Just as I go to open the thread of the messages, my phone rings with a video call. I answer, not bothering to put on a smile. Indi’s the one person I won’t hide my pain from. She’s a true friend, I don’t need or want to hide from her.
“Thank fuck you’re alive! Where the actual fuck have you been?” she screeches over the line, her eyes crazed.
I run a hand through my hair and sigh raggedly. She stills, her expression changing from angry to concerned at the sound. “Sorry, some shit went down after I texted you Saturday night, and I didn’t have my phone until this morning.”
“Are you okay? What happened?” Her concern is almost enough to make me cry again. I’ve never been much of a crier before this fucking year. “Fuck it, I’m coming over. I’ll drive us to school, and then you can explain.”
“You don’t have to—”
“Shut up.” She cuts me off, and I can’t help but laugh dryly. “I’m already grabbing my shit and heading to the car. I’ll be there soon.”
The line disconnects, and I stare at the phone. I guess that’s that.
My little sunshine friend seems to be finding her confidence, and I couldn’t feel prouder.
Now, if only I could find where I put mine.
* * *
School’s been surreal today. No one spoke to me with disdain. No one spoke about me, or at least not that I heard, and no one tried to fuck with me. Well, except for Blair and her merry little band of bitches, but having them leave me alone would be a goddamn miracle at this point. I don’t know what happened between Saturday night and today, but it’s like I’ve become a wallflower, and I'm so here for it.
The football team still sat with us at lunch. Though Indi sat beside me rather than opposite me like normal with me sitting at the end of the table. That way none of them could get too close to me, and I love her for it. To say Indi went nuclear when I explained what happened and why it fucked me up so much is the understatement of the century. I’ve never heard her cuss quite like that. She was like a stabby little viper spitting venom.
It was crazy and kind of awesome.
She’s barely left my side all day. And I genuinely thought she was going to rip into one of my teachers when he tried to hurry her away from my desk. She isn’t even in the class with me. Apparently, my little ball of sunshine is also a vicious little ball of fire.
So we’re relaxing poolside at my house, sipping on the iced tea I found in the fridge, and sunning ourselves. It isn’t normally something I do, but I think after everything that’s happened, some decompression time is good.
“Octavia.” I sit up, sighing at the sound of Lincoln’s unexpected voice. I pull my aviators down so they cover my eyes and I can actually see. Indi looks just about ready to fight him if he starts fucking with us. I can’t blame her. She fully agreed with me that they’re the most likely culprits for what happened Saturday night.
The only thing that has my guard coming down is that when I look over toward him, I find him flanked by Finley, Maverick, and East.
I know that East won’t hurt me. He never has, and there isn’t one thing about him that makes me think he ever would.
“What do you want?” Indi snaps, and I can’t help but smirk. Lincoln’s face mirrors mine, which only makes me more suspicious. He never reacts well to people calling him out, or at least, he never used to.
“Calm down, little miss warrior. We come in peace,” Maverick jabs at her, and she flips him the bird before settling back down on her lounger.
“If you say so, asshole.” She lifts her book to cover her face, nodding at me. I know if shit goes sideways, she’ll absolutely throw hands for me. Not that I’m sure either of us could fight them physically if we need to. I’ve trained in some self-defense, but there’s four of them, and none of them are small. Plus the last few attacks I’ve suffered, I’ve frozen. So I’m pretty sure I’d be royally screwed if they were here to attack us.
“Can we talk?” Lincoln asks, ever the mouthpiece for the band of them. Thick as thieves. I eye them, and while East looks a little uneasy, the rest of them are pretty much unreadable.
Shocker.
I’m not going to give them even an inch. Every instinct tells me that those three are the three who locked me in that fucking closet, so I won’t relax around them or forgive them, unless I’m somehow proved wrong. “I guess that depends on what you want to talk about.”
Finley steps forward, hands stuffed in the front pockets of his jeans, and I hate him a little for looking so good. He literally looks like some kind of dark and brooding god. It isn’t fair that all four of them are so droolworthy when three of them are such giant assholes. “We want to apologize and call a truce of sorts.”
I cock an eyebrow, folding my arms over my chest. “A truce? I don’t remember declaring war.”
“You declared war by coming back here,” Lincoln huffs, and Finley turns to face him, glaring.
“You are not helping. Shut up,” he growls, and East clips his brother around the back of the head.
It’s amusing to see the dynamics changing so much. Finley has never stepped out on Lincoln before. He’s always been their unofficial leader. There’s obviously a 50/50 split here with this truce, but if this means they’re going to leave me alone, I’ll take it. All I ever wanted was to keep my head down and get through this year. I want to graduate as per my dad’s wishes, and then do what I need to at college to start my record label.
That’s all I’ve ever wanted.