Why are you so annoying and obsessed with him?
I wince at the tiny voice in the back of my mind that cruelly points out the obvious things I don’t want to hear.
“Maddy!” Olivia yells again.
I sigh and slip on the mask I’ve perfected over the last few years so that I can seem like the cheery person I sometimes don’t feel inside.
I jog to my group, my cheeks hurting from the forced smile. “Hey, guys.”
Mickey hooks his arm around my shoulder and yanks me to his side. “’Bout time, loser. What took you so long?” The banter might be playful, but I think it’s his excuse to be a jerk.
I can’t answer his question, though. I can’t say I dragged my feet because of my stepbrother. Mickey and the rest of the group hate Ryder and his friends. Because of that, I have to pretend they’re sore losers and that I hate them, too.
In truth, I hate how Mickey picks on them because they dress differently. Who cares if people wear black and have safety pins all over their jeans and hoodies?
I never join Mickey and his friends when they make fun of Ryder and his group. When Mickey and Kyle play pranks on them, I look the other way to show I’m not a part of their cruel games. It saves me from seeing it and also, in my mind, means that I’m not partaking in it either.
In the back of my mind, I wonder if this is why Jaxon hates my guts, but I shake the thought away.
I shrug with a corny smile. “Thought I saw something.”
“What, like a ghost?” Mickey snickers, and except for Olivia and Nova, the others join in.
My cheeks warm with a blush, and I shove Mickey off of me. “No.”
“Probably the outcasts.” Kyle slaps the back of his hand against Mickey’s arm. He snorts a laugh and looks to Mickey for approval.
That’s the thing with Kyle and Connor. They always check with Mickey to ensure they aren’t stepping out of line. Mickey has consistently been the one in charge. He can make you or break you. That’s why I’m still hanging around him; if I part ways, he’ll make my life a living hell.
Nova and Olivia feel the same way. It’s a given because their brothers are Mickey’s targets. Nova has a better relationship with her brother, Aiden, who seems to understand and forgive her for Mickey’s actions. Hawk is a bit more standoffish with Olivia, but he doesn’t completely ignore her like Ryder ignores me.
Mickey peers over his shoulder at Ryder and his friends as they walk toward the bleachers. His expression clouds with annoyance, and his lips curl back in a slight snarl.
“The outcasts, huh?” Mickey turns to me. “Is that true?”
I try to hide my panic, but my eyes widen all on their own, revealing my true emotions. “What?Pff.” I wave my hand to dismiss what he said. “No way.”
Mickey cocks his head, his lips curving into a smile that screams he’s up to no good. “Let’s go say hi to them. See if they’re up for playing with us.”
“C’mon, Mickey,” Olivia says with a shake of her head. She’s in the same boat as I am, not wanting to partake in the bullying. “Let’s leave them alone. I want to play hopscotch.”
I nod. “That sounds like fun, Oli.”
Nova nods but warily glances at Aiden, most likely debating if she should chase after him to warn him of what Mickey has planned.
Olivia brightens and holds out her hand for me to take. “Then we should play!”
“No, don’t be a wuss.” Mickey grabs me by the arm, and I wince at the harshness in his grip as he drags me toward Ryder’s group.
“Oh, crap.” Olivia groans behind me, and I know she and Nova are following us. They’ll have my back.
“What the heck are you doing?” I drag my feet and frantically shake my head. Whatever he has planned, it’s not good. It never is, and I don’t want another wrongdoing added to the growing pile of reasons why Ryder should hate my guts.
“Hey!” Mickey yells, ignoring me as he leads me across the playground, catching up with Ryder and the others.
Ryder, Jaxon, Hawk, and Aiden turn to us, each with their own degree of a glare. I duck my head and dig my heels into the ground as Mickey hauls me toward Ryder’s group. My shoes catch on the pavement, annoying Mickey enough that he jerks my arm and digs his fingers deeper, which I’m sure will leave bruises.
“Why are you guys running from me so fast?” Mickey says as he stops a few feet from the outcasts.
