Pretty sure there’s a law against that somewhere, and if there’s not one, there should be.
I look up to see the door open, and a kid by the name of Stephen enters. He’s a senior on the football team. I’ve seen him hanging with the boys at after-game parties.
“Mr. Tate, Henley is needed in the principal’s office. She has an emergency phone call.”
He looks up at me over his glasses and nods to the door. “Make it quick.”
I jump up from my seat and run toward the door that Stephen holds open for me. “Is everything okay?” I ask in a rush. My mind is thinking of a hundred different scenarios of what could be an emergency. I haven’t spoken to my mother in weeks, and I haven’t seen my dad since he and Lisa left for their weekend away.
“Everything is fine,” he assures me.
“But …”
“I lied.” He smiles down at me.
“Lied? Why would you lie about that?” I snap, trying to calm my racing heart. Fuck, I thought someone had died.
Instead of answering, he stops by the double doors and opens one up for me. “They’re waiting for you on the practice field.”
I frown. “Who?”
“Better hurry. You don’t have much time.”
I walk through the door, confused as shit by what he means. But as I step outside, he slams the door shut behind me, disappearing back into the school.
Looking ahead, I see the football arena for their indoor practice field that was built five years ago. Their last one wasn’t good enough. They needed something new and shiny. Football is a huge thing here in Texas. It’s practically a religion.
I make my way across the grass and to the door of the indoor practice field. I open it up and look at the pristine football field. To the right of the field is their full gym. You can literally step off the turf into it. It has a mirrored wall from the floor to the ceiling so they can act like those gym rats who stare at themselves all day.
Most pro teams would be jealous of their multimillion-dollar facility.
Not seeing anyone and knowing I don’t have a lot of time before I have to be back in detention, I make my way to their locker room. I open the door and come to a stop when I see Nicholas sitting on one of the many benches. His shirt is ripped, hanging off one shoulder, and his hands are tied behind his back. Rellik stands behind him with his left boot in Nicholas’s back. His free hand grips a belt wrapped around Nicholas’s neck.
Scout stands in front of him, holding Nicholas’s bloody face in his hands.
“What the …?”
“There she is!” Law sings as his eyes meet mine. He stands from the bench where he was sitting next to Nicholas. All he wears is his jeans and tennis shoes. His dark hair is still damp, letting me know he’s already showered since practice is over for the day.
“What are you guys doing?” I ask, stepping inside and allowing the door to shut behind me.
Dax starts walking toward me. He goes to the door, turns around, and leans his back against it, making sure no one enters or keeps me from exiting.
“Little doll,” Scout starts, “we heard that Nicholas here wanted to play with you today.”
Nicholas narrows his eyes up at Scout and spits on him. Due to the height difference since he’s sitting down, it lands on Scout’s shirt.
Law walks over to me; his heated blue eyes run over my jeans and T-shirt, lingering on my chest a moment longer. My breathing picks up when he comes to a stop, towering over me. He reaches up and runs his knuckles down my cheek. “We’re trying to make him understand we don’t share our toys.”
“Fuck you!” Nicholas shouts. Rellik pulls the belt tighter while pushing his boot more into his back. Essentially choking him. Nicholas bares his teeth, glaring up at Scout.
“See.” Scout gets my attention, talking to Nicholas. “I’m perplexed. I’m trying to decide if I want to break your jaw so you can’t tell anyone about what you saw on that video. Or just rough you up a little. That way you can run to all your friends and let them know she belongs to us. And we don’t share.”
“Fuck … you …” he growls through gritted teeth.
Scout tilts his head to the side, contemplating his next move.
“Maybe he’s a visual learner,” Law offers, and my heart rate spikes at his words, knowing exactly what he’s thinking.
I want to point out that this all started because Nicholas saw the video they recorded of me being fucked, but the look of excitement in his eyes has me keeping that to myself. This is their domain. They want to show him they are in charge, so words won’t be enough.