Welcome home, Henley.
My eyes shoot to Grayson Law. He’s smoking a joint—typical Law, the guy can’t function unless he’s high, especially at school—and has one arm draped over a blonde. He smiles at me as well, but it’s different. His smile reminds me he’s a snake and will strike at any moment. He’s the most devious out of the four. He pretends to be a good guy, but he’s not. He could kill a man with his bare hands in front of his mother, and she’d defend him because he’s a good boy.
Fucking pitiful.
Van Rellik sits on the hood, his back propped up on the windshield. One leg out straight while the other is bent at the knee. He’s got a hat on backward to shield his dark curls and a cigarette between his lips. He pays me no attention. He’s scrolling through his phone without a care in the world. That’s Rellik for you. He never gives a shit about much. He’d give you the same look if you were bleeding out or on your knees sucking his dick. He’s always got something better to do.
My eyes find Dax Monroe. He still has Amy Lane between his legs, but his eyes are on me. And just like last time I saw him, he winks, as if he knows I’m staring right at him.
A cold shiver runs up my spine, and fear cripples my legs, but I try not to let it show. They can’t break me. I won’t allow it. They’re harmless. They can’t hurt me. Not here. Not now. Too many witnesses. Honestly, my safest place will be at school. No, if they want to hurt me, they’re gonna do it when I’m alone, so I need to stick with a crowd.
It just makes me even more determined to take them all down. While lying in my bed last night, wide-awake, I stared up at my ceiling knowing that if justice will be served, it will have to be by me. I’m Brenda’s only hope. And every girl after her. How many had it been? He was one of my best friends. How did I not know what he was capable of? Did I miss the warning signs?
My brother was wrong about me coming back here for my senior year. It’s not a mistake. Everything happens for a reason. I’m going to do what no one else in this town took the time to do and get to the bottom of the truth. Prove to the world that Dax Monroe is a rapist and killer.
I push through the double doors and come to a stop. It feels different but looks the same. A glass case sits to the right filled with sports teams and trophies to show off what this school breeds—nothing but the best is their motto. The floor is black and white checkered with a blue W painted under my feet for WARRIORS. The Westbrook Warriors football team is ruthless. They train like they’re already NFL stars, and their life depends on the next win.
I hear kids start to enter behind me, so I make a beeline to the women’s bathroom and pretend to check my lipstick when I really need to collect my thoughts and get my head on straight. Suddenly, the door flies open, hitting the wall. I jump back when Jamie enters.
“What in the actual fuck, Hen?” she snaps, dropping her backpack to her designer heels.
I breathe a sigh of relief that it’s her and not them. “J …”
“You leave town for the summer and just show back up without warning?” She’s shouting. Her fists are flying. Jamie was my best girl friend. I say was because when I left Westbrook, I left everyone.
A girl I don’t recognize exits one of the stalls in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt that reads eat me across her breasts. She looks over at Jamie and flips her bleach blond hair over her shoulder. “Girl, chill …”
Jamie grabs her by her extensions and shoves her out the door. “Get the fuck out.”
“Bitch …”
She slams the door in her face and locks it, caging me in here with her. “I … Hen … what the fuck?” she snaps, sucking in a breath. She’s pissed, and I understand that. I left her.
“I’m …” I start to apologize but stop myself. I shouldn’t have to apologize for anything. Shouldn’t she be telling me she’s sorry? Where the hell was she when I was testifying against one of my best friends? She sure as hell wasn’t cheering me on.
She tilts her head, narrowing her hazel eyes on me. “You left. You just fucking left.”
There’s nothing to say. She wouldn’t understand. She never took the guys’ side, but she never really proved she was on mine. And once I gave my statement to the police, everyone picked a side. They were all for Dax. His friends stood behind him, and all the sheep followed.
And like a dam breaking, her rigid body sags, the mask of anger she wears falls off her face, and her hazel eyes glisten with tears. She wraps her arms around me and yanks me to her. “Fuck, I’ve missed you,” she whispers, holding me tight.
“I’ve missed you,” I admit with a sniffle, hating that I’m getting emotional. I’ve been too concerned about coming back to school with the guys that I forgot about her.
“God, I never thought I’d see you again.” She pulls away and rubs the tears from her face.
I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. “I need to ask you something.”
“Anything.”
“Did you know I was coming back?” It’s a long shot, considering she just jumped my ass, but I ask anyway. Maybe my brother said something to hers. They were best friends before they went off to different colleges, but I’m not sure how close they are now.
“No.” She playfully shoves my shoulder. “But I should have. Why didn’t you call and tell me?”
My number was changed. That was the first thing my father did. Someone had leaked it after the trial, and I was getting calls from reporters and death threats from students. My father shut my phone off and got me a new number. I only had three numbers saved to my contacts. My father’s, my mother’s, and my brother’s. I wasn’t allowed to contact anyone else because no one else mattered.
I ignore her questions and ask my own. “Then why didn’t the Reapers look surprised by my return?”
RYAN SCOUT
I try to act unfazed, but seeing her again has my blood pressure rising. I felt her looking at me through her sunglasses, and a part of me came alive but not in a good way. Henley always had control of me—my thoughts, body, and emotions. That woman could have owned me one day. Thank God, I no longer feel that way about her. Well, except for my body. My hard cock straining behind my zipper reminds me just how much I liked that about her.
“What the fuck is she doing back here?” Amy demands as Monroe shoves her from between his legs.
None of us answer her.
“Dax?” She slaps his chest, calling him by his first name. “Why is she here?”
“Why do you think I’d know?” he asks, throwing his backpack over his shoulder.
“Because you didn’t seem surprised to see her.” She huffs. “And I would think you’d be pissed she’s returned after what she tried to do to you.”
We’re not.
This is where we want her—in our world. We control this school, and we own this town. Her actions made us even more powerful than we were before. The city looks at Dax with pity and her with disgust. The thought makes me smile. Once we’re done with her, she will have no one to turn to, nowhere to hide, and nothing left to offer a man.
Law looks at me. “Ready?” he asks, taking one last hit before we go inside.