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She wants to get out of our little bargain, but she has no idea who she’s fucking with.
“Come on, man,” Chaz says, his hands on my face. “Stay with me.”
“I’m fine,” I croak, but my head is killing me.
“They’re almost here.”
“She’s going to pay,” I say.
“Who?”
The ambulance squeals into the parking lot, and paramedics jump out. Chaz moves so they can do what they need to do. When they lift me onto a gurney, the pain makes my head spin. By the time I’m in the ambulance, I’d rather sleep.
And then they give me something that does just that—it knocks me the fuck out.
I drift into oblivion, and for the first time in fucking years, I feel nothing at all. And the bliss is exactly what I want.
Damn it, if they could give me some of this shit on tap in my room, that would be great. Maybe I can organize something. I could ask Pete if he can hook me up.
I don’t want my drug dealer to be the last person I think about before I pass out, but when Raina’s face flashes before me, her dark hair and stunning eyes bright and beautiful, I let out a groan.
This is even worse.
She’s going to pay.
Chapter 6
Raina
“Oh, I don’t have any cash on me,” I say to Kat when she insists we get some food from the cafeteria after spending Monday afternoon studying.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get it this time, and you catch the next.”
We stand in line, and I nod. I don’t know how to tell her that I won’t have cash on me next time either.
Or maybe, somehow, I will. I just don’t know how I’m going to do that. I haven’t figured out how I’m going to take care of money or find a job or dosomethingto get my dad off my back. I was busy all weekend trying to study Stone’s work to gethimoff my back. I can only deal with one controlling asshole at a time, and I’m not stupid. Stone can cause a lot more damage in my life right now than my dad can.
There was a time when that was different. Funny how broken bones don’t seem nearly as scary as broken dreams right now.
“Are you okay?” Kat asks.
“What?” She brings me back from the spiral of my thoughts.
“You look worried about something. These tests won’t get the better of you, you know. I see how you study. You’re very systematic, and you’re brilliant. You’ll be fine.”
“Oh.” Yeah, sure. I’ll play along. My own studies are the least of my worries right now, but I can’t tell Kat that. Sometimes, I wish I could confide in her. She’s nice to me, and she’s genuine. She’s nothing like most of the other people I’ve encountered on campus, and that’s saying something. “Yeah, I guess I’ll figure it out. I just feel way in over my head.”
“You look like you’re keeping up, and that’s good. If you just keep working hard, you’ll be fine. The last thing you want to do around here is fall behind.”
I nod. She’s right. Her work ethic is great, and she’s a model student. She’s just the kind of person I might never have been friends with if I’d been here under different circumstances. But our lives take us in directions we never guessed, and Kat turns out to be the breath of fresh air I didn’t know I needed.
The cafeteria is busy and loud, with students calling over each other, making loud jokes at each other’s expense, and laughing. It’s almost like high school, with cliques at the different tables and the different clothing styles and tastes in music.
The only thing lacking here is a constant dose of bullying, which I’m glad about.
Kat and I order sandwiches and carry our food to an open Formica table.
“So, what’s it like for you at home?” Kat asks before biting into her sandwich.
