I want to go to college and have a normal life. I’ll never get that if Russo gets his hands on me again. I can't let it happen. I can’t fall down that hole. I’ll never make it out.
The thought seeps out of my mind as I get to the bottom of the stairs to find Milo very impatiently waiting for me. “Heard of a phone?” he calls through the window. “You didn’t answer my call last night. I told you I had tea to spill.”
I cringe, remembering the exact moment he told me he was going to call. “I’m sorry,” I say, walking around the front of his car to the passenger side. I drop down into his car and get comfortable. “It completely slipped my mind. I had a bit going on yesterday.”
“What could possibly be more important than me?” he questions, hitting the gas and speeding down the drive. His momentum has me falling back against the chair of his Aston Martin and a low groan comes tearing out of me.
“Hey,” he snaps, ignoring the question that just flew out of his mouth. “That better not have been a stab at my driving. I’m a fucking badass bitch behind the wheel. Keep your shitty groans to yourself.”
“It’s not your shitty driving I’m groaning about, dumbass,” I say, adjusting myself in the seat. “I had a little … accident yesterday.”
His brows furrow as he slows his car to a comfortable speed so that he can stare at me without being the cause of another little accident. “What kind of accident are you talking about?” he asks, scanning his eyes over my body and stopping at the big white bandage peeking through my hair. “What the fuck is that? What happened?”
Milo reaches to grab my bandage and I slap his hand away before he can do any damage. “Don’t touch it. It’s a bandage, you moron. Who just grabs at bandages?” I grunt before getting on with my explanation. “I had a run-in with some dickhead gang members after school yesterday and—”
“What?” he squeaks, his eyes bugging out of his head as he cuts me off before I can get any further with my recap. “Your boys did this to you?”
A strangled grunt comes tearing out of my mouth and I gape at him in horror. “The hell? No. My boys would never do this. It was the Wolves.”
“The who?”
I stare at him blankly. “Where the hell have you been? What do you mean ‘the who?’”
“I mean what I mean, now stop pussyfooting around the topic and tell me what in the sweet hell happened to you yesterday.”
I groan and settle into my seat, having to adjust myself again. “I cut through the back of the mall on my way home and was cornered by the leader of the West Side Wolves, Mikhail Russo with four of his douchebag henchmen. They’re the gang my father belonged to and they wanted to make a point that I belong to them.”
“They what?” he breathes, unable to believe what he’s hearing.
I press my lips into a tight line and finish my explanation. “They branded me with their mark using a ring and a blow torch. I have a third-degree burn at the back of my neck that will eventually heal in the shape of a wolf. They fucking held me down and claimed me like a prize then promised they’d be watching me.”
Milo pulls off to the side of the road and brings his car to a stop before looking at me with wide, teary eyes. “I’m so sorry,” he says with his heart on his sleeve, looking guilty as shit. “I was supposed to drop you home but I bailed for a fucking dick appointment. I left you vulnerable and you got hurt. I should have been there. I should have stuck to my word and driven you home like I said I would.”
I reach out and take his hand from his lap. “It’s not your fault, Milo. Russo said he’d been watching me for a while so whether it happened yesterday or a week from now, he would have eventually got to me. There’s nothing neither of us could have done to avoid it. It was inevitable.”
“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.
Ocean - Fine.
I wait an agonizing three minutes before his text finally comes through and when it does, I realize that he had to really scrounge up the balls to actually hit send on this one.
Milo - I may have let my gay flag fly yesterday and fucked a guy under the bleachers while the rest of the school did a fire drill.
My eyes bug out of my head and I throw myself to my feet. “THE FUCK?” I screech before snapping my head up and coming face to face with my teacher then instantly regret it as the pain shoots through the back of my neck. “Oh, umm … sorry,” I say with a cringe, trying my hardest not to grab hold of my bandage to try and relieve the pain. “I just realized that I left my English essay on my desk at home.”
Her glare somehow becomes sharper before she lets out a heavy sigh and it’s clear as day that she doesn’t believe a word I say, but she’s not prepared to put up a fight. “Go to the student office and request to put in a call to have it delivered.”
I nod and grab my things before darting out of the classroom, knowing damn well that my English essay isn’t due until next week but she doesn’t need to know that. I take off down the hall before slipping into an empty classroom.
I perch myself against one of the desks and pull my phone back out, wishing I could call him and demand answers but knowing that I can’t because he’s in school.
Ocean - UMMMM…. WHAT??????? That’s not spilling the fucking tea. That’s giving me a goddamn drop. SPILL THE FUCKING TEA, MILO!!!! WHO’D YOU FUCK????
Milo - …..
Ocean - No. Don’t you dare do this to me.
