Chapter 6 #2
“Stop getting rough with me or I’ll fuck you right here in the parking lot.”
Caden glanced back at us from ahead, and I scowled at him when he grinned at my obvious misery. His friendship with Skeeter was great and all, but now they took each other’s side against me. It was bullshit.
The mall was a little busy since it was the weekend, and it took us a while to get to the ice cream stand.
Skeeter was on high alert, not liking being in a crowd where he couldn’t see danger coming a mile away, Lukas appeared to be low-key freaking out and would let go of Jensen’s hand for a second then grab onto it again, Jensen would give him a look of amusement every time, and Tyler and Caden were in their element, strolling through the place like they owned it.
I was in my own personal hell. The mall was full of overpriced crap, or things I’d never been able to buy. Kids ran around screaming, teenagers mingled and hung out, and adults had coffee with friends while glaring at the teenagers.
“How long do we have to stay?” I asked as we approached the ice cream stand, and Caden gave me the side-eye.
“We just got here.”
“And I’m asking when we’re leaving,” I grumbled as Tyler’s hand darted out to grab my wrist and tugged me close to him.
“What do you want? Do you have a favorite flavor?” he asked excitedly.
“I used to like caramel swirl. Is there one like that?”
“I can do caramel,” he grinned, giving his attention to the worker to start firing off random ice cream names. It was obvious the guys had been here many times before since he ordered for everyone, then he turned to Skeeter. “What do you want?”
Skeeter looked out of place among the rest of us, his Psychos jacket and tattoos making him stand out. The scowl on his face didn’t help, and I could tell he really didn’t want to be here.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t have a favorite?” Tyler scoffed, and Skeeter glared at him.
“No, I don’t. Some of us grew up without regular food, let alone fucking dessert. You think I had money for dumb shit like this?”
Tyler blinked at him, not being able to process a kid not having the privilege of regular ice cream, and I sighed.
“Get him the same as me. Caramel is pretty safe.”
Tyler glanced at Skeeter for confirmation before adding it to our order and paying, and I moved out of the way to stand beside Skeeter as we waited.
“Privileged little pricks,” he muttered under his breath, the frustration not hiding his embarrassment.
“I’m glad they don’t understand,” I said quietly, watching Tyler as he put Caden in a headlock to wrestle. “Not that they don’t have trauma too.”
“When did you have ice cream last?” he asked curiously, and I shrugged.
“Mom used to bring me to places like this all the time. We used to go to the ice cream truck at the park almost weekly at one point. I don’t think I’ve gone out for ice cream since.”
He was quiet for a moment, seeming deep in thought, then he took my hand and gave it a squeeze.
“We can go for ice cream at the park one day.”
“I thought this was dumb?”
“It is, but you like it,” he said seriously.
“You might change your mind when you find out the price,” I joked, amusement flickering in his dark gaze.
“How fast can you run?”
“We’re not stealing ice cream, Skeet.”
“Why not? I think you’d get a kick out of it,” he chuckled, leaning down to kiss my neck. “I could just wave a gun at them and rob them, or the good old fashioned snatch and grab.”
“I’ll make one of the guys pay.”
“They’re not invited.” He nipped my skin, drawing me closer with a huff. “Where’s the nearest bathroom? They’d be fancy here, right? Want to ditch the guys and get railed instead?”
“If by fancy you mean clean, then yes. We’re not sneaking off to fuck. My pussy hurts.”
“Not yet it doesn’t,” he chuckled, his fingers sliding into my hair to tilt my head back, his mouth landing on mine and making me groan.
“Can you two not? Here, switch his tongue for the ice cream,” Jensen said dryly, and I looked at him to find two cups of ice cream in his hands.
“What is that?” Skeeter asked bluntly, eyeing the cup of sugar.
Jensen frowned down at them, and I had to admit, it was a bit much.
The ice cream was covered in caramel sauce and pieces of caramel, the whole thing looking more like a fancy dessert than a cup of ice cream.
“Ice cream,” Jensen finally said slowly after a moment, looking back up at us.
“What did that cost?” Skeeter demanded, giving Tyler a dirty look. “You said ice cream. That’s some fancy rich kid shit.”
