Page 64 of Havoc at Prescott High (The Havoc Boys 1)
“You guys really are thorough, aren't you?” I ask, and Hael shrugs. Loose, cocky, uncomplicated. Not like his idiot boss. He's chomping at the bit to fuck you over the hood of his Camaro. Have at it. Right. And what would Vic do if I took him up on that offer? “What's the story Donald's telling now?”
“Dunno. Don't care. Just so long as nothing comes back on us.” Hael's phone rings, and he glances at the screen with a tightness in his face I haven't seen before. He just seems to swagger through life, uninhibited, careless. When I lean forward and catch a sneak peek at his screen, I see that double-edged sword of a word again. Mom.
“You don't like your mother?” I ask, and Hael glances up toward me, his face hardening. “Do you like yours?” he retorts, and I shake my head.
“You know all about my mother,” I tell him, remembering that night we spent together in the homeless shelter. I was so scared, but Hael wasn't. He covered both our heads with his blanket, wrapping us up in our own private cocoon. Don’t be scared, little bird, he’d said, smiling a gap-toothed smile at me. We can tell stories until the sun comes up. I remember thinking he was the bravest, most beautiful person I'd ever met. “But all I know about yours is that she has a problem with prescription drugs.”
“Mm.” Hael ignores the call and tucks the phone away, lifting his chin in my direction. “How was breakfast?” He sweeps a tattooed hand over his red hair, studying me with eyes the color of honey and almonds, brown with a hint of gold.
Chomping at the bit, huh? I lick my lower lip, the temptation and the challenge of getting Vic's best friend in bed warring with my sudden and desperate need to be alone. I've been alone most of my life, and this whole Havoc thing … it comes with a lot of togetherness.
“Breakfast was a nightmare. Vic fingered me under the table while at the same time confronting his mom about her underhanded bullshit. Also, her new boyfriend is a total sleaze.”
Hael's brows go up, and he smirks.
“Well, okay then. Sounds like a typical Havoc sort of breakfast meeting. Why is he all stormy and sulky and shit then?”
“He fingered me and then refused to let me touch him,” I say, staring intently at the coffee table and wondering why I'm spilling all of this information to Hael. Finally, I look up. “Can you take me to the drugstore? I need to get a morning-after pill, and I don't have any money.”
Hael looks at me and then nods slowly.
“Yeah, okay.” He stands up just as the front door opens, and Callum, Oscar, and Vic walk in.
“Where are you two headed?” Oscar asks casually, and I get the idea that it's his job to keep track of everyone on a daily basis. It's not a casual question. Hael and I are not going to walk out of here without an explanation. “Off to the drugstore to get a morning-after pill,” I say blandly, shrugging my shoulders. “Victor came inside of me yesterday, and I'm not about getting pregnant.”
“Fucking Christ,” Vic snaps. “I'll take you.”
“I'd rather go with Hael,” I say, putting my hand on the cocky asshole's arm. “Is it okay if Heather stays here while we're gone? Shouldn't be long.”
“You're too much, Bernadette,” Vic growls, stalking past me and disappearing into the dark hallway that leads back to what used to be Aaron's parents' bedroom.
“You like pushing his buttons?” Callum asks, chuckling, that rough voice of his soothing in a strange sort of way. It's like, he's internalized all his shit, and the only time it ever comes out is in an ambient sort of darkness in his voice. “That's a risky ballgame. You've got big ovaries, Bernadette Blackbird.” With another burst of laugher, Cal slips past me and into the kitchen.
“Don't stay gone long. We have projects to work on.” Oscar's eyes catch on mine, these gray shadows that terrify me even more than the endless black of Vic's irises. “And only two days off of school to do it in.”
I move past him and head outside, beyond grateful to find a bit of peace in Hael's car.
“Aren't you dating some girl from Fuller High?” I ask, and Hael shrugs. It's neither a yes nor a no, but I'm too pissed off to care. If he has a girlfriend, that's his problem. Thursday means getting back to school, walking up the front steps of Prescott High and knowing that I'll be navigating a minefield of social politics. “Bet she’s a hot piece of ass, for you to cross the Fuller-Prescott line for her.”
Hael laughs, this loud, braying sort of sound that I actually kind of like. It’s an uninhibited, wild kind of laugh.
