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“What’s the matter, Ari?” I ask. “Why don’t you want to go to school?”
This steals Noah’s attention and his head whips around into the backseat, waiting for her response. Aria’s bottom lip pouts out a little more before she looks up with worried eyes. “Because Matthew Harrison said that I can’t play with him because I’m an ugly girl.”
“Oh, hell no,” Noah roars, one second sitting right beside me, the next storming his way through the front gates of the school.
I look to Aria. “Uh oh,” I say before we both scramble out of the car and hurry after him. “Did you see where he went?” I ask, clutching onto her hand tightly in case we need to break out into a run.
“Over there,” she yells, pointing out towards the playground where a bunch of children are playing ball.
We race for Noah and somehow reach him a moment before he steps in front of some kid who I’m assuming is Mathew Harrison; or hell, maybe the poor kid who was about to be terrified into explaining who Mathew Harrison is and where this scary as hell, tatted up bad boy can find him.
I throw myself in front of Noah and instantly start scolding him. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I seethe under my breath, grabbing him with two hands and hauling him away with every last bit of strength I have. “You’re scaring the children.”
“So?” he grunts. “You heard what Ari said.”
“Yeah, and I also know that it’s just some stupid kid who probably has a crush on her. I mean, how many girls did you call fat or ugly when you were five just to get their attention?”
“None,” he scoffs. “I had plenty of game at five. I didn’t need to resort to that bullshit.”
“Well, clearly Mathew Harrison’s chick magnet skills aren’t as advanced as yours were,” I grumble. “Now get your ass out of this school before one of these bitchy soccer moms call the cops and accuse you of trying to steal kids.”
“Jesus,” he breathes, shaking his head and ruffling Aria’s hair. “Have a good day, ok?” he tells her. “You let me know if this kid gives you any more trouble and I’ll handle it.”
She grins up at him, more than pleased with that outcome while I groan and start working out a plan on how to keep Noah from putting a five year old kid in his place. I drop down to one knee and take Ari by the shoulders. “Do you want me to talk to your teacher?”
She shakes her head. “No, it’s ok. I’ll just punch him like daddy taught me to.”
“Damn straight, you will,” Noah grumbles before giving her a high-five.
Fuck me.
“If I get called down to this school and find out that you were hurting other kids, then there’s going to be trouble, you hear me?” I tell her. “Stay away from Mathew Harrison and if he keeps bothering you, you tell your teacher and you tell me. You never hit anyone.”
“Tully said you hit the girl at school who was mean to Noah.”
Shit. Tully and her big fucking mouth.
“Do as I say, not as I do,” I remind her. “Now, are you all good here or do you need me to stay for a little while?”
Aria looks around to find one of her friends waving her down. “I’m good.” She starts running away before calling over her shoulder. “Bye.”
And just like that, Noah takes my hand and leads me out of the school, more confident to leave her here than ever.
We get to school ten minutes later and when I finish rifling through my locker and getting my books together for my first classes, I lean back against it and let out a breath. How has my day been so crazy already and it’s barely even nine in the morning?
Noah leans against the locker beside me while Tully and Aiden appear from the other end of the hallway.
Aiden barely has a chance to say good morning before he’s interrupted by his cousin looking more sheepish than ever. “Um, hey,” Spencer says, giving each of us an awkward smile.
Aiden snaps his mouth closed, watching on with wide eyes as Noah pushes up off the locker, taking lead. “What the fuck do you want?” he snaps, probably wondering if he has to put Spencer in his place for the third time.
Spencer cringes before his eyes flick around our small group once again. “Well, I don’t know if you guys know this, but at Henley’s party last weekend, a picture was snapped of me with a joint and well, that picture has made it back to coach and I’m close to being kicked off the team and losing a shot at a scholarship.”
“And what the fuck do you expect us to do about it?” Noah grunts. “That shit ain’t our problem.”
