“I’m not scared of your big brother doing big brother things, but he did run me out of my sacred place.”
She chuckles before rolling her eyes. “Yeah, he’s good at that. Come on, girl. Go shower and let’s get dinner, I’m starved. I’ve told the boys to meet us there in five, so be quick.”
I groan but do as I’m told. I know this her making a statement to Jack about our friendship. I wash and dress quickly, then once again I’m sitting down in between Peyton and Nash. Nash offers me his signature wink, Leo tilts his head in acknowledgement, but Jack just frowns at us when we walk in together. Peyton tilts her chin in a clear show of defiance, which has Jack lifting both his eyebrows and sending me a withering glare.Oh shit, well that’s not good.
Dinner is awkward and I have to remind myself that I like silence, even this heavily charged silence is better than any outcomes that could happen if I open my mouth. Blakely is shooting Leo heated looks that he pointedly ignores, Gianna is rubbing herself against Jack like a damned cat, while Juniper is loudly sucking face with a guy I recognize as Bradford. I always see him with Milo, so I presumed they were friends, but now he’s making a show of sucking and groping his fiancé.
I look over at Peyton and the disgust is plainly written on her face. She tuts under her breath and starts up a conversation with Nash about classes. I listen in, while pushing food around my plate. I’m so in my own head that it takes three times for Nash to get my attention.
“Mmm?” I blink up at him when his large hand lands atop my own on the table.
“Where were you today?” His voice is gentle, and his thumb starts to rub slow circles from where it stays on my hand. I stare at it for a moment, confused by his casual touch but not shaking off his hand either.
“I was up late and forgot to set my alarm.” I say offering a one shoulder shrug.
A scoff draws my attention to the other side of the table where I see Jack staring at where Nash’s hand is clasping my own before his eyes hit mine. The look he gives me is dark, but Nash releases a low chuckle in response before Jack drawls.
“Out fucking the guy I saw you with the other night? He looked like a thug. Do you only fuck criminals? Because you’re not fucking anyone here.”
I see tension form in Leo’s shoulders from where he’s sitting beside Jack, but he doesn’t turn to face me and Nash pulls his hand away, covering it by taking a sip from his drink.Smooth.I grimace at the implication of fucking Nova. Everything about that just seems wrong. I roll my eyes and pointedly ignore him, tucking into my food with more vigor to stop myself from snarking. Peyton looks over at me, questions dancing in her eyes, I subtly shake my head and she’s pulling a face at Jack that I can’t quite decipher.
“Why do you care?” She snaps out at him.
Blakely, who had been uncommonly quiet during all of this slams down her cutlery before he can respond and sends a scornful glare my way. “Are we just going to pretend that the resident trailer trash wasn’t sleuthing into my family? Watch out Nash, I don’t know who she’s spreading her legs for but it’s clear she’s seeking an upgrade.”
Fuck.Fuucckkk.I freeze, inwardly cursing myself for being so careless. Of course, she would have looked at my laptop this morning, I left it open in front of me like waving red at a bull. I’m thankful that there is no possible way that she could have gone through it without waking me up, but this alone is going to put her on edge around me. Fuck my life. I can’t afford to get sloppy, especially not right now.
Jack looks fucking livid as he stares at me with wide eyes, his skin paling slightly. Peyton slips her hand discreetly into his and sends me a glare so dark that it revels her brothers, shocking me into silence. This girl is capable of so much more than the people in her life are giving her credit for. The emotions flicking across her face range from suspicion, worry, and fear. So much fear. I don’t understand it, but I know that my answer here could change everything.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Leo barks out at Blakely at the same time as “Why were you looking into the Spencer’s?” whispers past Peyton’s lips.
“I would hardly call googling them sleuthing.”
“I don’t care what you fucking call it. Why were you googling them?” Jack’s voice is raspy and there is a slight tremor to his hands like he’s holding himself back.
“Just wanted to see how Blakely turned out to be such a peach.” I point my knife and offer a sweet smile in her direction.
Nash snorts, but the look Jack sends him quickly shuts him up. I sigh, putting my own cutlery down, there’s no way I could finish my food now anyway. “Come on, the girl freakingpoisoned me. Are you really going to blame me for wanting to know what kind of people raised someone like that?”
Blakely goes to open her mouth, but I cut her off- “How did you even manage that by the way? Do Mommy and Daddy know that you’re spiking coffee machines? How did people who do so much charity end up with a daughter like you?”
Jack lurches from the table suddenly and stalks out of the dining hall, Peyton rushes to her feet sending me a pitying look before following after her brother. Blakely’s eyes though remain trained on me, even as the rest of the table watch them leave. She gives me a smile that’s more a baring of teeth before she says, “You’d know all about charity, wouldn’t you trailer bitch?”
Chapter Ten
“Mama! Mama!” I scream out into the haunting orange glow. Flames dancing over the furniture turning it into nothing more than blackened shards. My feet slapping against the wood floors as I run room to room in search for my family. The thick smoke makes it hard to breathe and my chest aches as it heaves with the effort. Where is Mama? Looking past the pea-green sofa, I see a tumble of long wavy brown hair, a hand limply splayed across the floor.
My already raw throat burns from the piercing squeals and wails I let out. But it seems futile, as no one responds to my cries for help. My chest tightens painfully as I try to take greedy lungfuls of air and come up short-changed, coughing and choking on the polluted around me, the smoke suffocating any attempts to breath.
I press my face into her chest and cry. The fire becoming unbearably hot against my skin as it inches closer to where I lay huddled in my mother’s arms. I cuddle tighter to her side and sing the soft melody she would sing to me, while I wait for the inevitable to come.
The strain I feel with every breath becomes heavier, until it’s easier to not breathe at all. My eyes begin to drift shut as the fire reaches for me, hot flames curling over my leg. The pain is excruciating, but I’m too tired to scream, my throat to raw, too tired to feel. I just want to be with Mama.
“Hey. Hey. Wake up.” The feel of a calloused hand on my shoulder gently rocking me back and forth spurs me from my dream and before I can even think clearly, my right palm launches out, connecting with the nose of the person in front of me.
“Fuck!” The rough anger of the tone has me lurching back to the side of the bed closest to the wall as I blink away my sleep-filled haze. I look over and my gaze locks with a pair of stormy grey eyes peering over at me from where I was just lying.
My chest is heaving as I struggle to breathe, placing a hand over my chest as I glance around me, desperately to remember where I am. I recognize my room. I close my eyes and my head leans against the wall behind me with a soft thunk.