“Oh, shit sorry. I didn’t mean to accuse you of not telling me. I just figured you’d already have known about it,” I say with a cringe. Ilaria, Chanel, and Arizona are watching me through narrowed gazes after catching my earlier question. “Do you know what’s going on? What did he do?”
“I’ve got no idea. Everyone thinks it has something to do with you because you’re not here anymore. You know, the timing is coincidental, and despite how much I tell them that you have nothing to do with it, they don’t want to hear me.”
I groan, rolling my eyes as I slump down in my chair. “It’s bad enough that he’s talking shit about me to anyone who’ll listen, but now they think I tried to have him arrested? That’s bullshit.”
“I know, Bri, but this will pass. Colby is an asshole, and you don’t deserve to be dragged down for this. Besides, this is Colby. If anything, he probably got busted for drugs or letting off illegal fireworks. He’s a little bitch who thinks he’s tough. I doubt he would have done anything worthy of jail time.”
“Drugs?” I question, laughter bubbling in my chest. “Nah, there’s no way. It would have been something stupid. Can you imagine that bastard locked up? He wouldn’t be able to cut it.”
“Hell no. He’d be calling some big dude Daddy by the end of his first night.”
My laugh dies the moment I see Riley cutting across the cafeteria, his gaze locked on mine with hunger deep in his stare. One of the twins comes with him, both of them looking as though they’re up to no good. I let out a heavy groan. “Shit, girl. I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Alright, babe. Call me later. I’ve been dying for an update on your new neighbor.”
She cuts the call and I bring my phone down just as Riley drops into the empty space beside me, his arm slinging over my shoulder. “Sup, babe?” he asks, as whichever twin it is drops down directly opposite him. A flash of guilt settles through me at not knowing which one he is, but who can blame me? I barely know these people and they’re freaking identical. It’s impossible to tell them apart.
“Chanel,” the twin spits, narrowing his eyes at my new friend who looks just as displeased to see him.
“Logan,” she fires back, the two of them caught in each other’s heavy stare, almost becoming entranced and then as if they never said a thing at all, they look away.
“Ummmmm, what the hell just happened?” I question, looking between the two and hating Riley’s arm still slung over my shoulder but kinda loving it because I can feel Tanner’s heavy stare from across the room like laser beams trying to get right inside my head.
Riley laughs and leans in. “They’re in love but refuse to acknowledge it.”
Chanel gapes at Riley, looking absolutely disgusted. “Over my dead body. Have you met the guy?” she demands. “He’s a certified asshole, and if you ever try to insult me like that again, I will reach between your legs and stretch your balls right up over your shoulders before tying them around your neck like a bowtie.”
Riley laughs as Logan scoffs. “Keep lying to yourself all you want, babe, but you can’t resist me.”
Chanel scoffs right back at him before leaning across the table, giving him the perfect view right down her cleavage and plastering a sultry smile across her face. She reaches across and brushes her fingers across his toned forearm like a gentle caress, and I watch the way he falters, completely struck by her beauty. “You’re right,” she whispers. “What was I thinking? It’s always been you, Logan.”
Logan’s jaw drops and he stares for a moment, trying to find some composure, and I lean back, watching the two of them. Chanel is so clearly screwing with him, but Logan’s response is genuine. He’s in love with her, but I don’t think Chanel feels the same. Either way, this is an interesting turn of events. I don’t consider myself a meddler, but if it helps get my mind off the asshole across the cafeteria who is still staring at the back of my head, then I’m down.
“Chanel, angel, if you don’t take your hand off me right fucking now,” Logan warns, his tone deepening with a fierce hunger that’s also mixed with fury, clearly pissed that she’s playing with his emotions. “I’m going to throw you down and fuck you right here in front of the whole fucking school. Mark my words.”
Chanel withdraws from him, a cocky smirk across her face, and it’s clear that not only does she not feel the same, but she despises the guy. “Just fucking try me, Logan Morgan. It’s never going to happen.”
“Ouch,” I murmur a little too loudly, getting his sharp glare thrown across the table at me.
Logan stands, slamming his hands on the table. “I’m done with this shit,” he snaps, his irritated stare falling back to Chanel. “You’re not worth waiting for.” Logan stares back at Riley. “You coming or are you going to waste your time trying to fuck a chick who doesn’t want you?”
“Fuck off, bro,” Riley says, laughing at his performance. “Go rub one out in the locker room and calm down, then you can come back here and apologize to Chanel before I deck you.”
Logan’s stare burns with fury and he storms away just as his twin brother approaches, his wary gaze flicking toward Chanel before glancing back in the direction Logan just went, concern in his eyes. “What the fuck just happened?”
“Logan’s just being Logan,” Riley tells him. “He’s pissed, man. Just give him space. He’ll be good by practice this afternoon.”
Jax sighs and drops down into Logan’s vacated space before reaching across and stealing the french fry right out of Arizona’s fingers. He glances toward me. “So, what’s up with you?”
“Huh?”
His gaze flickers toward Riley’s before turning back to mine. “Before when you were texting, you looked like you wanted to murder someone. That’s why this asshole came over here in the first place.”
“Oh,” I say, glancing up at Riley. “That true?”
“Yeah,” he says. “And seeing as though Tanner didn’t seem to be brooding any more than usual, I figured it was someone else. I was curious what could have possibly gotten you all worked up like that.”
I smile up at him, feeling guilty because at some point, I’m going to have to shut down this strange little crush of his. “It was nothing,” I assure him, the girls still listening to my conversation. “Just bullshit drama with some people from my old school.”
“Which school was that?” Riley asks, his brows furrowed as though not knowing these tiny details of my life is bugging him to no end.
Glancing over his shoulder, I find Tanner still watching me, and I remember our conversation up on the roof, and I stand by everything that I said—Riley doesn’t really like me, he likes the idea of me, likes the idea of a girl he has no chance of getting close to. Because if he did, he’d have to open up and become vulnerable, and guys like Riley simply aren’t capable of that … at least, not yet. One day he’ll find that one girl who makes him want to share every aspect of his life, the good, the bad, and the ugly. But until then, I’m not going to be the one to lead him on, not when something between us could cause all sorts of fresh hell between him and Tanner.