by Elle East
We are facing each other and her eyes are sparkling as she speaks, though she has a serious look on her face.
“So I just wanted to warn you—girl-to-girl—to be careful. They can get like obsessed, so just watch out, you know?”
“Yeah… thanks for that,” I’m at a loss for what to say.
I’m not interested in any of the Vicious Crew romantically so her warning doesn’t really matter, but it’s still shocking to hear that those guys could get hung up over someone. I can also see that she’s enjoying telling me this—maybe I would be proud too if I had two hot guys fighting over me.
“It was nice meeting you,” she says as she walks away with a wave and a smile.
I’m left with the impression that she’s a very charming person but also kind of mean.
I’m about to continue walking to class when I see Theo coming up to me.
“Was Cherry giving you trouble?” he asks gruffly, staring after her with narrowed eyes.
“No, she wasn’t. She saw me ride in on Brax’s bike and wanted to warn me to watch out for him. She said they used to date, and he became obsessed with her or something.”
Theo sighs angrily and mutters, “Bitch.”
“And Alec too. She said they were both obsessed with her.”
“Yeah, they dated last year—her and Brax. She’d always break up with him and then get back with him. She went after Alec hard and they had something too, briefly.”
“At the same time?”
“There might have been some overlap, who knows. She’s an amazing manipulator. She got both of them to fall in love with her then ruined them when she broke up with them to get with Seth. She’s just a fucking clout chaser and Seth is the leader of the East Marters so that’s why she went with him. I can’t stand her. I always thought she was a bitch, but how can you tell someone that the person they love is evil? The whole thing almost broke up the crew.”
“Wow. I never would have expected that,” I say, genuinely shocked.
“Why not?” Theo asks, turning to me.
“Because I think you’re all psychopaths,” I say before realizing that I shouldn’t be so honest.
Theo looks at me and I can tell my words sting him slightly.
“Yeah, well, those guys haven’t been the same since.”
I can’t help but feel a bit bad for them—even though I know they don’t deserve my sympathy after what they’ve done to me.
Theo and I go our separate ways and head to class.
I can’t stand the thought of another lunch hour spent in that moldy basement, I need fresh air, so I sneak outside once the bell rings. There’s a small area of brown grass and concrete benches that’s just off campus and I know hardly anyone goes there for some reason. So that’s where I head to.
I don’t have any food with me and I hope there’s still some leftover burgers back at the house for when I get home. My stomach growls loudly at the thought of burgers so I start walking to distract myself.
At my old school we weren’t allowed off campus during school hours, not even for lunch—and we had a cafeteria stocked with dishes prepared by gourmet chefs so it’s not like that was a big sacrifice. At Marter High, I’m not even sure if students are allowed off campus or not because no one follows the rules, anyway.
Near the end of the hour I start heading back to school. As I come closer, I see a now familiar figure playing basketball alone in the courtyard. Brax is dressed in a black hoodie, black jeans and combat boots. His bright hair flashes in the overcast light.
He’s handling the ball expertly and I can’t help but admit I’m impressed. Even though he has an awesome body, I never suspected that he was the kind of guy who played sports—I figured he got his muscles from beating people up and his cardio from running from the cops.
I watch him for a bit from a safe distance. He clearly knows what he’s doing. He controls the ball effortlessly, like he’s been doing it his whole life, like the ball is an extension of his body. He throws 3-pointers like he never misses and passes through his legs like it’s as easy as walking is to him.
I know I should loop around, try to get into the building without him seeing me, but I don’t. I think I’ve lost my mind after everything that’s happened recently. I’m not being as cautious as I should be because what does it really matter, anyway? I’m a ghost with no future and barely a present. I’m no one now and I’ll be lucky if I make it out of high school. I don’t care about things like my safety anymore.
I also can’t stop thinking about what Theo told me about Brax and Alec and Cherry. Looking at him right now, it seems almost impossible that this badass guy—the one with tattoos on his knuckles and others creeping up his neck from under his hoodie, the one with the dyed hair and the sharp features, the one who isn’t embarrassed to walk around buck ass naked, the one who drives a dangerous motorcycle, the one who is a part of a gang that does illegal things and recently witnessed a murder—I can’t imagine this guy even having a heart to break.
He finally acknowledges me when my feet hit the pavement.
“Thought you were just going to hide over there and watch forever,” he says as he lines up a shot and then sinks the basket in the next breath.
He caught me and I’m a little embarrassed.
Brax strolls over to the basket to get the ball, then he throws it at me. I catch it effortlessly.
“Let’s see what you’ve got, Highness,” he says with a challenging smirk.
I look down at the worn out ball in my hands. It’s slightly flat and looks like it should have been thrown out years ago—but it’ll do.
I bounce it once tentatively. Brax’s smirk grows wider.
I start walking over to him while bouncing the ball every couple steps and catching it in both hands. With every step, his smug smile grows bigger.
When I’m right in front of him, I suddenly fake left. He’s caught off guard and lunges, but it’s too late. I dart past him to the right and dribble the ball to the net for an easy layup.