Tyler rolled his eyes, already eating his. “It’s ice cream. Just eat it, you might even like it.”
“Not like I’m coming back for more,” Skeeter growled, snatching it from Jensen as I took mine.
Jensen took his from Lukas, and I eyed Skeeter as he shoved a spoonful into his mouth. He paused, seeming to think about it for a moment before swallowing and taking another mouthful.
“Good? I haven’t tried that one before,” Caden stated as he went to put his spoon in Skeeter’s, and Skeeter pulled back and practically hissed at him.
“You’ve got your own. Fuck off.”
“I thought sharing was caring?”
“Bite me, Holloway.”
I popped a spoonful in my mouth, the flavors spreading across my tongue instantly. It was so good.
We started walking to find somewhere to sit down, managing to find an empty table in the food court. We dropped into chairs around it, and Tyler smirked as he ate his ice cream while watching Skeeter devour his.
As expected, the guys talked shit about people they saw, while Skeeter and I enjoyed our ice cream. The whole mean kid thing was a weird concept, and when Tyler started mouthing off to someone at a table close by, I stood and smacked the back of his head.
“Hey!” he huffed, rubbing the tender spot and glaring at me.
“What’s wrong with you guys?” I asked bluntly, not fighting it as Caden pulled me onto his lap.
“It’s just a bit of fun,” Tyler muttered, wincing when I replied.
“I’m so glad that ruining someone’s day makes you feel better. Go on, do me next since you like poking at people who are obviously less than you.”
“You’re not less than me.”
“Why not? I’m Heights trash, remember? You were talking shit about that girl earlier with the greasy hair. She was here to steal shit, right?” I asked flatly.
“I was only—”
“You were being a prick. If you’re that concerned about her lack of washed hair and the fact she’s stealing, maybe go let her use your showers and hundred dollar shampoo that you probably wash your balls with.
People aren’t usually dirty by choice, asshole.
She might not even have running water at home. ”
Some people around us seemed amused by my scolding, but Tyler hung his head slightly, his voice quiet. “Sorry.”
“I’m not just scolding you. You’re all assholes,” I warned when Caden snickered.
“You guys are mean little boys,” Skeeter said with a yawn, stretching and leaning back in his seat.
“Go say sorry to that guy,” I said sharply, Tyler’s head lifting to look at me.
“Huh?”
“You heard me. The guy you were just mouthing off at. Apologize for being an entitled asshole.”
“You’re not serious,” he groaned, and I stood from Caden’s lap to grab Tyler’s shirt, hauling him to his feet.
“Deadly.”
“This is embarrassing.”
“Then don’t do it again and I won’t embarrass you,” I said sweetly, dragging him close to the table that he’d been bothering. “Hi, sorry. My friend here has a disease called rich boy syndrome. He’s in recovery and has something to say to you.”
Skeeter was laughing hard, and Tyler gave me a dirty look.
“I hate you.”
“See? There you go again. We need to work on that. Go on, tell the nice man what we discussed,” I answered, keeping hold of his shirt because he’d one hundred percent take off if I didn’t.
I was pretty sure Tyler hadn’t been put in his place like this a day in his life, and he honestly wasn’t liking it. He was looking at me like I was the one bullying him.
He finally sighed, looking at the man that had been eyeing us warily since we approached.
“I’m sorry.”
“For?” I encouraged, his jaw clenching.
“For being an entitled asshole.”
“Good boy,” I cooed, patting his chest a little harder than necessary, the guy cracking a smile.
“It’s fine. I hope he’s cured soon.”
Tyler looked ready to swing at the guy, so I pulled him back towards the table, his voice flat.
“Why the fuck did you do that?”
“Do you like me?” I asked, a frown tugging at his lips.
“You know I do. I love you.”
“Then you need to realize that I’m no different than any of the other people you’ve been an asshole to today.
Being an ass at school to the jocks is one thing, those dickbags deserve it, but that guy was just eating his lunch and minding his own business.
” He sat back in his chair and tried to pull me with him, so I swatted his hand away. “No. Bad Ty.”
He let out a sound of annoyance as I moved to sit on Skeeter’s lap instead, and Skeeter was more than happy to be part of it.
