I gratefully slip away from Heath’s too-close jitteriness and rush to Rafael, who whisks me into the crowd. When we’re out of sight, he grabs my elbow and yanks me around the corner and into an empty hallway. Fox and Neville flank us.
“What the hell was happening back there?” Rafael asks.
“Your guess is as good as mine.” I run my fingers through my hair. “I thought things would just go back to normal.”
“They have,” he asserts. “It was the peace that was weird.”
I know he’s right. I knew it as soon as Heath cornered me in the hall, spittle flying.
Rafael has a stack of pamphlet’s clutched in his other hand, and I’m grateful for the excuse to change the subject.
“What are you doing?” I ask him, nodding at the pamphlets.
He takes one and shoves it into my hands. It’s printed on thick, glossy paper, and it’s proudly advertising the winter dance.
“I’m on the board,” Rafael says by way of explanation. “You know, the dance Olive over there was trying to rub in your face?”
I just shake my head again. “I kind of deserved that.”
Rafael shakes his head too. “No, Alex. No one deserves that.” His eyes slide over to Neville and Fox. “Making fun of a guy’s dick is never okay.”
Even if “he” doesn’t have one.
I take another look at the pamphlets. “This looks like the real deal.”
“You bet your skinny ass it is,” Rafael barks. “This bitch is going to be my mistress until Christmas.”
My heart sinks. “So, you’re really going to be busy, huh?”
Rafael nods. “You have no idea, but don’t worry … you’ll be busy with lacrosse,” he says. “I heard what Heath was yelling at you.”
“The whole school probably did,” Neville adds, falling silent when Rafael shoots him a glare.
“Let’s head back to the dorm.” Rafael grabs my elbow again and nods at Fox, who taps Neville’s shoulder, jerks his head toward the end of the hallway, and walks off with Neville in his wake. “And don’t worry, Alex. Things could always be worse.”
Now that The Brotherhood seems to be back to normal, it sounds more like a promise than a reassurance.
Chapter Twenty-One
The door to our dorm room is barely shut behind us when Rafael begins lecturing me on the importance of bringing a date to the winter dance.
“You’ll be a loser forever if you don’t,” he says. “People pity you now when The Brotherhood gets on you.”
“Do they?” I ask dryly, unzipping my bag so I can start unloading my sports bras into my dresser. Too bad they’ll be pretty much useless until lacrosse is officially over now that Heath is insisting I get back to practice.
“Yes!”
“They have a funny way of showing it.”
“Well, they won’t pity you at all if you show up dateless.” Rafael sighs. “You can try Olive again.”
“Did you not hear Olive yell to the whole school that I have a small dick?” I reply. “She hates me now.”
“Wow. You’re totally clueless.”
I glance back at him. “What?”
He sighs heavily and sets his pamphlets down on his desk before sinking down onto the edge of his bed, clapping his hands together. “Where to begin. Okay. So, this is a game.”