“I guess it’s done.” That was Track’s greeting when I walked into the room. The others were still busy looking over the place and the whole setup. I guess Track had heard the news about the expulsion.

  “Yeah, she’s gone.”

  “You know that’s not going to be the end of it right.”

  “Yeah I know, but I want your word you won’t go after her.”

  “Bruh…”

  “You want Sian to do that thing for you?”

  “Harsh bruh, way harsh.”

  “Not as harsh as you expecting me to let you stand in front of me on this.

  “You’d do the same….

  “Not the point.”

  Of all of them, I know he’s the one that I’d have to keep a close eye on. And that was before I knew he was playing fucking spy for the government. I’m still not sure why his old man hadn’t taken care of that himself by now. But I guess I get it.

  “So what do you plan to do about her? She can’t stay around here. I’m fucked if I’ma look at her ass again after the shit she said to my girl.”

  “You know me better than that.”

  “Yeah I do, so I repeat, what are you planning?”

  “I’m not planning anything.”

  “If you fuck around and get caught I’m gonna be pissed the fuck off. Don’t go near her.”

  “If either one of us believed that possible for the other we wouldn’t be having this conversation, now give me your word.”

  “I’m gonna have to get back to you on that one bruh.”

  “Seriously? Not even for your sister?”

  “You already gave me your word there, so I know you won’t go back on it, not even for this.” Son of a bitch. I knew this meant I had to put eyes on him for real. He didn’t give me his word. Dammit Track!

  * * *

  TRACK

  * * *

  Hah, he has no idea. I have more ways than one of bringing her down without getting my hands dirty. Now I know him and I are going to be in a standoff. He’s gonna try to protect me and I’m definitely going to protect him.

  His spoilt hardheaded ass always thinks he has to protect everyone, but when it comes time for him to be protected he doesn’t follow the rules. Too bad we’re so alike. Neither one of us is going to back down. I just have to make sure my game is tighter than his.

  The little device I keep in my pocket vibrated and I took it out to have a look. Shit!

  “Jace, why are you calling Valerie?” He didn’t even take the phone from his ear, which meant he knew that I knew.

  “How do you know I’m calling Valerie?” Now he turned and looked at me with a knowing look on his face.

  “Because I have a trace on her phone.” Asshole just smirked at me.

  “You knew.”

  “I have one on Sian’s so I took a guess.” He hung up after leaving some cryptic ass message on her phone.

  “What do you need to meet with her for?”

  “I need her to leash your ass.”

  “Ooh, bruh, you sure you wanna start down this road? You know you’re the more whipped of the two of us. I tell Sian what you’re up to your whole operation here is fucked.”

  “You wanna risk it?”

  “Asshole!”

  “Just what I thought.”

  “Now leave that gutter snipe to me.”

  * * *

  JARED

  * * *

  Either I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole, or high school had just become The Usual Suspects, and I no longer knew who anyone was. What just happened? How did we get from one place to the next so quickly?

  Was everything those guys told me over the weekend true? Was this really Jace? It’s like looking at someone else entirely. It’s not just the clothes he now wore that were completely different from the norm, but his whole personality had changed overnight.

  And now the rest of them seem to be following suit. Everyone seems so stoic, like they’d been reprogrammed. I know nothing of the sort had happened, because I don’t feel any different. But I have to admit there’s a new sense of excitement in the air.

  I was happy that Jace did what he did in the auditorium. Maybe now people would leave my sister alone. But the way he’s acting, I don’t think he believes that.

  Which means either Mandy or Stanley might come after her again. I’m still not sure what Jace meant to do with this move, but the others seem to have been expecting it.

  Which makes sense since they’ve all known each other for much longer than I’ve been around. Still, I feel like odd man out because everyone else seems to be up to date with what’s going on but me.

  Maybe I’ll ask Red later, she knows a lot about their pasts. And maybe I can get some insight into what this whole thing’s all about. I hope it’s not about Sian, or at least if it is that she never finds out.

  I know how upset she’d be if she thought that Jace was giving up any part of his life because of her. Speaking of which, I didn’t even know what we were supposed to be doing about practice and all the other things we’re used to doing.

  Jace had said something earlier but all that was lost in the white noise in my head. As long as everyone comes out of this okay in the end I’m on board with whatever.

  Track and Jace were off on one side of the room together while Alex and Shane were walking around the room, opening drawers, rifling through tomes. None of them seemed to find anything odd about this whole thing.

  Me, I sat near the window taking it all in. I had a feeling about the guys in this room. It’s one of the reasons I was staying put. As confusing at it was, and even though I’ve only known them for a very short time, I knew that this was now a part of my family.

  5

  Sian

  * * *

  Uh-uh, nope! I’m not sure about this new Jace. It’s like watching a movie in live stream. Who is this person? How can anyone make such a drastic change overnight? And how do I get him to switch back?

