Always Crew - Tijan Page 0,4

I didn’t like being in, and I’m here for the next four years, at least. I need to do something. I need to make money. Somehow my brother thought this would work for me. If you know my brother, people tend to trust him. I guess this is me trusting him.”

Her eyes inched closed the more and more I spoke.

At the end, she held her head up, straightening back as if she thought I was a snake about to strike. “I don’t know your brother, but I’ve heard his reputation. I’m trying to assess if you’re going to be a gigantic pain in my ass or not.”

“No.”

She didn’t flinch. “Then I’m also trying to determine if you’ll be a danger to my people or not.”

I flinched on the inside. “No.”

I had a bit more bite in my tone.

Her eyes opened wider, just a centimeter. She heard that, too. “You didn’t like that, huh?”

I didn’t respond.

She didn’t look like she thought I was going to respond and, chewing on the inside of her cheek for a moment, she let out a sigh. Reaching behind her, she grabbed the papers and handed them to me. “Fill those out. Come back tomorrow at five, dress in all black.”

I grabbed the papers and stood. “Five in the afternoon?”

She shook her head, a smile starting. “Nope.” She was almost beaming when I turned to go. “Hey, Bren.”

I looked back.

The smile was gone. In its place was something dark, so dark that her face didn’t show it. I only knew it was there because I felt it deep inside of me. “No matter the job description on paper, you’ll be going on ride-alongs. If you remain here, you’ll progress. You might even want to take the test in the future. Either way, you’ll be in dangerous situations alongside my people. If you do anything stupid to put them in danger, you’re out. I don’t give a rat’s ass about what connections you might be bringing to my family. You got me?”

I didn’t respond. I got her, and she saw that I got her. No words needed.

I opened the door, papers in hand, and I left.

FROM: Brenners

TO: Tazsters

SUBJECT:

Typing this as I’m waiting for your brother. Tell me what’s new with you?

FROM: Tazsters

TO: Brenners

SUBJECT: OMG!!!!!

OMG! HOW ARE YOU? I’VE MISSED YOU GUYS SO MUCH!

Things are good here. I’m LOVING my roommate, but I think she’s got a thing for Race. She told me she like boxers A LOT and then looked right at Race. It got uncomfortable as fuck, and I’m not down with it.

I miss you guys so much.

Have you seen Blaise much? I talk to him.

Okay. I have a late class so I have to go.

LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

—The Best Twin

BREN

I was sitting in my truck, parked outside Cain University’s gymnasium. The windows were down. A slight breeze wafting through, mixing with a slight mingling smell of someone’s bonfire, sweat, and garbage. I glanced over. The dumpster in the corner of the lot was overfilling. My guess, it hadn’t been picked up on last week’s rotation. Or maybe over the last month. Either that or there’d been a party in the parking lot over the weekend.

Option two was more viable, now that I thought about it. Knowing the students on this campus and what they were capable of, definitely option two.

“What’s up, Brennie Bren?”

I had not even one second to swear, raise the window, or just simply have a knife ready and poised. Not that I needed it, but I wanted it, solely on the principle that Zeke Allen was annoying AF and also, that he snuck up on me. Dammit.

I had to settle with looking over at him, and hoping my glare of death suddenly had Reaper magic.

It didn’t.

His assholish smirk was still there.

I shifted in the seat, moving an inch away, again on the principle of it alone. “Still as repulsive as ever, Allen.” And he was. A professional douchebag, fraternity brother by career, and loaded up the ass with privilege and wealth. Unfortunately, we were stuck with him because he was also Cross’ brother’s best friend.

See. We were all doomed.

I added before he said anything else that would make me want to vomit, “I heard that we came close to not having you grace our presence at Cain.” And he continuously looked like he was enjoying himself. I said further, “That’s too bad. For real. Way. Way. Way. Too bad.”

He moved in, positioning to rest a hand on my door, over the opened