Chapter 17 #2
Whoever it is, they’re not Joey so I doubt this is life threatening, but I wedge my hand into my jeans pocket to get a hold of my knife just in case. The arm around my chest is like a steel band so I’ll have to wait until the asshole eases up on the pressure. Then, I’ll stab the fucker.
“Not so tough now, are you, Mounty?” Ugh. It’s Devon, Joey’s favorite flunky, the one with a crush on Harlow. I wonder if he got an eyeful of her rubbing the Wintergreen oil into her shoulder before he grabbed me? Gross.
He marches me over to a little alcove behind the showers and turns me as he slams me into the wall.
I grunt as the air is knocked out of my lungs as my back meets the hard surface and he presses himself against me.
He’s standing there in a pair of silk boxers and flip-flops.
For the love of God, I’m going to have to stab him.
I meet his gaze and see the glazed look in his eyes.
Open too wide and bouncing around my face like he can’t stop them.
He’s taking drugs, too. I bet every last one of Joey’s flunkies are snorting coke between classes. I want to scream.
Devon keeps one hand pressed over my mouth and he leans in too closely as he speaks. “I’ll let Joey know I caught you. He can come down and finish the bet. We can forget you even exist, Mounty.”
My eyes narrow at him. Joey will never forget me now that I have his interest. Devon ignores the warning look I’m giving him and moves so his hand wraps around my throat, squeezing just a little.
His eyes may be manic, but I’m not worried about him choking me.
He’s too much of a pompous rich boy, he doesn’t have the fire required to kill someone, even as high as he is.
He starts rambling on like his mouth is running away from him.
“Why couldn’t you just spread these legs and let Joey win, huh?
You’re a frigid fucking slut. Why did you have to become a problem we all have to deal with? Well, I’m going to finish this.”
I jerk the knife out of my pocket and press it to his gut. I still prefer the groin but I can’t reach it with how he has me pinned. The hand on my throat spasms as he glances down and sees the blade pressing into his skin, a line of blood already starting to well up.
His eyes are wide and when he opens his mouth to start on his next tirade of crap, he doesn’t get a single word out because his body is thrown away from mine by an equally naked, but far more colorful, body slamming into his side.
It takes me a second to see who it is, because he’s so fucking fast to lay into Devon, but Blaise is beating the shit out of the tweaking asshole.
Devon tries to put his hands up, but Blaise just keeps on punching even as Devon falls limp with a pathetic groan.
I take a deep breath, and then another, and then Avery slips her body in next to mine as we watch Blaise pulverize Devon.
“I turned and you were gone,” she whispers.
I shrug. “He grabbed me from behind, I had it under control.”
When it’s clear Devon is unconscious, I call out, “He’s done, Morrison.”
Blaise grunts and punches him in the face one last time. When he stands he’s panting and his fists are covered in blood. I finally notice he’s only wearing a pair of boxer shorts and he’s still wet from the shower. He turns to walk toward us and I can’t breathe.
“Sweet Lord,” I mumble, and Avery snorts at me incredulously. I elbow her gently in the ribs because, seriously, how the fuck is she immune to him?
Blaise stops in front of me and reaches up to push the stray strands of my hair out of my face. “You okay, Mounty?” he rasps.
I clear my throat. “I’m fine. I had it under control but thanks for, uh, stepping in.”
He smirks at me. “Yeah, I saw that. I think we’re better off with me punching him than you gutting him.”
I blush and slip my knife back into my pocket. Avery rolls her eyes at me. “Get dressed, Morrison. You can walk us to our room so we don’t get jumped on the way back.”
Avery is on her phone all the way to our room so I shouldn’t be surprised to find Ash waiting for us, leaning on the wall and scowling at his phone.
There’s a lot of activity in the hall while the other girls swan around in the smallest amount of clothing possible to try and tempt him into their rooms. Avery rolls her eyes and marches through them, and I chuckle under my breath at the way they all scatter away from her. She’s totally right, they’re all sheep.
Blaise sticks to my side and when Ash looks up to see us, his eyes dart over my body, looking for injuries.
“I’m fine,” I say, and he snorts, following Avery into our room.
