“It’s Colin.”
His expression darkens. “What did he do?”
I bite my bottom lip and tuck my blond locks behind my ear. “He called me a slut. And made me change.”
“What the hell?” He looks furious now. “Why would he say that to you?”
He does it all the time. “It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine, Rae. Did you tell your mom?”
Shame hits me again. “Yes.”
“And?”
I slam my locker closed and leave my hand on the metal, not able to face him. “She thinks I want Colin.”
“That’s sick.”
I turn my head toward him, tears creeping into my eyes. “Yeah. It is.”
“I’m sorry, Rae.”
I drop my hand from the locker and swing my backpack over my shoulders. “It’s okay. I can handle him.” He looks so sad and worried, and I hate that. Lawson is happy, I mean, for the most part. He hasn’t had it easy, but he tries to always have a smile on his face. “I just . . .”
He places a reassuring hand on my shoulder, and his touch doesn’t make me recoil. All I want to do is lean into him. “Just what?”
“I’m not. You know?” My voice is almost a whisper, and I feel like an idiot.
He studies me and then leans down to look directly into my eyes. He grew a good five inches over the past summer, and his shoulders are definitely broader now. “You’re not what?”
“A slut.” I choke on the word.
“Rae . . .” He looks dismayed. “I wouldn’t care if you were. No one should call you that. And I know you aren’t.”
“I haven’t even kissed anyone, and he’s constantly calling me a slut.”
He stands up now, his eyes darkening with anger. “He calls you that a lot?”
Oh, whoops. “No . . .” I try to backpedal, but he folds his arms over his chest, telling me he isn’t buying it.
“Don’t lie.”
I sigh. “He’s the worst. I hate him, Law.”
“Me too.” His jaw is clenched tight, his temper boiling under the surface. The anger he feels on my behalf.
That should be a good feeling—someone, for once, feeling protective of me—but really, it’s just humiliating. I just want to be normal.
“Have you?”
“What?” he asks, probably confused, and he should be because I’m super random.
I just want to change the subject. “Kissed anyone?”
He grins slyly at me now, wrapping his big arm around my shoulders. “Maybe.”
“Not maybe. Have you?” I smile up at him, liking this feeling of normalcy.
“Yeah.” He looks a little embarrassed as he releases me, and we walk side by side toward my first class. “Before you got here. Just a couple of times.”
“A couple?” I mock gasp, and he laughs.
“Yeah, I was a huge slut.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Have you . . . ?” I bite my bottom lip, my cheeks pink with embarrassment as he stops walking and eyes me curiously.
“Have I what?”
“You know.”
He shakes his head. “No. I’m saving it for marriage.”
My brow crinkles, and he barks out a laugh, letting me know he’s messing with me. I shove him playfully. “I’m sure you are.”
Tammy walks up to us, wrapping her arm around my waist and pulling me to her. “Hey, girl. You coming over after school today?”
I nod, having asked my mom last night. And since she was super busy, she agreed, probably not even knowing what she was agreeing to. “Yup. I brought my pj’s and toothbrush.”
“Good girl.” I kind of love Tammy’s accent even though Colin’s makes me want to puke.
“Hey, I’m not invited to this sleepover?” Law asks as Tanner and Ben, another friend, join us.
“No way,” Tammy says with a happy smile. “Girl’s night.”
I nod in agreement. “Yup. Popcorn and movies. Talking about boys.”
“We can talk about boys,” Ben says.
“You’d love to talk about boys,” Tanner says before shoving his friend into the locker.
Boys are weird.
“Come on, I have to pee before class.” Tammy tugs me toward the bathroom, and I go with her, waving at Law as they give us a hard time for not being able to go to the restroom alone.
I may have a hellish homelife, but I have some pretty great friends.
* * *
“I’m thirsty.”
“I’ll get you something.” I start to stand up from the couch, but Rae pushes me back down and stands up herself.
“I can get it. You want anything?”
“Sure. I’ll take a soda.”
Her bright smile is almost too damn pretty before she bounces out of the living room and into the kitchen. We walked to my house after school today after her driver dropped her off at Richard’s. She’s pushing it with her mom and her douchebag stepfather, but she didn’t want to go home.
And she said her mom has been fine with her hanging out at Richard’s after school as long as she keeps her grades up. Thankfully, Da Silva hasn’t fought her on it.
Not yet.
But if he knew she was at my house? Yeah, that would be a problem.
“What’s Rae doing in our kitchen?” Nash plops down on the couch next to me. He’s clearly in a shitty mood.
“Getting something to drink. Why?”
He looks back over the couch toward the kitchen and then turns back to me. “You need to be careful.”
I fight rolling my eyes. “I’m pretty sure I can take her. She’s feisty though.”
He slaps the back of my head. “You know what I mean. That girl is trouble. I can’t imagine her mommy knows she’s here right now.”
I scowl. “She thinks she’s at Richard’s. And it’s pretty well-known that we’re friends.”
“And I’m sure Da Silva isn’t thrilled about that fact.”
I fold my arms and slump back into the couch. “It doesn’t matter. We’re friends.”
“But that’s not even true.”
I turn to face him, dropping my hands to the side. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t get your panties in a twist. I just mean . . .” He sighs and sits up a little straighter. “You like her.”
“Well, duh.”
I think he’s going to smack me again, but he just laughs. “No, idiot. You like her, like her. Like more than a friend. And that’s dangerous.”
I hate that he knows me so well. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, but I’m not stupid. I know I’m sixteen, and so is she. She’s used to nice, shiny things, and I barely make minimum wage working on weekends at the construction company where my brother works full-time.
She’s bound for big things, and with my meager beginning, I’ll be lucky to have a mediocre ending. But still . . . She’s my Rae.
“She’s not dangerous. She’s just Rae.”
“She’s a rich girl with an asshole for a stepfather. You’re going places, Law.”