“Ah, yes. The Elite,” she said mockingly. “I’d forgotten how much the school revolves around the four of them. Being away for the last two years made me forget the power and influence they wield. In a way, I can’t say that I missed it. But then again, I did.”
“I know what you mean,” I agreed, returning my coffee to the cup holder that sat between Grayson and me. “It can be a bit much. When I first came to the Academy, I didn’t get it, why everyone cared so much about theElite.” My voice dropped into a spooky tone like they were the big bad wolves. “I thought they were all pricks. Come to think of it, that hasn’t changed. They are still giant assholes, I just happened to like them now.”
“Hey, I’m in the car, you know,” Grayson rumbled.
“But,” I continued. “When you need them, they always seem to be there. It’s kind of eerie. You just have to find a way to bulldoze your way past all the standby girls, the crazy wannabes, and the menacing scowls.”
Kenna grinned. “Precisely.” She sunk back into her seat, crossing her legs as a wicked light gleamed in her eyes. “I heard you slept with Brock during your mom’s wedding.”
“Kenna!” Grayson hissed.
I knew that would come up eventually. I just hoped it would be when I’d had more sleep and at least two cups of coffee. Guess not. It also felt like a jab. Perhaps she hadn’t meant it that way, but I thought it might be time for Kenna and me to talk about Brock. I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was harboring some two-year-old feelings for him.
The last thing I wanted to do was drive a wedge between me and the sister I didn’t know I had. This felt like a crucial period for our relationship. How we got along the next few months could either make it or break it. I knew that none of this was easy on her, coming home and finding a virtual stranger had stepped into her family.
“It’s okay. Really. At this point, it is no secret how I met Brock.” I tilted my head so I could see Kenna better in the back seat. “You’re going to probably hear a lot of shit about me. Some of it you already know. Some of it is nothing but lies. And some is very true, including sleeping with Brock. I’m not ashamed of it. And you know what the best part of that night was? When Angie walked in.”
I don’t know what made me tell Kenna that little detail. Part of it stemmed from jealousy, a jealousy that might be unfounded. And part of was to see her reaction, to shock her, because the truth of it was, I wasn’t always a nice person. It’s one of the reasons Brock and I fit so well. We both had darkness. He might have more, but I had my fair share of scars.
Kenna blinked.
“Gross,” Grayson groaned as he smoothly turned the steering wheel. “Keep those details to yourself. The last thing I need this early in the morning are visuals of you and Brock naked.”
“Then you definitely don’t want to hear about what we did the other night in your Jeep.” Of course, I was bluffing. We had only fooled around in his SUV.
Grayson’s gaze darted to me before returning to the road. “Josie, I swear to God, you are walking to school tomorrow, and you can forget about ever borrowing a car again.”
I laughed.
Grayson swung the Jeep into an empty parking spot right in between Brock’s Land Rover and Micah’s Hummer.
Kenna was the first one out.
Before I could gather my shit and reach for the handle, Brock opened my door and pulled me in for a kiss. “You’re late, Firefly.”
My lips tingled from the kiss. “Rough morning.”
“Rough in the morning is my favorite,” Micah said, appearing at the front of the Jeep with Grayson.
“I’m going to be sick,” Grayson said, fake coughing and clutching his stomach.
My lips curved.
“Looks like the tagger struck again,” Kenna announced, her eyes focused on the front of the school.
Brock stiffened beside me as we all glanced toward what had captured Kenna’s attention. My gaze followed as well, my heart kicking up in my chest when I saw the paint. I couldn’t fathom what the tagger might have exposed about me now.
Pink spray paint covered the meticulously manicured front lawn of the Academy, bright and bold against the green grass. It was difficult to read from the parking lot, so we all moved toward the school. Everyone that passed by stared and murmured.
AVA MIGHT HAVE DITCHED. BUT THERE’S A NEW BITCH IN TOWN.
I glanced sidelong at Kenna. Was she the new bitch in town? Or did they mean me? I was technically still the new girl, seeing as Kenna had known most of our classmates her whole life.
Tension radiated between the five of us. The last thing this school needed was another bully on hand. “Does this rule out Ava as the culprit?” I muttered.
“Seeing as she hasn’t shown up to school all week, she seems less likely to be responsible.”
I agreed with Grayson.
“It doesn’t concern us. Not unless this person decides to use actions instead of words. We don’t have time to care about high-school pranks,” Brock stated.
Right. There was a rapist still wandering the halls of Elmwood Academy.