“Who’s intimidating you?” The crease between War’s brows deepened. “I’m just trying to make you see—”
“Grrr! I see you, Warren. I get it. I’m not some stupid little slut who will drop to my knees and suck you off in a bathroom or anywhere else just because you’re handsome and you know how to kiss.”
“Lace.” His voice went low, and his eyes softened. “None of those other girls mean anything.”
What a bunch of crap.
I threw my hands in the air. “Not talking about this anymore. Stay away from me, Warren.” I stomped past him, pushing my way through the gathered crowd. A few patted me on the back. Spotting an exit door, I shoved it open and stepped outside.
Tears blurred my vision. Squeezing my eyes shut, I willed them away and leaned back against the wall, trying to calm down.
Breathe, Lace. In and out. You just need some fresh air.
Only I inhaled a lungful of cigarette smoke. Realizing I wasn’t alone, I opened my eyes to a noxious cloud, a familiar face just on the other side of it.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
War
“Hold up.” A huge Latino guy grabbed my arm just as I was about to go after Lace. “You trying to claim Lace Lowell as yours?”
“Not trying to.” I frowned down at where he gripped me, then lifted my gaze. “She is mine.”
“Hate to be the one to break it to you, pendejo.” Dumbass. His expression and voice were amused. “But she didn’t get that memo.”
“Get your hand off me,” I growled, and he released me.
“I’d let her cool down for a moment if I were you, but it’s your call.”
“Who the fuck are you?” I narrowed my eyes. He looked somewhat familiar. “Why should I care what you think?”
My glare burned as hot as a solar flare, but his was cool, glittering gold. Under normal circumstances, I’d have laid him out, right at the beginning of our interchange without all the dialogue, but I wanted to know what the deal was between him and Lace.
“Name’s Juaquin Acenado.” He hooked a thumb toward his huge chest. “Most people just call me King. Heard your band’s short a percussionist.”
Wary, I nodded. “You heard right.”
“I’m the best drummer you’ll ever hear,” he said, and my brows rose. “I’m also Lace’s friend.”
“Wannabe boyfriend, you mean.” I took a step closer, rethinking the violence. I could jack him up if I needed to, even though he had at least fifty pounds on me. I had my rep for a reason.
“No.” He shook his head. “Though I’m not saying never on that. She’s tough as nails. Pretty. Smart too.”
Another interested party. Was there any guy in this school who didn’t already have a thing for her?
“Lace defended you in class today,” the basketball player said as he came closer. I’d noticed Chad hanging around while I was talking to the Latino, even though everyone else had taken off. The tardy bell ringing was imminent.
“Defended me how?” I asked, suddenly very interested.
“Randy gave her a hard time before class, in front of everyone.”
Ah, so that’s what she meant about guys intimidating her.
I fisted my hands, ignoring how the rings on my fingers cut into my skin. It was time that I had another word with that asshole. No switchblade, but it didn’t matter. My rings were effective for leaving cuts and bruises.
“When she turned him down again,” Chad said, “he laid into her about you being with Missy Rivera last night.”
My head snapped to the door Lace had gone through. So that was it, why she was pushing me away. She knew about Missy and me. Fucking shit.
“Randy called you a loser and some other stuff that set her off. She defended you in front of the whole class and put him in his place. She didn’t back down an inch.”
“Didn’t back down yesterday either.” Long layers of King’s black hair moved with his head as he nodded approvingly. “Even though Belinda pulled a blade on her.”
My eyes grew wide. Something warm and unfamiliar burned inside them, and inside my chest too. No one besides Bryan had ever defended me.
“May have to rethink my not-now and throw in a bid for Lace too,” King said in his slightly accented voice. “That white girl is the shit.”
“Lace thinks you’re worth defending.” Chad got in my face, staring down at me. “So be worth defending.”
“You thinking you have a play with her?” I asked, giving him back the attitude he was serving me, but also holding my breath as I waited on his reply. I’d seen the soft way she’d looked at him at the party before I made my move.
“I think Lace is her own person,” Chad said, not really answering. “And if I, or you, or anyone else,” he glanced pointedly at Juaquin, “wants a shot with her, they better treat her right.”
“Who the fuck made you her spokesman?” I narrowed my gaze.
“No one. I like her, and she seems to like you, or she did. Before you screwed up.” He continued staring me down as I glared up at him.
Fucking hell, I had more problems than just Lace. I needed to be meaner if a straitlaced motherfucker like this guy didn’t think he had to cower from me.
“I know you can fuck me up, War,” Chad said, apparently not done. “I get that you’re tough, and have friends in high places and shit. But Lace showed me something today, showed everyone. There are too many bullies at Southside, like you and Randy, running all over the rest of us. I’m not turning away or running anymore. If Lace needs me, I’m there for her. Just wanted to make that clear to you.” Lifting his chin, giving me some respect, he turned away.
The tardy bell rang. Chad had said his piece. It was a nice speech, but he was going to be late for class. That made me happy, or it would have if I weren’t so worried I’d blown things with Lace.
