Chapter 18
18
MALICE
M y back is to Rue, but that doesn’t mean I let her suffer silently. I text Mr. Bryant, our substitute teacher while Mrs. Bowman is on leave.
He grabs his cell off his desk and glances at the screen. He pushes back his seat.
“Behave while I grab a package at the office.”
He leaves the classroom. As soon as the door closes behind him, my phone pings. A text message.
Cheater : Make it quick.
I read it with a smirk. I caught him banging Courtney, the office secretary, in the men’s bathroom after school, and now he’s eating out of my hands. That douchebag has a wife and baby at home.
I walk up to the front of the classroom. All eyes are on me. My boys trail my movement. They’re fully aware of my plan, and goddammit, there wasn’t much protest from Trace. Does he have history with Rue? Does he want to start something with her? Rue would be a great distraction for whatever he has going on with Sorrow.
I saw how he looked at Sorrow when he helped her out of his Jeep—with hunger in his eyes. Then he blinked, and it was replaced by this nonchalance that drives the girls crazy. They do their best to elicit a reaction from him other than his signature smirk.
We three are alike. We like to be in control, hate when anyone defies us, and leave alone those who fall in line. Lately, that hasn’t been the story with Seven. The new girl, Leigh, showed up in town and defied him at every turn. Rather than getting her to fall in line, he lost control of his heart and fell hard for her.
That won’t happen to me. Rue isn’t new, and I fully understand where her defiance comes from. She grew up in a chaotic household and ran with a crowd that liked to beat up kids twice their size just to show the town they could. No one has stood up for Rue or helped her stabilize her life. Today, it changes.
I clear my throat. What is the point? I have their undivided attention. “I’m only going to say this once. Leave Rue the fuck alone. There will be no calling her names. Or picking fights with her. Or bringing up her mom. If I hear or see anyone disrespecting her, there will be hell to pay from me and my boys. You got that?”
“She’s living with you, bro. Don’t you think that’s indecent? You got indecent thoughts, Sterling? Plan on putting it to fruition?”
I point a finger at the kid seated in the middle of the room. “Who the fuck are you? Oh, wait.” I stroke my chin. “You’re the new guy. Shut your trap, bruh. Rue is taken. She’s seeing Trace here.” I clamp my meaty paw on Trace’s shoulder. “And we guys don’t poach on another guy’s girl. Bro code.”
We fist pump. The guys in the room nod in agreement.
“Whatever.” New Guy gives me a dismissive wave. “Were I you, I’d be pounding that snatch every chance I get.”
I am on him faster than he can take his next breath. My fist slams into his face. Bone cracks beneath my knuckles. His hand shoots to his nose. Yeah, it’s broken. Blood spurts from his nostrils and smears his skin. I pull back my arm. Douchebag shields his face with his hands. I slam my palm into his chest. He and the chair topple over. I grip his shirt in my hand, ready to pummel him into a bloody mess.
A small hand on my arm snaps me out of my rage.
“Save it for when it matters.”
Is Rue telling me she’s not worth fighting for? I straighten and ignore the ruckus outside the classroom door. The adults are trying to get in, but someone jammed the back of a chair against the doorknob. I tip my head for one of the kids to let them in. The fight is gone out of me, and I am ready to face the consequences. What happens next has me questioning my stupid idea.
In the corner of my eye, Trace and Rue are standing together. His fingers are entangled in her thick hair. He dips his head and says something to her. A hint of red colors her cheeks. I glare, and she glances away, confirming my suspicion.
She has history with Trace. First my cousin, and now one of my best friends? Are the rumors true? Does Rue get around as much as her mother did?
It doesn’t matter. I’ll clean up my act and meet the conditions in my parents’ contract. Then Rue can return to her uncle’s place.
Except, wait a fucking minute. What about her prior living arrangement was unsafe? I blow out a breath. It’s best I find out. She is not my girl, but I’ll be damned if anyone dares lay a finger on her.