AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He tilts his chin toward my locker as we approach. The dicks have been scrubbed, but they’re still visible—as is the lovely inscription. “I see someone’s starting the year right.” There’s some humor in his eyes, until he sees me enter my combination.
His jaw tightens, his eyes narrowing.
“Don’t get involved,” I tell him, before he can manage a word. “You’ll make everything worse. They’ll forget about me and move on to another target soon.”
Right? They have to.
His hazel eyes, similar to mine, though they’re more interesting, burn a bright green when he says between clenched teeth. “You’re not atarget. You’re anAstrella.” He says this like the name should matter, and to him, it does. I don’t navigate Uncle Lucius’s world enough to be impressed by it, I suppose. “Letting crap happen to you reflects on all of us.”
“Well, good thing that my surname is Reyes then,” I shoot back coolly. “I mean it. Leave it be. You're only here two days per month at best. If you interfere, you're going to make things worse for me when you're not looking."
He knows he’s right, though he doesn’t like it. Lucas glares at me as though I’m somewhat responsible for all this. Which I am, I suppose. But finally, he nods.
I hold his gaze, not really trusting him to let this go.
“Why didn’t you text me?” There’s an accusatory tone I don’t appreciate.
Now I roll my eyes. “You never answer texts.”
“I do when they’re important—there’s a difference between asking me what I think about a stupid-ass show and letting me know someone’s causing trouble with you.” He pauses. “Is there more?”
I’m glad my tights and blazer cover my knees and elbows—the scrapes are still scabbing.
Rather than answering, I tell him, “I have and can handle myself, but I’d rather avoid escalations. Stay out of it.” I slam my locker shut and give Lucas a huge smile as if to prove everything’s fine. “I’m good. Promise.”
I kiss his cheek and wave before departing for my next class.
It’ll probably be a week before I see him again, which is for the best, because I do want him to ignore all of this. Seeing him was enough to cheer me up.
Before he disappears at the end of the corridor, Lucas turns to me. “Hey! I forgot. Catch!” He chucks something in the air, and I have to jump in an attempt to intercept it. It falls to my right. Bending down to grab it, I smile.
My car keys.
Hulk is here.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I tend to stay on campus most weekends. Underclassmen need to have permission slips to leave during the term—even on weekends—but no one asks for it. The school encourages students to remain, so they could participate in group projects and socialize with their peers. No one protests, because the weekends at Cross are fun. There are games, races, competitions, and parties—some sanctioned by the school, others not so much. Even outliers like Sophia and I enjoy weekends.
This week, I practically run out the doors the moment the last bell strikes on Friday. Not even bothering to change out of my uniform, I race past the dorms, heading for the parking lot at the gatehouse.
I close in on Hulk just as a limo slides into the parking lot.
My heart skips a beat, then drums too fast in my chest. I know this car. It’s not the longest, or the flashiest of the legacies’ vehicles. The dark red Bentley is classic, standing out among the rest.
Jason’s car.
Cain’s the first to come out, followed by Maverick and Rowan. They’re joking around, as if all is right in the world. I suppose it is, for them.
I should get inside Hulk and get the hell out of here. I should…
They’ve seen me now. Maverick elbows Rowan and tilts his head to me. Cain’s smirking, eyes fasten on me.
No sign of Jason so far. If he’s in the car, I can’t tell—the windows are tinted nearly black.
“Well, if it isn’t our pretty little girl.” Cain has the nerve to wink at me.
What a fucking dick. “Do you get off on terrorizing little girls, asshole?”
