Logan sidled up next to us. I felt his presence beside Mason. "And stop playing the dumbass game. You know what we're talking about."
There was silence for a heartbeat and then Adam's laugh grated out. "Are you two serious? You don't think I know what you're doing with her? You're just having fun with her. You're using her to piss off your parents. Mark's told me a little bit. I thought Sam had daddy issues, but the two of you—"
I was transferred to Logan's arms in a flash, but I whirled in time to see Mason lunge for Adam. He knocked him backwards and then took hold of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. Adam didn't fight back, but the two glared at each other as Mason bent close. His mouth moved and Adam's face went white. He lost more and more coloring as Mason continued to speak in his ear. Then, after Mason stopped and held his gaze for a long tension-filled second, he stepped back and delivered one last punch to the side of Adam's face.
He went down, but he wasn't knocked unconscious. As he lay on the ground, he stared at Mason with fear starting to take root in his eyes. No one went to his side, but Becky broke through the crowd and dropped to her knees beside him. She touched the side of his face, but glared at Mason. "What's your problem? He's a good guy."
Mason's eyes cooled, but he glanced at me before he turned back.
My gut twitched as I realized he was in control. He'd been in control the whole time. He hadn't lost it when he went for Adam. Then Logan murmured in my ear, "Quinn's not the hero your friend thinks he is. It's time it came out."
But I was riveted by the scene unfolding before me when Mason placed his hands on his hips and gave my friend a look of regret. I shoved out of Logan's hold and scrambled to his side as he spoke to her, "You think he's a good guy? He used you to get to her."
Becky's eyes were scorching. "Did he tell you this?"
Mason shook his head. "I'm a guy. He didn't have to say a goddamn word. He's been sniffing around Sam since she was done with that other guy."
I touched his arm and was surprised. He wasn't tense. As he looked at me, he swept me against his side and pressed a kiss to my forehead.
"Sam? None of this makes sense."
My heart broke. She was a little girl in that moment. I closed my eyes as a sense of déjà vu hurled through me. She sounded how I felt when I walked into my home and was told we were leaving my dad.
Shattered.
"Sam." Adam spoke this time. He sat up with a hand still cradling the side of his face. "Just tell her. Tell her everything."
My tongue was thick as I struggled out, "Adam told me that he was using you to get to me. He admitted it to me, Becky. You were the only one I talked with after I found out about Jeff's cheating. And he's known about me and Mason—"
"You and Mason?" Lydia's were narrowed as she stood behind them. "I thought, but then…"
Logan whooped out, "You guys are so stupid! The two are together. They're hitched at the hip, literally right now. I'm starting to get pissed. Why's it so easy to think she's with me, but not my brother?"
"Because you're you…" Miranda spoke up. The Elite had joined the crowd around us. "And he's…"
"What?" Logan puffed out his chest and narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm what?"
"Nothing." She clamped her mouth shut and her cheeks grew pink. She didn't look away when he stepped closer to her.
"I'm what?" he asked again, softer this time.
"You're…no one can get Mason. No one's gotten him before."
Mason growled next to me. "This is starting to get stupid. That's enough." He stepped in front of Logan and pushed him back. "What are you doing? You're making this worse."
"Am I?" The corner of his lip curled up, but his tone was hostile. "You can't handle hearing how everyone thinks you're better than me?"
Mason yanked him close and whispered in his ear. As he spoke, Logan's chest started to heave up and down. His mouth tightened and his eyes went flat, and then he shoved him back in a violent push.
"Logan."
"Stop," he snarled at him and pushed through the crowd. As he was swallowed up, Mason stood there and stared after him. Something changed then. He turned towards Miranda and a deadly aura came over him.
But then someone else stepped towards him. "Mason."
I gasped in relief at the sight of Nate. He flashed me a small grin, but urged his best friend away from the crowd. I hurried to follow and found them in a private corner to hear the last words, "I'll take care of him."
Mason shook his head. "You sure? That bitch—"
Nate stopped him. "I'll take care of it, okay?" As I stepped closer, he smiled and pulled me in for a hug. "It's good to see you. I'm happy to hear about you and Mason. He'll treat you good. I promise."
Mason tugged me back and lifted me so I wrapped my legs around him. He held me in place, but spoke over my shoulder, "You'll make sure he's okay? This is important, Nate."
"I know. Chill. I'm not an idiot. I know what I'm doing."
"I don't want problems between me and my brother—"
"Would you stop acting like this is my first job? We've been doing this crap for years. It's not like I don't know how to handle Logan, you know. I am friends with him."
Mason's hand started to rub against my bottom and he kissed my shoulder. Then he added, "I know. I'm worried because of—"
"He's over Tate. He knew you were being a good brother." Nate shook his head. "For my sake, take her in the back and get happy. Both of you. Everything will be sorted out. Logan will be his normal self tomorrow."
I twisted around. "How are you going to do that?"
Nate gave me a smug look and a chill went over me. A flash of memories washed over me then.
"When Nate and Mason team up, they always do something."
"He's bad news, like really bad news. I heard him and Kade are not a good team together."
My own mother's voice on the phone, 'I'm sure he's not that bad of a boy. Mason seems very sure of himself.'
I never asked, but I was sure she'd been talking about Nate and now I started to wonder what they meant. Nate had been kind to me, but I saw a different side of him as he answered me. "I'll get him to bang the queen of your school. He already started the groundwork and she bit, she bit hard."
