gasps. “A swastika? Is the dog okay?”
“Poor thing had to have stitches.”
I’d hunt Marco down and kill him if he did that to Corn Chip.
“And then,” the first girl goes on, “did you hear what he did to that cat?”
Second girl groans. “No.”
“Cut off its tail.”
“No!” second girl cries.
First girl shakes her head. “Slim remembers him. Don’t ya, Slim?”
I nod. “I do.”
First girl laughs. “Didn’t your sister go out with him?”
God, I hope not. “Don’t think so.”
“Well,” second girl chimes in, “someone needs to carve a swastika in his back. Let him see how it feels.”
The bell rings and everyone files out. I go to my locker and grab my things. Marco Morales . I make a mental note as the familiar craving crawls just below my skin. I’m going to find out where this guy lives. Yes, I’m definitely going to find out about this guy.
“Hey, you.” Zach comes up beside me.
“Hey.”
“Wanted to let you know I talked to my ex-girlfriend, and she’s not going to give you any more problems.”
I don’t bother telling him she came to my house. “Okay.”
“So, we good?”
“We’re good.” We’ve always “been good” as far as I’m concerned, but whatever he needs to hear, I guess.
I close my locker and spin the lock. Zach follows me out to student parking, and I immediately notice the temp has changed throughout the day to a cooler breeze.
“Kind of anticlimactic with that Donner guy turning himself in, huh?”
I’ll say.
Daisy comes up beside us, holding hands with her latest. “West is going to take me home,” she tells me, glancing at Zach and snuggling into West like she’s trying to make Zach jealous.
After you provide him with your outstanding fellatio services? I want to ask, but nod my head instead. On a thought, I stop her. “Hey, did you date a Marco?”
She fakes a blush. “No.”
Not that she’d tell me if she did, at least not in front of the guys. Daisy’s the queen of making guys think she’s innocent.
West tugs her hand, and they head off in one direction. Zach gives me a wave and heads off in another, and I go toward my Jeep.
I always park at the far end of the lot near the entrance so it’s easy to get out in the afternoons. It’s a long walk but worth it not to have to wait idle in a car line.
As I unlock my Wrangler, a shadow moves, and I glance over my shoulder to see Belinda. She doesn’t even go to school here. What is she doing?
I turn fully to face her. She’s not smiling, and in her gaze I see the real Belinda. Dark. Conniving. Controlling. Seeing her sparks a confident, focused energy in me that I welcome.
I’m fully aware the long line of students leaving campus can see us. Maybe she planned it this way. To stir up gossip. This’ll be all over campus tomorrow. Mysterious girl confronts Slim.
“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear,” she begins. “Stay away from Zach.”
Any friend of Zach’s is a friend of mine, I want to remind her. “You’re officially annoying me,” I say instead.
She moves then, cocking her chest and face in my personal space.
I don’t flinch. I don’t move. But I do curve my lips into an uncustomary smile.
Belinda falters. “What do you think you’re doing, bitch ?”
“ I’m not doing anything. You’re the one who’s approached me.”
She sucks her teeth and gets right in my personal space again, this time bumping her chest to mine. “What are you going to do about it?”
Really? “Listen, you don’t know me, but fair warning: You don’t want to mess with me.”
She tilts her head. “You think I’m scared of you?”
You should be, I want to say, but frankly I’m done. Let her try her piss-poor scare tactics on some other girl. It’s not working on me.
She glances around the parking lot, probably trying to see if anyone’s watching her little show. I wait until she turns back before I calmly trace my finger along the keyed line she made and then
“Poor thing had to have stitches.”
I’d hunt Marco down and kill him if he did that to Corn Chip.
“And then,” the first girl goes on, “did you hear what he did to that cat?”
Second girl groans. “No.”
“Cut off its tail.”
“No!” second girl cries.
First girl shakes her head. “Slim remembers him. Don’t ya, Slim?”
I nod. “I do.”
First girl laughs. “Didn’t your sister go out with him?”
God, I hope not. “Don’t think so.”
“Well,” second girl chimes in, “someone needs to carve a swastika in his back. Let him see how it feels.”
The bell rings and everyone files out. I go to my locker and grab my things. Marco Morales . I make a mental note as the familiar craving crawls just below my skin. I’m going to find out where this guy lives. Yes, I’m definitely going to find out about this guy.
“Hey, you.” Zach comes up beside me.
“Hey.”
“Wanted to let you know I talked to my ex-girlfriend, and she’s not going to give you any more problems.”
I don’t bother telling him she came to my house. “Okay.”
“So, we good?”
“We’re good.” We’ve always “been good” as far as I’m concerned, but whatever he needs to hear, I guess.
I close my locker and spin the lock. Zach follows me out to student parking, and I immediately notice the temp has changed throughout the day to a cooler breeze.
“Kind of anticlimactic with that Donner guy turning himself in, huh?”
I’ll say.
Daisy comes up beside us, holding hands with her latest. “West is going to take me home,” she tells me, glancing at Zach and snuggling into West like she’s trying to make Zach jealous.
After you provide him with your outstanding fellatio services? I want to ask, but nod my head instead. On a thought, I stop her. “Hey, did you date a Marco?”
She fakes a blush. “No.”
Not that she’d tell me if she did, at least not in front of the guys. Daisy’s the queen of making guys think she’s innocent.
West tugs her hand, and they head off in one direction. Zach gives me a wave and heads off in another, and I go toward my Jeep.
I always park at the far end of the lot near the entrance so it’s easy to get out in the afternoons. It’s a long walk but worth it not to have to wait idle in a car line.
As I unlock my Wrangler, a shadow moves, and I glance over my shoulder to see Belinda. She doesn’t even go to school here. What is she doing?
I turn fully to face her. She’s not smiling, and in her gaze I see the real Belinda. Dark. Conniving. Controlling. Seeing her sparks a confident, focused energy in me that I welcome.
I’m fully aware the long line of students leaving campus can see us. Maybe she planned it this way. To stir up gossip. This’ll be all over campus tomorrow. Mysterious girl confronts Slim.
“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear,” she begins. “Stay away from Zach.”
Any friend of Zach’s is a friend of mine, I want to remind her. “You’re officially annoying me,” I say instead.
She moves then, cocking her chest and face in my personal space.
I don’t flinch. I don’t move. But I do curve my lips into an uncustomary smile.
Belinda falters. “What do you think you’re doing, bitch ?”
“ I’m not doing anything. You’re the one who’s approached me.”
She sucks her teeth and gets right in my personal space again, this time bumping her chest to mine. “What are you going to do about it?”
Really? “Listen, you don’t know me, but fair warning: You don’t want to mess with me.”
She tilts her head. “You think I’m scared of you?”
You should be, I want to say, but frankly I’m done. Let her try her piss-poor scare tactics on some other girl. It’s not working on me.
She glances around the parking lot, probably trying to see if anyone’s watching her little show. I wait until she turns back before I calmly trace my finger along the keyed line she made and then
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