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“Why was Reed Darling looking at you that way?” She repeated her question with surprising concern.
I frowned slightly, knowing I was going to have to come clean. “Uh, you remember how I told you a guy from Ransom helped me with my car…”
“Reed Darling helped you?”
“Yeah, and…”
“And I told you what he’s like,” she interrupted. “How dangerous he and his brothers are. Weren’t you terrified?”
“Not really…” I muttered. “He seemed nice.”
“Nice?” She shook her head with disbelief before glancing over her shoulder, as if she was afraid she might find Reed standing there. “What do you think they’re doing here? They don’t come to parties this side of the river…”
“Uh, well, I don’t think it’s drugs, girls, or general mayhem,” I started. “I might have invited him…”
“What?” She faced me once more.
“I was being polite since he helped me with my car. I didn’t think he’d actually come…” I was suddenly grateful I hadn’t seen Jeremy around tonight. I couldn’t imagine him understanding why I’d invited the captain of his rival hockey team to join us.
“You were being polite?” Mia repeated my words as though the mere concept was impossible to believe.
“What? I can be friendly.”
“I know that. But you chose to be friendly with the scariest guy in a hundred-mile radius. It’s like trying to comprehend a bunny cuddling a rattlesnake.”
“I’m not a bunny, and he’s hardly a rattlesnake.”
“No, he’s worse,” she replied. “He’s a Devil.”
Mia stepped closer to me and put her hands on my shoulders, holding me firmly in place before she continued. “Listen, Vi. Reed Darling is not a nice person. I was trying to tell you at the game, but you ran off before I got a chance…”
"Tell me what?”
“Reed is the reason Jeremy’s nose isn’t perfectly straight.”
“What?”
“He broke your boyfriend’s nose, Violet.”
I felt the blood drain from my skin. I knew Reed didn’t have the best reputation, but if I’d known he’d physically hurt Jeremy, I never would have accepted his help.
“What happened?” I whispered.
“They got into a fight during a hockey game freshman year. It wasn’t pretty…”
“I thought fighting was normal in hockey.”
“Not like this. People still talk about it, even now. And Jeremy and the rest of the team absolutely hate Reed.” I was really beginning to wish I hadn’t bailed on Mia’s Darling Devils lesson at the game today. Instead, I’d stupidly gone and made friends with the worst of them.
“I think we should get you out of here,” Mia continued. “I didn’t like the way he was looking at you. And you’ve clearly lost your mind.”
"I haven’t lost my mind, Mia.”
“You have if you’re calling Reed Darling nice.” She placed a hand against my forehead. “Maybe you’re sick.”
“I’m not sick.” I pushed her hand away. “And I’m not fleeing the party. I still need to find Jeremy.”
“Vi, as soon as Jeremy and the other Saints players find out those Darling boys are here, there’s going to be chaos. And how do you think your boyfriend is going to react when he hears you invited them.”