  Not that there isn’t something exciting about this new Jace, another edgier side. Like he needed one. It was hot as hell though if I’m being honest. He’s always been the take charge, master of all I survey type but that seems to have been ratcheted up a few decibels.

  That’s all well and good, but this new underlying menace thing he has going on is what I’m not so sure about. I have a sneaky feeling when it’s all said and done my freedom as I know it is going to be out the window. That’s usually the case when he goes through one of his crazy changes.

  I ought to find that Mandy twit and knock her on her ass. I have no doubt that this is all because of her. But why is he being so extra? Nothing much had happened last night, nothing that was worse than her usual anyway. Or was it the fire? But what did that have to do with the kids at school?

  That wasn’t it either. The way he’s acting, it’s almost like this is what he had in him all along. But how could he have hidden this side of himself so well that I was only now getting a glimpse of it?

  Scary Jace, as I’ve already taken to calling him in my mind, is not the boy I went to sleep next to last night. I went to bed with my teenage fiancé who was a bit overprotective bordering on overbearing, and woke up with the head of a Fortune five hundred company.

  Even Belle seems a little intimidated and she’s not one for that particular emotion. But even she doesn’t know the half of it. I guess you’d have to know him as well as I have come to, to recognize that look in his eyes.

  I know that damn look and it means he’s dug his heels in. Whatever this is that’s going on with him, he’s drawn a line in the sand, chiseled something that was bound to make my life miserable in stone, locked the door to my cell and thrown away the key.

  What’s making me even more worried is the fact that his whole crew seems to have changed overnight so it wasn’t just him. I’ve always known that he was the leader of this little band of warriors, but until now I never knew how true that was.

  It’s spooky, but they all seem to be following his lead. Not only that, but Track seemed to be protecting Jace while the others were backup. How had I missed that before? It was so plain to see in their body language.

  I guess it’s because I’d never been around Track that much that I missed it. But now with him here, it’s like the others had fallen into some well-learned routine.

  Except for my brother. At least he looked a little more confused than the others, though not as much as me. It’s like they all knew something. But what?

  It’s only been a few hours since that whole thing this morning, but when I look at them now, I don’t see the same guys from a few days ago. Or even yesterday. What could’ve happened in that short window of time to make them change like this?

  They were starting to make me nervous. Like something big was going to happen any minute now. They seem so serious, almost unapproachable. And not only me, but everyone else seems to have noticed.

  It was obvious in the wide berth the rest of the student body was making around them. Like they expected them to snap, or it was more like some weird form of respect.

  Though I always got the feeling that Jace was very well respected among his peers. It’s one of the things I love about him. How well liked he is, how fair in his dealings. I wasn’t getting any of that from this new Jace at all. He looked like he’d bite the head off of anyone who crossed his path.

  The only one who didn’t seem phased in the least by the boys’ new attitude was Valerie. “Isn’t this scaring you? What the hell happened to them?” I whispered behind my hand so only my girls could hear. We were watching the guys get us lunch. All of them!

  She laughed and shook her head. “Girl that’s Track everyday, and to be honest, we all kinda knew Jace had it in him.” Huh?

  “What’re you talking about? My Jace is a goofball.” Okay not exactly, but still…

  She spat juice all over her face and I think some even came out of her nose. “Girl quit playing. You seriously never noticed that your man can go hard?”

  I looked across the room where he was piling fruit on my plate in the lunch line. He even looks different and I was starting to think I’d fallen down the rabbit hole.

  Don’t get me wrong, like I said, there was something exciting about this new side of him, but he’s already uncontrollable, what the hell am I supposed to do with this?

  As if he knew I was thinking and talking about him, he lifted his head and looked back at me. After studying me for a few seconds I guess to make sure I was okay, he gave me a little half smile and went back to what he was doing.

  Now see that look right there I can get behind. But those undercurrents were making me worried. Like the way he glared at everyone who got too close to him, not that too many dared. And he must’ve sent out an edict because people were also steering clear of me and the girls. Something was definitely off.

  I wasn’t sure if I should call his mom and ask her what to do or just wait and see where this thing was going. It can’t be normal for a person to change this drastically overnight can it?

  “Have you guys ever seen him act like this before?” I turned my attention to Belle and Tammy who shook their heads no.

  “Nope, but I can’t say that I’m surprised. I think a lot of people either forgot or didn’t know that his family owns the damn town. That’s because he never put on airs like some. But with the stuff that’s been happening to you it was only a matter of time.”

  “I get that Belle, but this is a bit much.” Just then Cassie came over to join us. She was all but bursting with excitement. “Did you guys hear?”

  “Hear what?” I pulled her down on the other side of me.

  “Mandy’s gone!” If the smile on her face got any wider it’d split her face.

  “Gone where, what’re you talking about?” I got a cramp in my tummy.

  “Didn’t you hear her being called to the principal’s office this morning after Jace’s announcement?”

  “Well yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?”

  She looked around at the guys who were making their way back. “I heard she got expelled.” My mouth dropped almost to the floor but I had no chance to ask more because Jace took the seat on the other side of me.

