Jason’s good boy charm slipped. “Then what the hell are Lars and Hunter talking about, Kenzlee?”Lars and Hunter?Those were the guys Alex said were Talon’s best friends.
“I don’t know,” I insisted. “I only met Talon for like five seconds this morning.” It’s not that I was interested in Jason, I just didn’t like what was happening. And, from where I stood, it looked like what was happening was that Talon was calling the shots, taking away my choices.
And that wasn’t going to happen.
No fucking way.
I heard a tsk beside me. “Now, now, now, Kenzlee,” Lars or Hunter cooed, “Tal’s not going to like hearing that.”
I whirled around on him. “I don’t give a rat’s ass what Talon likes hearing,” I informed him. “We’re not…we don’t…”
The tall one smirked. “You’re not, you don’t, what?”
I almost threw the basketball I was still holding right into his perfect looking face. Instead, I took a deep breath, and called on all my polite upbringing. “I don’t know what you guys are playing at, but you can tell Talon Draven to pick another pawn, because I’m not the one.”
“You heard her, Hunter,” Jason smirked. “Looks like the lady has spoken.”
So, the tall one was Hunter, and that must make the other one Lars. It didn’t really matter who was which, or that Jason was antagonizing them by pretending to be on my side. I didn’t want any part of whatever bullshit male pissing contest this was. I didn’t need this shit. I was so used to being numb and neglected, since Kaden’s death, I didn’t welcome this attention.
I looked between all three guys, making sure to convey just how serious I was. “Look, I don’t know what all you guys are doing, and I don’t care about whatever dick measuring contest you guys got going on. Just leave me the hell out of it.” Lars smirked, Jason seemed to deflate a bit, and Hunter just crossed his muscular arms across his chest. Each boy was dressed in the gym uniform of shorts and tank tops, so it was easy to see they were all in good shape. “This is my first day of school,” I reminded them. “I don’t need orwantthis crap.”
I turned away from the group and made my way to the basketball hoops. There were some girls already playing, and they’ll never know the solid they did me when I walked up and a cute blonde smiled at me and asked if I wanted to join. I set my basketball off to the side and got lost in the game.
Thirty minutes and a couple of new acquaintances later, I was in the gym locker room preparing to change clothes and get ready for sixth period, when a note fell out of my gym locker. I picked it up and unfolded it.
Sorry about earlier. I’d still like us to be friends. -Jason
∞∞∞
Talon~
With each passing class, I was becoming more and more…unhinged.
During sixth period, Hunter had recounted the events of gym class, and after tapping down the urge to hunt Jason down and fuck him up, I was glad to know that Hunter and Lars were in gym with Kenzlee. They would keep an eye on her until I figured out what I was going to do about her.
The more I thought about her, the more pissed off I became. I didn’t like how she pulled at me. I didn’t like how a girl with breeding, money, and class pulled at me. My breeding wasn’t blue blood, I’ll never know money, and I dropped too many f-bombs to ever be labeled as classy. A girl who looked like Snow fucking White was not supposed to ever land on my radar.
And now that same fucking girl was walking into my seventh period class like she hadn’t just upended my entire life, and I didn’t deal well with lack of control. I watched as Mr. Styles glanced around the classroom, whispering to her. My eyes followed his, and I quickly assessed the problem.
There were no empty desks.
The devil on my shoulder started cackling like an old witchy hag. My desk was in the back corner by the window, so it was about as private as we could get in here. I stood up, and making sure my voice carried across the room, I said, “She can share my space, Mr. Styles.”
Kenzlee’s entire body stilled and, even from where I stood, I could see her knuckles turn white with the death grip she had on her book. She had two choices right now; cause a scene or give in gracefully. I was willing to bet my left nut that all that good breeding and her classy upbringing would make her give in gracefully.
And I was right.
I stayed standing as she walked towards me, and the sight of her coming towards me…coming towards mecemented her fate. My heart was thumping in my chest. My stomach felt empty. My blood sizzled in my veins. And my eyes saw nothing but her.
And I hated it.
I hated it like you hate that drunk driver, who crashed into and killed your entire family, changing your life forever. Like an uncontrollable force reshaping your life for the worse.
Edie and my mother had always been the plan. They had always been the plan, and now this girl was threatening that because she called something in me that was stronger than my plan. And if I didn’t have enough self-control to stay away from her, then I was going to take her down with me.
Kenzlee stopped when she reached my desk and immediately voiced another problem. “There’s only one seat,” she muttered.
I gestured for her to take my seat and, once she did, I walked over to the supply closet and pulled out one of the folding chairs that were stored in there. I headed back to my desk and positioned the chair with the window behind my back and where I’d be facing Kenzlee as she faced the front of the class. Our knees touched, and she moved as far away from me as possible.
