the chest, I watch as she falls into Carrie and they stumble back and fall into a heap on the ground.
Turning towards Ellie, I see her standing up with her hair half fallen out of her up-do. “You’re going to regret that.” She growls.
“I highly doubt that.”
Ellie grabs onto my hair and pulls, and I make a fist that Logan and Easton taught me to do back in the day and swing with all my might, clocking her right in the cheek. Faintly, I start to hear the chant fight, fight, fight, and I want to go up to the idiot that started it and clock him in the face, too.
Ellie slaps me, hard. My ear starts ringing. She pulls my hair and I hear a wicked tear. Fuck, I’m going to have a bald spot on the back of my head.
I’m about to swing again when I’m lifted in the air. Looking down, I see Logan’s red hoodie and an angry look on his face. I sink into his hold. I felt helpless for a minute, and I didn’t know how I’d ever get out of that fight. I could have fought Ellie, for sure. But if those other two jumped in, would I be able to fight all of them off? I legit have no one on my side.
No one, except these three.
I’m set down on the front step, and a block of red hovers over me. “What was that?” Lashes out of Logan’s lips. I rarely hear him angry, so I’m taken aback when I hear the anger in his tone.
“Those girls are bitches.” I mumble, running my hand down my cheek. My skin is hot to touch and I bet if I looked in a mirror there would be an angry handprint in its place.
“Those girls have been bitches for years. It’s not new, Cara. Where the fuck did that come from?”
I sigh. I’m never getting out of this until I tell him the truth. “Ellie…” I turn to look over my shoulder and see Easton through the window. He’s leaning over them and saying something that’s making the girls’ faces turn a ghastly shade of white.
“Ellie…” I whip my head around at Logan’s impatient tone.
“They came up to me at gym and asked if I wanted to go to the party. I thought it would be cool… I don’t know. No one invites me anywhere and since you guys warn all the guys off me it’s not like I have a chance of meeting anyone at this school. I thought it would be nice to hang out with people.”
“You hang out with us.” Logan whips his arms out at his side, like he’s all anyone needs.
“I wanted to hang out with some girls. Anyone other than you guys…”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” He barks.
“I don’t know, Logan! All I do is see you three who I’ve known my entire life, and I just wanted to hang out with someone else. A girl to talk to. A boy who doesn’t know look at me like just another guy. I don’t know… fuck! Then they stood me up. They were playing a game the entire time! Fucking around on me. And I come here because you guys invited me even though I knew I shouldn’t be here, and Ellie started talking shit. I … I just blew up. I can’t handle this. I can’t handle any of this.”
My voice echoes into the night and when I’m done with my speech all I can hear is the faint bass from the speakers inside the house. I look up and see Logan glaring down at me with an unreadable expression. Part angry, part… disappointed? Upset? I don’t know.
“What?” I ask when the seconds turn into minutes.
He seems to snap out of whatever fog he’s in, shaking his head and looking over my shoulder to the house behind me. “Cara, you’ve got shit so turned around I’m surprised your ass ain’t upside down.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. I’m going to go get a drink. I’ll catch you in a little bit.” His defeated voice confuses me, and I’m about to call after him when I think better of it. I’m still angry and knowing me, I’m going to pick at him until he snaps.
I need another drink.
With that thought in mind, I stand up and go to walk inside when I see someone standing in the shadows. I almost lose my balance with my foot halfway