“Because our school is full of douchebags and bitches?” Logan shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest, leaning against the front of my vehicle. “Just a thought.”
I grinned at him. “I think most people would call us the same thing.”
He snorted. “Who the f**k cares?” He held a fist up. “Us against the world, big brother.”
I hit his fist with mine and sighed. “Us against the world, little brother.”
We shared a look, remembering all the shitty things that had happened over the past few years. I had a feeling we had shittier years coming. Then I shook my head. “It’ll get better. It has to get better.”
“Whatever.” He pushed up from the Escalade. “I want to get wasted and laid tonight. I wish those two things rhymed.” He paused, frowning at me. “Ripped and dicked? Does that work?”
I shook my head. “You’re not a poet. Don’t even try.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” He began following me towards the cabin. “Get my drink on and then my f**k on? No. That doesn’t sound right.”
“Shut up.”
“Wait. I got it.” His hand came down on my shoulder and he tugged me to a stop. His smirk widened. “Shagged and bagged?”
“That’s the same thing.”
“Shit. You’re right.”
Ignoring his hand, I started forward again.
He snapped his fingers behind me. “I’d like to get f**ked faced and then f**k someone’s face.”
“You still suck.”
“I’m better than you.”
I grinned, but didn’t turn around. Someone yelled our name, “Kade!” Looking around, I saw it was Jared Smythe.
He was coming from the bonfire, a case of beer hanging from his hand. With a wide smile, he was shaking his head as he got closer. He tossed each of us a beer, then pounded me on the chest. “Hey, man. We made it through the year. Me in college and you in school.” He pointed at Logan. “You. I remember when you were a little shit. I thought you got my brother into drugs.”
The humor disappeared from Logan’s face and he stood at his tallest height. He was an inch shorter than me, but he had grown so he was Smythe’s equal now. Then he smirked at him. “You should thank me. Because I kicked your brother’s ass, he’s not a stoner this year.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Jared rolled his eyes.
Logan narrowed his. I grinned, feeling proud. Smythe had gotten weak over the last year. He had graduated a year ago so he didn’t know not to mess with Logan anymore. He said now, “You want to say that again?”
“Say what?” Jared looked between us. “Huh?”
Logan moved forward a step, closing the distance between them. He was eye to eye with Jared now. “Be more disrespectful. Please.”
Jared glanced at me. “Kade?”
I did nothing. I shook my head. “Smythe, I did’t help you two years ago. Why would I now?”
His face clouded over and he looked around. People were watching. No one was coming to his aid. Realizing his mistake, he moved back a step and laughed, his tone on edge. “Guess I’m behind on some things. No disrespect meant, Logan.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Logan turned away, gave me a half-grin, and headed off. “I’m going to get my drink-on so I can get my f**k-on later. Bye, bitches.”
I waited. Jared didn’t say anything. He stared at me, half dazed, and then nodded to me. “Okay. Well. I’ll talk to you later. It’s good to see you again, Mason.”
As he left, Nate bypassed him. I looked over and saw Parker heading towards her friends. When Nate got to me, I gestured to her. “I don’t like what they did to Marissa.”
He frowned. “What do you want to do about it?”
“I don’t know.” And that was the truth. There’d been guys who challenged me a year ago. I had been a freshman on the varsity team, and I was a starter. Not a lot of them had taken that lightly, but when they realized they couldn’t beat me, most of them backed off. There’d been no problems this year either, but that was all with guys. Things were different when girls fought. “I have absolutely no idea.”
“They’ll probably do that crap again, but to a different girl.”
“They’re probably doing it now.” I frowned. I didn’t know how I felt about that.
“Mason?”
I had turned to watch Parker and Kate. They had gone to the keg right away and had their cups already. Laughing, talking loudly, I realized they were like us. They were at the top of the social chain. Kate glared at another group of girls and I realized they weren’t. They were the top in our grade. The girls in the grade above us didn’t fear Kate. For some reason, I was happy about that.
“Mason.”
“What?” I turned back to Nate. “What’d you say?”
“What do you want to do about them?”
“I have no idea. I don’t know what we can do.” A gnawing feeling was in my gut. It would be a problem in the future. “Marissa’s transferring.”
“Yeah.” His tone softened. I heard the regret there. “You kind of liked her, didn’t you?”
I shrugged. “Not like that. She was innocent. There was no agenda with her.” Everyone seemed to have an agenda now. “Want to get wasted tonight?”
“No girls. It’s a guys’ night tonight.”
I nodded. “Sounds good to me.” As we headed to find Logan, I caught the look Kate sent my way. I shook my head. Fuck no. She’d hurt my friend. It’d be a long time before I would talk to her again. As she got my message, she rolled her eyes and turned away. Her voice raised and she went back to laughing louder. It was like nothing happened.
As we headed inside, I stopped in my tracks. Tate was draped all over Logan. Her arms were around his neck and her head was nestled against his shoulder. His arms were stuffed in his pockets, but he wasn’t pushing her off him. A growl ripped from my throat and everyone stopped.
Logan stiffened, straightening to his tallest height.
Tate lifted her head, growing cautious.
Someone cut the music and I heard a whisper, “This is going to be good.”
I ignored them as I advanced on Logan and Tate. As I stepped closer, Logan moved away from her. Her arms dropped from him, but she didn’t look at me. She was looking at the corner of the room when I stopped in front of her. Instead of talking to her, I said to my brother, “She wanted to f**k me.”
