Saint (Angelview Academy #1) - E.M. Snow Page 0,29
school cafeteria—visibly flinches at her harsh greeting but doesn’t say anything. He kind of hangs back from the other two, looking as if he’d rather be anywhere else in the world at that moment.
The two that are close to us aren’t as blessed in the looks department. They’re ugly but they also just seem … mean. The one with the big, square head and buzz-cut rests his hands on the table and leans down close to my face.
“So, you’re the slut that snagged Angelle, huh?” He makes a show of looking me up and down. “I guess you’ve got nice lips, but not much else going for you, huh?”
His friend laughs like an idiot. “Don’t be so short-sighted, Finn. Lips like that means she’s a pro at sucking cock. Wanna give us a demonstration, sweetheart? Let us find out for ourselves what all the fuss is about?”
I stare up at them in shock. My hands clench into fists as my blood boils with anger. Who the hell do these douchebags think they are?
“Get lost, fuckwads,” Loni speaks up in a chilly voice. “You think Saint’s going to appreciate the fact that you’re insulting his girl like this?”
I shoot Loni a wide-eyed look. I’m his girl now?
She gives me a barely perceptible shrug, and I decide to roll with it. Loni’s clearly got a plan of some kind.
“Come on, guys, that’s enough,” the third boy, the hot one, says, stepping between his friends. He grabs the one still leaning on the table by the shoulder and pulls him away from me before casting Loni a pained look. “Sorry, Lon. They’re just being assholes.”
“Yeah, well, they’re perfect company for you then, aren’t they, Bran?” Loni snarls. I’ve never seen her like this. Never seen her so hostile.
The guy, Bran, lets out a deep sigh. Turning to face me, he says, “I’m really sorry. Are you okay?”
“She’s not interested in you and your half-assed apologies.” She pushes to her feet and grabs my hand to yank me to mine. “Come on, Mal. It’s time to go.”
Baffled, I let her drag me away from the trio of testosterone. She doesn’t say a word to me until we’re outside and halfway to the academic building.
“Loni? What the hell was that back there? Who were those guys?”
She finally stops and turns to face me. Her dark gaze is bleak, and her cheeks are hollowed, as if she’s fighting for control.
“That was Jon Eric, Finnegan, and … Brandon.” She speaks the last name like a curse, putting particular emphasis on it. I’m a little confused that Brandon appears to get the most hatred from her since the other two were by and far the biggest jerks of the three. Brandon actually seemed pretty damn decent.
“There’s something you’re not telling me,” I murmur, studying her expression. “What’s got you so worked up?”
She seems hesitant to say. She looks around to make sure we’re alone, then releases a deep huff of breath. “Okay, here’s the thing,” she begins. “Last year, there was an … incident.”
The tiny hairs on the nape of my neck stand on end. “A-an incident?”
“An attack,” she admits in a small voice. “On Henry’s brother Nick.”
I blink at her, surprised. “I didn’t know Henry had a brother.”
She bobs her head, her black curls bouncing around her face. “Yeah. Nick and Henry are twins, but they’re very different people. Henry has always been more outgoing and athletic. He was on the football team and part of the more popular crowd before … well, before the incident. Nick was always quieter. A little nerdy. A little awkward. He never hurt anyone, though. Never had a mean thing to say about anybody and God knows most of the assholes on this campus deserve the worst.”
The way she’s speaking makes me think the worst happened to Nick. “Did he … is he—”
Loni’s eyes pop wide and she jerks her head from either side. “Oh, no! Nick’s still alive. Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that he wasn’t. It was hit or miss for a little while, right after, though. He was beat so bad, he had to have surgery to reconstruct part of his face.”
“Oh my God!” I cry, nausea churning in my stomach. “Who the hell would do something like that? Why?”
She licks her lips, looking a little nervous. “The attack happened at a party Saint was throwing. Everyone assumes it was him and his friends, but the only people who know for sure are Nick. And Brandon.”