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“What happened last night?” Corey’s voice is suddenly behind me. I can feel his chest pressing into my back, his hand on my hip. His fingers dig into my skin and I bite my lip not to react.
“I wasn’t feeling good. You took a long time so I left,” I respond, hoping he can’t hear the fear laced in my voice. He’s silent behind me and I start to think he’s believing me.
Corey grabs my elbow and spins me, backing my body up until my back collides with the lockers. His fingers grab my jaw and force my eyes to his. “I think you’re lying. You didn’t go home last night. Where were you?”
My heart lurches and my mind scrambles. “I was home.”
Corey’s fist slams into the lockers near my head and I flinch. “Don’t fucking lie to me, J. How can I protect you if I don’t know where you are?”
I push his arm away. “I don’t need you to protect me. I don’t need you to do anything for me. You need to go, before you get in trouble. You shouldn’t be here.”
His face turns red then purple and he finally exhales. He grabs for me, but I step out of his hold, glancing around the hallway. Everyone is avoiding looking at us like the little soldiers under his order that they are. “I’ll see you later.”
He turns and leaves with that one last warning. My legs give out and I slide to the floor, bending over and trying to breathe. It’s too much.
“Jade.” A soft hand touches my shoulder and I recoil. “Sorry. Hey, it’s me.”
I glance up and Gage stands over me. He glances around the hall before reaching down to help me stand. “I’m probably going to get beat for this, but you need to get up.”
I stand with him, trying to avoid physical contact in order to save us both. “You didn’t have to step in.”
“I’m afraid if I didn’t, something more was going to happen.” Gage shakes his head. “Things have been getting worse. Rip and Core, the things going on in this town are horrible.”
My teeth sink into my lip. I can’t look at him or I know I’ll spill my guts. “I’m okay.”
“Are you though? Have you called him?”
I raise my brow. “Who?”
Gage looks around again and leans closer. “Onyx. He said to call if you needed him.”
“I don’t need him,” I bite back.
Gage isn’t fazed by my outburst. The hallways are starting to thin out; Gage still glances around before turning back to me. “Corey has been shielding you from everyone since middle school. He barely let Harper stay as your friend. You know what he tells people about you?”
I shake my head, not wanting to hear it, knowing it's going to further change everything I believe. I’ve been wrong for so many years because the person I saw as my best friend has only been hurting me.
“You need to be careful, Jade. You aren’t just a friend to him; you never have been. He thinks you’re his, like a possession. No one could look at you, no one could date you, and unless he was around, no one was supposed to talk to you. Corey was offered scholarships by six schools to play basketball. He chose Rip instead because of the power. And because he gets to stay by you. You think he’s going to let you leave?” Gage asks.
I didn’t know any of this. My whole body trembles. My eyes close, and every memory from the past year crawls back. Corey has been more erratic and possessive of my time. If I’m not at dance or school, I’m with him. I have lost everyone but him. He put his hands on me and scared me.
“The only time you stood a chance was when The Kid was here because Corey couldn’t touch him. He told me to call him if anything happened. Jade, I think this is the time to call him.”
“I don’t have my phone,” I finally whisper, my eyes opening to meet Gage’s.
He reaches into his pocket and pulls it out before handing it to me. Do I call him? Text? Am I really going to wait around for him to show up? I pull up a text and find his contact number.
GAGE: This is Jade. Can you call me?
I hit send before I can talk myself out of it. My thumb swipes the message and deletes it from Gage’s sent messages. With the evidence destroyed, I hand him back the phone. “Thanks.”
He shakes his head and shoves his phone back in his pocket. “Be careful, Jade. I know he’s your best friend, but he’s not the same.”
I can’t speak. The final bell rings and Gage heads out in a different direction from me. I, somehow, manage to make it to class instead of skipping like I want to. My head swivels when I see Harper. I had forgotten we even have the same class this year. Her eyes briefly make contact with mine before sliding back down to her desk.No one could look at you, no one could date you, and unless he was around, no one was supposed to talk to you.A shiver runs over my skin. I glance around the room, and sure enough, no one is looking at me. I really need to talk to Harper.
* * *
The music is loud,and I squeeze Harper’s hand while she leads me through the crowd of bodies. It’s another house party except, this time, the house belongs to someone from school and it’s not Rip’s. Thankfully, I haven’t even seen Corey or Rip. I’ve also been avoiding my phone. I checked it when I got home and there was nothing from Onyx. I hadn’t really believed there would be, despite how persistent Gage was that I make contact with him. In the end, I did my homework, changed and drove to the party to meet Harper.
