“Not a lot, but someone sent her a note and it was bad.”
“I heard a group of guys in the hall talking about her like she was—”
“Don’t,” I ground out.
He glanced at me. “What’s up with you? You seem tense? Maybe you need to call up Miley and get her to help you work out those—”
“Seriously, bro, I said don’t.”
“Jeez, someone’s on their period. Or is it this shit with Jase and Hailee? It’ll blow over, you know?” He clapped me on the back. “Thatcher has bigger fish to fry.”
I wasn’t so sure about that.
Even though the photo of Hailee was obviously manipulated, kids saw what they wanted to see, and thanks to Thatcher, Hailee had become public enemy number one. It didn’t matter I’d done something similar at the pep rally because that hadn’t pitted her against us. For as fucked up as it was, to most girls at school, getting called out for riding Raider dick would have been a badge of honor. But sleeping with the enemy, even if it was only a rumor, was a crime our fans would not forgive.
“Come on, I could eat a small horse.” Asher shoulder-checked me, moving ahead of me to the line. Except he didn’t wait, he slipped right to the front, giving the diner lady a huge grin. They made small talk about the upcoming game Friday, while I grabbed a sub and added it to his tray. He worked his charm until she gave him a knowing wink, letting us slip past her without paying.
We wound our way through the tables toward Jase who was already sitting at our table, Jenna Jarvis practically dry fucking his leg. “What’s up?” he said coolly.
“We’ve got a problem,” I replied under my breath, motioning over to Hailee.
“She’ll be fine.” Jase swallowed his words as we watched a guy approach their table. Flick glowered at him as he dropped down on the bench beside Hailee.
“Maybe we should—” I started but Jase cut me off with a shake off his head. “She can handle herself,” he said.
I didn’t doubt that, but she was in this situation because of him. Because of us. And that didn’t sit right with me.
The guy was saying something, a smug smirk plastered on his face, as he leaned in close to her. Too fucking close. He hooked his arm around Hailee’s waist, and I braced myself to intervene, but she smacked him right across the face. The guy howled with laughter, backing away, but I saw the shock in his expression.
We all did.
Asher whistled through his teeth. “Shit, that girl’s got balls of steel.”
“She’s going to need them,” Jase grumbled as if he knew—and accepted—it was only going to get worse.
Well, screw that.
“It’s so sad,” Jenna said, twirling her hair around her fingers. “She could have been one of us, but instead she chose to fuck Thatcher just to get one over on—”
Jase shoved her off his lap and she landed on the bench beside him with a thud. “Ow, Jase, what the hell was that for?”
“I’m bored.” His voice was cold. “Run along now.”
“You bastard.” Jenna kept her voice composed, but her cheeks flamed with embarrassment as she beckoned for her friends to follow her, and they sauntered away, trying to retain some dignity. Some of the guys howled with laughter but soon shut up when Jase sent them a hard glare down the table.
My eyes found Hailee across the room again. She had her head down, pushing a salad around her plate. “We should go over there.”
“Did you get hit a little too hard in practice?” Jase snorted.
“I’m just saying, if we don’t do something to end this, it’s going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better. And if it gets that bad, and the wrong teacher overhears something, it could land on Finnigan’s desk. And that is trouble we don’t need.”
My best friend regarded me for a second, scrubbing his face. “Fucking girls,” Jase mumbled, shoving off the bench. He stood up and glanced back at the two of us, “Come on then, I’m not doing this shit alone.”
“Oh, hells yeah, I’m in. Maybe I can tap up Felic—”
“She’s off-limits,” Jase barked.
“She is?” Asher jerked back as if he’d been slapped. “But why? I thought everyone except Hailee was fair game?”
“Because I said so, jackass.”
Asher threw up his hands in surrender, his lips twitching.
When we reached their table, Hailee and her friend gawked up at us. “Yes?” she said flatly. “Can we help you?”
“No, but I think we can help you.” Jase dropped down beside Felicity. Her eyes widened, glancing between him and Hailee and back again.
“What is happening right now?”
“You need us,” he said as if it was that simple.
“Hmm, no,” Hailee quipped. “No, we don’t.”
“That’s not what he thinks.” Jase flicked his head over where the guy who she’d slapped watched us. The little fucker looked ready to piss himself, his eyes darting to the ground when I narrowed my gaze right on him.
“Pfft,” Hailee grumbled. “I handled him just fine.”
“That you did, Hails,” Asher added, sliding in next to her. I sat on her other side, watching her out of the corner of my eye.
“Don’t call me that,” she said, a defensive edge to her voice. “We’re not friends.”
“Looks like we are from where I’m sitting.” He grinned.
“If I recall.” Hailee glared at him. “None of this would be happening if you hadn’t gate-crashed their party and started brawling with Thatch—”
“Brawling?” Asher quipped as Jase sat back, watching her with a dark expression. “Naw, baby, that wasn’t a brawl, that was just the warm up.”
Hailee sneered, her eyes quickly moving to her step-brother. “This has been fun and all, but you can go now.” She wiggled her fingers in a wave.
“Yeah, I’m thinking this was a bad idea. I’m out.” Jase got up and walked off while Asher threw me a ‘what should we do now?’ look. But before I could say anything, Hailee levelled me with a cold look, and said, “I don’t know what this is, but I don’t need you to pretend to be friends with me. I managed just fine without you all this time; I think I’ll survive this.”
“Fine,” I said, realizing maybe Jase was right. Maybe coming over here was a huge fucking mistake. “Have it your way, Sunshine. Ash, let’s go.”
“But…” His eyes flicked to Felicity, but when I shook my head, he let out a long breath. “Fine, I’m coming. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t, ladies. See you around.”
Everyone watched as we stalked away from Hailee and her friend, but they could look. If she was too stubborn to admit she needed us, then we’d just have to go around her.
“She’s a handful,” Asher muttered as he shouldered the door. “But her friend is quiet. I like that. Means she’s probably a real freak between—”
“Do you think with anything other than your dick?”
“Football and pussy.” He shrugged, a lazy grin splitting his face. “What else is there?”