out my brother with my morose mood.
His expression became resigned. “I do, but I can change them.”
“I can walk myself home.”
“No fucking way, Lace. That’s not safe, and you know it.”
“We kicked ass,” War said, suddenly deigning to appear. He put one hand on my shoulder and knocked his other on the bar top as if to emphasize his statement.
My focus on my brother, I hadn’t seen War approach. Bryan was with War, and he wasn’t alone. He had two girls clinging to each of his arms, and he had yet to put on a shirt.
I never should have asked him if he’d thought about kissing me. It would have been better to have remained silent. Of course he wasn’t into me. Nauseating regret swirled inside me. Predictably, wishful thinking had gained me nothing but disappointment.
“What’s going on?” I asked War, giving him a brittle smile.
“The reps wanna take us out. Talk and shit. You’re coming with.” He squeezed my shoulder.
“She needs to get home,” Dizzy said, speaking up for me. “She has the SAT tomorrow.”
Gratitude burned in my eyes as I exchanged a glance with him.
“Who the fuck cares about the SAT?” War said, frowning at me.
It was the absolute worst thing he could say. I stiffened as he spun me around by my shoulders.
“Lacey, this could be it. You’re not gonna get a surer shot out of here.”
Another blow. War never gave me props for my goal or all the studying I did. That hurt, but I pretended it didn’t.
“Diz is right,” I said with a shrug. “I can’t go with you tonight. I’m sorry. I need to go home and get some sleep.”
War frowned. “You really think a little sleep is going to improve your score?”
“I sure hope it will,” I said, keeping my voice steady as my fingers curled into my palms. “I’ve been studying for weeks.”
“We’ve been practicing as a band for an entire year. Tempest is more important.” War squeezed my shoulder once more, then released me as he said firmly, “You’re coming. I’ll take you home after.”
My jaw dropped as he turned around. My obedience to him in his mind was a given. War was a lot of things . . . a lot of them good. But his arrogance right then rubbed me the wrong way.
“No.” Hopping off my bar stool, I put my hands on my hips. “I’m not coming with you.”
He spun around, his nostrils flaring as he faced me. “Lacey . . .”
“No, War. This is really important to me, and you just dismissed it, and me, and all my effort like it doesn’t matter.”
“That’s not true.” He gave me a hard look. “I just know the odds. You told me yourself that scores typically don’t improve by more than twenty points.”
So he had been paying attention. Sometimes I wondered.
“I have to try.” Lifting my chin, I noticed Bryan watching me closely on one side, and King and Sager moving to stand beside my brother on the other.
“No, you don’t.” War shook his head. “Not if trying is beating your head against a brick wall. Tonight, you come with me. Support me. You feel me?”
Maybe another time without an audience watching with rapt attention, I might have buckled under and given War what he wanted, but not tonight. Tonight, I pushed back, and he didn’t like it.
“I’m leaving,” I said, turning away from him and heading for the door.
“Oh no you’re fucking not.” War grabbed me before I’d even taken two steps. His ringed fingers closed firmly around my upper arm.
“War, don’t,” Dizzy said, his warning tone making the fine hairs at my nape stand on end.
“Stay out of this, Lowell.” War glared at my brother, then narrowed his eyes on me. “This is between Lace and me.”
“You’re hurting me,” I told War, wincing as the metal of his rings bit into my flesh.
He loosened his hold but didn’t let go. “I’m trying to help, not hurt, babe.”
“Then let me go.” My lips trembled a little, and I hated myself for showing that weakness, any weakness, in front of everyone.
“You really want to make an issue of this now?” He glanced pointedly at the suits, a woman and a man. Their faces glowed as they stared at their phones, pretending to ignore us, but were undoubtably listening to our disagreement.
“It is an issue.” I wanted to stamp my foot in frustration but didn’t. “It’s my future.”
“Your future?” His expression turned to solid stone. No compromise, no understanding, he was