“I don’t like it.”
“I know,” I murmur. “I don’t like it either but it is what it is. It’s done now so can we please try and forget about it? It’s bad enough that I’m dreaming about it. I don't want to be talking about it too.”
“Of course,” he says, checking his side mirror and pulling back out onto the road. “You’re really having a shitty time since moving here.”
“Tell me about it,” I grumble. “But if I was back home, I can guarantee that they would have gotten to me sooner.”
“I guess,” he says with a hint of cluelessness seeping out of his tone as he shrugs a shoulder. “I always figured that your Widows were the worst there is and that no one would be stupid enough to make a move against them.”
“To me, they’re at the top of the game, but to the Wolves, Nic is just a kid. Now that his dad is gone and changes are being made, they’re taking the opportunity to remind Nic just how fucking bad they can be.”
“Shit, Ocean. It's like it’s some kind of gang war.”
My voice drops to a low grunt. “Gang war is exactly what it is.”
“Well … shit. I don’t know what to tell you, but you know you can always come to me if you feel like they’re watching you. I can hide you at my place and no one would ever know. I’ve got a pretty big closet that’s good for hiding in.”
“No shit,” I laugh. “Your closet would be pretty squishy with you already in it.”
“Shut up,” he laughs. “It’s not like I’m completely in it. I have one foot out.”
“You have your big toe out and that’s it.”
Milo rolls his eyes and just like that, the heaviness of yesterday begins seeping away and I laugh at his ridiculousness. He's been such an amazing friend since the second I showed up here. I don’t know what I’d have done without him. Shit, I probably would have had to be besties with Charlie and who knows how that would have turned out.
Charlie. Charlie. Charlie. Sweet Charlie.
It’s only been a few days that he’s not been talking to me and I really hate it. He should come around soon, I hope. The boys said he just needed some time but I fear that things will never be the same between us. He's going to look at me differently now. I’m no longer the edgy new girl who he wanted to bring home to Mommy and Daddy, I’m now the girl with issues, the girl who’s been broken and abused. I’m dirty, touched, dark, and now destined to spend the rest of my days as a gang girl.
I try to put it to the back of my mind. There’s no use worrying myself over it today. He’ll come around just as the boys said he would and I need to be patient, otherwise, I'm just panicking for no good reason when I already have so much going on. Charlie is out of my hands and I just have to hope that he decides that I’m valuable enough to have in his life.
Milo pulls up at my school a short moment later and before I have a chance to push my way out of his Aston Martin, he reaches over and takes my hand. “You’re going to be okay, Ocean,” he promises me. “Whatever you need, you know all you have to do is ask. With me, Colton, Charlie, and Spencer at your back. No one will touch you. You’re safe with us. I don’t want you feeling as though you’re not when you’re here.”
I flip my hand over and give his a squeeze. “Thanks, Milo. I know. I do feel safe with you guys and believe me, I’d do just about anything to avoid running into those guys again. Nic and the Widows are just as bad, but they’re on my side. These guys … they’re bad news and I know you want to help any way you can, but I’d never drag you guys into this world. It’s not safe for guys like you.”
“Guys like me?” he questions, his brows furrowed.
“Yeah, guys with their pockets filled with cash,” I explain, realizing he thinks I’m talking about his sexual orientation. “You’d be steam-rolled until you had nothing left but the shirt on your back. All of you would and I can’t let that happen.”
“I …”
“No,” I cut him off, leaning in and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Just be the guy I run to when the world turns to shit. Don’t try to be a hero. I couldn’t bear the thought of you getting hurt. The Widows are their own army. They'll take care of it. They’ll make sure I’m safe. You just need to worry about my sanity. Okay?”
His lips press into a hard line and the irritated stare he gives me is more than enough confirmation that he’s not happy about a damn word that I just said. But I’m not backing down on this. The gang world is no place for a guy like Milo. Hell, it’s no place for any of the guys from Bellevue Springs. They’d be torn apart and drained of every last cent and I can’t imagine what bastards like that would do with that kind of money. they’d be unstoppable and I won’t allow that to happen. I can’t have that on my conscience.
Milo finally lets out a deep breath and releases his grip on my hand. “We’re not done with this conversation,” he says.
I roll my eyes knowing damn well that this conversation is so done that it’s already a distant memory. “I’ll see you after school, okay? Don’t do anything stupid.”
A cheesy as fuck grin stretches across his face and his eyes instantly sparkle with excitement. “Trust me, I’m going to be doing all sorts of stupid things today.”
My brows furrow as I take in his hidden message but I don't quite understand it. I hear the sound of my school bell ringing in the distance and I’m forced to throw myself out of his car, leaving his comment as something to decode later. “I’ll see you later,” I call over my shoulder, shutting the door and then taking off.
I hear Milo’s car speed off behind me and I cringe. If I’m late for school, that means that he’s really late. I race down to my locker and grab the things I need before slipping into my homeroom just as my teacher is closing the door.
She gives me an unimpressed glare and I hurry past her, trying my best to avoid eye contact. As I settle into my seat and give a few smiles to the girls wanting my attention, a thought occurs to me. Milo said something about spilling the tea and the whole car ride to school, absolutely no tea got spilled. I wonder if it had anything to do with his comment before I got out of the car.
Glancing up at the teacher to find her attention immersed in the papers on her desk, I quickly dive into my bra and pull my phone out. I hide it under my desk and I glance down at it, knowing that Milo would be just pulling up to school now.
Ocean - You didn’t spill any tea.
Milo - Because it was the Ocean show this morning. Ocean this, Ocean that. Does anyone else even exist in your world?
I roll my eyes and decided to play along.
Ocean - Nope. No room for anyone else when I shine so brightly.
Ocean -Also, you’re a bitch!
Milo - Ha. Ha.
Ocean - Spill the tea already! What’s been going on? Did someone get caught sucking off Dean Simmons? I bet it was you, wasn’t it? God, you’re such a dirty little whore!
Milo - Bitch, do you want the tea or not?
I laugh to myself and quickly flick my eyes to the teacher, making sure I haven’t been sprung using my phone.