then open my notes before shoving the screen in his face. “See!”
He scans the screen, and a hint of confusion crosses his bruised face. “Why the hell would you do that?”
“Because your footwork sucks, because you need someone to coach you. Because you’re strong as hell, but lazy in the ring. Because you had no one in your corner. Because I was under the impression that, maybe we’d never be friends, but we could at least be cordial.”
“Never gonna happen.” He shakes his head. “Never.”
“Fine, but now that you see”—I scroll to my recently deleted pic file and hold it up—“that I didn’t take a damn picture, call off your ponies.”
“I sent one text. One.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t believe you weren’t behind the others. War, famine, conquest over and over until I shut it down. The only one they didn’t say was death, so you covered your asses if went to the cops. And you’re lucky Justice deleted all those texts, or I—”
“I didn’t have shit to do with it.”
“If that’s true, which I don’t for one second believe, call them off and tell them to stop threatening my family, or I will bring you all down.”
After collecting the missed assignments from the morning, I walk down the hallway toward my locker to grab my lunch. When I turn the corner, I hear whispers as I walk by. I can assume they’re about me.
I could hold my head down, trying to hide in my hair, as I had previously, or I can hold my head high with my nose up as a figurative finger to their bullshit, which is exactly what I do.
I look at them all, expressionless and unreactive to their snickers, as they assess me from the top of my head, all the way down to the tip of my big-ass boot.
When I see Gabrielle coming toward me with her little crew of wannabes, I could easily step aside, but decide fuck that. Not only do I decide fuck that, but I make damn sure my shoulder hits hers.
“Watch it, J. Lo,” she sneers, and her posse begins to giggle like the little bitches they are.
I turn and yell behind her, “No, bitch, you watch it!”
Silence falls in the halls filled with plastic people, hearts void of empathy and compassion, and souls that are hollowed as hate-filled eyes cast down on me.
“I’m not afraid of any of you, so you all watch it. Do you hear me?”
“Truth!” I hear Max boom from down the hallway and look at him as he walks toward me.
“Little incestuous cult,” someone—Nina, I think—whispers loud enough to cause everyone in the hall to not only hear it but look at me and snicker.
Max walks straight up to Nina, pushes up on his tiptoes, grabs the back of her head, and pushes it down slightly. “Thought that was you.” He lets go of her and steps back. “Didn’t recognize you off your knees and mouth void of my dick.”
“Fuck you, Max Steel!”
“Oh, God, Max, please don’t tell me you let that touch you.” I cringe.
“She was horny, I was bored, staff lounge was unoccupied.” He throws his arm around me. “Let’s go.”
“Why the hell would you let a mouth like that touch—”
“Hold that thought.” He stops and turns around. “Don’t judge me by my past mistakes, ladies. I’ve yet to find my better half, so keep the wildly inappropriate texts coming.” He turns back to me, winks, and then looks back again. “And if I don’t return the message, just remember I’m a one girl at a time kind of man and you may be next.” He smirks at me. “Now let’s jet.”
With lunch in hand, I walk into the cafeteria and see Kiki, Brisa, and Tris waiting for me at our regular corner table. All three are looking down at their phones; none look happy.
I hurry to them, worry coursing through my veins. Dropping my lunch bag on the table, I ask, “What’s going on?” as I pull my phone from my pocket.
Kiki quickly snags it from me. “Nothing you need to worry about.” She stands up, rage on her face, and looks around the cafeteria. She then narrows her eyes and begins walking toward the opposite corner.
“Fuck,” Brisa says, jumping up. “Tris, grab our stuff and stay back but close, but—”
I hear Brisa stumble with her words while I hurry to catch up to Kiki.
Standing in front of the table, where the horsemen sit, she plants her hands firmly in front of