bit honest with her if she weren’t Camden Galway. Pretty. Brainy. Curious. Reporter. That could all add up to trouble if I let it.
“That sucks,” I tell her because her story does suck. So does mine.
She nods with a sigh. “Hey, do you know Frankie Encanto?”
The image of a black-haired kid a few grades behind me at Devil Valley High comes to mind. “Yeah, I remember him.”
“He’s Adela’s son, my stepbrother. But he’s my real brother in every way that matters.”
“I didn’t know that. He’s on the wrestling team, right?”
“That’s him. I go to his matches to cheer him on whenever I can.”
Her face is alight with pride when she talks about her brother. Camden obviously loves her family. In spite of their struggles her home is probably a happy one.
She tilts her head. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
I have no siblings. Only cousins. Fucking junior sociopaths who grew into dangerous men that I hope to never see again.
“Nope.”
Camden frowns over my one word answer. Too bad. That’s all she’s getting.
She’s about to speak again when the bell above the door jingles. A trio of Devil Valley High girls blow through it with a gust of cold air and a whole lot of high pitched chatter.
“BEN!”
“We miss you, Ben!”
“Ben, I need to hug you.”
They do not acknowledge Camden at all and I see her take a step back. Bridget Spinelli, head cheerleader and mean girl extraordinaire, who isn’t afraid to enhance her attitude with her fists, practically shoves Camden out of the way before hopping up on the counter. Her boyfriend is Dez Taylor, the biggest offensive lineman on the football team. But I’m not worried about what’ll happen if he hears about how Bridget lets her varsity jacket slip from her bare shoulders, cups her hand across the back of my neck and gives me a long taste of her tongue. That’s the thing about Dez; he likes his girl to get it on with other guys. I don’t push her away but in truth she does nothing for me and she tastes like cheap alcohol and nicotine.
Her friends, Abbey and Maya, also Devil Valley cheerleaders, crowd around the counter as well.
“Ben, when are you coming back to school?”
“No fair that Black Mountain took the hottest guy.”
Bridget hops off the counter and pats her own tits. “Bet those private school bitches don’t keep you this entertained.”
I add nothing to the conversation but they don’t seem to mind. The three of them are content to listen to the cackle of their own voices before wandering the aisles and making a mess. I keep an eye on them because if they think I’ll stand by while they rip off the Cushings they’ve got another thing coming.
Meanwhile, Camden has retreated out of sight and aside from a brief sneer from Bridget I saw no interaction between her and the Devil Valley girls. I know Camden went to school around here until she transferred to Black Mountain after middle school. Devil Valley isn’t a big town so Camden must know them and vice versa. Whatever. Girls are weird. They carry around lifelong grudges over a sour look or a stupid piece of gossip.
Abbey pouts when I tell her she can’t have a pair of sunglasses for free and Bridget is displeased when I won’t let her take any beer. Ultimately they purchase a handful of bubble gum lollipops and a jar of Vaseline. It’s an interesting combination and I can only guess what their plans are.
Bridget files her nails while Maya pays for the items. When I hand the bag over, Bridget pointedly licks her upper lip.
“We’ll all be at The Lot later. I’m sure we can find something for you to do if you come by and visit.”
She exits with a blast of freezing air and her two minions blow kisses my way before following her out the door. The Lot is just an empty space of land behind the old leather factory outside town. It’s a frequent party spot and if you stick around long enough you’re bound to see something X-rated plus at least one fight. I don’t see any appeal in hanging out there in this freezing weather and hooking up with a girl I’d have no interest in talking to in the daylight. On the other hand, going home later and possibly dealing with Dirtbag sounds even less exciting.
“I see your harem left.”
“What?” I’m pulled out of my thoughts by Camden’s return.
She’s grimacing as she straightens