She glances up at me, passing the piece of paper my way. “I know things aren’t always easy, and this time of year has to be hard, but if you need anything, just text me, okay?”
My eyebrows furrow as I take a step forward, pulling the slip from between her fingers. Glancing down, I see a delicate scrawl of her phone number. “Um, thanks?”
She smiles. “No pressure. Just know I’m here if you need me.”
I nod, tossing my thumb over my shoulder. “I don’t want to miss the bus…”
She nods. “Oh, of course. Go ahead. Have a great break.”
I smile at her and spin around, racing out of the classroom. As expected, the hallways are empty, and sweat starts dampening my temples. My legs speed up, and I punch my palms into the front doors of the school, just to see the city bus rolling down the street.
My hands fling into the air in exasperation. “Well, isn’t that fucking great!”
I want to cry. I want to cry so damn bad.
I glance around, seeing a mostly empty parking lot. Even the teachers fled the moment the bell rang. Well, isn’t this pathetic.
With a sigh, I start walking down the street. The chill air instantly nips at my skin, and I bury my fist in my sweatshirt and shove them into my front pocket.
Only after minutes do I hear the slow sound of tired crunching next to me, followed by a familiar voice. “Iris?” I stop, glancing over my shoulder, my eyes widening when one of the most popular girls in school.
“Hi, Violet.” I wipe my face, not wanting to act like the pitiful, broke loser to her.
She gets along with everyone. But it shouldn’t be a shock, because her pseudo-dad owns a motorcycle club up in the mountains.
Violet used to be my very best friend. I used to go to her house all the time, and we used to be inseparable. But as time went on, we grew apart. She’s never been mean to me, but she’s so busy at the clubhouse, and I’m so busy… avoiding everyone.
“Miss the bus?” she asks with a frown.
I nod. “Yeah, but I’ll just catch the next one.” I lift my hand in a wave, not wanting her to see how pathetic I am. “Have a good break.” I start walking away when she calls my name again.
“I can just give you a ride home, you know.” The way she looks at me makes my stomach twist. She knows another bus doesn’t come here, at least for hours. She’s calling my bluff, but she doesn’t say anything because she doesn’t want to embarrass me.
“You don’t have to do that. It’s in the completely opposite direction of your house.”
She laughs, her long blonde hair falling down to her shoulders. A complete contradiction to me, with my dark, nearly black hair and gray-blue eyes. She’s gorgeous.
I’m awkward.
“It’s no trouble. Come on, I feel like I haven’t talked to you in forever. We can catch up.”
I sigh, a mixture of relief and anxiety hitting me at once. “Okay. Thank you.” I pull my backpack from my shoulder, opening the door to her small sedan and sliding onto the leather seats. It’s a newer car, and I feel uneasy, sitting in something that costs more than everything in my apartment combined. I’m sure I look goofy, with my holey jeans and beat-up backpack, next to her in her Harley Davidson leather jacket and leggings.
“How have you been? I haven’t talked to you in a while,” she says as she pulls out of the parking lot.
I shrug. “Fine, I guess. Same old. Thinking about getting a job.” More than thinking about it, actually. I’ve been applying everywhere on the weekends. I’ll never be able to afford college, so getting a decent paying job to be able to afford my own place is at the top of my priorities. “What about you?”
She giggles. “It’s been chaos at the club. People are going damn crazy this year, decorating for Christmas and shit. Aziel, you remember him?” I nod. “He’s with this girl named Ivy, and she’s gone full out psychotic, getting the biggest tree in the woods and planting it right in the middle of the clubhouse. She has a little daughter…” she trails off, laughing while she shakes her head. “She’s cute, but fucking hell is she exhausting.”
A genuine smile lifts my lips. I only wish I could have that type of chaos in my life. It’s a good chaos, not my kind, which includes picking up beer bottles and shot glasses after a binger, and sleeping with a knife because I’m afraid of the random guy that decided to sleep over. “Sounds nice.”
“Yeah… hey, do you actually want to come? It’s been what, like five, six years since you’ve been over?”
I nod, chewing on my lower lip. It has been a long time, and it sounds like so much fun. But I really shouldn’t. I don’t know if my mom will be home, and maybe she’ll need me for something. I’d hate for her to wonder where I am. Not like she can call me; neither of us have enough money to have a cell phone. She usually uses her boyfriend’s, and I, well, I’m always home.
I should go home, but the other part of me knows that I need friends, and I shouldn’t let my mom ruin my whole life. I should go.
I need to go.
“Okay, yeah, let’s do it.” Indecision weighs in my stomach, but I ignore it as she smiles at me.
“Perfect.”
Chapter 3
Arriving at the clubhouse is nerve-racking. A massive iron gate blocks the outside from the inside. A guy who looks to be only a few years older than us sits in a small office outside the gate, with a pistol on his belt and an angry look on his face. “Hey, Violet.”
“Bronson.” Violet’s tone is snarky, and the guy named Bronson lifts his eyebrow in irritation. Pushing a button, the gate slowly opens, and Violet rolls through. “Bronson is the newest member of the club. He’s been here for maybe a year now. I give him shit because he’s new, but he’s actually pretty dope.”
I nod my head, feeling overwhelmed with it all. I haven’t been out of the city in so long. It feels like I’m in a different state now that I’m surrounded by trees and mountains, and a massive compound that looks twenty times larger than I remember. It almost looks like a big strip mall, but with one building instead of ten. The main structure is two stories, with a large garage or mechanic’s shop built into the side.
“This place looks different,” I mumble.
Violet laughs as she pulls in front of the garage. “They’ve built onto it a little bit, but overall, it’s the same. It’s just been a long time since you’ve seen it.” She shifts into park, turning toward me. “Ready to go meet everyone?”
I chew on my lip, the skin turning raw from the constant gnawing. “Not really,” I say honestly.
She pulls her keys out of the ignition, tossing them on the dash. “You’ll be fine. Come on.”
Opening her door, she steps out, stretching her arms over her head. I swallow down a groan, leaving my backpack on the floor.
I won’t stay long. Maybe just a visit and then she can take me home.
Hopping out, I shut the door gently, walking around just as the door to the main building opens, and a kid with dark, spindly hair runs out.
“Violet!” she squeals.
Violet giggles, getting down on her knees just in time for the girl to jump into them. “Lilah! How was your last day of school?”