He looks at me in utter shock, like he can’t believe what his eyes are telling him. It’s my turn to smirk. I dribble the ball back and forth between my legs as I walk around casually.
“One of my best friends, Adalee, got a full-ride basketball scholarship to her first choice college—and she taught me everything she knows.”
“I did not expect that from a rich girl like you,” Brax says, almost in awe.
I turn around and shoot. It goes in easily.
“You don’t know anything about me,” I say as I go get the ball.
He finally shakes himself out of his shocked state and gets his head back in the game. His face shifts and I can tell that Brax is competitive—but so am I.
He runs at me and grabs for the ball, but I anticipate it and spin out of reach. I quickly turn and shoot. It goes in.
“Damn,” he whistles in appreciation.
It’s his turn now, and he retrieves the ball. He takes it to the free throw line, which is so worn it’s barely visible. The court is cracked and there’s grass growing through in some patches. But nothing matters except Brax right now. I need to kick his ass, and since I’m pretty sure I can’t do it any other way, then I’m going to do it through basketball.
I need a win.
He starts dribbling the ball, and the game is on. I rush at him and he fakes me out—but I expect it and manage to steal the ball. I dribble up to the net. He tries to stop me but I’m too quick and I score another easy basket.
“When are we going to start playing?” I ask.
Did I really just trash talk one of the Vicious Crew? I must have a death wish.
A raspy laugh escapes Brax’s throat. He shakes his head like he can’t believe it, but he doesn’t look angry. He looks like he’s enjoying the challenge.
This time I take the ball to the free throw line and start dribbling in. Brax has stopped underestimating me and isn’t taking it easy this time. We start playing in earnest and find ou
t we are very equally matched.
“Where did you learn to play like that?” I ask, slightly out of breath, as Brax scores another point.
“My dad. He taught me since I was a kid until he died.”
“When did he die?”
“About five years ago.”
“How?”
“Overdose.”
I’m caught off guard by that admission long enough for Brax to steal the ball and score.
“Get your head in the game, Highness,” he teases with a laugh and it pisses me off enough that I manage to steal the ball and score two in a row.
We keep playing, not caring that we are missing class. I can’t believe it, but I’m actually having fun. This feels good. After everything in my life falling apart, playing basketball again just feels so normal.
Adalee and I used to play several times a week. Her and our housekeeper, her mom, Magda, lived with us, and at least a couple nights a week after everyone else had gone to bed Adalee and I would sneak out and go to the local courts. She’s an awesome player, and she was an awesome teacher too.
She’s been six two since she was fourteen and built to play basketball while I had to work a lot harder, but her height is an advantage to me now as I play against Brax. I’m used to playing against someone way taller than me so that takes away his natural advantage.
He manages to steal the ball from me with a lightening-quick move. I lunge for it and he backs up. The heel of his combat boot catches on one of the many cracks in the pavement and he falls backwards.
He’s so competitive that he ignores his personal safety and instead of bracing himself against the fall he keeps his hands firmly on the ball. My momentum is already carrying me forward, and it’s too late for me to stop myself either. Also, I’m competitive too so I reach out and grab the ball as we fall to the ground.
We land with a hard thud, and luckily for me he takes most of the impact. My body is pressed tight against his. I realize we are both still gripping the ball and I try to wrench it out of his hands while he’s dazed, but he holds on.
We struggle for a bit. I’m wriggling against him but I’m so lost in the moment and my desire to get the ball that I don’t even notice. I need this win.
“Yes!” I finally raise the ball triumphantly above my head, panting slightly.
I look down and it’s at this moment, when I see him beneath me, I realize I’m straddling Brax in broad daylight in the courtyard of Marter High. He’s panting too and his dark eyes are hooded and staring up at me like he can’t believe what he’s seeing.
He licks his lips and my eyes dart to his mouth. I can feel his solid body between my thighs and seeing him beneath me like this is doing something to me. Through our jeans I start to feel him growing hard.
I suddenly realize in horror that I want to kiss him.
No!
I break the spell we are under and jump off him. He grabs my arm to try to stop me—but it’s not an aggressive touch, he’s not forcing me, he’s giving me the choice. I break free and run, dropping the ball next to him as I go.
12
The next week is relatively quiet. I know that the Vicious Crew are watching me, but it’s obvious I’m avoiding them and they’ve kept their distance. All four of them are hanging around the house more often now, but I just hide in my room and they’ve left me alone for the most part.
Olivia’s been spending most of her time with her new group of friends—which I don’t like but also don’t really have a choice. It’s a group of girls in Olivia’s grade and I think they are a bad influence. Maybe I’m being too judgmental, but she’s started swearing more, skipping class, and dressing in clothes that are way more revealing.
Maybe I just need to let my sister live her own life. Who am I to judge? It’s not like I’m doing a very good job of living mine. I can’t deny that it hurts though. She barely speaks to me anymore. I thought the whole drama of the “Threesome Pact” would have brought us together, and it seemed like it did but only very temporarily. But I can’t be mad at her for being ungrateful when I was the one who made the choice to volunteer in her place. She never asked me to.
