Page 28 of The Road Back to Us

We stood outside the principal’s office and waited for Kara after we decided to take her home early. I loved that not only had Lyric dealt with the situation at hand, but she had also pushed Principal Newman into dealing with Tommy in a way no one ever had. The kid had been a punk since he was little, and no one in town liked him. But he had a mother who worked multiple jobs to keep food on the table and a father who was never around, so he didn’t have anyone at home keeping him in line. His mom did her best, but she was older, and life had definitely handed her a shitty hand on multiple occasions.

I had my head down, studying the tiles on the floor while Lyric responded to something on her phone, her fingers flying over the screen rapidly while she furrowed her brows. I hated that her day had been interrupted by this, but I was thankful that she had allowed me to be there, even if she didn’t need me as much as I had hoped she would.

A few minutes later, Kara came walking down the hall with her head hung as she clutched her books against her chest. I pushed off the wall, getting Lyric’s attention as she looked up, and then immediately put her phone away.

“Hey, Kar Bear, what’s wrong?” I asked, ducking my head to try to see her face.

“Nothing,” she muttered, keeping her gaze from meeting ours.

“It doesn’t look like nothing,” Lyric said softly. “Is it because we pulled you out early? We don’t have to. I’m more than happy to come back—”

“No,” Kara replied quickly. “I want to go home. Now.”

I nodded and pressed my lips into a thin line as worry dotted Lyric’s face.

We walked through the dirt lot that served as the visitor parking when I spotted Tommy a few rows over, joking with a few guys. Kara saw them at the same time I did, but it was the look on her face that had my blood boiling again. She didn’t look pissed off to see them—she looked terrified.

“Give me a second,” I said, excusing myself as I started heading his way.

“Cole,” Lyric warned as soon as she realized what I was up to.

I stalked over to Tommy, not giving him enough time to realize I was there until I had him pushed up against the passenger door of his truck with my arm over his throat. His eyes widened before they flashed with anger as he tried to push me off.

“Don’t even fucking think about it,” I growled in warning to his friends, who, for a split second, looked like they were going to try to help him.

“You’re gonna regret doing this,” Tommy said, spitting at me, but I moved before it hit me.

That only pissed me off, so I pressed harder, driving my point home.

“I’m not the one who is going to regret anything.”

“You’re assaulting a student. I could have the cops called on you.”

“Technically, you’re not in school right now because you got suspended for three days,” I countered, glancing to the side to check on Lyric and Kara as they watched. “Besides, we’re in the visitor lot, which isn’t considered school property.”

“Still, I’m a kid. There are rules about—”

“You’re eighteen, you fucking dumb ass. Stop trying to act like a victim all the time and take some fucking responsibility.”

I could hear whispers and knew his friends were trying to figure out what to do. I wasn’t sure if they were the same ones he had made the bet with, but given how many people disliked him, it was likely they were the only friends he had.

“What do you want?” he grunted, pushing his full weight against me to try to break free.

“Oh, that’s simple. I want you to leave my family the fuck alone,” I said loudly, making sure every word was clear. “If I hear anything about you messing with them, you will deal with me. Got it?”

“Whatever. Are we done?”

“Yes, we’re done,” Lyric said softly, stepping up beside me and resting her hand on my arm. “Let him go.”

I frowned, unsure why the sudden kindness she was giving to this asshole.

I stepped back, letting him fall forward as he coughed and rubbed at his throat. He looked up at me, fury in his eyes as he opened his mouth to say something. But before he could, Lyric pulled her fist back and popped him in the mouth.

“What the fuck? You bitch!” he growled, lifting his hand to his eye as Lyric stared at him. I pulled Kara around to the other side of me so she was out of the way in case this escalated. His friends took a few steps back while Lyric stood her ground, her frame tiny compared to his, but she looked fearless nonetheless.

“That’s my first and only warning,” Lyric said smoothly. “Cole here was being nice when he told you to leave our family alone. I, on the other hand, don’t have the kindness or patience that he has. So if you continue to fuck with my family, I will continue to fuck with you. I grew up with a brother who made sure I knew how to fight, so trust me when I say that you don’t stand a chance.”

His face paled as the pieces fell into place in his head when he figured out who she was and who her brother was. She smirked at him, not showing any sign of fear as she held her own.