wouldn't give a fuck about rubbing one out over every morning but when it comes to Lips?
It only makes me crave her even more.
When I finally shuffle out of the bathroom, Harley is waiting for me, sitting on the end of my bed with my phone in his hand and a frown on his face. He doesn't know the password to get into it but I doubt he’s go snooping even if he did. I trust him more than that.
"Every morning your phone goes off and every morning I assumed it was Avery but it's not, is it? It's fucking Joey."
I shrug and wave off Blaise because I don't need a fucking ice pack for my ribs. This isn't my first beating and I doubt it'll be the last, so I'm well versed in just how much this shit will suck for a few days. I don't care about the pain.
"Just tell me, Ash. Tell me what the fuck it is that he has over you and we'll fucking figure it out. I'll go back to juvie to get him the fuck away from you."
I huff at him but it sounds more like a wheeze. "Like Avery would let that happen again. It's nothing I can't handle."
Harley drops my phone and stands up, hands on his hips to give me a savage look. "You weren't handling it. You were taking a beating and he wanted to fucking kill you. At what point would you have made him stop? Or were you so fucking ready to die out there?"
I glance over at Blaise but he's looking just as fucking pissed off so he's not going to jump in anytime soon.
My ribs hurt too much for this shit.
"You're going to be late for your swim practice, forget about this."
His eyes turn into slits but he grabs his swim bag and slings it over his shoulders. I think for a second that I've won and he's just going to leave but he pauses in front of me.
"I can't forget about it because if I do you're just going to skip fucking merrily off to your own death to keep Aves safe and as noble as that shit is, it’s also fucking stupid. Who watches out for her if you're dead, Ash?"
We don't normally do this emotive, open bullshit. I'm more of a sarcastic asshole type.
"You do, and Blaise... and the Mounty. I wasn't going there to die, I was going there to kill him but then I remembered that Avery isn't the only person he's threatening. She's not the only person I'm trying to keep safe from him."
I refuse to say another word about it, no matter how he and Blaise push.
I spend the day in bed with no intentions of leaving for the day but then Avery blows my phone up the second Harley narcs on me and tells her what went down, so I drag my ass down to the dining hall for dinner. I don't want her going into a full-blown panic over Joey again so I do what I can to keep the pain off of my face.
It's just my fucking ribs that burn.
Blaise and Harley flank me in the line, snarling and shoving at anyone who gets too close to me which makes it too fucking obvious that I'm injured. It's the quickest way to get fucking jumped on my way back to our room later but I'm struggling to breathe too badly to argue with them.
We take our usual seats and Avery slips her phone into her pocket with a concerned look at me which I brush off. I'm fucking fine. Blaise cracks a joke to lighten the mood which only makes things worse but at least Avery isn't fussing over me anymore so I'd say it's a win.
The Mounty starts handing out drinks but I barely notice while I'm trying to choke down some food under Avery's watchful eye so she doesn't fucking stalk me over this shit for days. I don't think I should sleep in her room again, the torture of being in close quarters with the Mounty is too fucking much for me right now.
My thoughts are broken by Avery's glass of juice landing in my lap as she gasps and lurches backwards. The Mounty's hand is still raised from where she's smacked it and I snarl at her, “What the fuck is wrong with you, Mounty?”
“The glass is oily. Smell it. It smells like Harlow does after gym class. She rubs down