Make My Move (Hannaford Prep #5) - J. Bree Page 0,45

for a copy of the photo and you don’t snap at him like you do when I speak to you.”

She rolls her goddamn eyes at me like I’m overreacting here. “I snap at you because you piss me off. You get under my skin, you hurt me, you say stupid shit to me all the fucking time to get a rise out of me. But you don’t creep me out. I’m never worried about you taking things too far.”

My spine snaps straight as her words shatter my brain like a fucking bullet. I finally realize I’m still holding her elbow, and I drop it.

Why does she never react to things like I think she will?

She huffs and rolls her eyes again. “Settle down, Beaumont, I’m just saying you’re a decent human being when you’re not being an asshole to me.”

A decent human being.

Fuck.

“Are you blushing right now? What exactly has you swooning? The word asshole?” The teasing tone she’s using makes me want to die.

I glare at her and roll my eyes right back. “Shut up, Mounty, I’m not fucking swooning. No one has ever called me decent before and my reaction is one of shock. It doesn’t happen often so you wouldn’t have seen it before and don’t expect to see it again.”

I aim for scathing but clearly I miss because she stops and grabs my elbow, a mirror of my own actions. “You are decent, Ash. You’re loyal to your friends and you protect Avery fiercely. You even protect me when you think I’m in danger even though you don’t trust me. You lost your mind over the thought of your brother hurting me. Being related to Joey, and your father, doesn’t make you bad.”

The sincerity in her voice is too much. It’s too much for me because I hate her, I’ve done everything I can to prove that to her, and here she is opening up to me with nothing but insightful kindness and I feel the overwhelming urge to prove her wrong.

To break her because nothing ever lasts and I’d rather be the one ruining things than having my world turned upside down for some Mounty girl from the slums with eyes that haunt my dreams.

She’s the ache in my chest that I can’t cure, no matter how hard I try.

When we get to the dining hall I stare down at her for a second, thinking through all of the ways that I could ruin this moment, and then I decide I’m too fucking tired for it today. I grab us both a tray instead and when she moves to grab one for herself, I snap, “Don’t be dense, Mounty, what do you want for dinner?”

The Mounty fuck avoids me.

I can’t keep tabs on his every movement without telling Harley and Blaise about what I’m doing, and I’m not ready to share his death yet. He doesn’t eat at the dining halls or hang around anywhere on the school grounds other than his room, which not only has a lock but a fucking deadbolt.

Pussy.

I seethe about it so much that Blaise assumes I’m still pissed at the Mounty and takes to getting me high as often as possible considering our classes. I’d love nothing more than to just drown myself and my anger in all of the alcohol and weed that I can, but I’m too worried about running my fucking mouth so I make sure to ride the line, never getting so fucked up that my lips loosen up.

We’re all keeping secrets about the Mounty these days.

I find out about some of Harley’s when we go down to his swim trials. We never miss going because Avery has her mind set on us showing a united front at all times and, with the competitive nature in us all, there’s nothing quite like watching my practically orphaned son-of-a-mobster cousin absolutely annihilate the spoiled trust fund babies in the water.

He’s fucking good.

Blaise and I arrive at the girls’ door to walk them down and the Mounty is looking both grumpy and unprepared as she answers the door, her blazer half on and her feet bare.

Blaise does a once-over of her, subtle enough that she misses it but Avery and I share a look over it. He’s fucking hopeless about her and I’m predicting a showdown between him and Harley in our future.

I’m not going to be a part of it.

Over my dead fucking body.

The stands in the pool are packed out and Blaise has to threaten someone