SCOUT.

Me: Come to the Maroney house. Kira and her group are here.

Cohen: I don’t want to get with Kira anymore.

Me: Who cares? I need some backup.

Cohen: On my way.

A hand touched my leg as Kira leaned in. She took Ramsay’s seat almost the second Ram’s ass left, and she’d been breathing on me since. “Who are you texting?”

I gave her hand a pointed look. “Get your fucking hand off me.”

She snatched it back but leaned away and arched her back, making a show of it. She licked her lips, a sultry smile stretching her mouth. “Come on, Scout. Let’s be real. You’re a teenager. Yes, you’re eighteen and you always feel like you’re in a different place than us, but you still have a dick. I know you use it.”

I shot her a look. “You don’t know shit about shit, which means you know shit.”

She laughed, her voice dipping low. Her shoulders shook a little. “I know a couple of the girls you bang on the regular. I know your deal. No strings. Just the sex and maybe you’ll do it again at your next fight.”

“Do me a favor. Stop talking.”

She laughed again, her voice rising. “Who’d you text?”

“Who do you think?”

“Cohen, huh? Your ride or die.” She leaned forward again, her head hanging between our seats. “How does that work? You’re best friends with Alex and Cohen? Who’s on top? Is there any jealousy between them? You know, for who gets you the most?” She gave me a once-over. “I know I’d be jealous. And I am. You want to fuck Williams, don’t you?”

Shit got real with that one. I leaned in, and she jerked back from how fast I moved before she blinked. Her smug grin slipped a little before returning.

I said, “You breathe a word of that anywhere and you will be destroyed.”

Her smile slipped again. “That’s a little petty of you, isn’t it? Going after one girl because you want to fuck another one?”

“You want to know your future?” I didn’t wait for her response. “I don’t know who fucked you up. If it was your pops who never wants to be around you, your mom who wants to be your friend and doesn’t give a shit about being your parent, or someone else.”

Her smile was all the way wiped clean.

“Or if it was some creep uncle. I don’t know, and I don’t care, but whatever made you this twisted will keep you twisted all your life. Your girls don’t care about you. You have them because of where you are in the social ladder, but if someone else took your place, they’d go to her instead, and you know it. You go through guys, looking for whoever’s willing to fill you because, what? It makes you feel good? Is that why? You get one guy, he gets a feel for you, and he drops you because he doesn’t like the feel of you. You’re like cotton candy. Sweet taste at first and then nothing. Pure emptiness. How many people want only cotton candy all their lives? No one, and that’s what you’re going to end up with later in life. No one except maybe a rich fat guy who likes cotton candy because while he’s eating you, he’s got others on the side. Other chicks who are their steak, who they can savor eating and who make them drool for the next time they can have that. That’s not you, never will be. Want to know why I don’t want to fuck you?” I leaned down. “Because I hate cotton candy.”

The blood had drained from her face. Her eyes were wide, stricken. A tear slid down her cheek, and seeing it, I should’ve felt bad about putting that there. I didn’t. That made me an asshole? I also didn’t care about that.

Yelling sounded from the house.

“What the fuck?” Clint tore out of his seat.

Trenton and Alex were right behind him.

The door opened, and that yelling got a lot clearer, but I was staring hard at Kira.

She gulped, her throat visibly swallowing. “Wouldn’t think you’d want me as an enemy.”

“That’s another thing about cotton candy.” I stood. “Only use for it is to be eaten once, and I know you still want to be eaten by any of the triplets. You don’t even care which one it’ll be.” I turned, now sounding bored. “No one will believe a fucking word you say, so have at it.”

Maybe it was stupid what I just did, but shit was what it was. Kira saw—or, she would see.

Ramsay was hot, way hotter than anyone else in school, and eventually, someone would see I wanted to fuck her. No matter how long it’ll take before we fuck, and we would because she wanted it as bad as me, and Ramsay was the female equivalent of me, so that was a guarantee.

When was the issue, and not losing my friends was the other issue.

As I got to the house, I stopped thinking about all of that because as soon as I stepped inside, all eyes were on me. And I meant, all eyes.

Ramsay’s. Her mom’s. Mama Maroney’s. Their dad’s. My friends’.

“What?”

Alex clipped out, “You didn’t tell me about the pic she got.”

I tensed.

Ramsay jumped in, “Because he didn’t know.”

Alex turned to her. “He told me you got a text that upset you.”

“But I didn’t tell him what it was.”

She was lying for me. I frowned at that.

Her mom threw her hands in the air. “It doesn’t matter!” She rounded on her daughter. “We’re calling Detective Edgeley right now. You need to report this.” She had Ramsay’s phone in her hand.

“Mom.”

“Don’t!” Her hand was out, and she was shaking her head. “This happened two nights ago. You had two nights to tell me, and I know you waited until we were here because you thought I wouldn’t go off the rails. Well, sweetie, I’m going off the rails anyway.”

Ramsay shot her aunt a pleading look, who stepped close to Ramsay’s mom and murmured softly, “Chris, the kids.”

