Auryn’s face scrunched up into something both disgusted and skeptical. “I’d rather not. I’ll leave the pathetic displays to you and Stray.”
“Hey,” I protested, “What did I do? Leave me out of this. I’m not the one getting married in college. I’m just here for a good time.”
I felt Codie’s expression darken at those words. She was the one constantly telling me off. What did she care?
Rebel flipped me a middle finger. “You’re lucky you’re sitting too far away for me to punch.”
I gave him my best shit-eating smile. Honestly, I had no problem with Rebel and Storm getting married. I was happy for them both. Being as tight as we all were, I had to bust his balls about it.
“Just a good time, huh?” It was Storm who spoke. She shook her head, looking disappointed. “Is that really all you want, Stray?”
Oh yeah. She definitely knew about Codie and me. Why else would she stare at me like a mother about to scold a bad kid?
I shrugged. “I would be open to more with the right person, I guess. Too bad most of the chicks around here don’t know a good thing when they have it.”
Codie bristled beside me. “It takes a lot more than being skilled with your dick to impress most women. Maybe try working on your personality.”
Damn. This girl came to play. Our friends made various sounds from laughter to “oooohhh.” Yeah, she got me there.
“Damn, strawberry. You’re ice-cold. Razor sharp. You definitely know how to put a guy in his place.” I let her have this win. She would pay for it later.
Her eyes narrowed at my use of her nickname. Before she could muster up another insult to throw at me, Venom chose that moment to cause a distraction. They slowed down as theypassed by. Damon scowled at our group, snarling something about how only dumb bitches would be seen with us. He knew exactly what he was doing.
Rebel was on his feet in a blink. “What the fuck did you say? Care to repeat yourself, asshole?”
“You heard me.” Damon stood his ground, unafraid. “Only absolute skanks would associate with trash like you guys. Nice to know which ladies are dumpster diving so we can stay far away from them.”
I pushed to my feet, joined by Casper, Dom, and Auryn. We were all ready to have Rebel’s back. Dominik shoved forward, clearly ready to fight. I didn’t trust him not to lose his head. He was too intense when it came to these guys.
“What are you going to do, Rebel?” Noah raised both hands in invitation. “Kill us like you did to River?”
Dom jumped in before Rebel could respond. He gave Noah an aggressive shove. “If that’s what it takes, motherfucker. Haven’t you learned not to fuck with us by now?”
This was escalating quickly. Engaging in an all-out brawl on campus grounds could get us all kicked out. We preferred not to take things that far. Not here and now. That kind of thing would happen without so many witnesses.
Noah seemed as amped up and ready for a fight as Dominik. He immediately shoved Dom back. “You think you’re pretty fucking tough, huh? Just because you took out River doesn’t mean the rest of us are going anywhere. One day your cocky attitudes will be what brings you all down.”
“Is that a threat?” Dom didn’t wait for a reply before throwing a punch.
Noah took the hit, smiling through the blood that stained his teeth from his split bottom lip. “More like a prediction. Is that the best you’ve got? You hit like a bitch.”
That really did it. Dominik tackled Noah to the ground. The two of them wrestled for control. Fists flew as they struggled. Everyone in the yard began to take notice of the fight that had broken out. It wouldn’t be long before campus security or other staff members came along.
Casper was the first to get in there in an attempt to break it up. He grabbed Dom around the waist, dragging him off Noah. Dominik didn’t make it easy for him. He flailed about, doing his best to break Casper’s hold. I moved in quickly to help.
When Noah got up and came at us, Colt and Damon held him back. They knew just as well as we did that this kind of business shouldn’t be dealt with on campus grounds. Noah and Dom didn’t seem to give a shit about that. They were ready to kill each other.
“Calm the fuck down,” Rebel shouted, helping us push Dom further away. “We’re not doing this shit here.”
“Fuck that,” Dom hissed. “Get off me. Someone needs to fuck that guy up.”
Damon and Colt struggled to drag Noah away. He was putting up a hell of a fight. They seemed to be saying something similar to him, telling him that this wasn’t the time or place.
We all needed to watch our backs. Those guys couldn’t be trusted. If they really were out for revenge, they were capable of almost anything.
Everyone knew that if you wanted someone’s legs broken because they owed you money or you simply wanted to rub them off the map itself, you went to Venom. They were capable of serious violence and brutality.
There was no denying that the conflict with Venom had not died with River Harris.
