Chapter 41
I scratched under Briar’s chin as she nuzzled me, purring. “I wish I could take you to school with me.”
Just the word school had my stomach churning. I had no idea what to expect.
Yesterday had been a quiet day. After I’d showered and donned sweats, the guys had ushered me into the movie theater in the basement.
It was full of these massive couches with equally large ottomans that all felt like clouds.
Colt, Ronan, Dash, and even Declan rotated in and out all day.
They brought food down as we watched superhero movie after superhero movie.
When one or two of them left at a time, they never said where they were going, just that they had to take care of something. But they always came back. The only one who stayed away was Trace.
Just thinking his name had a faint pull tugging in my chest.
But he was the least of my worries. Not when I’d be heading back to the halls of Castle Prep. There’d be Chloe and her minions. And Damien.
My mouth went dry at the thought of him, and my heart rate sped up. I squeezed my eyes closed. I was safe. Nothing would happen to me on school grounds in broad daylight. And I was sure the guys would be sticking close after the events of the weekend.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped away from Briar, who let out a grumble of complaint.
“I’ll be back before you know it.”
She sighed and curled up into a ball, staring out the window.
I grabbed my backpack and headed downstairs. The guys, minus Declan, were all waiting.
Colt smiled, but I could read the strain around the edges. “You ready?”
I nodded.
Dash moved in close to me, weaving his fingers through mine. “You won’t be alone today, okay? We’ll meet you at each class and walk you to the next.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I argued.
“We’re doing it,” Ronan said, his voice going gruff.
Trace didn’t say a word. He simply stared at me. But I swore there was a flash of longing in those violet eyes.
“We better get going,” Colt said.
I followed them out to the Range Rover, my legs feeling heavier with each step.
We took our usual seats in the SUV, and the drive to school was mostly quiet. But my gaze kept drifting to Trace, his focus locked on the road in front of us. I had the bizarre urge to crawl over the console and into his lap, to get as close to him as humanly possible.
“Tone it down, Trace,” Ronan grumbled.
His jaw ticked. “I can’t control it. If you want to blame someone, look at Colt.”
Colt’s fingers tightened on the wheel. “We didn’t have a choice.”
My gaze ping-ponged around the vehicle, trying to read between the lines.
Dash squeezed my hand. “I think we should make the movie marathon a weekly thing.”
I smiled but shook my head. “I’ll never catch up with my schoolwork if I do that.”
He shrugged. “Just one movie, then.”
“I’m down for that. Baldwin’s array of snacks is pretty unparalleled.”
Colt pulled into his parking spot, and we climbed out of the SUV. The moment we did, I was aware of the stares. My stomach twisted as students bent to whisper in each other’s ears.
The guys tensed, surrounding me like they were bodyguards.
Declan strode across the lot toward us, a seriously pissed-off look on his face.
Colt’s gaze cut to him. “What’s going on?”
His jaw worked back and forth. “Damien’s using the gossip mill to try to win his case.”
A lead weight settled in my stomach. I closed my eyes for a moment and breathed deep. It didn’t matter what people thought of me. I reminded myself of that over and over.
Forcing my eyes open, I turned to the guys. “We should get to homeroom.”
As we started toward the front doors of the school, the whispers grew.
“I heard she was begging him for it and then screamed attack,” one girl said to another.
Ronan halted and glared at them, sending them skittering back.
“What a bitch,” another guy muttered. “She could’ve gotten him expelled.”
Dash and Declan ate up the ground as they moved toward the group of guys. Declan zeroed in on the ringleader. “What was that?”
“N-Nothing, man, swear.”
My palms dampened. This would never work. They couldn’t threaten people to stop talking about me.
Chloe, Mimi, and Grace stepped into our path. Chloe grinned. “Looks like your little princess isn’t so angelic after all, Colt. She’s a common whore just like her mother.”
Colt let out a low growl. “You never learn, Chloe. But you’re going to—”
I couldn’t take it. Couldn’t listen to one more attack or a defense that wouldn’t do any good. I darted around them all and headed to the side of the school building.
All my adventures in trying to escape the drama had given me a better understanding of where everything was in the school. I knew if I went in the back door, I wouldn’t be far from my homeroom, and I could avoid all of this.
I felt Trace’s presence at my back more than heard it. It was as if my body was finely tuned to his location at all times now. Annoyance fluttered to life in my chest, and I whirled on him. “What do you want?”
He skidded to a halt, his jaw ticking. “To make sure you don’t get fucking attacked again and we have to clean up the mess.”
I gaped at him. “Are you seriously blaming me for that?”
“No”—he spun, kicking at the trash can that tumbled over on its side—“of course it isn’t your fault. I just—”
“You what?” I threw my arms wide. “What do you want from me, Trace? To drop dead? To run back to Louisiana and get the crap kicked out of me on the daily? What?”
His hands fisted at his sides. “I want you to be safe.”
I stilled. “Why?”
“Because I need it.” Each word rumbled out of his chest as if he had no control over them.
“Why?” It was like I could only say that one word.
All the air bled out of Trace. “You won’t understand.”
“Try me.”
He shook his head. “There are things I can’t explain.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming. “Then tell me what you can.”
Trace stared at me for a long moment. “I know what it’s like not to be wanted. To have the people who were supposed to love you hate the very sight of you.”
My ribs constricted around my lungs as the memory of the vision from the night before flashed in my mind.
“It’s some of the worst kind of pain,” he said quietly.
“I’m sorry.”
His jaw tightened. “I don’t need your pity.”
“It’s not pity. It’s empathy. Isn’t that what you feel for me?”
Trace’s breaths grew labored as his knuckles bleached white. “I feel a hell of a lot more than empathy for you, Little Bird.”
My own breath hitched, that pull to him intensifying.
Trace stumbled back a few steps. “Stay away from me, Little Bird. I’ll ruin you.”