Ramsay’s mom was rubbing at her forehead, but her hand dropped. She looked around and winced. Pain flashed over her face. “Maybe you guys could head back outside? Ramsay and I have to make a phone call.”

The guys started.

Their mom said sharply, “Not a word to anyone else outside of this room.” She looked at every one of her boys one at a time, ending on me. “Do you all understand? Not one word.”

I nodded.

I’d always liked Alex’s mom. She’d been nice, smelled nice, liked to make cookies or whatever the guys wanted, but I also knew that making Kira an enemy? Totally fine. I wasn’t going to sweat that, but Mama Maroney? No way. She terrified me.

Ramsay wasn’t looking my way. She was focused on her mom, the expression on her face was as if she’d just been ripped open, but she was trying to administer aid to the person bleeding out right next to her.

No matter if she was my enemy or my next fuck, I didn’t want her to feel that way.

Alex bumped my arm. “Cohen’s coming?”

“I texted him.”

He started off. I moved to follow, but Clint got in my way.

His eyes were narrowed on me, suspicious.

I got ready. Trenton was the wildcard, but Clint liked trouble. “What?”

His head cocked to the side. “I don’t want to think about why my cousin just lied for you, but I know she did. You kept that shit from Alex on purpose?”

I hesitated before shrugging. “Figured it was hers to share.”

“That’s part of the reason you called Alex that morning?”

There was no hesitation this time. “I called because I meant what I said. I meant my apology for my part, and I was wrong. I should’ve believed you, and I shouldn’t have threatened you guys or Ramsay. And”—this was beyond what he asked, but I was showing him respect by offering him this—“I wanted Alex, and now you, to know that if that guy comes anywhere near her, I’ll rip his head off.”

His eyes lit with surprise, but I moved past him.

Whatever he took from that, well, he’d take from that.

I didn’t care about that either.

RAMSAY

Mom went off the rails, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. We made the call to the detective, and I was instructed to leave the room after. I knew my mom would have a more in-depth talk with him. And after that, hanging out with everyone wasn’t so bad. The guys voted to send the girls home, but I vetoed them, which they totally saw right through. I’d done it so they couldn’t be all about me. If Kira, Ciara, and Leanne were there, then there’d be no talk about my stuff. And score, it worked.

It also worked further because Cohen showed up and he had no clue anything had happened. The guy was oblivious to tension. And double score because I invited Gem to the house.

She freaked, in a good way, not in a bad way, and the night ended up being in the basement. Movies were watched. The guys horsed around. Video games were played. We snuck booze, then we got snacks. And Gem and the girls totally planned stuff for Homecoming.

I was a reluctant participant, but I was backed into a corner.

I was scared to leave Gem’s side or any of the girls, who took it the wrong way. They now thought I genuinely liked them, which for the record, I still wasn’t sure if I did. I wished I could’ve gone against my gut and let myself befriend them more, but my gut was sending the alarms to keep them at a distance. So, that was what I did, but I also didn’t want them to know that I was doing that so I was faking it at times. I must’ve done it successfully.

Kira gave me a tight hug at the end. Ciara and Leanne followed suit.

“Girl, you don’t need to worry about a thing. We’ll put out the word that everyone needs to shut up about your situation.” Kira gave me an exaggerated look before glancing in Scout’s way. Her mouth tightened, but she and the girls left after that.

That was odd, but okay then.

Any help was appreciated because I did not want a take-two from my old school, not that I expected that to happen considering my cousins were top tier.

The rest of the week was interesting too.

Gem hung out at my locker when my cousins weren’t there, though that wasn’t a lot, and we went back to having lunch together. Cohen and Scout were scarce. I saw them a few times at Alex’s locker, but that was it. Scout kept to himself in our classes, and I didn’t see him in study hall again.

Now it was Friday, and besides a few nasty comments, almost everyone had moved on from talking about my situation.

I was thankful.

Also, they were talking about the football game instead, which I was down for. Yay football. Yay for not gossiping about me. But I wasn’t stupid. I knew it wasn’t going away. It was just a matter of time before someone came at me about it.

Until then, only football, please. I was fully planning on making up for missing last week.

“What’s your plan for the game?” Gem asked in sixth period.

I shrugged. “I’m guessing Clint will sit in our section. Are you going?”

She nodded, scooting her chair closer. “That’s why I’m asking. My cousin wanted to see if you wanted to go with us? We’d pick you up, and we usually grab food before. Mexican food. Would you be interested? We’d go to the game and wherever everyone goes afterward. That’s usually the plan. Theresa wants to make it up to you because of what Gabby did.”

I gave her a look. The girl who’d been the mouthpiece to spread my stuff on social media.

“Is Gabby in your cousin’s group?”

“Kinda, but kinda not. She’s been trying to get in with Kira’s group lately more. She won’t be there. You don’t have to worry about Theresa. She’s not about what Gabby did, and when you confronted her and Scout and everyone was right there, Theresa stopped a lot of what people might’ve been saying. She put it out there that it wasn’t cool.”

Seemed I was getting help from all sorts of people.

It meant a lot that Theresa had squashed the gossip, at least for her group of friends.