  “What’s the matter?” Geez, does he miss anything? “Nothing! What did you do to Mandy?” The tic in his cheek went into action and his jaw was hard enough to cut glass.

  “Don’t think about her, eat your lunch.” He’s so preoccupied he didn’t even see the stink eye I gave him. At least the girls were smiling and from the looks of it they weren’t the only ones who were, as the news started to spread around the room.

  Some people were loud in their opinion, even people you never heard a peep from usually. Cassie dug into her lunch with gusto and there was no question that she was thrilled with this new turn of events.

  Mandy’s crew were the only ones not saying much and in fact were looking like they wanted to disappear through the walls. Except the Kelly girl who wasn’t even sitting at their table. When did that happen?

  I always wondered why she bothered. I’d seen her more than once giving Mandy some not very pleasant looks behind her back, and she’d tried to step in once during cheerleading practice before being shut down by Mandy. Still, it was hard to tell with these people what was real and what wasn’t.

  Me, I was wondering what kind of hell that monster was going to unleash on me next behind this. I’m getting pretty sick and tired of her and whoever else she has helping her messing with me.

  I’ve been keeping things under wraps because of Jace. I know that if I show the slightest inkling of what I truly feel he’d freak. And since I don’t want him to go there either, and get himself in trouble, I’ve been semi pretending that I don’t know what’s what.

  Plus I like the way he takes care of me. The way he stands over me, makes me feel protected, loved. I don’t think Mandy’s responsible for half the things he does, but I do know she’s dangerous.

  I got a kick out of Jace shutting her down each and every time she came after me with her petty shit. What girl wouldn’t feel like that if her hot jock of a boyfriend stood up to his ex for her and put her in her place?

  But now I’m afraid. Afraid that what’s been happening with me has brought about this change. What is it he’d said earlier? This is something he had to do? I put my fork back on the plate with the speared pineapple chunk still on it, feeling sick to my stomach.

  This was all my fault. Even though someone else was behind the attacks, Jace wouldn’t be going to such measures if it hadn’t been for me. “What’s bothering you baby?”

  He’d stopped eating and turned to look at me. The others were busy having their own conversations and the rest of the room was as noisy as to be expected. But this was not the place or time for this conversation.

  I didn’t know that I was crying until his fingers wiped the tears away. “No, it’s nothing.” I grabbed his arm when he started to get up from his chair, keeping him in place. Who knows what craziness he was about to do.

  “Then why the fuck are you crying?” At least he’d leaned in so no one else could hear. I looked at him and felt my heart squeeze. How can I tell him that he was breaking my heart? That seeing this change in him was like watching something die?

  I knew that the boy I met was gone. Not that I loved him any less, no. My pain was for the fact that the happy go lucky goof was no more. That the boy with the infectious grin had vanished right before my eyes.

  Even with his sometimes overbearing, over protective manner, he was still a teenager. This was no teen sitting next to me. And it was all because of me.

  “Why are you acting this way? Can’t we go back to the day before? Was it the explosion? Is there something you’re not telling me?” He wiped my face and shook his head. By then the others had noticed and the table was deathly silent.

  “I told you, there’s nothing for you to worry about. By the way we’re taking a little trip in a day or two.” Way to change the subject.

  “A trip?”

  “Yes remember, I told you Track needs you to do him a favor? I can’t tell you about it now though we’ll save it for later when we get home.” I nodded my head and he wiped away the last of my tears.

  “And then I think I’ll take you to the island, maybe invite everyone to come along. I think we could all use a break from this place.”

  “What island?” Look at me, mention a trip and I all but forgot I was upset two seconds ago.

  “My family’s of course.

  “Your family owns an island?” It’s safe to say that I don’t know the half of what all they own, though I know it’s a lot from the whispers. But an island? He just grinned and lifted my fork with the forgotten fruit to my lips.

  He’s very slick. No sooner had he mentioned it to me than he had the whole table talking. He’d just invited everyone and of course they said yes, except Tammy and Belle said yes with stipulations. They had to ask their parents first.

  It was then I realized for the first time the dynamics in our little group. I’d forgotten that we weren’t all the same, or weren’t supposed to be, but I also realized in that moment why it was so easy to forget.

  When Jace told them not to worry that he’d take care of it, it finally registered that that’s what he does, what he’s always done. He’s the damn fixer.

  Only this time when he said it, it wasn’t with the air of lightness that the teenage boy had about him only yesterday, but like someone with authority. I’m not paying the price for Mandy’s bullshit. He takes away one more freedom of mine I’ma scalp that trick.

  “Cassie, sit still before you choke.” It wasn’t even Thanksgiving yet and this one was acting like she’d found everything she asked Santa for under the tree.

  When she turned to me with a new light in her eyes, a grin on her face with her spoonful of Greek yogurt on the way to her mouth, I figured I could put up with Jace’s crap for a few days if whatever he was doing had put that look on her face.

 

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