Devils' Day Party: A High School Bully Romance - C.M. Stunich Page 0,158

and killed people last night, Karma. Not everything in life can be tied up in a pretty bow.

“Did she hurt you this morning? Threaten you?” Calix asks, taking a step forward and then pausing when Mama Cathy steps out of the front door and beams that beautiful smile of hers down on the four of us.

“Would you all like to come in? I could make tea or coffee? I'm assuming you're all heading to the party after this?”

I open my mouth to respond when Barron beats me to it.

“I'd love some tea,” he says and Mama Cathy grins, turning to head back inside.

“I'll start the kettle!”

“I'd love some tea,” Raz imitates, rolling his eyes in a dramatic fashion. “Since when the fuck do you drink tea, Barron? That's for like, old British people.”

“Since whenever the hell I want,” he says back, voice as depthless as a starless night. He cracks his teeth against the lollipop and steps up beside me, leaning down and enveloping me in that unique scent of his, like mint and lanolin and charcoal. “I want to show you something.” He reaches down and takes my hand, pulling me toward the front door.

Behind me, I can hear Raz cursing as he storms up the ramp.

Barron and I slip inside, and Barron lets the door slam in his friend's face, pausing to take in the art that covers every wall from floor to ceiling.

“Nice, bro, real fucking mature,” Raz snaps, pausing just behind me. I look back at him as he wrinkles his nose, nostrils flaring as he takes in what's got to be a vastly different environment for him. Raz comes from a rich, conservative family while I'm from a poor, progressive family. We couldn't be anymore different, and yet …

“Don't mock my family,” I warn him, my voice calm but deadly serious. I love Raz—I feel like I'm finally able to admit that to myself—but I will throw him out on his ass if he tears my family or my moms or my sisters down. Or me. Especially me. I'm done just barely standing up for myself; I will actively fight back from now on.

“My parents taught me better than that,” Raz growls with a slight reddening of his cheeks and forehead. “Politics and opinions are best left outside the front door of someone else's home.” I raise my brows, surprised to hear that I actually like something the Loverens taught their son.

“Take a seat,” Mom calls out, popping her head out of the kitchen to gesture at the table. “And don't worry: I'll bring you your tea and leave you alone.”

“Karma!” It's Emma, sprinting down the hall, breathless, her blue-gray eyes shimmering as she takes in the boys standing on either side of me. “Are these your boyfriends?”

“Yep,” I say, and her mouth drops open in shock. Both Barron and Raz look over at me like they're not sure what to make of my response. “There's a third one, too.”

I'm not even positive he's going to come in, but as Emma stands there gaping and Katie creeps down the hall shyly to glare at the boys, I hear footsteps outside and my heart thunders like crazy in my chest.

Calix steps inside, his ebon hair shimmering in the sunshine, his dark eyes taking in the room with a single sweep before landing on Emma's cherubic face.

“You have three boyfriends?” she asks, narrowing her eyes as Calix's widen, almost imperceptibly. “How?”

“The same way a person has one boyfriend; they just love more than one person.” I push past Barron to pause next to Katie. She's frowning and glaring, her eyes fierce and sharp with an emotion I can't quite place. Then it occurs to me: she's pissed.

“These are the bullies,” she says, coming around me to glare up at the three six-foot plus assholes standing in my living room. “You bullied my sister.” Her nostrils flare as she stares them down, her breathing labored with the strength of her emotion. “Why?”

Barron glances back at Raz and Calix, and then turns to face my sister, moving forward and crouching down in front of her. He clicks the candy against his teeth as he thinks for a moment.

“I may have judged your sister against unfair standards,” he replies as Katie returns his stare with an unflinching one of her own. Emma still looks confused, pondering over the triple boyfriend thing while the kettle whistles and Mama Cathy pretends not to be listening in on our conversation. I'm just glad