"You're saying that you can be funny with that stick up your ass?"

I sucked in my breath, so did the others.

Mason tensed beneath me now and I tensed with him.

Nate grilled him with a warning. "Back off, Logan, about this. I'm the only one containing the girls. They haven't done shit to Sam because I won't let Parker do a thing—"

Logan's eyes flared. "What?"

One of the guys moaned, "Fuckkk mee."

Nate clamped his mouth shut when he realized what he let slip.

Mason was like stone beneath me now. He turned to me, a mask over his face, before he looked back at his best friend. "You want to explain that comment?"

Nate closed his eyes, cursing himself, but when he opened them again, they were strained. "I'm sorry, Mase. I should've said something earlier—"

"—Yeah," Mason interrupted him. "You should've, but you better explain it now." His hand kept me on his lap with an iron hold. I couldn't even squirm. His other hand formed into a fist.

Nate's eyes were on that fist as he started, "The girls haven't been too welcoming to Sam."

"Since when?"

"Since," his eyes shot to mine. He flashed an apology in them. "Since you started dating and bringing her around. They don't like her at all."

"Why not?"

"Why not?" Nate laughed softly. "You're kidding, right? You know those four. No one gets in unless they put the girl through hell and misery. You think they're going to let Sam into the group without the same conditions? It don't matter if she's with you. Probably makes it worse, you know, since Kate's the ring leader."

"Kate was nothing to me." A dark scowl had formed on Mason. It grew with each word Nate added.

"She knows that now. You threw her aside." He hesitated, choosing his words with caution. "She's boiling because you dropped her. They're all boiling mad because you don't give them the time of day anymore."

Mason leaned back. He kept me on his lap. "They're not my friends. They're yours. They're the guys' friends, they aren't mine."

Logan cursed.

Ethan spoke up, "The girls don't look at it like that. They think they're friends with you."

Mason narrowed his eyes. "I could give a shit about them. I'm not friends with girls anyway, much less now when I'm with Sam. The only female friend I had was Marissa."

Nate spoke up, "Yeah and look at what happened to her. She had to leave school because of those girls."

"That was because of Tate."

"And who was she friends with? The four of them. You know what they're like with new girls. You didn't think about how'd they be with Samantha?"

"She's with me." Mason scowled at him.

Logan added, "And she's family. She's my family."

Nate shrugged. "That's why no one's spoke about this to you guys. They knew how you'd react."

Logan's eyes switched to mine. They were dark and angry. I stiffened as he asked me, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because it's my problem, not yours."

Mason exploded now. He lifted me in the air so I was straddling him. Grabbing my chin, he peered into my eyes. "Are you kidding me?"

I gulped at the rage from him, but I tightened my resolve. "It's my problem, not yours. I'm the girl coming into their group. I'm the one who's going to have to deal with them in the locker rooms or the bathrooms. You can't protect me everywhere, Mason."

"They won't touch you. I won't allow it."

I stuck my chin out and folded my arms. "I can't earn their respect if you're the one that's demanding it. I have to demand it. I have to earn it from them." I waited a heartbeat. I was too scared to breathe. "You know I'm right."

Mason was locked in a stand-off against me. He knew I was right. I knew I was right. His intimidation could only go so far, especially with these girls. These four girls were at the top of their school. They were tough. They weren't afraid of getting dirty, and they were loyal to each other. If I didn't want to go to school with fear every day, I would have to stand on my own against them. Mason would be gone after a semester; then it'd just be me and Logan. I needed to do this now.

He sighed and leaned back. He grumbled, "This is bullshit, Sam."

Relief burst inside of me. It was overwhelming, and I almost slumped against him, but I kept myself sitting up. My thighs tightened around him and I sucked in a ragged breath. I couldn't believe it had been that easy.

But it wasn't.

He lifted his head and met the gazes of his friends, one by one. "But the girls are exiled." He turned to Nate. "Is that going to be a problem with you?"

Logan let loose a whoop, but covered it up with a cough. The wicked grin couldn't be hidden.

Nate groaned, "Fine. That's not a problem."

"You sure?" Mason asked, heated.

"I'm sure. Like I said, Parker's not an exclusive thing. Might be good if she starts to realize that sooner rather than later."

Mason looked across the table. "Is that a problem, Fischer? I know you and Jasmine hook up."

He lifted his hands in surrender. "No problem at all. I knew it'd come to this anyway." He gave him a crooked grin.

The two other guys nodded their agreement, and it was done. Just like that. Whatever Mason meant by exiled, the rest of the guys would follow through.

After another hour on the patio, I grew restless and needed a bathroom break. Mason looked up, silently asking if I needed him with me, but I shook my head. I needed to start handling the girls on my own; besides, I had spotted a few of my friends below us. Adam was there, and I knew Becky and her boyfriend wouldn't be far. I spotted Lily and Anne from the diner as well, so I wanted to say hello.

As I weaved through the crowd, I caught sight of Heather. She looked out of place. Her eyebrows were bunched together in confusion. Two guys stepped into her but she swung to the side and evaded their drunken steps. That was when she saw me and her face cleared of all anxiety.

"There you are."

As she drew close, I frowned. "Hi. What are you doing here?"

She was shoved forward from someone, but she rounded with a growl emanating deep from her throat. They were already gone. Her shoulders dropped and she turned back. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."