Cairo didn’t see his sister as reason to look up from his breakfast. “It’s what she did, not me.”
Panic flashed on Rainey’s face.
“She disrespected Jacques in front of their entire class,” Cairo finished. “The TikTok video is still trending. You know better than anyone, Evie, that shit like that doesn’t stand. You should’ve warned your friend.”
“For that, you’re putting her through this? You’ve finally lost it. You fell off this ego trip and cracked your head!”
“You should be happy. This is us showing mercy,” he said. “Ask her if she’s grateful.”
“Shut up.” She put her arms around Rainey. “I’m so sorry, you’re not putting up with this for another second.”
“It’s not your fault.” Rainey grasped her arms, stopping her. “You warned me. Wounded wolf, remember? I agreed to endure this so they wouldn’t make my life difficult in other ways,” she said simply. “Eventually, they’ll get tired of this humiliation game and everything can go back to normal.”
Don’t bet on it, sweetheart.
“This is demeaning. Whatever Cairo threatened to do—”
“Hilarious.” A raucous guffaw cut her off. “I see you finally put the bitch in her place.”
Alfie strode up with a drink and egg bagel. He munched on it, the masticated egg and bread in full view with his horse chewing.
“New girl thought she was better than us. Didn’t have to follow the rules.”
“I’m not new, jackass,” Rainey said. Still on her knees, but damned if she didn’t tower over Alfie. “And I don’t have to follow the rules. There are no rules or anyone with the power to enforce them. There’s just a bunch of guys ballsy enough to take charge, and the chickenshits who ‘yes, sir’ and ‘no, sir’ ’cause standing up for themselves never occurred to them.”
“What did standing up for yourself do for you?” Alfie snapped.
“Fonsie,” Cairo said. A wrinkle marred his perfect brow.
“That’s a nice collar, Stormy. Windy. Whatever the fuck your name is.”
“Alphonso,” Jacques spoke up.
“They brought you to heel, you little bitch, so let me teach you your first trick. Catch.”
Alfie threw the iced tea at her, exploding the drink in her face and down her chest.
The table rocked, nearly tipped by all of us jumping from our seats at once.
Cairo got to Alfie first, sinking a punch in his gut that doubled him over. The next hit was mine.
I tackled him, dropping him flat and jarring agony through my sore thigh and chest. It heated up my excitement, stoking just beneath my rage and granting me a semi as I punched him once, twice, four times in the face.
Legend lifted me up, only to deliver a savage kick. And then we were all on him, forming a ring and stomping the shit out of the moaning, crying heap.
“Stop! Guys, please, he’s had enough.”
Rainey and Paris pulled us off one after the other. Paris went for Cairo and got hoisted up and dropped behind him. He grabbed Alfie’s collar and reared for another blow.
“Cairo.” Rainey shot between them. “It’s okay. I’m okay. You don’t have to do this.”
Rainey murmured to him, easing him back as her fingers found his temples, gently kneading. “Don’t be this man for him. He’s not worth it.”
Ragged breaths tore his lungs. He clutched her waist. To move her aside, I wasn’t sure, because he stopped short.
Interesting.
My brows crowded together, watching Rainey de Souza do something I’d never seen anyone do.
Defuse Cairo.
“Get him out of my sight,” Cairo barked.
Three guys picked up the broken, bleeding mess and carried him away.
“Listen up.” Cairo faced her to the silent crowd. “Rainey de Souza is our girl. Standard rules apply. You don’t touch her. You don’t speak to her unless spoken to. You do not disrespect her. Am I understood?”
“Yes.”
“Am I?” he shouted.
“Yes,” they chorused.
“Spread the word. If I have to repeat myself, everyone pays for it. Paris,” he said.
“What?”
He tossed her his keys. “Take her to get cleaned up.”
“You don’t give me orders,” she said, even as she hugged Rainey and led her away.
It was such a Cairo thing to say and do, I asked myself why those two swore they had nothing in common.
We went to retake our seats, and slow clapping shattered the quiet.
“Wow. I definitely take back what I said.”
The familiar voice was quickly attached to the face, coming up the back entrance leading from Homer Green. His friends trailed him.
Arsenio stepped out in front, sizing him up, but saying nothing and giving even less away.
These crashers were going for a surprise entrance. Why give them the satisfaction of seeing they caught us unawares?
“What?” The green-haired guy grinned. “No hello?”
“No,” said Arsenio. With that, we reclaimed our seats and our breakfast.
“Are we sure Fonsie got the message?” Cairo asked. “He got half the beating he was owed.”
“Alphonso did two years at community college and then transferred,” I said. “Obviously, he spent enough time away from us since high school, he forgot...”