“Fuck you. I’m not afraid of shit.”
“What’s Corpse afraid of?” Rem asked.
“What the hell? Is everyone here?”
Rem winked at me, and my stomach clenched. I ignored it. Her shoulder-length dark brown hair was tucked behind her ears. They were decorated with a multitude of piercings.
“No, it was Samson’s night,” Hawke said as he took a seat. He grabbed the math textbook and opened it back up. That explained nothing.
“We each have keys to our places.” Rem sat on the table and looked over all the schoolwork. “Who’s failing?”
“Corpse. Keegan.” Samson and Hawke answered at the same time.
“Just tell the whole fucking world, why don’t you?” I didn’t need this shit. I turned to leave but made it nowhere as I was snatched backward. A yelp broke free as I landed in Hawke’s lap.
“Can’t be that bad,” she said.
“Oh, it’s worse than you think,” Hawke laughed.
I elbowed him in the abdomen, and he grunted. “It’s not playtime.”
How could he think this was fun? I shook my head and gave up. They weren’t wrong. My scores in every subject were questionable.
“What class aren’t you fucking up in?” Rem asked.
“Gym,” I reluctantly answered.
“Well, I can tutor in history. If Samson does it, you’re just going to fall asleep.” Rem pulled her leather jacket off and draped it over a chair. She grabbed the history books I still hadn’t cracked open.
“Why are you guys…”
“Helping you?” Rem said.
“I do—”
“She doesn’t need help,” Samson said, cutting me off.
I groaned. This was bad. Hawke’s arm wrapped around my hips, and he pulled me further back against him. His warmth soaked into me. The tension slowly started to fizzle away.
Samson reorganized the papers. “We are exchanging services.” He glanced my way, and I wasn’t sure, but it felt like he was ensured I was okay with that answer.
I nodded. Exchanging services was a lot more tolerable than accepting fucking help. Help came at a price, one I wasn’t willing to be chained to.
“What service is she giving you?” Rem asked. She leaned forward, her tank top dipping slightly, and I couldn’t help but peek. I was only human. She noticed right away and smirked at me. “Well?”
“We haven’t decided yet.”
“I can think of a few things,” Hawke said.
“Nothing sexual.” I thought about it for a second. Just for Hawke’s benefit, I added another stipulation. “Nothing involving killing.”
“Awee,” Hawke whined.
Fucking psycho.I didn’t think too hard about him complaining. “Other than that, you can list what you want.”
“Can you cook?” Rem asked.
I frowned. “No.” I could make a sandwich, but I hadn’t been blessed with any cooking skills. Every single time I’d tried to learn, it ended in fires or raw food.