At the end of the day, I told Clint my plans for the night.

He gave me an unreadable look before nodding. “Okay. You want me to go with my friends?”

I opened my mouth to respond, then realized I didn’t know what to say. I shrugged. “I don’t know. Do you want to come with us?”

He frowned at me.

I frowned back.

His eyebrows furrowed.

So did mine.

“You’re just mirroring everything I do,” he said.

“You’re parroting me.”

“I’m parroting you? I’m a parrot now? You’re calling me a bird?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not a parrot.”

“I never said you were.”

“You just did.”

Scout walked up. “What are you guys talking about?”

Clint pointed to me. “She called me a bird.”

“A parrot.”

“You just said you weren’t doing that.”

“I said you were parroting me.”

“That’s a bird. A parrot. You’re repeating what I do.”

I shook my head. “That’s not me calling you a parrot.”

Clint and I were doing our usual thing, but the underlying issue was that neither of us knew whether he should come with me and Gem and her friends or not. Neither of us wanted to make the decision because, what if it was the wrong one?

We were stalling.

“You guys are weird.”

Clint ignored that. “What do you think Rams should do? Should I go with them or not?”

I smothered a grin. Scout hadn’t been here for that part of the conversation.

He shook his head. “What are you talking about?”

“Theresa extended an invitation to me via Gem,” I explained. “To eat with them and go to the football game. Should Clint go with me or not?”

“Shit no.” Scout’s eyebrows pinched together. “Who are you people that you have to be joined at the hip all the time?”

“We’re not—” Clint started to say.

“Don’t think Alex didn’t tell me about your sleepover,” Scout said.

I nodded. “That was an amazing sleepover, and we all got drunk.”

Clint shoved me. “That doesn’t help.”

“Next time, I’m hoping for forts and margaritas.”

“What?” Scout was still confused.

Clint laughed. “I think it’s time we let our little Ramsay spread her wings a little.” He took a dramatic step away. “It’s time, Rams. It’s time you fly alone. You be the parrot now.”

Scout muttered a curse and headed down the hall.

I gave Clint a slow nod. This energy between us couldn’t be ignored. “We’re going to do something stupid tonight, aren’t we? After the football game.”

“Oh, fuck yeah.” He held up a fist.

I met it with one of mine.

Gem came over with her backpack. “Uh, do you need a ride home or anything? Theresa said we could give you a ride to your place and wait if you wanted to change or something before heading to Mario’s.”

“You’re going to Mario’s?” Clint exclaimed. “I love Mario’s.”

Gem faltered back a step and dropped her phone. Cursing, she grabbed it and blinked a bunch of times before looking at me. “You can’t come.” She shook her head at Clint. “Not that you’re not invited to Mario’s since it’s a restaurant and I work there sometimes so of course, any and all customers are welcome, but . . . this is our thing with Ramsay.” She spoke faster and faster. “If you come, you’ll change the whole dynamic, and Theresa might not get to know Ramsay. I want her to get to know Ramsay.”

I frowned. “Wait. Did Theresa invite me, or did you invite me?”

“What’s the difference?”

“One is where I’m wanted, and the other is where she thinks she’s doing me a favor by allowing me to tag along. Two totally different scenarios.”

“Thinking I’ll be seeing you at Mario’s,” Clint said.

Gem let out a growl of frustration. “No! It’s—no. It’s nothing like that. I swear. Theresa invited you, and I’m glad because I think you guys could be good friends, and I don’t want Alex to come because he’ll change the dynamic. You’ve hung out with Kira and her clique more than my own group. You and Theresa will hit it off. I swear.”

“Clint.”

“What?” She threw him a frazzled look.

“I’m Clint. Not Alex.”

“Oh. Then that’s even more of a reason you can’t come. Sorry. Alex likes Mario’s, that’s why I thought you were Alex.”

“Why is it even more that I can’t come?”

“Because . . .” She waved between him and me. “You know.”

We did. He winked at me, flashing a grin before pretending to pout. “My feelings are hurt. You’re her best female friend right now, and you just hurt one of her cousins. How dare you? What kind of a friend are you?”

She sputtered, “Uh, wh–uh–what’s going on?”

“He’s messing with you.”

“Not about Mario’s,” he insisted. “I’m coming to Mario’s. Me and all my baseball friends who aren’t on the football team.”

Her mouth dropped. Clint sounded serious, and he looked serious too. I needed to do something. Gem couldn’t handle him. Tapping her on the arm, I said, “I’ll be right out, and I’d appreciate a ride.”

“Okay.” She still looked unsure, but she edged forward and headed toward the parking lot.

“Are you really coming?” I asked him.

He jerked up a shoulder. “Thinking about it now.”

I shook my head. “I’ll be fine. I’ll call if I need something, but for real, don’t worry about me. See you at the game.”

“And we’ll do something after.”

I shot him a grin. “Nothing too bad, though.”

He rolled his eyes. “Please.”

I had absolutely no idea how to take his last statement, but I’d find out later tonight. Until then, I might make a new friend.

Hoping Clint and I didn’t get into too much trouble was probably a better goal.