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Chapter Thirteen
Stryker
“I’m gonna kill the bitch if she keeps kicking me in the balls,” Logan groans in pain as we sit around his pool. To say he wasn’t angry would be like saying the sky is pink. My homeboy was livid, yet my spitfire had cracked him good.
After what went down in the hall at school, we decided to skip the afternoon classes. I watched Nate and Jonah leave out the side door with Phoenix. I was curious about the group dynamic of her friends. Well, I was more curious about why she let those guys give her hugs and touch her, but when it came to my group or any other guy at school for that matter, she always came out kicking and swinging. I needed to know.
My cousin was attacked years ago, and I’ve watched her go through a lot since then. I can’t help but see the similarities in Phe’s behavior. If I’m correct about what I think happened, I need to find a way for Logan to understand that she wasn’t to blame.
“What time does she come home today?” I ask.
“Why, Stryker? You want to hit that or something?” Caden pipes in. This fucker was too astute for his own good. I would need to remember this for next time. I couldn’t go around making it that obvious.
“Nah, man. Just wanna know is all, wondering how much longer we have before he decides to kick off world war three with her. I want to make sure I have a cup ready.” Laughing at the expense of my friend comes easy. He’s starting to really piss me off with his need for revenge.
I get that blood is thicker than water, but in this case, he’s acting like the first thirteen years of their lives never mattered. He’s turning into a cold, callous motherfucker. I’m starting to wonder if maybe Logan is hiding and wallowing in his own pile of self-pity. My friend seems to have an internal battle warring inside, one he thinks he hides well.
“Fuck off, asshole,” Logan throws a pillow at me. “I don’t intend to go anywhere near her when she gets back. My balls are still numb from her attack today.”
“Well, that will teach you to go stealing kisses from people that don’t want you to touch them, man. I mean, you were two seconds from jumping into her pants in the hallway. I don’t think you hate her quite as much as you think you do.” Ricky decided to join the conversation now, and he has an amused look on his face. He’s been dying to throw this back into Logan’s face. “You know, Taylah saw all that go down, bro. She was fuming as she ran off. That girl is going to be out for blood next week at school. I would not want to be Phoenix when she walks through the front doors on Monday.”
“Couldn’t care less what Taylah has planned for her. She deserves what’s coming for her, and leave Taylah to me. I’ll make sure she’s happy by the end of the night.” I think Logan’s a little overconfident in his skills of persuasion. I saw the fire in that girl’s eyes.
I have no idea why he can’t see what the rest of us do. He clearly likes Phoenix. This bullshit with his cousin’s family has him so conflicted he can’t see what’s right in front of him, or maybe he is choosing not to, I don’t know.
She threw a challenge down today and leveled him for the second time. And I would be lying if I didn’t say her actions made me proud.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, bro, but she was dropping some pretty major hints for you today.” I tread carefully. If there is one thing I know about my best friend, it’s that he can be stubborn sometimes, and you can be left waiting for him to understand.
“The fuck you talking about Stryker?”
“Exactly what I said. Where’s your head at, man? You ever actually ASKED her to tell you about Kyle? Or what happened between the two of them? I mean, if I were you, that might be something I’d wanna know. You keep talking about shit your aunt and uncle told you, but not once did your parents or Phe tell you what went down. Don’t you think that’s weird, man? She is all but begging for you to ask her about it, and just like usual, you are so blinded by what you think you know you cannot see what is truly in front of you. Come on, bro, please tell me you’re not that stupid?”
“Do you have a thing for her, Stryker? Is that why you want me to drop this shit?” he says through clenched teeth. “I don’t care what she has to say; all she does is lie.”
“But what are you basing that on? Huh? Tell me this, Logan, if your aunt and uncle had never said anything to you, would you still feel like this toward her, or would you have asked her what had happened before making up your mind so quickly?”
When I saw what was going down in the hall earlier, I knew instinctively that she was going to attack back. I let her get the first hit in because he needs to learn you can’t just go round touching people when they want nothing to do with you, but I knew she wasn’t going to stop there.
Taking her in my arms was a mistake, though. It felt right for her to be there. It was like she was made for me. I swear I felt her body relax when I told her to calm down. It was like we both knew what we needed from each other at that moment. But the fact that he is now calling me out on it proves I made a mistake. I may have had my hunches, but I wouldn’t be letting a girl come between us.
“Whatever, man, just keep the drama between the two of you,” I quip, getting up and grabbing my stuff. “I’m heading out. I have some shit to do with my cousin this afternoon.”
It’s a lie, and I know it. But they don’t need to know where I’m going. I really want to catch Phoenix alone. I know her schedule at the studio, and Friday afternoons are when she has her private lesson and then uses the studio just for herself. She’s there most afternoons until it’s damn near dark. I’ve never seen her friends waiting for her either, she’ll be there all by herself.
Pulling into the studio parking lot, I notice that there are a couple of cars in it, none belonging to her crew. Making my way inside, I head to her studio and silently slip in. She looks so graceful as she moves to a song that I’ve never heard before. It is like she uses the music to show how she’s feeling. This is what she took up as a way to cope, it’s obvious in every move she makes. This is her way of feeling in control, after whatever it is she went through.
As the song finishes, I make myself known.
“You looked beautiful just then,” I say softly, not wanting to scare her. But who am I kidding? I was just creeping on her; she has every right to be scared.
“How’d you get in here, Stryker?” She’s clearly annoyed that I’ve interrupted her time alone in the studio. She’s very hard to read, but when she’s dancing, it’s like all the walls come down, and you can see her clearly. I’m guessing she’s more embarrassed than angry, having someone watch her when she feels most vulnerable, but she glares at me just the same.
“Phoenix, we need to talk,” I start. I don’t want to scare her away, but I need to know what she knows so I can find a way to help her. I don’t want to be the bad guy in this situation. My cousin would lose all respect for me if she found out I was treating someone that had been through the same hell as her like this. Hell, my own parents would probably disown me if they knew.
“About what, Stryker? What could we possibly have to talk about?” she huffs out as she puts her t-shirt back on. Damn it, I was enjoying the view. It was setting my body ablaze in every way possible.
“You said earlier today if we wanted to know what really happened you’d tell us when we were ready to act appropriately,” shifting to readjust myself, I don’t want her to know that I feel something toward her yet, not until this shit is sorted between her and Logan, and I have a chance to talk to him about it as well. I have caught glimpses of him staring at her with an awe-filled gaze.
