Marina stepped forward. “You want to try that statement again?”
I moved with her and felt her shove me in the chest. I slowly looked over at Roy, but all he did was fold his arms over his chest.
“What? You got your girl fighting your fights now?”
He smiled wickedly. “She can handle her own. Question is, can you?”
I nodded slowly. “I don’t swing at girls. I’m better than that. Rae won’t hesitate, though. And I wonder who’s going to win in a battle of women? The one who knows how to fight, or the one who tips over in her own heels?”
Roy shoved Marina out of the way in order to stand toe to toe with me.
“You think you can come into this cafeteria and stand up to me? Huh? After fucking around with pathetic assholes like these three? You think you can still rule this school and get away with bullshit like that? With abandoning the only friends you could count on?”
I grinned. “You really thought you were my friend?”
He shoved my chest. “You deserve everything your father fucking hands you.”
My eye twitched. “And I’ve had about enough of your shit, Roy.”
22
Raelynn
I rubbed Clint’s chest. “Hey, hey. It’s not worth it. They’re not worth it.”
I saw his nostrils flaring, and I knew he was only half paying attention to me. I had to calm him down. The teachers weren’t in the cafeteria yet, but they would be soon. And the last thing Clint needed was to get expelled just as he’d gotten back into the groove of things here. We needed to get him graduated, and this wasn’t the way to do it.
“Clint. Listen to me.”
Roy snickered. “Yeah, Clint. Listen to her.”
I eyed him hotly. “You shut the hell up before I punch you myself.”
Marina jumped in front of him. “You lay one hand on my man and I’ll—”
Allison’s voice came from behind me. “Or you’ll what, you snide little bitch?”
My jaw fell open and I whipped my head around. Michael laughed as he rubbed her back, and Clint started chuckling. I smiled and winked at her, then turned my attention back to the two goons in front of us. And I noticed something.
None of the other guys from the table across the cafeteria had joined them. They all just sat and watched. With smirks on their faces before rolling their eyes and turning their backs.
Seemed as if Roy and Marina were losing their position with those assholes as well. So I decided to use that to my advantage.
“You know, I figured more of your friends would be here to back you up.”
Roy grinned. “I know what you’re trying to do. And trust me, they’re backing us up.”
I shrugged. “Then where are they?”
Michael piped up, “You know, other than sitting over there and not paying one bit of attention to what you’re doing over here.”
When Marina and Roy looked over, I saw their faces falter. Their confident, cocky smiles slowly begin to fade. I looked up at Clint, ready to relish the victory. Because we might actually get out of this without some sort of a fight.
But the look on his face hadn’t changed. His nostrils still flared with anger, his shoulders rolled back. He was still on guard. Still watching, waiting for something to break out. I hated seeing him so riled up like this. I rubbed his arm and moved it to his chest. I patted his heartbeat softly, trying to talk him down from his heady high.
It didn’t work.
Roy snickered. “Anyway, now that the distraction’s over—”