one of the only people who stood by me when “shit went down,” as Shady said. But I’d stopped returning his calls too. I didn’t deserve anyone’s support, and I needed to cut ties to that life anyway.
Yet there I was, sitting in a dodgy bar with his cousin, who was already downplaying the single biggest mistake of my life. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea . . .
“What went down?” I arched a brow at him.
The bar chick delivered our drinks, and he took a sip. “Yeah. You know, what happened . . . the incident.”
“The incident . . .” I glared at him. “I don’t need you to play it down, man. As much as my parents wish I wouldn’t, I actually own my shit. You can just say it. I—”
“Hey, look,” he said, cutting me off. “I’m not trying to piss you off or fish for info. We don’t even have to talk about it. Wiley told me you were out this way and asked me to reach out. I’m happy to be a drinking buddy or intro you to some chicks if you wanna get laid, or you can just ignore my ass and come here whenever you like. I’ll let the bouncers know you’re a friend. They’ll take care of you. That’s it, bro. Take it or leave it.”
He shrugged and took another sip. I watched him carefully for a few moments, then sighed and drank my Coke.
Maybe I’d let his words get to me too much. This lowlife seemed to genuinely have a sliver of heart in his skinny chest. And it would be nice to hang with someone without pressure—someone I didn’t have to pretend with, someone who knew what I’d done.
“Sorry, Shady. I’m a little touchy.”
“Forget it.” He waved a hand, then swiveled on his stool to look at the dance floor. “Now, tell me. Are you an ass man or a tits man?”
I chuckled. As long as I kept a wide berth from Shady’s “business” here, this could be exactly what I needed to chill out from time to time.
Chapter Five
Donna
The car was eerily silent when the girls piled into it at the end of the day. Amaya didn’t launch into the day’s gossip, Mena didn’t crack jokes, Harlow didn’t throw out any random facts. I sighed and turned the music up. I wasn’t sure if they were pissed at me or worried about me, but I hated this.
We needed some girl time, so instead of turning off toward home, I continued on into town.
Amaya turned the music down. “Where we going, D?”
The use of my childhood nickname made something in my chest constrict, and I forced some levity into my voice. “We’re ignoring all our responsibilities and getting something greasy to eat.”
Harlow snorted. “It’s Friday afternoon—you’re the only one who has responsibilities.”
They all laughed at my expense, and I couldn’t help joining in.
We parked our asses at a Portuguese joint and shared a massive plate of Peri Peri chicken and fries. When the plate was empty, Amaya crossed her arms on the table and fixed me with a look. “Is the new guy situation getting out of hand?”
I groaned. “Maybe. He’s been a giant pain in my ass since he showed up.”
“I think you need to tell people to back off him,” Mena said.
“I never told anyone to lay into him in the first place.” I hadn’t been lying when I told Hendrix I wasn’t telling people to make his life hell.
“I know that, but people listen to you. They’ll stop if you tell them to.”
I bristled. That would feel like admitting I was wrong. “Look, I know some people have started taking things too far, but that’s not my fault. He was a complete jerk to me, and he turned his nose up at every single person in our school. He’s been disrespectful and antagonizing every time I’ve spoken to him. I’m not gonna just stand there and take that. I’m going to defend myself and you guys, no matter what it takes. He started this.”
Mena looked down into her lap and frowned. She clearly didn’t agree with everything I’d said, but she knew firsthand how far I’d go to protect the three people sitting at that table with me.
When we’d found out she was being bullied at her last school, I pulled every thread I could think of to make her tormentors pay. I’d called in favors I was holding on to for after college to protect her.
“He