Evil - Tijan Page 0,10

by a few inches, slim, and her hair hung in two brunette braids that rested over her shoulders. There was a reason why Kellan had chosen to sleep with her, more than once.

“If he doesn’t call you, I wouldn’t go calling him,” Gus warned thickly.

Leah backed up a step, but remembered her need. “I need to talk to him. He wouldn’t talk to me yesterday, and I really need to talk to him.”

“Why? If you’re pregnant, it’s not his. I guarantee that.”

Leah flushed. “That’s not what this is about. I just really need to talk to him.” She glanced over her shoulder. I saw both of her friends give her supporting smiles, but neither of them budged forward. Leah was on her own.

“If you think you’re dating him, you’re not.” The hostility increased in Gus, but before she could say anything else, I intervened and pulled my sister behind me.

“This would go a lot easier if you told us what you wanted from Kellan. We might help you.”

Gus growled, which drew attention from every male in the hallway…who wasn’t already watching.

I elbowed my sister as Leah tugged her sleeve down again. “Um, well, Kellan said that he’d help me with this thing if I needed it. And, well, I guess…it’s like, it’s now, you know?”

“Not in the least,” Gus muttered through gritted teeth.

I rolled my eyes, resigned. I understood Gus’ reluctance to help. Bradens didn’t help, not usually. And no one ever sought Kellan out, much less for us to help in his stead. Still…I’d started the day out with a theme of helping. I might as well continue…?

“What do you need help with?” I willed the girl to bolster her courage and just blurt it out.

“Um…” She still faltered and then rushed out, “My stepdad just got home from a business trip. He’s a drunk and he…”

And everything clicked. Even Gus perked up. We both knew what Kellan had offered to do. I finished for her, dryly, “And Kellan offered to rough him up if your stepdad hurt you, didn’t he?”

She nodded, grateful.

I felt Gus’ glee as she asked, “What’d he do to you?”

“Kellan?” Leah asked, confused.

Both of us flinched. “No, you idiot. Your father. What’d he do to you?” Gus cringed again.

“He did some stuff. Could you call Kellan for me? I don’t have his number. I don’t even know if he has a phone, but…I…it can’t happen again. Kellan said he’d stop him.”

“We’ll take care of it. Don’t worry.” Giuseppa was all smiles now. It wasn’t a sight Leah was used to, nor myself, but I was pretty sure it shocked Leah the most as she instinctually retreated three steps before she stopped. Her friends quickly moved backward with her.

“I…” Leah wasn’t sure what to say. Her eyes skirted between us again.

I smiled, or tried to smile, though I was a little apprehensive about what Giuseppa had in mind. “He’ll be taken care of by tonight.”

“You’ll talk to Kellan?”

“We’ll do it ourselves,” Gus muttered underneath her breath.

“He’ll be told. Promise,” I tried to reassure her.

“Okay.” Leah jerked a nod before she quickly melted among the rest in the hallway.

“We’re not telling Kellan, right?” Gus asked anxiously. She was the one to eye me nervously now.

“I just told her that he’d be told.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t say when. Let me handle this, Shay. Please. I haven’t had fun in a while.”

I tried to figure out what my sister intended to do. I stared her down, despite the innocent look she flashed my way. I knew my sister, and I knew she wasn’t going to pray for him. I warned, darkly, “Do not kill him. Do not do anything that’ll bring attention to us.”

Gus rolled her eyes and retorted nastily, “Right, Shay. You should be the one talking after what you did today. And no, I don’t intend to do anything like that. But the guy will leave his stepdaughter alone after I’m done with him. Promise.”

“You’re not going to kill him.”

“Promise,” she repeated forcefully.

“Fine,” I relented and was rewarded with a flash of perfect teeth. As she turned to leave, I called out, “And no Vespar involved.”

Gus braked, didn’t turn around. And then continued, but not before I heard a few choice words.

The bell sounded, and I heeded. The rest of the day was like usual. I watched, silent, as everyone else played their social games. The quiet ones stayed with their cliques and sent furtive glances at the popular ones. The geeks did their own thing and