Page 6 of Reign of the Queen
"Shit, crap, I'm sorry, Mia, my condolences. I shouldn't have brought that up." Jessie's face takes on a pinched look of genuine concern and remorse. I relax slightly and nod toward him, acknowledging his apology.
"Let's change the subject, shall we?" Raegan throws out. "When's the first game of the season, boys?"
My gaze darts toward the cafeteria doors, the sudden hushing of the room capturing my immediate attention. The self-proclaimed "kings” of Casbury Prep move through the doors as a unit. Melinda and two of her doppelganger lackeys round out the group. Theo scans the room, searching for someone.I'm guessing it's me.
When he finally spots me next to Jessie, he signals to the other kings, and their heads swivel in my direction. Before I can speak or make a move, they march toward us.Guess I was, unfortunately, right.
"This little seating group looks cozy. You making the new girl feel all kinds of welcome, Jessie?" Carter throws the snarky comment out as he approaches our table.
Jessie stares between Carter and me and then straightens up in his seat. The rest of the guys take the cue from Jessie and straighten up as well. "Sure, man, Mia's great. She should totally feel welcome here." He narrows his eyes at Carter.Brave little Jessie, I might have hope for you yet.
"Of course, she should. We love fresh meat, especially one so tasty." Carter scowls and snaps his teeth in my direction, his eyes darting suspiciously between Jessie and me.
Jessie clenches his fist on top of the table in response to Carter's lewd comment.
"Why don't you make room for us too, man? After all, we are your captains and teammates. We can all be one happy group and welcome Mia." Before Jessie and his teammates can protest, the kings squeeze into the table, shoving the other guys aside. There's hierarchy and fear at play here. I keep my mouth shut, watching it all play out like a deadly spider on the wall.
"Sure man, the more, the merrier," Jessie lets out through gritted teeth as he makes room next to him for Theo's chair.
Melinda and her lackeys are still standing a few feet away from us, completely forgotten by the kings. Melinda throws eye daggers at Raegan and me as if we are responsible for the kings barging into our lunch table. After another minute of staring, they pull up chairs loudly to the table next to us and sit awkwardly. Guess they aren’t eating today. I don't see any food in front of them or, for that matter, in front of the kings.
"Waiteleer, my man, go and get us some pasta, will you?" Mateo barks at Jessie's teammate and gives him a poignant look.
Apparently, Mateo is the only one of the kings not on the football team. Which doesn't surprise me; he's built lean like a swimmer and still has all the muscles in all the right places but not the bulk. He pushes his dark—almost black—wavy chin-length hair from his face. A face with the highest cheekbones I've ever seen on a male. He could definitely give Orlando Bloom's elf character, Legolas fromLord of the Rings, a runfor his money. A strong jaw with a slight cleft in his chin and olive-green eyes stare intently back at Evan, daring him to disobey the request.
I hold my breath, waiting to see what the reaction from the other guys will be. I don't have to wait long before Evan pushes back his chair, jumps to his feet noisily, glances at his teammates, and then sighs. "Sure man, just pasta?"
"Waters too man, thanks," Carter throws in there, completely dismissing him.
I give Jessie and Evan a small, sympathetic nod and get a return grin from Evan.
"Unreal," I hear Raegan say under her breath.
I nod at her. These four are a menace to everyone, including their own teammates. The kings obviously aren't used to being disobeyed.Oh well, there's got to be a first for everything now, doesn't there?
"So, you four are on the football team?" I question and take another bite of my cucumber.
"Theo, Finn, and I are on the team. Mateo plays soccer and baseball," Carter answers and proceeds to steal Jessie's bread bun from his tray, taking a massive bite out of it.
I've never wished for anyone to choke on a piece of food more in my life. Watching him take and then eat what doesn't belong to him reminds me entirely why these four asses need a rude awakening.
"Do you play any sports, Mia?" This question comes from Finn, who up until now has remained noticeably quiet.
Nine years ago…
"Amelia, AMELIA! Where are you?" I can hear the sound of sneakers racing across the grass, approaching my backyard shed where I'm hiding out.
I let out a sigh. I know he won't stop shouting for me if I don't answer him, and I don't want my momma to come out here because he's shouting the neighborhood down.
I get up and pop my head out of the shed's broken door. "In here, will you shut it? The whole neighborhood knows you're looking for me with that mouth of yours!"
"Why didn't you answer me? What ya doing there?" I glance at his worn-down red converse that are covered in mud and a pair of faded jeans that look more gray than black. Sweat is sticking his shirt to his body and trickles are making their way down the side of his face. Ewww!
I scrunch my nose up at him. I like to get dirty like the next person, kind of unavoidable climbing trees and running around these parts, but Finn looks like he's a magnet for the dust my momma says grows on trees from the fields around here.
"Nothing…just reading a bit." I sit back down on the old pillows Mrs. Jenkins gave me to make the shed comfy.
"Come on already, we need one more to play street ball; get your rear in gear!" Finn grabs onto my arm and pulls me to my feet and out of the shed.
