“A lot of kids in the OB do what they have to do to survive,” said Brandon. “Even the smart ones. Cassius, Clay, Hiro, and Royal got in, and don’t think Hart hasn’t been waiting for them to give her a reason. But like I said, they’re smart.”
“What are you doing out here, princess?”
I pushed my food away, not having taken a bite. “So Royal is—”
“A gangbanger,” he said. “And if you didn’t know that, you for sure aren’t close.”
Royal raised his head and his eyes met mine. It was impossible, of course it was, but as we gazed at each other, I got the impression he heard every word, and he wanted to know what I’d say in response.
Swallowing hard, I rasped, “I never said we were.”
“Why is he teasing you with cherries, then?”
I squeezed my eyes shut, and phantom lips brushed against my lids. Why did Brandon have to use the word tease?
“Because it’s like you said,” I replied simply. “Royal does what the fuck he wants.”
“That’s true.” He nudged my arm. “You’ve tapped my well of Angel information dry. So, tell me about yourself.”
I opened my eyes... and Royal was gone. Whipping around, I searched for him and caught a flash of black hair disappear down the stairs.
“Later,” I said, pushing back my chair. “Thanks, Brandon. See you around.”
“Uh, okay,” he called. “Bye.”
I rushed down the stairs as fast as I could without breaking into a sprint. Royal turned in the opposite direction of the front doors, heading for the back. I climbed off the last step as he pushed through the back door.
Eli was happy, talking and eating with his new roommate. His interpreter looked on like he knew he had two functions. My brother was fine—which left me free to deal with Royal.
A gangbanger? That can’t be true. Not the boy I met that night. Not the boy who made me laugh. Not the boy who drew beautiful designs on my palm.
Picking up the pace, I ignored how it looked and sprinted.
Royal is sweet. Gentle. Caring. He’s—
I burst out the door.
“What are you doing out here, princess?”
I froze. Turning slowly, I gazed into the eyes of my boy in the flowers.
He’s my first.
The passing storm left a parting gift of a light summer drizzle. Royal’s face was turned up to the sky. Tiny droplets sprinkled his face and collected on his eyelashes. Royal wasn’t beautiful. You didn’t look at this boy and think of sunsets or city lights. He was harder. Sharper. Rougher. The diamond before it’s cut and polished.
No, not beautiful. But he was a trap. You wanted to feel his rough, strong jaw under your palm. Run your fingers through his hair and discover if it was as soft as it looked. Sink into the depths of his uncharacteristically light chestnut eyes and learn if it was the only part of him that hadn’t sunk into darkness. Royal was a trap and he caught me all too easily.
Feverish memories of us tangled up on the carpet tried to suck me in. I pushed them down. I wouldn’t let them show on my face because it certainly didn’t show on his. Royal was looking at me like he didn’t know who I was... or he didn’t care.
And that pissed me off.
“I’m here to talk to you,” I said clearly. “I’ve heard some interesting things about you and your friends.”
Royal leaned against the building, hands shoved in his pockets, shirt unbuttoned a bit to reveal part of a snow-white bandage. Beneath it was his Kanji tattoo, “Art is to suffer.”
He told me what all of his tattoos meant that night, but I didn’t remember an angel. Seems he made a few new additions since my last tour of his body.
“Did you?” A faint smirk crossed his lips. “You shouldn’t listen to gossip, Cherry.”
I saw my blush reflected in his widening grin. “Don’t—!”
“Gossip?”
I whipped around. A low, shockingly deep voice preceded the replica emerging from behind the building trailed by two others.
No. He’s Cassius, I thought, noticing the bandage on his hand.
“Who’s been running their mouth?”
“And what exactly have they been saying?” Clay finished, propping his arm on his brother’s shoulder.
Hiro just adopted Royal’s position, the fierce dislike burning in his gaze.
“I told you she’d follow me,” said Royal.
Told them that I’d follow?
“Called it,” Cassius congratulated.
Stepping back, I moved further away from them but closer to Royal. I didn’t know these guys and I didn’t like the way Hiro was glaring at me or how Cassius and Clay were grinning like they knew the joke and I was missing the punchline.
“I did follow,” I said, “because Royal and I need to talk. The rest of you can leave.”
“I’m good here,” said Cassius. “What do you think, bro?”
Cassius and Clay broke apart, fanning out around me.
“Can’t leave when it’s about to get interesting,” Clay added. “Go on. Tell us what you heard about Royal and his friends.”
I backed up again and came down on Royal’s foot. A faint click sounded behind me. I faced him as he put the cigarette between his lips.
“Don’t do that.” It was an automatic reaction that made me snatch the thing and flick it in the grass—as immediate as the shift in the air.
Hiro’s glare dropped as he glanced at Royal, waiting to see what he’d do.
Royal slowly straightened. The lighter’s flame danced in his eyes. “That’s the second time. You go for a third and I’ll start making you pay for them.”
I scoffed. “How much for the whole pack? My grandfather died slowly and painfully of lung cancer. Don’t be a dumbass.”
“Oh? You worried about me, Cherry? How sweet.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Why do you call her that, Cruz?” asked one of the triplets.
I opened my mouth. “None of your—”
“Because of the cherry-shaped birthmark on her ass.” Royal dropped the truth as casually as one gave directions to a corner store—like it didn’t matter at all.
The effect it had on his friends said otherwise.
“Holy shit,” Clay hollered, laughing his head off along with Cassius. “And how exactly do you know that?”
“We met at some Ravener party and I fucked her on the floor upstairs.”
“Royal!” I shouted. How dare he!
“You and the Bancroft girl?” asked Clay. “Why the fuck didn’t you say so before?”
Royal shrugged as he pulled out his pack of smokes. “Forgot.”
“Can’t have been very good, then.”
“Stop it!”
“Virgin,” Royal replied. “Slobbered all over my cock and then flinched when I—”
I smacked the pack out of his hand. It went soaring, striking Hiro’s shin. “I told you to shut the fuck—”
Royal blurred. He flashed out and gripped my throat, yanking me to his chest and pinning me still. I gasped as his hand tightened.
“Careful, Cherry,” he hissed in my ear. “We were having a nice, friendly discussion, but if you’d rather we have a problem, try that again and see what fucking happens.”