Word choice intentional.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Lace
“Bry,” I said, acknowledging him before I turned away. I didn’t want him to see me like this, weak and emotional.
“Lace.” Placing his hand on my arm, Bryan gently turned me around to face him.
My skin tingled, registering the warmth of him beneath the woven yarns of my sweater. I also noted the comfort of his grip.
“You look upset.” His brows drawn together, he flicked his cigarette aside and crushed it under his boot heel. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
“Nothing.” I blinked rapidly, attempting to diminish the wet sheen of hurt and frustration.
“Not nothing.”
Releasing my arm, he gently grasped my chin and lifted my head to study me. That gorgeous gray-green gaze I’d gladly drown in drifted slowly over my features, seeming to linger on my mouth.
“Who upset you? I’ll kick their ass.” His voice was firm but rough. “Tell me,” he said softly as he framed my face in both his hands.
His controlled anger on my behalf, added to his gentle concern, made me melt. Okay, to be honest, all that he was and had once meant to me melted me. There was a time I’d cast him in the role of my very own Prince Charming.
“War.” I wet my suddenly dry lips and swallowed. “War upset me.”
Bryan released me and took a big step backward.
“Yeah.” I let out a nervous laugh, wrapping my arms around myself as the concern in his expression disappeared. “Figured you’d react like that.”
His eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You tell me, Bryan. We were once close friends. But now there’s War, and you can’t seem to be bothered with me anymore.”
“We’re still friends,” he said, frowning.
“Really?” All my sleeplessness, frustration, and anger spilled over and out of my mouth. “How can that be? Friends talk to each other. I haven’t heard from you in years. Not a single word, nothing since the night of the Metallica concert.”
“I was just a kid then,” he said, as if that were an excuse.
“And
I wasn’t?”
“How was I supposed to react? What was I supposed to do?” Frowning, he raked a hand through his hair. “You were almost raped, Lace. And all I could do was stand there.”
Did he blame himself like Dizzy did?
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“It felt like it was.” He blew out a breath. “I should have stopped you from going upstairs.”
My eyes widened, and his turned unfocused as if he were remembering that dreadful scene.
“Then after,” he said, “you didn’t even want me around.”
“I was scared,” I whispered. “Confused.”
“So was I. Barely older than you when it happened. Then you moved away right after that, and I knew I needed to let you go. You were better off someplace else, anywhere else.” His eyes refocused. “Or that’s what I told myself. You’re better off, Lace, aren’t you?”
I was better off in a lot of ways, but in others I wasn’t. Before, I would have shared the bad and the good with Bryan. All of it. But not now, even though I wanted to.
“Sure,” I said, letting him off the hook.
“Good.” He let out a shaky exhale, as if he’d feared my answer.
“I have plans,” I said, deciding to give him a little more. “I make good grades like your mom encouraged me to do. I want to go to college and study fashion design.”
“Makes sense.” He tilted his head to a reflective angle. “I remember all those outrageous Britney Spears costumes you used to throw on for our performances.”
“Hopefully, slightly better than those,” I said, and he grinned. Encouraged by that, I blabbed more. “If I do well on my SAT, I should qualify for a scholarship.”
“What’s after that?” he asked, and I shrugged.
“That’s pretty far into the future.”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t thought further.” He raised a brow.
“I’d love to have my own label, see my clothes modeled on the runway at fashion shows in New York and Milan.” Curious, I squinted up at him. “And you?”
“I want to be a world-famous guitarist. Walk onstage with my guitar at Madison Square Garden. Own it.”
Nodding, I said, “I can see you doing that for sure.”
“And there she is.”
“Who?” I asked.
“You, Lace.” He shook his head. “You always had a way of making me believe anything was possible.” His eyes shone. “I never thought I’d see you again, let alone talk to you like this.”
“Me either.”
“I wanted to see you again. So many times, I thought about it after you left. But my mom wouldn’t let me. She said I’d interfere with your healing process, maybe even trigger a flashback.”
“All these years.” I shook my head. “I had it all wrong. I thought you didn’t want to be friends with me anymore because of what Sean did.”
“That wasn’t it at all. And now that I’m older, I wonder if there was some other reason my mom wanted me to stay away.” Closing his hands around my upper arms, Bryan pulled me closer. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I thought I was doing the right thing.”
And there he was . . . the Bryan I knew before. Doing the right thing for those he cared about had always been important to the boy I’d befriended.
“It’s okay,” I said, wishing so badly I could go back in time and do it all over again.
“It’s not.” His eyes searched mine. “I can see that it’s not. I’m sorry I got it wrong.”
The door I’d come through only moments before suddenly burst open and banged against the brick wall. War stepped outside, and Bryan released me.
“Sorry for what?” War asked, glancing back and forth between us.
“Just stuff in the past,” Bryan said, and War’s eyes narrowed.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
War
“I’m going to class,” Lace said, looking all pissy again, even though her expression had been as soft as cotton candy with Bryan when I’d stepped outside.
“Babe.” I grabbed her arm when she attempted to brush past me. “Stay.”
