts the door behind me and locks it, as though he’s afraid I’m going to try to climb back in it at any moment if spooked.
Irritation creeps up my spine but before I have the chance to snap and snarl at them both, North dismisses him with a polite nod of his head and says, “I’m sure you can eat here tonight without being a complete brat about it if you try hard enough, Fallows. No self-mutilation required.”
He turns to walk up the path that leads to the front door without a glance back at me while my brain fusses over his words. Self-mutilation? What the hell does he mean by that?
Then it hits me.
I’d rather stick pins in my eyes than take anything from any of them. That’s what I’d just said to Atlas and North wasn’t close enough to have read the message over my shoulder. Motherfucker.
A hot flush starts over my cheeks and works its way down my body. “You fucking asshole! You have my phone tapped?”
He straightens his tie