I grinned at him. “I think most people would call us the same thing.”
He snorted. “Who the f**k cares?” He held a fist up. “Us against the world, big brother.”
I hit his fist with mine and sighed. “Us against the world, little brother.”
We shared a look, remembering all the shitty things that had happened over the past few years. I had a feeling we had shittier years coming. Then I shook my head. “It’ll get better. It has to get better.”
“Whatever.” He pushed up from the Escalade. “I want to get wasted and laid tonight. I wish those two things rhymed.” He paused, frowning at me. “Ripped and dicked? Does that work?”
I shook my head. “You’re not a poet. Don’t even try.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” He began following me towards the cabin. “Get my drink on and then my f**k on? No. That doesn’t sound right.”
“Shut up.”
“Wait. I got it.” His hand came down on my shoulder and he tugged me to a stop. His smirk widened. “Shagged and bagged?”
“That’s the same thing.”
“Shit. You’re right.”
Ignoring his hand, I started forward again.
He snapped his fingers behind me. “I’d like to get f**ked faced and then f**k someone’s face.”
“You still suck.”
“I’m better than you.”
I grinned, but didn’t turn around. Someone yelled our name, “Kade!” Looking around, I saw it was Jared Smythe.
He was coming from the bonfire, a case of beer hanging from his hand. With a wide smile, he was shaking his head as he got closer. He tossed each of us a beer, then pounded me on the chest. “Hey, man. We made it through the year. Me in college and you in school.” He pointed at Logan. “You. I remember when you were a little shit. I thought you got my brother into drugs.”
The humor disappeared from Logan’s face and he stood at his tallest height. He was an inch shorter than me, but he had grown so he was Smythe’s equal now. Then he smirked at him. “You should thank me. Because I kicked your brother’s ass, he’s not a stoner this year.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Jared rolled his eyes.
Logan narrowed his. I grinned, feeling proud. Smythe had gotten weak over the last year. He had graduated a year ago so he didn’t know not to mess with Logan anymore. He said now, “You want to say that again?”
“Say what?” Jared looked between us. “Huh?”
Logan moved forward a step, closing the distance between them. He was eye to eye with Jared now. “Be more disrespectful. Please.”
Jared glanced at me. “Kade?”
I did nothing. I shook my head. “Smythe, I did’t help you two years ago. Why would I now?”
His face clouded over and he looked around. People were watching. No one was coming to his aid. Realizing his mistake, he moved back a step and laughed, his tone on edge. “Guess I’m behind on some things. No disrespect meant, Logan.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Logan turned away, gave me a half-grin, and headed off. “I’m going to get my drink-on so I can get my f**k-on later. Bye, bitches.”
I waited. Jared didn’t say anything. He stared at me, half dazed, and then nodded to me. “Okay. Well. I’ll talk to you later. It’s good to see you again, Mason.”
As he left, Nate bypassed him. I looked over and saw Parker heading towards her friends. When Nate got to me, I gestured to her. “I don’t like what they did to Marissa.”
He frowned. “What do you want to do about it?”
“I don’t know.” And that was the truth. There’d been guys who challenged me a year ago. I had been a freshman on the varsity team, and I was a starter. Not a lot of them had taken that lightly, but when they realized they couldn’t beat me, most of them backed off. There’d been no problems this year either, but that was all with guys. Things were different when girls fought. “I have absolutely no idea.”
“They’ll probably do that crap again, but to a different girl.”
“They’re probably doing it now.” I frowned. I didn’t know how I felt about that.
“Mason?”
I had turned to watch Parker and Kate. They had gone to the keg right away and had their cups already. Laughing, talking loudly, I realized they were like us. They were at the top of the social chain. Kate glared at another group of girls and I realized they weren’t. They were the top in our grade. The girls in the grade above us didn’t fear Kate. For some reason, I was happy about that.
“Mason.”
“What?” I turned back to Nate. “What’d you say?”
“What do you want to do about them?”
“I have no idea. I don’t know what we can do.” A gnawing feeling was in my gut. It would be a problem in the future. “Marissa’s transferring.”
“Yeah.” His tone softened. I heard the regret there. “You kind of liked her, didn’t you?”
I shrugged. “Not like that. She was innocent. There was no agenda with her.” Everyone seemed to have an agenda now. “Want to get wasted tonight?”
“No girls. It’s a guys’ night tonight.”
I nodded. “Sounds good to me.” As we headed to find Logan, I caught the look Kate sent my way. I shook my head. Fuck no. She’d hurt my friend. It’d be a long time before I would talk to her again. As she got my message, she rolled her eyes and turned away. Her voice raised and she went back to laughing louder. It was like nothing happened.
As we headed inside, I stopped in my tracks. Tate was draped all over Logan. Her arms were around his neck and her head was nestled against his shoulder. His arms were stuffed in his pockets, but he wasn’t pushing her off him. A growl ripped from my throat and everyone stopped.
Logan stiffened, straightening to his tallest height.
Tate lifted her head, growing cautious.
Someone cut the music and I heard a whisper, “This is going to be good.”
I ignored them as I advanced on Logan and Tate. As I stepped closer, Logan moved away from her. Her arms dropped from him, but she didn’t look at me. She was looking at the corner of the room when I stopped in front of her. Instead of talking to her, I said to my brother, “She wanted to f**k me.”
