Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 113837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 455(@250wpm)___ 379(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 455(@250wpm)___ 379(@300wpm)
I gathered my books. When I pushed up from my desk, a guy in a letterman jacket blocked my path.
“Hey. If you need help catching up in class, we can totally study together after school.” Catching up? Pretty sure I learned this stuff two years ago, but the way his eyes tracked over me said he wasn’t planning on studying any books. Still, at least he wasn’t glaring at me like I was a piece of Barrington shit on his shoe.
“Uh…”
A hand brushed my hip, and the guy shrunk back.
“Never mind,” he said before darting around me.
“Just so you know,” Bellamy’s deep voice rumbled in my ear, “I can make your life here an absolute hell if I want.” Fingers trailed along my side as he brushed past me. “And I think that’s exactly what I want to do.” Then he walked off while I fought the smile that should absolutely not have been there.
5
Bellamy
I watched Drew’s Armani-clad ass weave between the beaters in the parking lot, waiting to see what kind of luxury car she’d sink behind the wheel of. Her face had been Satan’s-asshole red this morning in the hallway, and I’d enjoyed it way too much. Not only did I let it be known that not even hot rich girls could get away with stupid shit, but I had also staked my claim on her before any other prick had a chance to smell her coming.
Nora passed behind Wolf’s truck, glaring like she wanted to strangle me. Cute. She’d taken Drew under her wing like that broken little bird we all knew she was.
“Hey, Nora.” Hendrix stood up in the bed, motioning toward his crotch. “You wanna suck on my spirit stick?”
She flipped him off before disappearing between a set of pickups. And my attention went straight back to Drew as she opened the door of a shiny, black Audi TT. The adjustment to life in the drive-thru and a school of drive-bys must be tough on Little Miss Entitled. Unfortunately for her, her family's recent financial downfall wasn’t my problem, but her attitude sure as hell was.
“Man.” Hendrix sat on the edge of the tailgate, passing a joint to Wolf with narrowed eyes. “What the hell? She’s got a TT. We should set that shit on fire.”
Smoke billowed from Wolf’s lips; his stare aimed at the ridiculous car like he was contemplating it.
“We’re not setting fire to her car,” I said. “Yet.”
Hendrix frowned. “I vote, we do it now.” He pulled a lighter from his pocket, flicking the lint. “We need retribution, Bell.”
The engine to Drew’s car revved before she peeled off, swerving around a stalled-out Toyota. Wolf leaned over the bed’s edge. “Think she got the message?”
Hell no, she didn’t. Instead of backing down, all I saw was a challenge rising in her eyes. This girl was not the type to go down without a fight, and if a fight were what she wanted, well then...I guess that’s what she’d get. But I wasn’t entirely unreasonable, payback didn’t have to start with fires, which was why, later that afternoon, I left a message for Eddie at Frank’s Famous Chicken, then I laid on my bed and beat one out to the thought of how pissed she would be. Twice.
I’d just cleaned myself up, when Wolf texted that he was pulling onto the street. Grabbing my backpack, I went into the hall, stopping in the kitchen to kiss my mom on the cheek. “Love you, Momma. I’ll be back before you leave for work.” I had to be home to make sure my piece of shit dad didn’t try to take a swing at my little brother Arlo.
“Love you, too.” She leaned back from the stove to peek through the window. “It sure is sweet of you boys to take those foster kids to ride Go-Karts.”
I forced a smile before ducking through the door. I hated lying to her, because Wolf and me sure as hell weren’t taking underprivileged kids to ride Go-Karts. We were the underprivileged kids for Christ’s sake. But her and Arlo were the most important people in my life, and the last thing I wanted to do was break her heart by letting her know her oldest son was a car stealing, drug dealing piece of shit.
I had to be. It was Dayton. And all of us had already tried to scrape by with some part-time job. It didn’t work, and we had no other choices.
I passed by Arlo, sitting on the couch and watching SpongeBob, scrubbing a hand over his messy head. “See you later, buddy.”
“K.”
The kid couldn’t be bothered when he was watching that stupid cartoon. I closed the door behind me and headed toward Wolf’s pick-up idling at the end of my drive. I slung my backpack into the back and climbed in. “I gotta be back before midnight.”