“I did not,” Daisy said.
“If you’re going, that will be cool. The whole gang is going, right, Ant?” Miles asked.
Anthony, his silent self, just stared.
“See, confirmation.” Miles pointed at his friend.
“He didn’t even speak.”
“But if you watch his facial expressions, you will see he is actually very easy to read. A certain brow lift. The sneer. You name it, he has it.”
“We’re all going,” Anthony said. “Don’t stare at my face for so long.”
“Look, irritate him enough and he starts talking as if by magic.”
She loved her twin. Miles didn’t have a filter. A trait that seemed to run in the family. Their half-sister Tate was known for it.
Tabitha had learned young to bide her time, to hold her tongue, at least, that was what she tried to do. It didn’t always work out that way.
“I’m going. Fine. I’m going.”
“We’ll go shopping next week. Come on, get dressed. You know you want to.”
Daisy rolled her eyes again, another little trait she’d decided to start doing. Rather than be pissed at her best friend, she rolled with it. It was what she did nowadays.
She knew, at times, Daisy was going through some crap inside her head. When she was ready, she’d unload, but until then, she got the pissy version from time to time. It wasn’t like anything she couldn’t deal with.
“Guys, leave,” Daisy said. “We’re not kids anymore. I’m not getting changed in front of you.”
“Buzzkill,” Miles said.
Anthony slapped him around the back of the head and made sure the guys left before he did.
Daisy changed into a pair of jeans, and like all of the kids of The Skulls, she quickly pulled on her leather jacket, labeling her as one. Whenever they visited the Quad, it was essential.
“This is stupid.”
“You’re going to love it.”
“Watching a bunch of kids fight. Yeah, it’s going to be so much fun.”
“We are all still a bunch of kids.”
“Yeah, well, I’m trying not to be.”
“Oh, really, what are you trying to be?” Tabitha asked, climbing out of the tree.
“An adult. Do you expect us to keep on acting like this when we’re older?” Daisy asked. “Should I put the window down?”
“You didn’t make the bed to look like we’re still home and like you said, Whizz is going to know we headed out. He’d see it.”
“True. I’ll be grounded for this.”
“We’ll deal with that when the time comes.” They were all often grounded as kids, but with how busy the club got, it was hard for their parents to keep a constant eye on all of them.
Down on the ground, Tabitha ran her fingers through her hair. Lacey had agreed to dye her tips, but now she was having doubts. Maybe she wanted a different color. Purple or green. She’d handle it then.
Daisy had such a kick-ass mom in Lacey, even though the woman wasn’t her biological mother. Daisy’s real parents had been pieces of work. Assholes who often forgot their daughter, and it was only because of her own mother and Angel that Daisy got any real kind of care. The Skulls had taken Daisy in, and well, she was family.
That was what The Skulls were, one big happy family. Tabitha or any of the kids could go to any of the club members’ houses and there would be a bed for them, protection, and comfort. It was just the way the club was. Even for the prospects and the recently patched-in members. It was the way the club rolled.
She grabbed Daisy’s arm, locking hers around her, as they walked down the street. It was only a twenty-minute walk to the Quad, but most of the time they took a car. Anthony had been learning how to drive and Simon actually owned a car. It was a gift from his parents, Tate and Murphy, but he still needed to pass his test.
“Do not try to make this right. You were a bitch up there,” Daisy said.
“I know but I promise you, I’ll make it right with you.”
“You’ll make it right? Your Simon will probably sneak here and take you out. You’ll abandon me, as that’s what you do, and then it will be all over. I’ll be at a party, on my own, wishing I’d stayed at home.”
“It won’t be that way.”
Daisy looked toward her with a raised brow.
“What? It won’t. I promise. I’ll be good and I’ll stay with you the whole time.” With the entire gang going, she wouldn’t get the luxury of sneaking off, and from her last conversation with Simon, he wasn’t going to be able to sneak off either. His dad was pissed because he’d gotten suspended again for fighting.
He’d done this a few times. They both went to school with people who just seemed to enjoy running into their fists.
“I tell you, man, I can’t wait to hit someone. I mean fucking mess them up,” Miles said. He slammed his fist against his open palm and chuckled. “It will feel so fucking good.”
“Miles, you’re a dick,” Tabitha said.
He burst out laughing. “Yeah, and you’re a pussy.”
Daisy sighed. “Really, I stopped reading for this?”
“Come on, Daisy. You know you love to watch a good fight. I bet if you asked nicely, Anthony would be all over that shit for you. Fighting, maybe even take his shirt off.” This earned Miles another hit on the head.
Shaking her head, she held her friend’s hand even tighter. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
“Come on, this is going to be fun. We’ll enjoy this fight, your dad will be pissed, and then we’ve got Halloween to look forward to.”
“And if this all goes wrong and it was a trick to get the cops here, our parents will be picking us all up from the cells. Oh, yay, what fun.”
“What happened to my friend Daisy? You used to be cool.”
“Thanks. Look, I’m sorry. I’ve got a lot on my mind right now.”
“Is this because of your dad?” Tabitha asked, whispering so the guys wouldn’t know. Daisy had confided in her that her real dad, the one who had given her up so easily, kept on sniffing around, wanting money. Threatening. She didn’t want to take it to Whizz or get The Skulls involved because of everything they were going through, or put them at risk of killing someone.
Her real dad would be easily killed by the club, and he should have been a long time ago.
“Yeah, he called. It’s fine. I’ll deal with it. You know.”
“Tell him to fuck off. He can’t keep taking money from you. Piece of shit that he is.” She hated him and didn’t hide it.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. We should be focusing on what these guys are going to do.”
“Ignore them. I do so often,” she said.
Daisy chuckled.
Tabitha tended to know when her best friend was having a hard time—she turned bitchy. Between the two of them, Tabitha was more than happy to wear the crown of queen bitch, and Daisy was normally the sweet one. The one holding books, reading, and not getting into fights. They each had their roles to play and they did it well.
Arriving at the Quad, she saw it was busier than usual.