Devil Incarnate (Boys of Preston Prep #4) - Angel Lawson Page 0,114

train wreck happening. “I’m not sleeping with Ozzy! And what the hell, Caroline? You had weeks to ask him to the ball! You kept going on and on about asking Em or George!”

“It doesn’t matter now!” she yells, eyes ablaze. “But in the future, I’ll be sure to stake my claim before the five-second ‘Whorgia Haynes’ grace period expires.”

It feels like someone much larger than Caroline has just punched me in the stomach. I’m used to the names by now. The snide remarks. The way girls look at me like I’m trash. Never in a million years could I have been prepared for it to come from a friend.

Vandy steps in, holding her hands up. “Everyone, stop! You’re not letting some stupid guy get in between you. Hoes over bros!”

Caroline’s laugh comes out more like a sob. “Easy for you to say. You got Reynolds locked down before she could get to him—and she would have. She got Sebastian, didn’t she? Probably Ben and Carl, too. Hell, maybe even Emory. After that revolving door between her legs, there’s no one left for the rest of us, is there?”

I stare at her, my shock slowly giving way to a simmering rage. I’ve known her long enough to see the hurt beneath the fury. It’s the only thing that stops me from lunging at her. The closest thing to a fight I’ve ever been in was fifth grade. Tillie Tipper, who stood behind me in chorus, put nail polish in my hair during practice. I didn’t find out until lunch, but when I did, I hunted her down and took a swing. It was mostly just a bunch of hair pulling and a few scratches before the teachers separated us. I got a week suspension and a very, very brief reputation for being a bad girl. But here, feeling my fists tremble with how hard I’m clenching them, I think it’d go a hell of a lot different.

Taking a shaky breath, I say, “You’re misreading the situation, so I’m going to give you a chance to walk out of here and cool off. But if you don’t,” I look her in the eye, voice low and composed, “I’m going to lay some fucking hands on you.”

There’s a low curse from the couch. When I whip around to glare at Heston, he just looks balefully up at me, wiggling his phone. “Not enough charge for video. Too bad, a cat fight would be epic.”

By the time I turn back, Caroline’s already marching out the door.

Vandy and Heston clear out of the bunker first, leaving me to lock up. I hang around for a while longer, though, stewing about the fight with Caroline. When I finally leave, it’s already afternoon, so I’m careful to be quiet when closing the door and turning the key.

“Collins, huh?”

I whirl around, heart skipping a beat, to see Heston leaning against the stone wall, hands shoved into his pockets. “Shit. You scared me.” I press a palm to my chest, willing the thudding to calm. “What are you talking about?”

“The date with Collins,” he says, looking at me through heavy-lidded eyes. “When did all this happen?”

“A week or so ago.” I hitch my bag higher on my shoulder, still in a crappy mood. “Actually, it was back when you were being petty little dickwad about my Devil’s mark.” His jaw tightens, then releases, and my stomach flutters anxiously. I’m not entirely sure why, but I need him to know, “It’s not something I really want to do. It’s completely lame and offensive. But my mom’s been planning it since before I could walk, and I needed an escort, so I asked someone. Are you going to give me shit about it, too?” He stares at me, those icy eyes making tracks up and down my body, and I feel compelled to add, “It’s not like I could ask you. My mom would have me committed.”

His lips tip up, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Were you hoping I’d be jealous?”

“What?” I blink at him, feeling whiplashed. “No, I—”

“You think I want to put on a tux and dance like a clown? Make small talk with the Club’s elite all night? Tuck your little hand into my elbow and present you to society in your virginal whites, like I didn’t have my finger buried knuckle-deep in your ass two nights ago?”

“Oh my god,” I hiss, reaching out to shove his shoulder. “Do you ever shut your damn mouth?!”

He smirks, raising an