Havoc at Prescott High (The Havoc Boys #1) - C.M. Stunich Page 0,84

a goddamn blessing. I swear, I can still see a drop of red blood on the floor near her desk. It makes the class a little easier to get through as Mr. Darkwood returns both of my poems covered in red marks and asinine suggestions that I'll never take. My poetry might not be good, but his is lifeless, rigid to form, and dull as drying paint. I ball both of the pages up, chuck them, and then start over again.

Guilt tastes like ash on my tongue.

I'm tasting the remnants of yesterday.

But a cherry-red Camaro can't take away the question in your eyes:

Who are you? And what have you done to me?

Victor Channing is not in a good mood when I pause outside the cafeteria and find him standing there. He's waiting, maybe? I guess we've all been eating lunch together every day since I joined Havoc.

What'll it look like if Hael and I both disappear, as we'd planned?

I stand there awkwardly, trying to think of what to say. Vic seems quite content to keep silent, staring at me and refusing to avert his gaze. Luckily, Aaron, Oscar, and Callum show up before the stifling silence chokes me to death.

“Are we intending a funeral?” Callum asks, trying to lighten the mood with one of his deep, dark chuckles. “Because the atmosphere is tense as fuck.”

Hael appears, swaggering down the hall like he owns the world, and wearing a cocky take-no-shit smile.

Vic doesn't smile back.

“After school, we all head straight to Aaron's. Is that clear? Any other deviations from the plan I should know about?” he snaps, and Hael's smile disappears.

“No boss,” Callum says, lifting his hands up in a placating gesture. He exchanges a look with Hael who at least has the good grace to cringe, running a hand over his red faux hawk.

“About yesterday—” he starts, but Vic is already pushing his way into the cafeteria, and Aaron is staring at me like he's never seen me before.

“Interesting,” Oscar observes, slipping in after Vic. Callum looks between the three of us, pushes his hood off his blond hair, and then chuckles again.

“Jesus Christ,” he says, and then he leaves, too.

The dynamic between Hael, Aaron, and me isn't pretty.

Aaron is clearly furious, but doesn't know what to say.

“We're gonna go take care of that errand and then smoke by my car,” Hael says, his voice neutral, edging on the verge of a challenge as he stares Aaron down. “That cool?”

Aaron just stares right back at him. They're about the same height, same build. If a fight were to break out, it'd be a close one. But we really don't need to show any discord on campus.

I should just suggest we eat in the cafeteria. That'd be the simple solution to a tense afternoon. But somehow, Aaron's and Vic's attitudes make me want to leave with Hael.

“Smoke, huh?” Aaron asks carefully, and then laughs, this caustic, awful sort of sound. “Right. I bet that's what you did yesterday. Smoked.” He shakes his head and shoves his shoulder into the swinging door, the one covered in Sharpie and stickers. There are more penises drawn on that door than there are in the entire student body.

“Am I in trouble here?” I ask Hael, turning to look at him. His gaze is on the cafeteria door, jaw tight. He moves his honey-colored eyes over to me, but he can't seem to force that cocky smile onto his face. “I thought this was part of me joining Havoc. I recall Vic using the word 'plaything'.” My own jaw is clenched when I say that. It's a cop out, I know. Me and Hael, this has nothing to do with me trying to be a good Havoc Girl and perform my duties, and everything to do with trying to piss Victor off. Apparently, I'm succeeding. “Are we not allowed to fuck each other?”

“Maybe we're just not fucking each other to their specifications?” he muses, shaking his head. “Whatever. If Aaron or Vic are mad about it, they can friggin’ talk to me.” Hael tucks his inked hands into his pockets and then gestures with his chin. “You coming, Blackbird?”

I follow him down the hall, opposite the direction of the front doors and straight toward the principal's office.

Hael has the keys which doesn't surprise me; I bet Havoc has access to every room on campus.

“Here?” I ask, and he laughs, this shit-eating, I-own-the-world asshole sort of laugh. It makes me want to punch him, not suck his