“Is that a threat?” Alex took one step toward me, shocking me with how rapidly his anger came to focus on me.
There was a soft sound, the scrape of metal on metal. Alex twitched as he lifted his eyes from my face.
“I’d suggest backing the fuck up,” Jason said, his voice low. He’d stepped forward to stand on my left, and Manson nudged closer against my back. Vincent stepped up on my right, still keeping a grip on Lucas’s shoulder.
“Chill out, McAllister,” Vincent said, his usual jovial tone significantly subdued. “Plenty of room here for all of us, isn’t there?”
To judge by Alex’s expression, the whole town wasn’t big enough for all of them. He sucked his teeth, shaking his head.
“I knew you all were cowards,” he said. His mouth twisted withdisgust, his eyes aimed right at Lucas. “Good thing you got your friends to make sure you don’t start fights you can’t win.”
Lucas lunged, and this time, not even Manson and Vincent could hold him back. He got in front of me, right in Alex’s face, the two of them staring each other down with clenched fists.
“Try me, motherfucker,” Lucas hissed. “Come on. Fucking try me.”
Alex spread his arms. “I’m right here! Too scared to throw a punch?”
I was certain I was about to see bloodshed. But Manson reached out, grabbed Lucas’s shoulder, and jerked him back. For a moment, Lucas looked so livid I thought his fury was going to find a new target, but Manson didn’t waver.
“If you’ve got a score to settle, do it behind the wheel,” he said, his eyes moving between Lucas and Alex. “This is bullshit.”
“Name the time and place,” Alex said.
“Next Friday,” Lucas said tightly. “We’ll meet at the bridge off Ellis Street, 10 pm.”
Alex smirked. “All right, I’ll be there. Better bring your friends.” He looked down at me, his eyes lingering long enough to give me an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. “Gets real dark down those old roads. It isn’t safe to wander out there alone.” He was speaking to Lucas, but it felt more like a warning for me. “We’ll be seeing you.”
Alex spat on the ground before he turned and stalked away, his friends moving with him. They rejoined Danielle, who was staring at me with wide eyes as if she couldn’t make sense of what was happening. I was left with a pounding heart, nervous energy turning my stomach.
Then I saw the flash of a blade as it was tucked back into Manson’s pocket.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I gasped. Manson’s glare was still fixed on Alex, his fingers digging into Lucas’s shoulder.“Don’t start shit. The knife? Really?”
“Don’t start shit, she says.” Lucas shook his head as he broke away from Manson’s hold, rubbing his hand roughly over his buzzed hair. He tipped back his beer, drained the bottle, and muttered, “I need another fucking drink.”
People were staring, murmuring to each other. But I didn’t feel vulnerable until the boys stepped away from me, finally doing what I’d demanded all along and getting out of my way. Once they stepped back, the bravery I’d felt when I got between Manson and Alex was gone.
Manson was looking at me strangely, his expression unreadable. I glanced over at Danielle, who mouthed,What are you doing?
A great question, and one I couldn’t even answer.
I sighed heavily, turning away from Manson and the others. My fingers were freezing from how tightly I was gripping my beer, and I was ready to get back to having a nice normal night out.
I needed this feeling inside me to die. This weird, shameful longing. This feeling thatI’ddone something wrong.
“Do you think you can keep pretending it didn’t happen?”
I whirled around. Manson was smirking at me, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. The expression I’d found unreadable before was obvious now. It was anger. He wasangryat me.
I walked back toward him. “What the hell does that mean?”
His smirk widened as I stood toe to toe with him. “Your cheeks got red the second you saw us. Youfantasizeabout it.” I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off. “That wasn’t a question. It’s obvious. Every time you get on your knees for some handsome airhead, you think it would be a lot more fun if I’d ordered you to do it, don’t you? Maybe you even hear my voice in your head, telling you to kneel like a good girl, and it gets you wetenough to actually enjoy that subpar dick you’ve been fooling yourself with for the past few years.”
Rage bubbled up inside me, overflowing as it seared through every limb. “How dare you say that to me —”
“Why? It’s true. I can see it in your eyes, Jess, I canseeit.” The boys were watching, but Manson kept his voice low. “I know what it looks like when you lie.You wanted that night to be a fun little experiment. Everyone’s wild in college, right? No big deal.” He lowered his voice even further, bringing his mouth close to my ear. “But what happens when the experiment is too good? Turns out you’re just as perverted as the freaks, but that doesn’t fit Jessica Martin’s grand life plan, does it?” Venom dripped from his voice, so shockingly angry that I held my breath. “You go chasing dick and realize none of it is quite as good. It’s not the same. So you close your eyes and imagine it’s one of us instead.”
I looked at him in utter disbelief. I was so furious I barely trusted myself to speak. “You’re disgusting.”