“That was hot, baby girl. You want to scold me next?” he murmured, nuzzling my neck as his arms tightened around my middle.
“I don’t have time to pick a fight with you,” I joked.
“I’ll let you win,” he offered, his dick hard against my ass.
“That’s no fun,” I smirked, ignoring the pouting that Tyler was doing across the table.
“Now what? We’ve had ice cream, watched you rich fuckers bully people, and Aurora’s gotten to pretend she’s the boss for five minutes,” Skeeter stated with a chuckle.
“Want to wander the shops?” Lukas offered, making both me and Skeeter snort. “No? Why not?”
“I’d rather shove a cactus up my pussy,” I scoffed, and Jensen smirked.
“The gardening department is on level two.”
“Would you like a scolding too?” I asked as I leaned forward to pat his arm, yelping as he grabbed me and dragged me across his lap.
Then the fucker spanked me.
“You’re getting a little big for your boots, babe,” he tsked, the guys all laughing as I squirmed to get up without much success.
“Jensen!”
“Hush, count with me. Two.” He swatted my ass again. “C’mon. Surely they taught you to at least count to five in the Heights.”
“You’re a fucking asshole,” I gritted out, but I was struggling to stay mad.
“I hope she throws up her ice cream on you,” Lukas snorted, being my hero and helping me up.
“At least one of you helped me,” I grumbled, only making Lukas raise an eyebrow.
“I didn’t do it to help you. It was giving me a boner in public.”
“I can’t believe you.”
“You love me,” he threw back, and I melted to a damn puddle as he smiled at me.
“I do,” I mumbled, leaning into his touch as he cupped the side of my face.
He went to say something, but the sound of fake gagging had him looking behind me.
“Ugh, seriously? In public? Keep your circus in the tent,” Claire whined, and I stopped myself tensing when I saw Gunther was with her. He studied me, chewing gum with a bored expression.
“I guess it’s a circus now the monkeys are here,” Caden deadpanned. Satisfaction rolled through me when Skeeter stood and Gunther took a step back.
“You got a problem?” Skeeter demanded, and Claire moved to stand between them, holding her hand out to Skeeter’s chest.
“Leave him alone, Skeet. He’s—”
Skeeter smacked her hand away but she reached out again, and I shouldn’t have condoned the violence, but I got a kick out of it when Skeeter shoved her so hard she flew backwards and landed on her ass.
“Skeet!” she shrieked, but he was too busy glaring at Gunther to notice her.
“Eyes off,” he warned, and I was pretty sure he was going to punch him if Caden hadn’t stepped between them.
“Dude, not here. I’ll tell you where he lives so you can get him later. He goes to the academy,” Caden said firmly.
“This prick—”
“Ashburn Mall has more security than you can take shots at. Leave it,” Caden hissed, and surprise filled me as Skeeter took a step back towards me.
“I’m done here. You coming, baby girl?”
I was very ready to head home, so I nodded and moved closer to him as Gunther helped Claire back up, my eyes catching on security as they approached.
“We need to go.”
“You guys don’t even belong here,” Claire spat. “You’re both trash. You deserve each other.”
“Don’t do it,” Caden said sharply, but I’d already clenched my fist and stepped forward, punching her right in the mouth.
People around us were moving out of the way as if a big brawl was going to break out, and security moved faster as I turned without a word to walk away.
Skeeter followed, the rest of the guys taking slower steps to keep a buffer between us and security. We headed straight out to the parking lot to Skeeter’s car, a chuckle leaving him once he was behind the wheel and starting the engine.
“You’re so violent, you know that?”
“Me? You were going to beat Gunther to death. You had your rage face on,” I exclaimed, his mouth curving into a smirk.
“I don’t like him.”
“Me either. Slash would lose it if you killed an academy kid in the mall though,” I pointed out as he started reversing.
“He’d get over it. Text Holloway to tell him we’ll meet at my place. I can’t handle more of that big mansion today. I need cheap beer and my lumpy couch.”
The fact that he was inviting them to join us made me smile slightly, and I quickly pulled my phone out to text the guys before he changed his mind.