Kings of Quarantine (Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep #1) - Caroline Peckham ,Susanne Valenti Page 0,160

afraid for his reputation, and I sure as fuck wasn’t going to let him and his friends do something similar to that girl out there.

I glanced at my dirty blonde hair and sighed as I tried to make it lay flat for a few moments. I usually used product to slick it back but without any, I just had to tuck it behind my ears. I quickly gave up on it and sighed as I realised I’d be pushing it out of my eyes all day whatever I did.

The box of supplies that had been left out for us last night wasn’t actually all that well stocked. It had food and bottled water, but that was it. No blankets or spare clothes or damn toothpaste. I guessed they’d had to work in a rush, but it was still frustrating knowing that my apartment was a short walk away and it held everything I could want and more for this situation.

I blew out a breath and shoved my hand into my pocket, pulling out a pack of gum and pushing a stick between my teeth.

My phone buzzed as I placed the gum back in my pocket beside it and I drew it out to see who was looking for me.

My eyebrows rose as I spotted the list of eight missed calls and three messages from Kyan Roscoe and I quickly opened the messages to see what he wanted.

Kyan:

I need to ask you a favour

Kyan:

We can pay you for it.

Kyan:

This is urgent, asshole, call me back.

I considered that for a moment as I walked back into the pool room, pushing my tongue into my cheek as I tried to keep my temper in check. I could easily guess why they were calling. It seemed that the photos Tatum had sent them last night after she’d switched her phone back on to prove where she was hadn’t been enough to ease their concerns about their pet escaping their clutches.

My gaze swept over the messages again as I walked back to the crash mat where we’d slept and when I looked up, my heart leapt as I realised I’d walked in on Tatum getting changed.

Her back was to me and she’d already put her yoga pants on thankfully, but she’d taken her dress off and her bare skin caught my eye and refused to let me look away for a moment that stretched far too long.

“Sorry,” I said, clearing my throat as I forced myself to turn my back on her and she gasped at the sound of my voice.

“No, it’s my fault, I should have gone to the locker rooms, it’s just so cold outside this room,” she replied quickly and I could hear her pulling her clothes on as she cursed beneath her breath.

A smirk captured my lips and wouldn’t let go. By the time she told me to turn back to face her again I found myself caught on the verge of laughter.

“What?” she asked, tipping her head so that her long hair snaked over her shoulder and tickled her side. She was wearing that push up sports bra again, dressing in the same outfit she’d worn for our kickboxing session. She’d had the good idea to give them a wash and hang them in the sauna to dry so she had two outfits to alternate between for our lockdown. It was just my luck that both of her options made her look insanely tempting. I just couldn’t decide whether that luck was good or bad.

“It’s just, this whole fucking situation,” I said, gesturing between us and at the building we were standing in. It was a fucking joke. Someone like me never should have set foot in a school like this, let alone been teaching these elitist little fuckers, but here I was. I’d slogged my guts out to get here and really, none of it had been for me.

Tatum was looking at me like she didn’t understand and of course she didn’t. She may have been less caustic than a lot of the kids here or I might have just wanted to believe she was, but either way, her family could afford the tuition and that in itself proved that we came from entirely different worlds. I doubted she could ever understand what it was like for me to live my life.

Before either of us could add to that dangerous topic of conversation, my phone started ringing again as a FaceTime call came from Kyan.

I clucked my tongue and