Chapter 31
THIRTY-ONE
I call a taxi to pick me up from Hannaford by eight o’clock in the morning.
I'm the only student who doesn't have a car of their own or parents who send a chauffeur to collect them, but it's not at all surprising to me.
What is surprising is that Avery helps to carry my pathetically small amount of belongings down to the school entrance.
I carry my duffel with the safe tucked in it, and she lugs my backpack with my study notes.
We spent two hours in her room last night getting to know each other.
The switch from bully to best friend has happened so suddenly and completely that I feel like I have whiplash.
She is actually really funny and smart too.
Before I went to my own room for bed, she put her number in my phone and made sure I could text her.
Now, standing together by the gate, we laugh about the shocked looks from the other students. “They should know by now that I do what I say I will. You should find the rest of your year much easier to tolerate.”
I laugh, and she grins at me.
“Avery.” Ash steps up beside us, and I flinch. I can't hear his voice without thinking of how he wants to destroy my life. Avery stiffens, and then turns to him with sharp eyes.
“Please stop ignoring me. Whatever happened, I can help you fix it.”
She laughs, and it sounds like the one she always used with me; cruel and lacking in humor. “Lips fixed it and wanted nothing in return, so don't concern yourself.”
“Floss—”
“Don't you dare.”
She had told me last night about how much she loves Ash and how she’s spent years fixing his entire life. She won't be angry at him forever, but it’ll be a while before she gets over him ignoring her call.
“I beat him for you. I'll fucking kill him, if that's what it takes to get you to stop looking at me like that.”
My taxi rolls in. She shakes her head at Ash and walks up to drop my backpack in the trunk. I move to follow her, and his hand shoots out to grab me.
“Whatever you've done to get her on your side, I will fucking end you for it. You think my brother is bad? You have no idea what I will do to you next year.”
“Why don't you want her to have friends?”
The glare he levels at me is so dark, a shiver runs up my spine.
“She can have friends, just not Mounty trash,” he sneers at me, his eyes icy blue.
And, in that moment, I don't care if I am signing up for another year of hell. I give him my own dark glare.
“Fuck you.” I pull my arm out of his grip, and I give Avery a quick hug before I drop into the taxi.
Ash glares at me as Avery waves cheerfully, and then the taxi takes off down the driveway and out of the huge, ornate school gates.
A grin is plastered to my face. I survived Hannaford, and I made a friend.
The ride back to Mounts Bay is over an hour, and I enjoy watching the scenery as it changes from the lush, sprawling, reticulated green to the urban coastal wasteland.
It feels like coming home. I’m going back to where I belong, and where I’m running from, even if I do feel nostalgic looking at it all.
I’m lost in thought when my phone buzzes in my pocket.
The Fox’s party next week. Be there.
I roll my eyes as the taxi stops outside the dingy apartment I rented for the break.
It's an absolute shithole, but it’s cheap and won’t be too much of a drain on my dwindling stash of cash.
Originally, I’d planned to rent a tiny townhouse in a gated community that cost four times what this place does, but now that I have a pampered prince I have to fund, I am on a budget.
I didn’t tell Avery, but part of why I have to pay for Harley is to make my protection legitimate.
If the Jackal starts to look into his life and his financials, and he sees Harley being supported by someone else, he will kill him and tell me he was a snitch.
I am just going to have to go to the Fox’s party next week like the Jackal wants me to and pick up some extra jobs like I said I would.
It won’t kill me, and it’s not like I haven’t done it before.
My phone pings again. I smile down at Avery’s text.
Ash is a nightmare, Harley is pouting, and Blaise is pleading with me to seek therapy. I’m going to enjoy taking these boys down a notch or two. I’ll text you tomorrow x
I went against my better judgment to trust this girl, but I do not regret it.
And I can't wait for school to start back.