I shrugged. “Don’t go up against Clint again and it won’t hurt.”
“I’d do it again in a heartbeat for her, though.”
I nodded. “I know you would. Just know I see things you don’t. She feels the same way. But you know how Allison is.”
“She’s perfect the way she is.”
His words warmed my heart. “Bravo to you, by the way.”
“For what?”
I winked. “For taking on hell itself to defend your woman. We like those kinds of gestures.”
10
Clinton
I sat there during after-school detention, wrapping yet another cold washcloth around my fucking split knuckles. They hurt like hell, but they didn’t hurt as much as my pride. I wanted to beat that fucker into the ground. I wanted to split his damn face open and let people see Michael for the hoity-toity bullshit of a human being he really was. I licked my lips as I gazed out the window. My entire body hurt, if I was being honest. He put up a damn good fight, though I’d never admit it to anyone.
But Rae? She fucking threw me off him like it was nothing.
Why are you still thinking about her?
The question was a good one. And one that overtook my mind as I sat there after school in the dank, sweaty, smelly classroom. I dabbed at my knuckles, which had been bleeding on and off all day. The school nurse literally did the bare minimum needed to get me cleaned up before sending me back to class. She couldn't have given less of a shit about me if she’d actively tried. Then again, she’d cleaned up a lot of my messes over the years.
She was probably just as tired of me as I was of her.
Why the hell was Rae on my mind so much lately? I mean, she was a pain in the ass. Nothing more than that, either. She came from a shitty family. From a shitty part of town. She was nothing more than mere entertainment during these boring-ass school days. And her snark made me want to spit in her general direction. Her snarky remarks every time I said something to her got underneath my skin.
Who the hell did she think she was anyway?
While she might be the only chick in this school who didn’t turn red in the cheeks and get all tongue-tied around me, that didn’t make her special. It only made me work harder to make sure she understood she really wasn’t all that different after all. She wasn’t as strong as she thought she was. She wasn’t as ‘neat-o’ as her mother probably told her she was. In the end, she was exactly like us. Exactly like the rich bitches she snubbed her nose at every time she walked into the damn school.
I mean, we even let her walk into this school. With her ratty clothes and her on-time homework and her hard-earned money for lunch. Did she think she was better than us? Because that wasn’t the truth. Not by a longshot. She should’ve been praising us for letting her walk through those doors. She should’ve been thanking her lucky stars she didn’t get it any worse around here, coming from the part of town she did.
The fuck’s her problem?
I scoffed as I sat back in my chair. I was done wondering about her. I was done with the unanswered questions I had regarding this stupid little girl. By the time this semester was over, I’d know what her deal was. I’d know what made her tick. I’d know why she felt she could waltz around here, buck up to me, and pull me out of my own damn fights.
You fucked up this time, povo.
“Mr. Clarke?”
The teacher’s voice pulled me from my trance and I slowly looked over at him.
“Yep?”
“The nurse wants to see you one last time. Then you’re free to go.”
I snickered. “She miss me already?”
The teacher rolled his eyes. “Keep up that attitude and I’ll make you stay here another hour for shits and giggles.”
“Ah, cursing. Such a bigshot move.”
He glared at me as I stood up. I picked up my things and winked at him, then headed out the door. I unwrapped my knuckles and tossed the bloodied rag into the nearest trash can, then headed for the front doors. I sure as hell wasn’t seeing that fat-ass nurse again, nor was I going to walk anywhere near the principal’s office.
Because I had plans for my weekend.