“Why do you care? Are you fucking him too?” These goddamn stupid, pigheaded boys! I want to scream that there is notoo, for that to be possible there would need to be a one! And in all my nineteen years that position has been left vacant. The power grabbing stench of desperation that clung to the men in Darling Valley was not conducive of a good time or anything other than drunks, drug, and teen pregnancy. No fucking thank you.
I’m seething, and my head is pounding but I still level him with the darkest glare I can muster before croaking out. “No asshole. I’m not fucking him, but he’s my friend and if someone doesn’t update me on what the hell is going on I’m going to pitch a fit!”
Nash lets out a shocked laugh before slapping a hand over his mouth like he’s been caught doing something naughty, side eyeing the other two in the room. He clears his throat before crawling up on to the bed and laying down close to me. “He’s okay. Some bumps, bruises, and a minor concussion. He’ll live. Peyton’s a mess though, she didn’t know what to do, if she should be here or there. You should call her when you get the chance.”
I nod my head in agreement and the tension in the room dissolves, like a collective sigh has been released. Nap first, call later. I lay back on the pillows, my head turned to face Nash. My eyes begin to flutter shut, but Nash touches my nose quickly causing me to scowl at him and wrinkle it up.
“No sleeping, you ninny. Everyone knows that you can’t sleep for a few hours after a head injury, and you’ve got lots.”
I want to cuss him out that we don’t know if I’ve got a head injury, but it’s not worth the fight. I’ll also do him the courtesy of skirting past his use of the word ninny, but if he says it again I’ll not offer the same kindness. Instead, I sigh and ask what we should do instead then.
Leo chuckles and sends me these loaded looks, letting me know he has plenty of ideas to kill the time. I flush scarlet, before remembering I’m sitting here in my bra. I scramble from the bed to pick up the shirt and shove it over my head. Leo chuckles from his position on the corner of the couch before setting up a movie.
I must fall asleep sometime during the second movie, but when I wake it’s to the sound of angry whispers. I try to move to let them know that I’m awake, but my limbs are heavy and every part of me aches. Peyton has arrived and she’s taking no prisoners. She’s so protected by this little group that it’s easy to forget how quickly they bend to her will, which is truly a testament to her because these men are the definition of obstinate.
“How could you let things get this far? Leo I thought you said you’d handled this?” She hisses his way.
“I did fucking handle it. It’s not my fault she’s a sadistic cunt. Who even does this shit?”
“Well, you better goddamn deal with it, Leo! Milo had to have his head glued and my best friend looks like she’s been in a car accident!” She chokes on a sob before continuing. “Deal with it, because if something happens to either of them…” Her words hang heavy in the air around them, but the heartbreak in her voice betrays her more than anything else.
I crack an eye open to see Leo engulfing her in a hug, mumbling a quickwe willand dropping a kiss to the crown of her head. He holds her for a few minutes before ushering her out the door, telling her to get some rest, and closing it softly behind her.
“She’s a little scary when she loses her temper like that.” Nash says from his position at the window, a cigarette dangling from his mouth while he cups his hands trying to light it. He takes a few long drags before leaning his head back against the window edge. One of his long legs is bent at the knee, the hand with the smoke dangling overtop it while he stares out at the rising sun. He looks ethereal, too devilishly beautiful to exist in our world and I can’t take my eyes off how his hair halos against the light of the dawn.
“She’s just protective.” Jack slurs, pulling my attention his way. He’s sitting across from me, a leg kicked out on the coffee table, a tumbler of brown liquid in one hand and a bottle in the other. He’s twirling the glass in his fingertips like if he looks hard enough he can find the answers to life, before lifting it to his lips and shotting the whole thing back.
Leo scowls down at the empty glass before dropping in on the end of the couch, moving my legs until they drape over his lap. The blanket is covering the lower half of my body which I’m thankful for, but I’m sure with the way Leo is running his hand over my calf that he’ll be able to feel my scar. A pathetic whimper sounds from me, that causes them to all look my way. My eyelids are still half-lidded and my brain groggy. They mustn’t see that I’m awake because they continue as if I’m not.
“What do we do now?”
“For starts, you could stop fucking her.” Nash drawls out.
“I’m not fucking her anymore, haven’t touched her pussy in weeks.” Leo snaps out, clearly irritated by the accusation. That’s interesting, with the possessive way Blakely has been flaunting him, I wouldn’t have presumed they stopped sleeping together, even though Leo told me the other night.
“It doesn’t matter, she’s clearly not fucking safe, and neither is anyone who’s around her. How bad would things have gotten if Peyton hadn’t come and got us. We barely got there in time as it was.”
They’re all silent as they remember how they found us. Milo on the ground, blood pouring from his head. Gianna with blood spewing down her face. Juniper huddled into herself. And me, savagely about to bash a rock into Blakely. Guilt and shame threaten to overwhelm me for the second time in twenty-four hours, but before my thoughts spiral completely out of control, Jack’s voice pulls me out.
“She moves.”, and then blackness.
Chapter Twelve
Jack’s avoiding me. I don’t know why this bothers me as much as it does and I choose to not dissect that not seeing him scowling at me from the corner of the room, hissing jabs makes me feel a little hollow. I don’t leave the tower for a full week while I wait for the bruising to go from a deep purple to a sickly yellow, and in that time I don’t see the Vasiliev siblings once. The other two would pop in and out, sitting with me occasionally, putting on movies. It was tense, but I don’t think any of us know how to act around each other now.
Nash had the honors of announcing that I would be moving rooms and escorting me to pack my shit like I’m some helpless child. If only they knew the things I have done, the things I could let loose on all the people here if I really wanted to, but I try to bury the blood thirsty part of me deep inside myself. The guilt never being far behind.
Thankfully, the room is empty when I step inside, no signs of Blakely having returned to the dorm in the time that I’ve left. Probably a good thing we didn’t run into each other, now that the haze that day’s events has worn off, I’m feeling pretty feral about the whole thing.
I pack my duffle in under ten minutes and when Nash rummages through the fridge for hidden treats, I wrap my knives in a jumper and shove it to the bottom of the bag. Nash walks back over to me, a chocolate bar dangling from his lips and his arms filled with snacks, none of which I bought which I’m sure he knows. I snicker at his brand of petty and roll my eyes at him as he asks if I’m ready to go.
As much as I’m excited to room with Peyton, I don’t want to intrude on her time with the guys. I know she has them in her room frequently for lunches and during some of the nights they’re all free. Maybe I should get a schedule of when they plan shit so I can disappear for a few hours. I say as much to Nash, but he just scoffs at me.
“Ninny.”
I don’t get a chance to drop all the amazing teases I thought up while being forced to watch some murder mystery movie last night, because as soon as I open my mouth to tear into him, he shoves a peanut butter cup into it. I scrunch my nose as I bite down, chewing methodically as much to Nash’s amusement.
“Don’t like it?”