“And I feel like you forget that we’re equals at this school, Lumen. Don’t get started with me.” Parrish tilts his head at her. “Or … are we? I mean, I have turned you down over a dozen times—officially. Unofficially, I’m sure it’s a hell of a lot more than that.”
Lumen bristles, but she doesn’t remark on it. I’ve always sensed there was something more going on with her and Parrish, but I now at least know what it is from his side. He said everything in his life was bullshit; he didn’t want a shallow romantic relationship on top of everything else. Lumen? I don’t know what Lumen’s story is.
“I have to be honest with you, Dakota,” she continues, taking a step closer to me. Parrish moves up on my right, but Lumen doesn’t acknowledge him at all. “When I first approached you, I was already being directed by the blackmailer.” I shiver, and my eyes go wide, but Lumen isn’t done. “He wanted me to befriend you; he asked me to keep tabs on you. Sometimes, he asked me to take you places or convince you to attend things. Antonio’s party, for example.”
I just blink back at her as Chasm scowls and comes storming around Parrish to get in her face.
“I knew it,” he snaps, and she narrows her eyes, shifting her gaze over to him. It’s like watching two titans clash. “You were up to this shit from the very beginning. Typical Whitehall nonsense.”
“Oh, please, as if the three of you are Whitehall’s angels? Its saints?” Lumen turns back to me and then leans in even closer. “They might act like they’re your friends, but don’t think they haven’t done terrible things in the past. They’ve been just as bad—if not worse—than most.” Lumen tosses her hair casually over one shoulder before glancing at Maxx with disdain. “Remember the guy you drove to drop out?”
“Throwing stones in glass houses?” X jibes, his expression of contemptuousness equaling Lumen’s with zero effort. “What’s your point? We’re on Dakota’s side now. Are you?”
Lumen sighs, her cheeks flushing slightly as she turns back to me. Why she’s blushing now, I’m not sure.
“Not only are the demands from this getting insane—like asking me to beat you up—but I just … I like you, Dakota. You’re too nice. I don’t want to do this.”
“Oh, please,” Parrish scoffs, but then Lumen is staring at me like she’s gathering herself up to do something.
She reaches out, grabs me by the cheeks, and crushes her mouth to mine.
My eyes go wide, and I immediately push her back, before any of the guys can step in.
“What the fuck?!” Chasm snarls as Parrish goes stone-still and completely cold. Maxx is gaping in disbelief—and he actually takes a step back. To, I think, stop himself from having an inappropriate reaction.
“Lumen,” I start as she sighs and then shakes her hands out.
“So anyway, there’s that,” she says, looking at me with curiosity. “I like you. Whether you like me or not is irrelevant; I’m done with this.”
“You just kissed my girlfriend,” Parrish tells her, hooking an awful smile, one that promises pain. “I should kill you for that.”
“But you won’t because you need my help,” Lumen confirms, crossing her arms and taking a step back. She looks at me with a question in her eyes that I feel like I really need to answer before things get weird.
“I’m way taken, Lumen,” I tell her, giving a small shake of my head. “I’m sorry; I’m not interested in you like that.”
She sighs and turns away, shaking out her hair with her fingers.
“I knew as soon as you started crushing on Parrish that I was in trouble. Chasm, too.” She glances back and takes Maxx in with a curious expression, likely noting that his jaw is clenched and he’s struggling to hold back his anger. “And … Maxx? Eww. No, please, not Maxim. He’s the biggest asshole of them all. Didn’t think you were into alpha-hole pricks.”
“Lumen,” I start with an exasperated sigh. I mean, like, I’ve missed her so fucking bad these past several weeks, but also, we need to focus. “Parrish and I are together officially, but … yeah, I have feelings for all three of them. So that’s another reason I know you and I won’t work: we don’t have that spark.”
“We have a spark, eh, Little Sister?” Chasm asks, but he sounds so absurdly pleased that my heart warms. Parrish ignores all of that.
“So what does your blackmailer want now? Why are we here?” he demands, flicking his eyes back to the towering walls of the school. “If we don’t get going, like, now, Tess is going to start calling the FBI to come and find me—not that they did a great job last time.” He rolls his eyes as he looks back to Lumen, and my heart goes cold.
