“You’re sick of it?” My eyes narrowed to slits. “Or you’re pissed because it isn’t you?”

“You’re such an ass**le.”

“Been called worse.”

“This is my school. This is my time.” She grew quiet, but the hatred still burned. “And you declared that we’re out. Just like that and it was done. You have no idea how much worse you made it for her.”

“If you’re pissed at me, take it out on me. Leave her alone.”

“Oh no.” She shook her head. “You’re unfuckingtouchable. You know it and I know it, but your girl isn’t. She’s going to hurt by the time I’m done with her. She’s going to beg me to stop, but I won’t. I’ll keep ruining her long after this year, even after you go to college. You’ll be gone, Mason. I won’t. My life’s over after high school. My biggest problem is going to be who I’ll marry, if it’ll be some jackass, or if I’ll win the lottery and get someone who sticks around. That’s the life I’ve got to look forward to, but the one thing that’ll give me pleasure is going to be destroying your girl. Just watch it.”

“Rethink all of this,” I warned. “This is my last offer. Walk away.”

“No,” she whispered, but her tone was murderous.

“You’re not going to destroy Sam.”

“Oh really?” She snorted.

“You f**k with who I love, and I f**k with you. You’re no exception. I’m going to destroy you, Kate. You’re going to have nothing left when I’m finished with you.” I didn’t wait to hear any more crazy shit from her. I got in my vehicle and left without looking back.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The weekend passed with little drama. There was a basketball game. I went. They won. There was a party. The only big event there was when Logan took my advice and planned on going home with a new girl, but she had a friend with the same hopes. The two got in a fight. It was full of name-calling. Someone’s hair got pulled and the other girl got scratched. Eventful. And Logan? He bypassed the fight and went home with Tate. I had an entire speech ready to deliver over breakfast the next day for why he needed to stop seeing her. I had it all memorized, but the speech died in my throat when Tate showed up at the same restaurant with a different guy.

Logan didn’t care. Really. I studied him the whole time to catch the slightest reaction—twitch, twerk, eye-roll—but nothing. Then it dawned on me. He really didn’t care if she was with another guy. I was at a loss after that. Later that evening, Helen wanted to have dinner with her sons, but I was spared another run-in with her.

I was also spared another run-in with Kate. Mason told me she had something planned for me, but it never happened. I wondered if she’d been distracted.

When I went to school on Monday, the words ‘Roussou Sucks’ were spray-painted on a banner. It hung over the archway at the front entrance of the school. Heather explained it was the big rivalry game. Fallen Crest Public’s basketball team was going to play Roussou High that Friday night.

Great.

Not.

She further spoiled my day when she told me Fallen Crest Academy didn’t have their own basketball game that night so my old friends would be in the stands.

Double great.

Needless to say, I wasn’t in a great mood during the next week. Logan noticed and brought me a latte one day during lunch. It didn’t work. I still wasn’t happy so he told Mason to give me a quickie in their coach’s office. That certainly didn’t help.

It wasn’t until Friday morning when another bomb was dropped.

Helen Malbourne was going to attend their basketball game. From the way Mason worded it and how Logan started laughing behind him, I knew there was a joke somewhere. I didn’t care enough to figure it out. Instead, I remarked, “I’m sure she’ll have a great time.”

“Heather’s working.” Mason gave me a confused look.

“Yeah. And …”

“And …”

Logan finished for him, “Don’t you want to sit with our mum for the game? She gets box seats every time. Thinks she’s a goddamn celebrity for a high school basketball game. Jokes on her. She’s got to share the box with the announcer, and they won’t be farting out popcorn for her.”

“Logan.”

“What?” He glanced at his brother. “Mom thinks she’s a big-time celebrity, and you know it. I love her, but her ego’s massive. It’s gotten worse in the last few months. Wait.” He paused, frowning to himself. “Fuck. Is she dating someone new?” Logan gestured to me. “I’m surprised she hasn’t tried with Sam’s other dad, David.” He asked me, “Is he still dating Mark’s mom?”

“Um …” I wasn’t expecting the question, but my heart sank. I didn’t know. An image flashed in my mind. He looked so different when Mason had dropped Jeff off at Academy. He was heavier, muscled, and looked healthy. He looked good. He looked like he was better. I jerked a shoulder up before I turned away. “I guess so.”

As I grabbed my bag and headed for the door, I heard the sound of someone getting whacked behind me. Logan muttered, “Ouch. What was that for?” But I was already in the hallway and headed into the elevator.

I drove myself to school that day.

People were screaming in the hallway. Everyone wanted to murder Roussou that night. I knew Mason and Logan were both itching to do the same. Even Heather seemed excited, and she was going to miss the game. She had me sit with her friends at lunch. Since the clothes incident, her friend Cory had thawed towards me a little. I only got two glares instead of the fifteen. Baby steps. On a normal day, that would’ve been a big deal to me, but this wasn’t a normal day.

Logan’s comment about my dad had blindsided me.

Their parents were around. Their mother had come back to town. Where was mine? My mother was unfit. My biological father had disappeared back to Boston and David, there’d been no recent contact from him. I saw him the day I registered for school at Fallen Crest Public, but that conversation had been so slight, it’d been meaningless to me.

He moved on. That was the bottom line.

“Yo!”

Someone snapped their fingers in front of me, jerking me out of my daze. “What?”

“Bitch Crew Walking. Head’s up.”