Page 29 of Play The Game

I don’t know if it’s just the ice Avery is throwing, but the whole room freezes. I’m too damn worried to look at Ash or Harley right now, so my focus stays glued on Avery. Her eyes narrow at Blaise, but he doesn’t back down, and I start to sweat at the thought of the brawl that’s about to happen. This is exactly what I was afraid of, dammit! I open my mouth, ready to try and diffuse the fight, when a slow smile stretches across her face.

“I’m glad you’re taking your relationship seriously. Morrison is still second. You two need to step up,” she decrees, shooting me a smug look.

Blaise scoffs at her, kisses my head again, and then stomps his way to the bathroom. He knows better than to slam the door, though, and it shuts quietly behind him with a soft click instead before the shower cuts on. I envy his escape a little, but I also can’t think about it too much without picturing him in there right now, naked and wet, and Jesus help me, I’ve become a pervert. I blame the three of them entirely.

Ash gives Avery a hard look. “How? I look in her direction, and you have a fucking episode at me.”

Avery stands to clear plates away. “I’m not explaining myself to you, Ash. I’m doing whatever I have to do to keep our family safe and happy, even if that means gutting one of you for Lips.”

Harley moves to sling his arm over my shoulders, and I take my first deep breath since I woke up.

His eyes are possessive on me while he says to Avery in a haughty tone, “So we’re all being tested by you to make sure our intentions are pure? I’m not fucking worried. I’m sleeping here tonight. I’m fucking sick of spending all of my time with that skank of a teacher.”

EIGHT

After a chaotic weekend attempting to study with Avery and the guys, I’m almost relieved to be back in class. Not that I enjoy being around the other students, and the teachers here are all average at best, but it’s far easier to focus on my work here. I thought, at most, I’d spend my weekends tutoring Blaise with a little refereeing on the side, because even Avery is contentious and competitive at the best of times. Instead, by Sunday afternoon I had my headphones in to drown them all out and here I was thinking I’d have an easier time with my assignments this year.

Sitting in our last class for the day, I’m keeping a careful eye on Blaise’s blushing desk buddy from across the room when my phone vibrates silently against my leg. Harley feels it and glances around before frowning at me when it’s clear the text has come from outside our little family.

With a shrug, I wait for the teacher to turn his back before checking the text.

Heads up, little Wolf, I’m making a house call. School call? Whatever. I’ve got intel for you. The kind that can’t wait and needs to be delivered personally. The O’Cronin kid can get you into the pool, right? Meet me there at 11pm.

I groan; just what I need. Harley quirks an eyebrow at me, and when I flash him the screen to show him Illi’s text, his frown deepens. He glances up to meet my eyes before giving me a curt nod, turning back to scowl as he works on the equations in front of him.

The swirling pit in my stomach makes it impossible to do the same, my mind running through a hundred different scenarios, so instead I glare at the back of the blushing girl’s head like this is all her fault.

Harley bumps me gently to get my attention and asks me what the hell my problem is using just his eyebrows. Yep, I’m fluent now. I know exactly what the golden god is saying, only I’m not sure I can get my eyebrows to say what I need them to in return, so I shrug instead.

After class, Avery laughs at me as I eyeball the fuck out of the blushing girl. I tuck my arm into hers and stomp to the dining hall for an early dinner, ignoring the guys as they gloat at each other over last night’s fight club.

I already know Ash won.

If the bruised and split skin on his knuckles didn’t give it away, then the looks of begrudging awe and sheer terror he gets from the other students would have clued me in. I hear Blaise joking about sending Harley the video of a particularly brutal fight with one of Joey’s ex-flunkies and I make a note to get a copy myself.

For… research purposes.

Ahem.

Avery grimaces at her phone before murmuring, “I don’t know why you’re glaring at that poor little sheep. He barely noticed her existence, and she was too shy to even try to speak to him.”

With a groan, I roll my eyes at her. “Exactly. So, if he needs help with his workbook she’s not going to be able to do shit if she can’t even speak to him. She didn’t take a single note the entire class.”

Avery chuckles. “Neither did you.”

“Difference is, the Mounty has already finished the entire algebra unit and is now working on the geometry workbook that the class won’t move to for another eight weeks. She’s so far ahead, even Harley’s extra special tutoring can’t get close to her,” Ash interrupts, and Avery cuts me a look.

“Are you sleeping at night? How much coffee are you drinking? Do I need to give up ballet and start stalking you to make sure you’re taking care of yourself?” she hisses, and I laugh at her.

We push into the dining hall, and I try to ignore the looks I get. It’s not so bad, thanks to the time and the fact that I’m surrounded by the others. I’ve only attempted to eat here at a normal time by myself once since we got back; but no thanks, not again. It was unbearable, like being stuck in one of the Jackal’s sick ploys with everyone watching me and barely even pretending to whisper all the crap they were saying about me. None of them dare to say a word now, though, not with Avery’s arm tucked in mine and the guys surrounding us both. The students here seem to think they’re the dangerous ones.

Fucking rich idiots.

I grab a tray for myself and Avery, ignoring three sets of glares at my independent move. I make it two steps before Ash wrestles it from me. Chivalrous dickhead. “I’m sleeping just fine. Things are calmer this year, at school at least. I’m not worried about Joey choking you or Harlow fucking poisoning you. I’m not stressing about hot assholes sitting on my couch glaring at me all day.” Avery gags at me dramatically, and I smirk back. “I’m just getting ahead before everything turns to shit like it always does.”

The smirk slides off my face as a voice in the back of my mind oh-so-helpfully whispers, famous last words, and it’s hard to ignore the unease that begins to build in my stomach.

Harley arrives at our door at ten.