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“Ignore who?” Yep. Cade’s listening and zones right in.
“Oh, it was nothing. Just a misunderstanding.” Neil quickly brings the cup to his lips and takes a sip.
But Cade can’t let it go, which is exactly what I’d figured. “What misunderstanding?”
His glare is on me, but I don’t answer his question with anything but a slight smile. He remains silent for a few seconds until I look away and glance around the gym at everyone waiting for first period.
“Really, Cade, it was my fault.” Neil tries to defuse his pal, but I see Mr. Protector’s temper flaring. It’s amazing how much I can read him after all these years. Once I knew him as well as I knew myself, and though I might not know him as well now, I can still tell he’s barely holding his rage in.
“It wasn’t a big deal. I told Warren that it’d better not happen again, but Neil said he just lost his footing. Though I could’ve sworn that Warren tripped him on purpose.”
“He didn’t. I was walking to my seat and tripped on the desk. No biggie.” Neil rattles faster than I’ve ever heard him talk, but it wasn’t fast enough, because Cade is scanning the area and quickly locates his target across the room, propped against the wall, talking to his friends. Warren keeps glancing over at Cade, but it’s too late, he’s already headed his way. Neil darts out of his seat and follows behind.
“What did you do, Morgan?” Ava asks as she watches Cade and Neil make their way across the gym.
“Nothing yet.” I stand and make my way in their direction. No point in hurrying. I know how it’s gonna play out.
By the time I reach Cade, he’s already in Warren’s face. “If you even look at him again, I’ll break your fucking neck.”
Damn. Cade escalated much faster than I’d expected. Score.
Though Neil continues begging his friend to chill, it doesn’t work. Warren lets out a chuckle. “I can’t help if his face hits the floor. Maybe tell your friend to watch his step.”
Cade reaches for Warren, grips his shirt, and shoves him into the wall. “And I can’t help if your fucking face hits my fist.”
Before Warren can react, Cade swings, connecting his knuckles to Warren’s mouth. Wow. Cade really spiraled faster than I’d predicted. So, I stand back and watch as the two idiots tumble to the ground. Warren gets in a good hit to Cade’s left cheekbone before Cade returns the blow then gets another good hit, delivered to Warren’s gut, before a few guys start pulling them apart.
Pity. They were just getting warmed up. But it doesn’t look like Cade was finished since he’s still going after Warren, yelling obscenities his way. For a second, I question why it was so easy to get him going. I mean, it’s never too hard to get under his skin, but he doesn’t completely explode so quickly. I don’t need to know the reason, even if it would come in handy for later, but I do want to enjoy the moment that the normally well-controlled asshat lost his temper and is now being hauled away.
“Was it worth it?” I hear Ava’s annoying voice ask from behind me.
Warren glances my way, blood trailing from a cut near his eye while a smile spreads across his face, and he gives me a quick nod. I return the gesture, and mouth “Perfect” to him in response for playing along. Warren was always up for a fight, but I’d thought it’d take a little more to get his opponent going. But Cade played right into my hands.
“Totally worth it.” Watching Cade lose control has been so satisfying. He wants to think I’m the out-of-control vile bitch. And I am—he’s not wrong. But he’s just as fucked up as I am. I simply choose to embrace my wickedness and not pretend to be some noble savior. I know they don’t exist and no one is coming to save me. I’ll save my fuckin’ self.
15
CADE
I hate this fucking place. I’m wishing for the walls to cave in on me when I hear the door open. And when I spot the trio walking in, I wish the entire fucking place would implode with me in it.
Coach King moves quickly across the office and takes a seated position on the edge of the principal’s desk as Mr. Thatcher resumes his seat. For some godforsaken reason, Morgan drops into the chair beside me. Why the fuck is she in here?
Coach is the first to speak. “Are you all right, Cade? Is your arm good?” Coach leans forward a bit and does a visual assessment of my bloody knuckles that are balled into a fist on my thigh. “How’s your hand? Can you move it okay?”
What the actual fuck is happening? “It doesn’t matter,” I say flatly.
“Of course it does!” Coach exclaims, his hands waving around before gesturing to me. “The first game is tomorrow, and we need you to be one hundred percent.”
Is he fucking high? Or maybe I am. “The game?” I look between my coach and my principal. “Am I not being kicked out of school? Because last time I got in a fight, you told me it was my final warning before getting expelled.” Is that what I’m hoping for? To be done with all of this without the option to ride out the year as their puppet?
“Nonsense.” Thatcher waves off the notion like I’m the one who’s crazy, but that really had been his warning the last time I sat in this office. If I got into another fight, that was it. My brother being a teacher didn’t make a difference according to him. But I guess being a goddamn football player is really the magic key.
“The entire thing appears to be a mistake that won’t happen again,” Coach implores Principal Thatcher. “Even Warren agreed, and Morgan vouched that it was simply a big misunderstanding.”
I take the moment to look over at the vixen who has an innocent and concerned expression on her face, so I know she’s here to further my torment. It was her who’d incited the entiremisunderstandingwhen she said what Warren had done to Neil. She wanted me to know what he’d done. Had she planned it? I wouldn’t put anything past the psycho. “Yeah. I’m sure Morgan knowsallabout it.”
The slight smirk that peeks at the corner of her mouth confirms what I’d suspected. She waved her bitch flag, and someone did her dirty work for her.
