But there has to be some secret I’m missing.
Their closest friends - the other members of their group - always know which is which.
“Here we go,” Ivy whispers, excitement and a touch of evil pleasure in her voice.
I know for sure she’s done something now. Her eyes only glimmer like that when she’s pranked Gabriel.
It’s a little surprising this war between them has gone on for so long. As far back as I can remember, they’ve been at each other’s throats.
What’s also surprising is that neither of them have figured out yet that they’re secretly into each other. The entire school sees it clearly. But if you were to ask Ivy or Gabe, they would swear it’s only hatred they feel.
Ivy isn’t one to hide, though.
Just as Gabe approaches his locker, she pushes past the crowd around us to ensure she’s front and center for whatever is about to happen. And when it does, she’ll be the person Gabe seeks out because he always knows it’s her.
“Oh, fuck,” Ava laughs, both of us moving past the small crowd to stand next to Ivy. “What has she done now?”
Laughing at something Tanner said, Gabriel’s green eyes slide Ivy’s direction for only a second before he dismisses the sight of her.
He should know better by now, should suspect that if she’s waiting patiently nearby, his day is about to get a hell of a lot worse.
Still, it’s not Gabe that steals my attention.
Already I’m flicking secretive glances at the two boys behind him, my gaze skating down one of the twins before riding up the other. I can’t make heads or tails of them, but then one set of amber eyes seeks me out, the intensity of that stare teasing my pulse to go faster, my heart a fluttering bird in my chest.
Ezra.
It has to be him.
So absorbed by him, I miss what happens that causes the entire hallway to burst out in laughter.
Gabriel is cursing up a storm, already threatening Ivy by the time I can drag my attention to his locker to see something shiny and wet spilled out, the puddle so slick that Gabriel is sliding around in it.
He attempts to get up but only falls back down, everybody laughing so hard they’re holding their stomachs and leaking tears from their eyes.
Even Tanner can’t control his laughter, yet Ivy stands solemn among the crowd, her blue eyes locked on Gabe with only the faintest smirk curling her lips at the corners.
“She is so dead for this,” Ava says beside me. “What the hell did Ivy put in his locker?”
“Sex lube,” Kiley Carter says at our back. “That’s why it’s so slippery.”
Most of the time, I don’t even want to know how Ivy manages to pull off the pranks she sets up. What I do know is she spends a fortune on them. But that’s not a problem when she has her own unlimited credit card that her father pays off with no questions asked.
Despite how entertaining it is to watch Gabriel struggle, so much so that the only option is for Tanner to grab his hand and slide him away from the mess, my eyes still dance back to one particular person who smirks in my direction.
There’s an offer and a warning in the way he looks at me now, his head angling toward the bathrooms, just enough that nobody but me will notice it.
Cocking his brow, Ezra grins again before walking off with the silent invitation for me to follow.
I shouldn’t.
He’s trouble with a capital T.
All of the Inferno boys are, but especially the twins. There isn’t a day when one of them shows up clear of the scrapes and bruises they wear, proud markers of the fights they always start and always win.
My fingers tighten over the strap of my bag, indecision cementing my body in place.
I watch with unblinking eyes as Ezra walks down the hall to slam a hand against the bathroom door, his gaze flicking my direction once more before he disappears inside.
Around me, everybody is still focused on Gabriel and Ivy. Not even Shane or Damon noticed that Ezra walked away, and I could simply slip through the crowd and follow without a single person paying attention.
My pulse pounds harder as my teeth chew the inside of my lip.
I shouldn’t.
But I find myself sneaking around all the people gathered around me anyway.
Quiet as a church mouse, I walk down the hall, my head angled down and my red hair covering my face.
When I reach the bathroom door, I have another moment of indecision, just a few seconds when I can rethink what I’m doing and remember every reason it’s a bad idea.
This is stupid.
I can’t do this.
I don’t even make it one step away before the door pulls open and a hand locks over my bicep. I’m dragged sideways with one hard tug, the door closing again as my back hits Ezra’s chest.
“You were going the wrong way.”
Trembling at the whisper against my ear, at the way his fingertips brush my neck when he moves my hair aside, I close my eyes and summon the will to leave.
“Probably because being here with you is the dumbest thing I can do.”
He laughs, the sound soft and dark, mocking me in a way that sets my nerves on edge while setting all the girlish parts inside me on fire.
“That’s not what you said yesterday. Or the day before that.”
There’s always a distinct growl to his voice, a rough quality like someone has taken sandpaper to his words to scrape up the edges.
He turns me around and dips his head to capture my eyes with his. He always does this...traps me before I can regain my senses enough to escape.
Fingers soft against my chin, he tilts my face to his. I stare wide-eyed at the green flecks in his amber gaze.
The problem is, I have no idea who I’m staring at. It could be Ezra. It could be Damon. I could be part of the typical game they play without ever knowing it.
“Who are you?”
It’s the same question I always ask.
He answers it with a mischievous grin. “Does it matter?”
To most girls, the answer to that question is a resounding no. All of them clamber to be with one of the Inferno.
I’ve always found it ridiculous on their parts.
Pathetic, really.
So, while it wouldn’t matter to most which twin they end up with for a few hours, to me it does.
“Yes.”
Confusion rolls through his eyes for a split second, there and gone with one blink.
“Ezra.”
“You promise?”
His feet move slowly as he walks me back to a wall, my bag falling off my shoulder as his body cages me in place.
Dipping his head again, his eyes remain locked to mine as his teeth nip at my bottom lip, an electric spark shooting through my body at the contact.
“Why do you even care? You have one of us.”
A shaky breath rolls over my lips. It feels like he’s stealing the air from my lungs as his mouth slants against mine, a quick lick of his tongue across my lips before it dips inside my mouth to taste the frayed edges of my nerves and the chaotic thrum of my pulse.
I shouldn’t be scared.
More excited.
More turned on.
But still, my fingers curl into my palms, the nails indenting the skin.
Strong fingertips scrape up the outside of my thighs. The hem of my pleated skirt lifts with the punishing pressure of his aggressive fingers.
I have to flatten my palms against the heavy, grey fabric to hold it down.