“Nice tits.” I hand Easton his phone back. “You’re going to let me hit that, right?”
He laughs. “Once I’m done with her, you can do whatever you damn well please.”
Stone slips his hand into my pocket and pulls out the joint I brought for us to share. It’s not all the time that we get high before going to class, but when we do, it makes the day more interesting. Just as he lights it, my phone vibrates inside my pocket. I pull it out and my stomach drops at what I see.
Unknown: Boss wants to see you. Friday night behind Taylor’s Pub. Bring your friend.
“You all right, man?” Zayn questions while passing me the doobie. “You look like you saw a ghost.”
I take a deep inhale and shake it off. “I’m fine. Nothing to worry about.”
But that’s a lie. After reading that message, I’m anything but fine, and there’s everything to worry about. Boss is a very powerful and very dangerous man—a man I happen to owe a huge favor. He’s not the kind of person you want to be indebted to. I’ve spent years avoiding being in this position, but thanks to circumstances, here I am.
No matter how much I smoke, or how high I get, I can’t shake the feeling of dread. Perhaps it’s the paranoia that comes with smoking pot, but I keep looking over my shoulder, convinced someone is watching me. I wouldn’t put it past him. Having been through more shit than the average eighteen-year-old, there aren’t many things in this world that scare me. However, the power this guy possesses definitely does.
We head inside to get our books. However, just as we’re about to leave the lockers, I turn to Stone. “Give me your keys. I’m skipping.”
His brows raise. “Dude, you’re high as hell. I’m not letting you drive my car like that.”
“I’m not looking to drive it.” I roll my eyes. “Just give me your fucking keys.”
Pulling them from his pocket, he deposits the keys into my hand. Then, my eyes search the hallway for what lucky girl I’m going to be taking with me. Being the king of this place, it’s no surprise that I can have whoever I want. If I’m honest, it gets a little old, but for times like this, where I need to focus on something else and clear my head, it’s useful.
My gaze lands on a girl with blonde hair, and I know she’ll be an easy score. For one, she’s wearing a skirt in January. And two, it’s rolled up so high she’s practically begging for it already. I check her out from head to toe before heading in her direction.
“See you later, shitheads,” I say to my friends.
Gage is the only one to protest. “You’re seriously not coming to first? It’s Miss Patten today, and she’s a fucking knockout.”
I glance back at them and smirk. “Been there. Done that.”
Three of my friends’ jaws drop while Zayn just laughs and shakes his head. Since he’s like my brother, he’s already been filled in on the time she asked me to stay for detention, only for it to end with me fucking her on her desk. I’ll probably never do it again, but I don’t regret a single second of it. It’s one of those things I did just to cross it off my bucket list.
“Hey,” I say, getting the girl’s attention. “Jenna, is it?”
She twirls a piece of hair around her finger. “Jessie.”
“Right.”
Crashing my lips against hers, she immediately starts to kiss me back. I grip at her waist and pull her into me. Within seconds, I’m already hard inside these tight-ass jeans. I break the kiss and rest my forehead against hers.
“How attached are you to first period?” I ask.
“That depends. What are you proposing I do instead?”
I chuckle and pull away to wrap my arm around her. As the two of us make our way to the door, my friends hoot and holler like the obnoxious twats they are.
“Knox Vaughn, you bad boy,” Stone jokes.
Raising my middle finger to flip them off, I leave the school with my new distraction for the next hour.
BY THE TIME THAT school lets out, I’m no less on edge than I was this morning. Jessie was a decent fuck and didn’t expect anything afterward, but she wasn’t very memorable. The guys and I used to be really screwed up and rate each girl in three different categories. Looks. Skill. Level of Crazy. That stopped when Tessa found out Easton rated her a 9-7-9. That’s what happens when your dumb ass doesn’t check to see if you hung up the fucking phone.
“Wait for me here one minute. There’s someone I need to talk to,” I tell Zayn, and he nods.
Reluctantly, I walk across the street, hoping to hell Carter isn’t around to start shit. It only takes a second before I find who I’m looking for. Grayson Hayworth, Haven Grace’s newest quarterback and a pain in my ass. He’s standing with his girlfriend, Savannah, and a chick I’ve never met, but wouldn’t mind spending a few hours alone with. Unfortunately, private school pussy isn’t something I allow on my menu.
“Pretty boy,” I call with a nod his way. “I need to talk to you a minute.”
Savannah and her friend eye me curiously as Grayson and I step out of earshot.
“What’s up?”
I swipe open my phone and hand it to him. “Don’t make plans for Friday night.”
The color on his face drains the same way mine did when he reads the message.
“Is this…” I nod. “Shit. I thought they forgot about us. It’s been weeks since that night.”
“They never forget anything. Especially not something they’re owed.”
He runs his fingers through his hair and exhales. “What if we just don’t answer them? What are they really going to do?”
My eyebrows furrow. “Have you lost your mind? That would get us fucking killed. These guys don’t mess around, Hayworth. You’re not in the place to act like a badass anymore.” If I stay here any longer, I’ll end up taking my shit out on the wrong person. So, I take a step back. “I’ll text you where to meet on Friday. We’ll go together so I can be sure your pansy ass shows.”
Getting into Zayn’s car, I’m still seething. The only reason I’m in this fucking mess is because of his overprotective ass. He just had to go all knight in shining armor for his girlfriend and take it way too damn far. Now, he’s risking my life by having shitty ideas like “let’s ignore them.” He has no idea the kind of game he’s involved in now. This isn’t petty high school bullshit. We’re playing with the big boys now.
“Everything all right?” Zayn asks, sensing my anger.
“Peachy,” I murmur. “Just fucking drive.”
He gives me a knowing look and nods once. “I’ll call Garret and have you put in the lineup for tonight.”
And that’s why he’s my best friend. He can always sense exactly what I need and knows how to get it for me.
THE UNDERGROUND WAREHOUSE IS packed, with the noise of the crowd only hyping me up. Two brawlers in the ring throw punch after punch. Their blood is all over the place, making it look more like a murder scene than anything. However, despite how brutal it is, neither of them rest for even a second until that final bell dings and the winner is announced.