Never His Girl (Kings of Cypress Prep #2) - Rachel Jonas Page 0,24

say fuck it all.

That is, if I can ever get her to listen to me.

“I tried talking to her today, but it was a no-go.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Dane says with a laugh. “She thinks you plastered a vid of her, ass up, all over the internet. Would you want to talk to you?”

“Let’s be honest, though. It wasn’t exactly a bad angle.” Sterling tilts his head as he zones out, visualizing Southside in the footage.

“Really, bitch?” He ignores me and blocks it when I beam my icepack at him. “You watched the whole fucking thing, didn’t you?” I ask.

“The whole fucking thing,” he freely admits. “And if no one had mentioned you were in it, I wouldn’t have even noticed.”

I’m holding in a laugh—the first that’s threatened to leave me in days. No one in the world but these two assholes could get away with even thinking about Southside in this light.

Just ask Austin how that went for him.

“Just saying. She’s hot all over,” he adds, testing me again.

“We’ve gotta focus,” Dane cuts in. “Just coming out and telling Southside that Parker’s behind the leak is out, because you’d have to tell her why you can’t turn her in,” he rambles, pausing to think.

There’s a lot of shit to work out. A lot of moving pieces, which haven’t all been revealed yet. The thought brings me back full circle—to Ricky and that vague-ass comment he made earlier.

“You’re gonna have to start small,” Dane concludes, interrupting my thought.

My gaze flashes toward him. “Sooo … start smaller than a conversation?” I ask, arching a brow. “Because that’s pretty fucking small to me.”

I’ve never given much thought to how I approach a girl, so I can admit to being in uncharted waters here. Even though the only girl Dane’s ever put any stock in is Joss, I consider his experience in taking a delicate approach with women far beyond mine. Usually, I take what Mom calls the ‘bull in a China shop’ approach to dating.

Rush in with reckless abandon. Fuck shit up. Move on to the next.

“You gotta go smaller,” he answers. “And resist the urge to back the girl into a corner when you get impatient, West. Seriously. As far as she knows, you’re guilty. Of everything.”

He knows me well. Patience, for me, is right up there with tact. I wasn’t born with either.

“Also, you might want to pray she doesn’t dick kick you while you’re working things out. The girl’s got a lot of fight in her.”

Despite myself, I smile a little. He isn’t wrong.

I’m considering everything they’ve said, considering everything that’s come to light today, and I know I have my work cut out for me. Thing is, there’s something about Southside that makes it impossible to give up.

She hates me, I get it, but even knowing there’s probably no chance in hell she’ll ever speak to me again, I’m committed to trying.

All because this feels different. She’s the first girl I haven’t been able to get out of my head and … that has to mean something.

Has to.

Chapter 8

BLUE

Unknown Caller: Can we talk? Please.

Blue: Depends on who this is…

I set the phone aside and rinse remnants of soapy water from Scar’s cocoa mug just as another notification chimes. But this time, when I glance at the screen, I’m immediately sick to my stomach.

Unknown Caller: It’s West.

My hands are shaking as I pull down the menu, hovering over the ‘block’ option. I’m completely aware that I should’ve already pressed it, but it’s not as easy as I expect. So, one deep breath later, it’s done. West can no longer drop into my life whenever he pleases, and whatever chance there was for conversation, it’s gone.

What helps is envisioning the scratches and bruises my sister is currently sporting on her face and arms, thanks to him. By some small miracle, she’s fallen asleep, but before that, I didn’t manage to get a single detail out of her about today. Whoever these kids are, she’s terrified of them. So much so, she won’t even give up their names. Not a single one.

For now, Jules has agreed to see Scar to all her classes, and Shane’s not leaving her side during lunch. It’s not the top-flight security I’d love her to have, but it’s the best I can do from a distance.

Now, more than ever, I’m regretting being at CPA. Not only is my being there on the brink of meaning nothing anyway, but I know none of this would’ve happened if I’d