Milo - I’m sorry. I can’t say. He’s not … I don’t know. Saying will cause problems and it’s still new. I gave him my word and I really don’t want to fuck this up. I kinda like this guy but I promise, as soon as I can tell you, I will.
A loud, frustrated groan tears from deep within me, and I sound like a toddler throwing a tantrum. I wonder if I could hold him down and force it out of him, but that fucker would just overpower me and with my neck hurting so bad, I’d get absolutely nowhere.
Damn it!
Ocean - I hate you.
Milo - Fucking love you too, bitch.
Realizing that for Milo to not even budge on the topic means that he truly must like this guy, I let it go. He’ll tell me when he’s ready and until then, I just have to be patient. I don’t want to be the reason to screw up something good. Who knows, maybe Milo just found the love of his life, or maybe he just found the guy who’s going to break his heart for the first time. Either way, it’s not my business to be getting involved.
Though I guess that means that the Jess and Milo show is well and truly over now. She came to terms with it after Milo finally came out to our small group but she still hurts. She was really falling for him and I kinda hate myself for allowing it to happen.
The bell rings, indicating the start of the first period, so I slip my phone away and trudge out of the empty classroom, not wanting to be caught in here.
I hurry out into the hall and have to really think about my schedule. I’ve been going here for a few weeks now but remembering my class schedule really hasn’t been a strong trait of mine.
I start wandering the halls and glance around at the students busily making their way past. I find Drix coming toward me with her brows furrowed. “Where the hell are you going?” she questions, giving me a strange look. “We have Biology.”
Oh. Whoops.
Her arm loops through mine and her momentum has me spinning on the spot. She pulls me along and I have to skip a step to catch up with her long strides. “Where have you been all morning?” she questions. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Recognizing the excited tone in her voice, I raise a brow. “Why? What’s happened?”
“Nothing yet,” she grumbles. “But my dad was asking about your mom again.”
“Really?” I say as a sly grin stretches across my face.
“Uh-huh.”
Her eyes sparkle and as a similar grin stretches across her pretty face, all my plans begin coming together. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“I fucking hope so,” she laughs.
“Good,” I say, knowing all too well that it’s about time my mom finds her own kind of happiness. After all, she’s just spent twenty years with a man who lied to her. She may have loved him, and despite him being my father, she deserves better. “Let’s set them up.”
Chapter 22
I sit on the kitchen counter with Casey across from me and Colton’s hands gently at the back of my neck. He insisted on checking my burn despite Mom only checking it an hour ago. He’s so over-protective and I kinda love it. The second Milo delivered me home from school, Colton was there, asking me how it went today and checking that I hadn’t accidentally hurt myself or run into any trouble.
He was only seconds from asking to check the burn when Mom came tearing in with a new bandage and cream, insisting that I sit my ass down and redress it. I have a feeling this is going to be my life for the next few days. I’d hate to see what it’s like if I was to seriously injure myself. Colton would probably hire a full-time nurse just to follow me arou
nd. I mean, they know I’m more than capable of taking care of myself, right?
Colton gently presses a new bandage on after declaring that it looked much better today, something he’d heard my mother say only a short hour ago, but I guess nothing is really true until you’ve seen it with your own eyes.
Colton presses a kiss to my lips before stepping away and heading toward his private bar. “Do you want anything to drink?” he questions, pausing at the door.
I scrunch up my face, thinking over my options but instantly get distracted by the way his loose tank gapes at the front and every inch of his fine, strong, and chiseled chest is put on display. He had no meetings today so he didn’t bother putting a suit on and damnnn, it looks good on him.
A knowing grin tears across his too handsome face. “Jade,” he says, his voice low and warning. “Concentrate.”
“Oh, umm, right … I’ll have—”
“I’ll take a vodka sunrise, thanks,” Casey says from her position across the kitchen, lowering the book that she’s had her face glued in since she got home from school this afternoon.
Colton gapes at her. “No fucking way. You’re sixteen.”
Casey groans as I bite my tongue about the fact that he happily stood by over the weekend as she poured cocktail after cocktail down her throat. “For the millionth time, I’m seventeen and what does it matter? Ocean is only seventeen, and it’s not as though you’re any better. You’re only eighteen yourself.”
“I—” His face falls as he cuts himself off, realizing that she has a very good point. “Fine,” he finally says as though he’s her parent giving her permission to make bad decisions. “But only one drink. I don’t want Mom riding my ass for letting you have a drink. She’ll probably try to sue me.”
Casey scoffs out a laugh, all of us knowing that while his comment was a small jab, it wasn’t far from the truth. I wouldn’t put that kind of shit past her. She’s a bitch like that, and I don’t doubt that she’d do some pretty stupid things to get her hands on someone else’s cash.
Barbie B*tch: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Rejects Paradise Book 3) Page 21