“She is fine but Devon is out. I just sent a copy of his latest urine sample to his father. He paid off the school nurse to keep it under wraps but his father won’t stand for a drug addict in the family. Not after his brother OD-ed,” says Avery, walking straight to the kitchen.
I exhale deeply and slump down on my bed to take my Docs off. One less asshole to worry about.
Blaise moves to shut the door and is shoved out of the way by an enraged Harley. “What the fuck happened!?”
Avery huffs and starts wiping down the counter.
Blaise holds a hand up and stops Harley in his tracks. “When I got out of the shower I heard Devon threatening someone. When I heard him mention Joey and the bet I realized he was talking about the Mounty and I came out to find him pinning her to a wall by her throat.”
“What?! He had his hand around your throat? I’ll gut him,” spits Harley, and Blaise smirks at him.
“Oh, don’t you worry, the Mounty was going to. Pretty sure he’ll end up with a nasty scar. Really, I saved his life with the beating I gave him.”
Ash startles and jerks around to look at me. I raise an eyebrow at him. “What? He’s twice the size of me and grabbed me from behind like a little bitch. He deserves to lose his intestines.”
Avery starts to straighten up the coffee mugs, even though I could already take a tape measure to them without finding a fault. “I think I should get one of those knives too.”
I nod emphatically. “I’ll get you one and teach you how to use it.”
Ash grabs her hand to distract her away from her ritual. “Agreed.”
She smiles at him. “Stay for the day? I’ll cook dinner later and we can watch something Blaise picks so he doesn’t whine at us. Like old times, but better because Lips will side with me when we pick snacks.”
Blaise huffs. “I don’t whine, you guys just have shitty taste.”
Harley kicks his shoes off and ignores the daggers Avery’s eyes send his way. “If he’s picking I’m going to need a beer.”
Ash starts opening cupboard doors in the kitchen and says, “Fuck it, I need something stronger than beer to get through this. Where are you hiding the good stuff, Floss?”
I take the couch knowing Harley likes the armchair on the left, Ash likes the one on the right, and Blaise likes the floor.
Avery hands me a coffee and a bowl of popcorn before tucking herself into my side so we’re huddled up together.
Grabbing enough beer to survive the apocalypse, Harley then sits on the other side of me so I’m wedged between the cousins.
Avery leans forward to give him a look but Harley ignores her.
The movie starts and Blaise messes with the thermostat until the room turns into a freezer, so I sigh and nudge Harley.
“Can you grab me the blanket you’re sitting on? My nipples can cut glass at this point and I’m not ruining my new bra.”
Avery giggles at me and Harley scoffs, but he hands me the blanket. Ash watches him tuck it under my leg and then gives me a sly look. “Which ones are you wearing today?”
I choke on my coffee. “Uh no, my underwear choices are not going to be a daily conversation starter.”
Ash shrugs. “Might help me like you.”
“Hard pass,” I snipe back and try to ignore the hard look Harley is giving me. Ash and his big, meddling mouth!
“They say women pick their colors according to their moods, so which is it, Mounty? Red? Are you feeling feisty today?”
I throw a pillow at his head. “Black, now fuck off.”
“Depressed or horny?”
Avery groans and buries her face in her hands. I gape at him but, surprisingly, it’s Blaise who comes to my rescue. “Lay off, man. She’s not here so you can poke and prod at her for your own enjoyment.”
Ash shrugs and drinks his bourbon as Harley glares at him. “Why are you asking her about her underwear?”
Ash smirks at him and I decide that I’m going back to a single room next year. Sorry, Avery, I can’t deal with this crap. “We picked out her entire collection together this week. Why do you care?”
Harley tenses and I nudge him with my shoulder. “He decided our path to friendship is going to be paved in lace. I decided he’s a perv and it’s easier to let him than fight it.”
“Crap, we haven’t gone down to the laundry room yet to ask about the thief,” Avery mumbles, but she doesn’t look up from her phone.
Blaise looks up from the floor at us. “Someone is stealing your underwear?”
“Her used underwear,” says Ash.
Harley looks at me incredulously. “Are you a magnet for fucked up shit and psychos?”
Avery laughs. “Why yes, Arbour, she is.”
Fuck me with a rusty spoon, can I please catch a break?