Her eyes flashed. “Let go of me, Warren.”
“No,” I said firmly, and she frowned.
“That wasn’t a question.”
“I want to talk to you,” I said. “Now.”
“You don’t have anything to say that I want to hear.” She tried to shrug free of my hold. When I wouldn’t let her, she gasped and tugged harder. “Let go.”
“Let her go, War,” Bryan said. His hand fell like a ton of bricks on my arm, and I released her.
“Don’t—” Her voice cracking, she skirted around me, not meeting my eyes. “Don’t ever touch me again.”
That so wasn’t happening.
“Lacey,” I called.
Shrugging off Bryan, I turned to go after her, but the door slammed in my face after she ran back inside. With my fingers opening and closing reflexively at my sides and really wanting to beat the shit out of someone, I spun around and railed at my best friend.
“Bry, what the hell?” I frowned at him. “I wasn’t hurting her. I’d never hurt her.”
“There are more ways than just physical ones to hurt someone.”
“I know.” My brows drew together. I’d been schooled on that my whole damn life. Bryan knew that too. He knew my shit, and I knew all his. We didn’t talk it to death, but there were no secrets between us.
“Yeah, we both have piece-of-shit fathers.” He gave me a long look. “But trust me on this, Lace has had it worse.”
“How much worse?” Staring at the door, I winced as my gut clenched. Lace seemed so put together, so strong, I couldn’t imagine it.
“Not for me to share her secrets, man.”
“C’mon, Bry.” I turned back to look at him. “Help a brother out.”
“No, War. Just . . . a lot of bad stuff happened when we were kids.” His expression darkened. “If she wants to tell you, she will, but that’s up to her. But if she means something to you, I’d advise you to proceed cautiously with her. Physically, especially. You’re not going to get anywhere with her if you don’t take care.”
I scoffed. “You’re acting like she’s some delicate flower.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“You’re wrong. She just told Randy off in front of her whole class.” Pride rang in my voice. “And yesterday, she stood up to Belinda, even though that psycho chick pulled a switchblade on her.” I shook my head. “She’s not the little girl you knew. And she’s a lot tougher than you think.”
Bryan frowned. “You don’t know what I think.”
Narrowing my eyes on him, I said, “I don’t like coming out here and seeing your hands on her.”
“She was upset. You upset her.” His gaze a frozen tundra, he lifted his chin. “She’s my friend, and if she needs comforting, I’m going to comfort her. Even if the reason she needs it is because of you.”
“Fucking hell.” I shoved my fists in my jeans pockets. “Fine. Okay. You’re right. But fuck, man, she’s got me all twisted up in knots. I’m trying to do this right, but maybe I should’ve just done things the way I usually do and fucked her last night.”
“She give you that sort of invitation?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.
I almost didn’t tell him the truth, but I sensed I needed his help to have and secure her. “No, not exactly.”
“Right. I thought not. I heard you were with Missy last night.”
“So what?” I let that hang.
“So,” he said slowly, “Lace isn’t like Missy or the other chicks we fuck.”
“I know that. I know she’s different.”
“Yeah, that’s what you say, but I don’t believe you mean it. And if I don’t believe you, why the hell do you think Lace is going to?”
“I hear you,” I mumbled, not liking that he was making sense. It kept me from getting what I wanted right now, which was Lace.
“Do you?” His brows rose almost t
o his hairline. “Truly?”
I nodded once.
“Then you better figure out how to convince her. With the way things are, I give you less than a fifty percent chance.”
“Fuck the odds.” I gritted my teeth. “Talk to her for me.”
“No, War. No fucking way.”
“Listen, man. I screwed up. I realize that now. I couldn’t even get off with Missy without imagining Lace.”
“You want me to share that with Lace?” he asked, his mouth flattening into a disapproving line.
“No.” I shook my head. “Fuck no. I just want you to understand how bad I have it, and put in a few good words for me with her. Talk her into hearing me out. Okay?”
Bryan gave that some thought. “All right.”
“Good. Thanks.” I let out a breath, took my hands out of my pockets, and shook them, relaxing a bit. “In other news, I just learned we might have a drummer and a bassist for the band.”
“Really? Who?” he asked.
“You ever heard of a guy called Juaquin Acenado?”
“King, you mean?”
I nodded. “Yeah, he’s the one.”
“His brother saved Jorge’s life.”
“King is Adrian’s little brother?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “Only King’s not so little.”
“No, he sure the fuck isn’t. The guy’s built like a monster truck.” And about as subtle when it came to things he was passionate about. Like Lace, unfortunately. “If he plays the drums with that power—” I shook my head, having difficulty imagining it.
“He does.”
“How do you know?” I asked.
“He was in the band his freshman year. Got crosswise with the band director and got kicked off. He has a bad temper.”
“Excellent,” I said. “He’ll fit right in.”
“Probably.” Bryan laughed. “Who’s the bassist?
“Sager Reed. Supposed to be able to groove, and has some songwriting chops.”
Bryan’s brow creased. “Never heard of him.”
The Complete Tempest World Box Set Page 9