One evening I’m in my room, as usual, editing photos on my laptop, as usual, when suddenly the door opens and in walks Daire.
“Hey!” I yell in shock. “I thought I locked it?” I always make sure to lock my door.
“Lock doesn’t work from the outside.”
The small illusion of safety I had was just a lie the whole time. Typical.
“Don’t you knock?” I ask. “I could have been changing or something.”
“I’ve seen naked women before, not a big deal.” His nostrils flare slightly and his eyes burn for a moment.
“We’ve got another job and we need you.” He finally looks at me and it feels like it’s been years. His intense eyes are like emeralds.
My heart sinks. I was dreading this moment. “So this is favor number two?”
“This isn’t a favor.”
My brow furrows. “Then what is it?”
“It’s a job and we are cutting you in.”
“If this isn’t a favor, then why would you ever think I’d help you?”
“Because we are going to split the cut. Five ways.”
“How much?”
“Twenty five split five ways, so five each.”
That’s a lot of money. I could buy a lot of protein bars with five thousand dollars—but I shake my head. The last job I went on with these guys ended up with me luring a guy to a motel to be killed. As badly as I need the money, it’s not worth it. I’ll just start pawning my stuff for extra cash instead.
“Why do you even need my help, anyway? For five thousand dollars you can easily find another girl to dress slutty and lure some guy to his death.”
“We need you to get us into your old school. You still have your pass, right?”
“Sheltered Glen?”
Daire nods.
“Yeah, I still have it.” We left so suddenly that I didn’t have time to return all my stuff to my old school—and honestly, it wasn’t a high priority given everything else.
“It won’t be like last time. We just need you to get us in and we’ll do the rest,” he says.
“What’s ‘the rest’?”
“Nothing violent. We just need to steal a phone. Get in and get out, quickly, and no one gets hurt.”
I’m about to tell him absolutely not, when I think about it a bit more. All I have to do is let them on to campus and I make five thousand dollars. I desperately need the money. I’ve never had to worry about money before in my life and it feels awful.
I don’t owe anything to Sheltered Glen or the students who go there. The school kicked my sister and I out the second they could, and they weren’t very nice about it. The students all turned their backs on us too—including my sister’s friends, and I know that hurt her badly.
“You promise no one will get hurt?” I ask suspiciously.
Daire glares at me in exasperation, but I don’t back down and stare him right in the eye.
Finally, he sighs angrily and says, “I promise.”
“When?”
“One hour.”
Then he walks out of my room and I can breathe again. I hate being alone with Daire after what happened by the pond. He hasn’t done anything to me like that since, but I can’t trust him. He could try to hurt me at any moment so I have to constantly be on guard around him and it’s exhausting.
I spend the next hour in a state of anxiety. I almost walk downstairs at least a hundred times to tell Daire that I’ve changed my mind. Tell him I can’t do this. But something always stops me. I don’t know if it’s just the money—what else could it be? Why else would I want to do this with them?
At the end of the hour I hear Theo call up to me.
“Let’s go, Highness!”
I pull on my gray wool coat and head downstairs. My heart is hammering and my palms are so sweaty they could water a plant.
<
br /> The five of us head out to the expensive SUV that I recognize from our last mission. Knowing that Daire and Alec’s dads are in the mafia, it now makes sense to me why they’d have this car. We pile in and I end up in the middle of the backseat, smushed between Theo and Brax.
Brax and I haven’t spoken since whatever that was on the basketball court, so it’s awkward as hell being pressed up against him in this confined space. I think he’s feeling uncomfortable too because he’s not saying much, which is uncharacteristic for him. Even though the car is roomy, it feels small with four big guys in it.
The drive to Sheltered Glen Prep isn’t long, only about twenty minutes. The school is located on a beautiful property that has forested areas, a small lake, and old buildings spread around a green campus. It’s night and day compared to Marter High.
We don’t turn into the main entrance but instead continue along the road and pull off onto the shoulder next to a forest. We all jump out and I’m relieved to be out of that confined space. Daire communicates without a word that we’re going to walk through the woods.
It’s actually impressive how they run their “jobs”. They make an effective team and everyone seems to know their role. I guess it comes from being so close with one another. They are like a well-oiled machine.
We head under the dark trees and start walking towards the school. I never spent much time in these woods when I went here, but luckily they aren’t relying on me to guide them. Daire’s in the front, then Alec, then me, then Theo and lastly Brax. I imagine that if anyone saw us right now we’d look ridiculous, four giant guys covered in tattoos and me, just going for a stroll in nature in the dark.
No one speaks the entire time. I wonder if they still get nervous doing this kind of stuff? I know that I am right now. What if we get caught? I don’t know what the charges would be, maybe trespassing? Theft? At least that’s not as serious as murder—I can’t help but shiver. As if he has a sixth sense, Theo turns around to look at me. He raises his eyebrows in a question. I nod my head and shrug to indicate that I’m fine and he turns back around.