There was silence for a heartbeat and then Adam's laugh grated out. "Are you two serious? You don't think I know what you're doing with her? You're just having fun with her. You're using her to piss off your parents. Mark's told me a little bit. I thought Sam had daddy issues, but the two of you—"
I was transferred to Logan's arms in a flash, but I whirled in time to see Mason lunge for Adam. He knocked him backwards and then took hold of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. Adam didn't fight back, but the two glared at each other as Mason bent close. His mouth moved and Adam's face went white. He lost more and more coloring as Mason continued to speak in his ear. Then, after Mason stopped and held his gaze for a long tension-filled second, he stepped back and delivered one last punch to the side of Adam's face.
He went down, but he wasn't knocked unconscious. As he lay on the ground, he stared at Mason with fear starting to take root in his eyes. No one went to his side, but Becky broke through the crowd and dropped to her knees beside him. She touched the side of his face, but glared at Mason. "What's your problem? He's a good guy."
Mason's eyes cooled, but he glanced at me before he turned back.
My gut twitched as I realized he was in control. He'd been in control the whole time. He hadn't lost it when he went for Adam. Then Logan murmured in my ear, "Quinn's not the hero your friend thinks he is. It's time it came out."
But I was riveted by the scene unfolding before me when Mason placed his hands on his hips and gave my friend a look of regret. I shoved out of Logan's hold and scrambled to his side as he spoke to her, "You think he's a good guy? He used you to get to her."
Becky's eyes were scorching. "Did he tell you this?"
Mason shook his head. "I'm a guy. He didn't have to say a goddamn word. He's been sniffing around Sam since she was done with that other guy."
I touched his arm and was surprised. He wasn't tense. As he looked at me, he swept me against his side and pressed a kiss to my forehead.
"Sam? None of this makes sense."
My heart broke. She was a little girl in that moment. I closed my eyes as a sense of déjà vu hurled through me. She sounded how I felt when I walked into my home and was told we were leaving my dad.
Shattered.
"Sam." Adam spoke this time. He sat up with a hand still cradling the side of his face. "Just tell her. Tell her everything."
My tongue was thick as I struggled out, "Adam told me that he was using you to get to me. He admitted it to me, Becky. You were the only one I talked with after I found out about Jeff's cheating. And he's known about me and Mason—"
"You and Mason?" Lydia's were narrowed as she stood behind them. "I thought, but then…"
Logan whooped out, "You guys are so stupid! The two are together. They're hitched at the hip, literally right now. I'm starting to get pissed. Why's it so easy to think she's with me, but not my brother?"
"Because you're you…" Miranda spoke up. The Elite had joined the crowd around us. "And he's…"
"What?" Logan puffed out his chest and narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm what?"
"Nothing." She clamped her mouth shut and her cheeks grew pink. She didn't look away when he stepped closer to her.
"I'm what?" he asked again, softer this time.
"You're…no one can get Mason. No one's gotten him before."
Mason growled next to me. "This is starting to get stupid. That's enough." He stepped in front of Logan and pushed him back. "What are you doing? You're making this worse."
"Am I?" The corner of his lip curled up, but his tone was hostile. "You can't handle hearing how everyone thinks you're better than me?"
Mason yanked him close and whispered in his ear. As he spoke, Logan's chest started to heave up and down. His mouth tightened and his eyes went flat, and then he shoved him back in a violent push.
"Logan."
"Stop," he snarled at him and pushed through the crowd. As he was swallowed up, Mason stood there and stared after him. Something changed then. He turned towards Miranda and a deadly aura came over him.
But then someone else stepped towards him. "Mason."
I gasped in relief at the sight of Nate. He flashed me a small grin, but urged his best friend away from the crowd. I hurried to follow and found them in a private corner to hear the last words, "I'll take care of him."
Mason shook his head. "You sure? That bitch—"
Nate stopped him. "I'll take care of it, okay?" As I stepped closer, he smiled and pulled me in for a hug. "It's good to see you. I'm happy to hear about you and Mason. He'll treat you good. I promise."
Mason tugged me back and lifted me so I wrapped my legs around him. He held me in place, but spoke over my shoulder, "You'll make sure he's okay? This is important, Nate."
"I know. Chill. I'm not an idiot. I know what I'm doing."
"I don't want problems between me and my brother—"
"Would you stop acting like this is my first job? We've been doing this crap for years. It's not like I don't know how to handle Logan, you know. I am friends with him."
Mason's hand started to rub against my bottom and he kissed my shoulder. Then he added, "I know. I'm worried because of—"
"He's over Tate. He knew you were being a good brother." Nate shook his head. "For my sake, take her in the back and get happy. Both of you. Everything will be sorted out. Logan will be his normal self tomorrow."
I twisted around. "How are you going to do that?"
Nate gave me a smug look and a chill went over me. A flash of memories washed over me then.
"When Nate and Mason team up, they always do something."
"He's bad news, like really bad news. I heard him and Kade are not a good team together."
My own mother's voice on the phone, 'I'm sure he's not that bad of a boy. Mason seems very sure of himself.'
I never asked, but I was sure she'd been talking about Nate and now I started to wonder what they meant. Nate had been kind to me, but I saw a different side of him as he answered me. "I'll get him to bang the queen of your school. He already started the groundwork and she bit, she bit hard."
