“I still think you should report him.” She frowns as I shudder, thinking about his gross proposal.
“There’s no point, who would believe me?” I shrug, hating that he’ll get away with it. That he might do it to someone else. But he hadn’t been wrong about that part: no one would believe me.
She looks like she wants to say more, but as we leave the class, I almost run straight into Lincoln, Maverick, and Finley.
“I’ll see you at lunch?” I say to Indi, who nods, her gaze bouncing between me and them. I smile at her, trying to reassure her that I’ll be okay. She turns and heads down the hall in the opposite direction I need to go. “Can I help you?”
I move out of the doorway and head toward Business when none of them respond. They trail behind me like guard dogs and everyone scurries out of our path as we make our way to the class. It’s not even unnerving.
God, the sarcasm in my own head needs to come down a notch.
I enter the classroom for Business and come face-to-face with Mr. Peters. I’ve managed to avoid being alone with him, or even in close contact, since that day. This is the closest I’ve been to him since he practically waved his dick at me like a flag.
“Miss Royal,” he says, his eyes raking over my body, making me feel as dirty as I would if I’d bathed in blood and dirt.
I feel the heat at my back as the guys catch up with me. Mr. Peters’ eyes go wide and he takes a step back, as if he’s flustered. I don’t even care that he did that purely because of their arrival, there has to be some upsides of these assholes hovering around me. I take advantage of the situation and scurry over to my desk. Once I’m seated, I look up and find Mr. Peters is caught in a battle of wills with Lincoln and they’re staring each other down.
Mr. Peters looks away first, and I smile as I look down at my text book. I hate that Lincoln is a giant asshole ninety-nine percent of the time, but just this once, I kind of love it.
The bell rings again and they finally move, allowing the rest of our class to filter into the room once they take their seats.
I guess someone did believe me after all.
* * *
I pull up at home, grinning wide. Last night was a whirlwind of catching up and essay writing, and today has been a day of avoiding the guys, Blair, and… well, everyone that isn’t Indi, as much as possible.
Now school is almost done for the week and we have a long weekend to look forward to, I just need to survive tomorrow, then I’m free for four whole days.
I am too excited to see everyone. Jenna messaged me yesterday to confirm that the whole gang is definitely still coming. Smithy has been rushing around like a crazy person to get everything ready, even though I offered to have it catered.
He looked like I stomped on his puppy at the suggestion, so I didn’t bring it up again.
It might only be Tuesday, but the thought of having all of my found family together under my roof is too exciting. Indi even managed to persuade her mom to let her stay here over the next few days, rather than heading back east with them to see their family.
I just need to finish setting up the guest room for her.
I bounce into the house, excited butterflies taking flight in my stomach. “I’m home!”
“In the kitchen,” Smithy hollers back, and I grin as I head in the direction of his voice. With how much time the man spends in here, I’m beginning to think he sleeps under the table.
I find him arm deep in pie crust, with five pie dishes already lined with pastry. “Do we have enough pie?”
“Well, I thought I’d do pecan, but nut allergies, so I did key lime, which led me to pumpkin. Then I remembered lemon meringue is your favorite, so I added that too, and well… I added a lemon tart and a chocolate and raspberry torte to the menu too. Because why not?” He grins at me like this is truly his happy place. Who am I to stop a man keeping me stocked in pie?
“I’m sure it’ll be amazing. Do you need me to do anything?”
He shakes his head. “Not a thing. My kitchen doesn’t need that sort of punishment,” he teases and I laugh. “Plus, I might have invited the Saint boys over since Mrs. Potts is away for the long weekend and their father… well, let’s not discuss him, shall we? Mrs. Potts is going to help me prep some more dishes tomorrow before she leaves. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No, it’s fine,” I say, my heart sinking just a little. I suck it up though, because he doesn’t ask for much, and despite my topsy turvy feelings toward the brothers, it’ll be nice to have a full house. “Indi will be heading over Thursday morning and she’ll be with us until Sunday night.”
“Sounds perfect, Miss Octavia. Do you have many plans for tonight?”
“Just finishing up some more school work, so I’ll be around if you need me.” I smile at him and take my bag to the living room. I take a quick detour to my room to change before settling in on the floor and spreading my books out over the coffee table.
I work for about an hour until the smells get so distracting that I’m practically drooling over my Business textbook.
The buzzer for the gate sounds, officially pulling me from my studies. “I’ll get it!” I yell to Smithy and grab my phone. I frown when I open the app and an empty drive appears on the screen.