"Fuck!" Jager hisses. "Man, that was just a joke. You know I would never..." I cock my head to the side, and he trails off.
"I know, huh? Wes, did you know when you came back to school last week, and Lilly was still kidnapped? From what you overheard, the entire team—myteam—ran their mouths." I don't take my gaze off of the shaking boy in front of me.
"Nope, he seemed pretty set on making a move." It’s audible in his reply that Wes has his trademark smirk on full display.
"That's what I thought." I slowly sink to a crouch until I'm at eye-level with Jager. He shrinks even lower, and I get in his face. "So, what are we going to do about that?"
"I...I swear, I was joking. I would've never touched Lilly. She's always been off-limits—for all of us. We were just talking shit. Kat started it!" His voice pitches at the end of his speech, and I bite at the inside of my cheek to not burst out laughing. What a fucking loser.
"Oh, now you’re blaming it on my ex. That’s rich."
Behind me, Wes can't keep his composure and snorts loudly.
I pat Kellan’s cheek. "I would advise you to watch your trap going forward. I may not always be around, but I will know."
"Uh, dude?" Wes's tone makes me shift my focus.
No fucking way.
"Did you seriously just piss yourself?" My eyebrows shoot up as I take in Kellan’s ashen skin.
He closes his eyes briefly but remains mute.
My best friend cackles behind me. "I don’t think we have to worry about him." A flash lights up the bathroom, and I can't contain myself anymore. Laughing, I stand up and walk out. Wes took a picture of a bloody and pee-stained Jager.
A slight sense of satisfaction settles in my chest. I'm done with him. On to the next one.
As I walkthrough the door this afternoon, I am proud to say I didn't get suspended. It was a close call when I finally caught up with Owen in the locker room after last period, but Coach let me off with a warning.
Note to self: Be more careful next time.
Oddly enough, I didn't run into Kat the entire day. We have three classes together, and I saw her car when I pulled into the lot. The only explanation was that she heard I'm back and made a run for it.
I stop abruptly in the empty kitchen. Camden and Lanning are nowhere in sight, making the room look weird after their asses have been basically superglued to the chairs for weeks. Natty enters the room as I'm heading for the stairs.
"Where are the suits?"
My little sister shrugs then looks me up and down. "Were you in a fight?"
I squint at her. "Are you psychic now?"
The tiny human in front of me rolls her eyes. "Your knuckles are all busted up."
Instinctively, I shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans. "Just had a minor disagreement with someone."
"Uh-huh." With a scowl that tells me she doesn't buy my lame excuse one bit, she moves past me.
Shaking my head with a grin, I make my way upstairs two steps at a time.
I knock once and push the door open. Lilly sits at her desk and closes the laptop quickly as she turns. My chest tightens, and my grin falls.
What now?
I cross the room, pull her up, and wrap my arms around her slender waist. She’s getting too thin. Burying my nose in her hair, I whisper, "I missed you." Her signature scent of coconut and vanilla instantly calms my nerves.
Her arms wind around my midsection, and she squeezes tightly. "How bad was it?"
"Not bad at all." I'm not lying, but I'm also not telling the truth.