“When we don’t have other shit to do.” Eli rakes a hand through his hair. “We need to figure out this thing with Zach and his crew. That’s going to take time.”
We have a plan for that, but yeah, stalking dudes isn’t exactly high on my priority list these days. But it’s a necessity.
“Reviewing the surveillance footage from Sidney’s bedroom,” Nico points out.
“And their texts.” I nod.
“Dealing with our dads.” Luke shakes his head. “Whoever put Harper’s mom on third shift did us a favor before.”
“Yeah, for you and Caden.” It’s hard to feel mad about them having crappy home lives and me having a solid family that wants me to come home at night.
“Except now Caden’s sister is back.” I eat a chip. “That means she’s going to be his number one priority.”
That was the major issue with Ava’s rebellion with Tanner. It made Caden hyperaware of his sister and her safety. She couldn’t move ten feet without him knowing it. He’d been researching tagging her for tracking when he found the rings like the one we bought for Harper. It was almost a blessing when his parents decided to send Ava to boarding school.
Otherwise, his whole senior year would have been tied up in keeping her safe. At least with Harper, he’s in a relationship with her and doesn’t have to worry about other guys encroaching on his territory.
But with Ava being here, it means we all need to help watch out for her.
“I might have an idea for Ava.” Luke leans back and his gaze falls on a table with sophomores. The football players are on JV. I don’t see Ava’s friends there, but there are a few other girls at the table too.
“Whatever it is, Caden might not like it.” I shrug.
Luke’s gaze returns to the door and I turn to see Caden with his arm wrapped around Harper’s shoulders. Her cheeks are flushed with color.
He texted me last night about making sure Tanner stopped coming after Ava. That bastard was texting her still. I’d kept an eye on Caden’s location until he returned home and went to sleep.
Harper had class with Tanner and Caden, so my guess is she figured out what he did last night. I don’t blame him. Tanner is like a cancer. You have to do everything to eradicate him from your system or he’ll keep coming back. But Harper might not understand.
Caden leads Harper to our table and then sits with her in his lap. Her brown eyes focus on mine and I give her a smile.
“You missed the show, sweetheart.”
She cocks her head to the side. “The show?”
I glance over at the table of girls usually eager for an invitation. They don’t dare make eye contact now. Not one of them preens for me.
Harper follows my gaze and her eyes widen. “What did you do?”
“Made sure they knew we’re taken.” I meet her gaze again and she smiles softly. It may not seem like a lot, but I noticed the way she relaxed when the girls didn’t call her names this morning and when the guys' gazes didn’t follow her like they were imagining her naked.
Harper isn’t used to attention, and while she may crave it from us, too much from elsewhere makes her nervous.
Sidney and her crew are sitting with the basketball guys again. Zach isn’t paying attention to Sidney though. His gaze is locked on Harper. If Sidney is a power play and we just pushed Harper into power... Fuck.
He seemed to give up on taking Harper from us when he found out we’d already taken her virginity. But what if he decides she’s the key to power now?
I nudge Eli and lean in close. “We need to figure out Zach’s plan and fast.”
Eli glances that way and nods. “Let me see what I can do about Ashley.”
Eli
At the end of lunch, we part ways. I need to figure out the Ashley situation and that’s going to take some effort. There’s a guy who graduated last year who I knew had some kinks that align with mine.
The girls who liked it rough usually ended up going to either of us. Wilder Bishop went to college, but it’s not far away. If anyone can do what Ashley needs, it’s him. The question is will she go for it? She seemed to avoid him when he was here, but I’m not sure if that was intentional or not.
I walk out of the building and to the parking lot. I’m not usually one to skip class, but I have a doctor’s note for today. This is important. The college is an hour and a half away, so I should be able to make it back before practice.
