Chapter 22
22
RUE
O n his first day back at school, Malice does something unbelievable. He barges late into our first-period class, stomps to Mr. Bryant’s desk, and, without a word, punches him in the face.
He punches and kicks Mr. Bryant until Trace and Seven pull him off. Teachers rush inside the classroom. The principal hauls Malice out.
What the…? I look to Malice’s friends for answers. They’re hunched over and breathing heavily. Malice is a big guy, and it took a lot of strength for them to yank him off Mr. Bryant. Sirens wail in the distance. Mr. Bryant is a crumpled mess on the floor.
“What was that about?” I ask Trace out the side of my mouth as the teachers provide first aid to Mr. Bryant.
“Not sure. Maybe you can find out later when you see him.”
Except when Seven and Leigh dropped me off after school, Malice wasn’t home, and his GT-R wasn’t in the garage.
I texted and called him, but he didn’t return my messages or my voicemails. I later find out from Leigh that Malice is again suspended. I am failing at my job, but that’s not what I’m concerned about.
Malice doesn’t lose his temper without good reason.
Is he in trouble?
How can I get him out of it?
Why does he need to fight in the cage so badly?
The purse money pales in comparison to his weekly allowance. Is he fighting because my brother has something over him? Is Isaac blackmailing Malice?
This deep anger washes over me. How dare Isaac resort to hurting someone I care for after what we went through with our parents? Loyalty and friendship should mean more to him than money.
I call Trace. “Hi, Trace. Have you seen Malice?”
“He’s at the town center with Cassie.”
“Do you have a tracking app on him?” I joke.
“Nah. Bro would whoop my ass if I did. Simple. Seven saw them when he dropped Leigh off for her shift.”
There’s a pinging noise. I check my phone. It’s not an incoming text for me.
“Huh. Interesting. Malice is throwing a party at his place tonight.”
First, he breaks his dad’s rule and brings Cassie over. Then, he punches a teacher and gets suspended again. Now, he is throwing a party at his “sanctuary and not a frat house” house?
Malice could easily meet his parents’ conditions, and I would be out of his place and his life. Instead, he is prolonging my job to prove a point. I am a failure and will never succeed at anything, including the simple job of keeping his grumpy butt in line.
A ping from my phone brings me back to my conversation with Trace. Trace is talking to me and has been. I’ve zoned out on him.
“He’s roped me and Seven into helping him. There’ll be a shit ton of kids. He invited the entire senior class from both schools.”
Shay and Winslow will be there, along with my friend and Shay’s girlfriend, Bailey. But both schools? The kids will overrun the house, knock over Malice’s precious plants, and leave behind a mess.
What’s worse is the possible invasion of privacy. My room isn’t mine, but the thought of kids making out on my bed conjures images of bodily fluids over the sheets and covers. Ew. Or they’ll go through my stuff just because it’s where I’m staying while Malice-sitting, and they’re curious what is in the room. The possibilities for destruction are endless.
“I’ll help too.” I’ll show Malice that I can make his party such a success that the kids will talk about it for years. “Are you bringing Sorrow?”
A tense silence is followed by a door opening and closing. Did Trace have me on speaker, and he’s moving away from the earshot of Sorrow?
“I’m not sure yet.”
“I can stay by her side until you’re able to.” I see how Sorrow looks at Trace when she doesn’t think anyone is watching her. This fake boyfriend-girlfriend thing between me and Trace is hurting her. “Can we break up publicly soon?”
“You have as much control over the situation as I do.”
“And ruin your reputation for breaking girls’ hearts? Uh-uh. Anyway, a boy would break up with me and not the other way around.”
“Why is that?”
“A girl like me always gets her heart broken.”
“Remind me what a girl like you means exactly.”
“Bad rep. Poor as dirt. A friend but never a girlfriend kind of girl.”
“Everyone deserves love, Rue.”
“Even a quiet girl who lost her parents tragically and was kept away from a world that will do her more harm than good?”
He takes his time answering.
Did I go too far in assuming he is interested in Sorrow?
“Yes,” he finally says in this soft voice that aches with longing and anger.
Trace wants to start something with Sorrow but believes he’s bad for her. He is the bad boy who stomps on girls’ hearts, and she is the innocent girl he won’t allow close enough to be tarnished by his darker side.
“Break up with me soon.”
“I’ll think about it. Now, let’s party plan and help our boy throw the best fucking party this side of the state.”