Trick Me Twice - Becca Steele Page 0,38
something scary about him,” I mused.
“Yeah, you wouldn’t want to get on his bad side,” she agreed. As Zayde melted away into the crowd, she breathed a sigh of relief. “I didn’t want him to see me, in case he told my brother I was here. Cass is alright, as far as brothers go, but he can be kind of overbearing sometimes.”
“That makes sense. So if Zayde’s one of your brother’s best friends, you must know him quite well, then?”
“Kind of, I guess. They all hang out in the same group. Like they did at school, if you remember. My brother, Zayde, and Caiden and Weston Cavendish.” The last name fell from her lips on a sigh, and I narrowed my eyes at her.
“Anything you want to share about any of those names you just mentioned to me?”
“Nope.”
“Hmm.” Unconvinced, I raised a brow at her, and she stuck her tongue out at me. Laughing, I returned my attention to the fight. I’d somehow managed to miss the end, but the whistle guy had slid down into the bowl and was holding Ricky’s hand up in the air, to the sound of cheers.
“Okay, we have a break for a couple of minutes before the next fight.” Lena leaned back on her arms, completely at ease in this place. Me, I still felt way, way out of my comfort zone, but as I looked around, I realised that no one was looking at me like I didn’t belong. People were milling around, talking and laughing, and despite the fact that we were all here to watch people fight, the whole atmosphere was friendly.
“I like this,” I decided.
Lena stared at me with a smile. “I’m glad to hear it. Any reason in particular?”
“It seems like there’s no hierarchy here. Everyone seems like they’re on an equal footing, you know?”
“Yeah. I mean, don’t kid yourself, there’s a lot of rivalry, and things can get nasty, but you’re right in the respect that everyone’s on the same level. Money and status don’t matter here, for the most part. It’s all about the fight.”
“If only it could be like that at school,” I mused.
“Yeah. But there’s always gonna be a hierarchy in school, you know? That’s just the way it is. And the ones on top can be the worst. Some people just like to make themselves feel better by putting others down.” She rolled her eyes, and it was clear she was referring to Carter and his friends.
“Yeah, I—”
“Speak of the devil, and he will appear. Look.” She leaned forwards, gripping my arm as she stared into the bowl intently. I followed her gaze to see him.
Carter. In the bowl with Kian.
“Oh, no,” I groaned. “Why can’t I escape him?”
Lena laughed. “Guess I forgot to mention that this is one of his favourite hangouts.”
“You forgot. Really.” I stared straight ahead as I spoke, unable to tear my eyes away from Carter. A tight black T-shirt stretched across his chest, and he was grinning at Kian as they shook hands before stepping apart. Kian lifted his hand, doing something to his mouth.
“What’s he doing?”
“Taking out his lip ring I think.”
“Oh.” Looking at Carter, I thought back to the night before last, when we’d made some progress. Maybe. I hadn’t updated Lena on the whole situation with him, mostly because I knew she’d have an opinion, and I wanted to work things out on my own. It was something I felt like I needed to do. And I was going to confront him, once I gathered the courage.
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the whistle, and they began to circle one another. “Why is he fighting Kian?”
“Who knows. They seem to do it a lot. Probably just blowing off steam.” Lena shrugged, unconcerned, and I returned my attention to Carter.
The previous fight had been…interesting, sure. But this? “I see what you mean about hot guys fighting.” My mouth was dry, and I squeezed my thighs together, trying to suppress the building ache.
“Yeah. Especially when you’re attracted to them, huh? This is exactly what I was talking about earlier.” She smirked at me, and I huffed.
“Shut up.”
“You and I both know it’s true. There’s no point denying it.”
“Fine, yes. I am attracted to him, and I wish I wasn’t.” I sighed. “Not with the way he acts.” Except for Friday night, I added silently.
“Yeah. He’s a dick with poor taste in girls. You’re worth five hundred Anastasias.” Lena’s words were fierce, and I smiled.
“I’m sure there’s