Fallen Crest High
Page 66
"You think you're so awesome, don't you?" Adam growled. He had a glass of beer in his hand now. He waved it back and forth in the air now.
"I prefer badass."
The growl grew. "'You're so rich', 'you're so hot', 'everybody wants you.' I am so sick of you two—"
"Both of us?" Mason's voice was low, eerily low.
Everyone snapped their attention to him.
Logan laughed. "Wait your turn, Mase. My fun first."
Mason shot him a dry look, but Logan ignored it. His grin grew wider and he beamed at Adam. "Come on, tell me more. I'd love to hear what else you hate about me." He tsked him with a finger in the air. "Just me, though. You hear that? We'll move onto my big brother in the next session."
Rage leapt to Adam's eyes. I stepped back from instinct. I'd never seen so much rage within him before. My heart started to pound. It grew in speed as Adam bent his head. His mouth had curved in a hateful scowl.
"You laugh at me? Are you kidding me right now? Do you know who you're messing with?"
Logan's laugh sounded genuine. "Do you think I care? You're the guy who gets the leftovers. That's what I know about you."
Adam grew silent. My heart was pounding so loudly. It was deafening to my ears.
"I had Ashley before you, and during you." Logan's smirk grew. "I had Tanya before you and again before you. Who else is there?" He made a show as he turned around. He tapped his finger to his chin and he paused when his gaze rested on me. "Who else is there?"
"Logan." It was a quiet warning from Mason.
Logan twisted back around; the delight on his face was unsettling. "There's got to be others. Tina Schnieder? She told me you wanted to date her too, but no one knows about that one. She's goes to public. She's beneath you, right? Isn't that you thought about Tanya? You thought for sure you had her in the bag, she goes to public. All those girls are beneath you, isn't that what you think?"
Adam's face was set in stone. The hand that clenched his glass was white around the knuckles. A quiet crack was heard. The group had grown silent and everyone heard it. Another crack sounded.
Logan's voice was so quiet now, going in for the kill. He bent his head forward and his eyes were narrowed. "What about your friend Casssandra there?"
She whipped her head around. Fear was evident as she started to shake. "What are you talking about…" She stammered out, "I..id…Idnever…" She bent forward and took some shuddering breaths. Miranda scurried away from her with a look of terror on her own face. Peter held her hand in his now and he lifted it to his chest.
Adam was white around the corner of his mouth. He turned his head slowly, so slowly. My heart pounded in my ears. My hands started to tremble and I knew my knees were quaking against each other.
He asked in a soft voice, "Is it true?"
Cassandra's mouth hung open. Her eyes bulged out as she looked from Logan's confident smirk to Adam's tightly controlled face. "I…I…"
"Is it true?" Adam asked again.
The tenderness in his voice sent chills down my back. I hugged myself and tried to ward off the promise of violence in the air.
"I can't believe you." He seemed so calm, but his eyes were too dark. "You know how much I hate them."
Logan and Mason glanced at each other and both wore a small grin.
Cassandra's voice was hoarse. "I didn't—it was stupid of me, but… Oh gawd. I'm so sorry, Adam."
Emily started laughing by the bar. She saluted her martini glass in the air. "Way to go, Cassie. Way to start the New Year by being honest."
Cassandra hissed at her, "Shut up, Emily. Like you haven't done the same thing. Logan's probably slept with all of us, Miranda included."
Miranda's eyes got wide and Peter jolted away from her like he'd been burned. She turned to him and pressed her hands to her mouth. "I haven't, baby. I haven't. I swear."
He studied her with narrowed eyes. "You've always wanted Logan to be in the group. You've talked about it for years."
Her hand shot out and she pointed at them. Her foot stomped down. "Only because they should've been in our group. They were supposed to pick our school. We have the better school. Just because they have a better football team, that's the only reason they picked public. They were supposed to be in our group, but instead everyone wants to go to the public parties. Everyone thinks Fallen Crest Public High is so great, all because of them! They were supposed to be at our school. Fallen Crest Academy is the better school. That other school is beneath us, it should be beneath us. They should be kissing our feet. That's the only reason why I've talked about them. I swear, baby!"
Logan bent over laughing. He slapped a hand on his leg. "Man, you guys are so easy. It's been, what? Ten minutes?" He continued laughing as he shook his head. "My job here is done. Have a great night, ya'll."
Adam frowned. "What are you saying? You didn't sleep with Cassandra?"
"Oh no. I did, at the party actually. I was just with Tanya later. Emily was one time and I think," He frowned at Amelia who stood beside Mark. "…Halloween last year?"
She gaped at him, but jerked her head in a nod.
"He's joking," Mark burst out, but he turned sharply on her.
She closed her mouth and slowly turned her head from side to side.
"Amelia!"
Her shoulders lifted up and she held her palms outward. "You didn't want exclusivity, Mark. What do you expect? He's hot."
"You're a slut."
Everyone turned to Miranda who was glaring at Logan. Her hands held her glass tightly. Her arms were still shaking, but not from fear this time. She repeated, "You're a slut."
Logan smirked and glanced at Peter. "I don't hide it."
Her eyes went wide again and she whirled to her boyfriend, who looked away at the same time.
Emily exclaimed, "This was a great idea, Miranda. We should invite Strattan every time."
At this, all eyes went to me. I realized that it looked like I was cowering behind Mason and Logan so I shouldered past them and straightened my back. My chin rose and I stared Miranda down. "You sent me text after text tonight and you called me. You were begging me to come. So I came. If you want to blame me for this, fine. I told you to stay away from Mason and Logan, but you didn't."
"I prefer badass."
The growl grew. "'You're so rich', 'you're so hot', 'everybody wants you.' I am so sick of you two—"
"Both of us?" Mason's voice was low, eerily low.
Everyone snapped their attention to him.
Logan laughed. "Wait your turn, Mase. My fun first."
Mason shot him a dry look, but Logan ignored it. His grin grew wider and he beamed at Adam. "Come on, tell me more. I'd love to hear what else you hate about me." He tsked him with a finger in the air. "Just me, though. You hear that? We'll move onto my big brother in the next session."
Rage leapt to Adam's eyes. I stepped back from instinct. I'd never seen so much rage within him before. My heart started to pound. It grew in speed as Adam bent his head. His mouth had curved in a hateful scowl.
"You laugh at me? Are you kidding me right now? Do you know who you're messing with?"
Logan's laugh sounded genuine. "Do you think I care? You're the guy who gets the leftovers. That's what I know about you."
Adam grew silent. My heart was pounding so loudly. It was deafening to my ears.
"I had Ashley before you, and during you." Logan's smirk grew. "I had Tanya before you and again before you. Who else is there?" He made a show as he turned around. He tapped his finger to his chin and he paused when his gaze rested on me. "Who else is there?"
"Logan." It was a quiet warning from Mason.
Logan twisted back around; the delight on his face was unsettling. "There's got to be others. Tina Schnieder? She told me you wanted to date her too, but no one knows about that one. She's goes to public. She's beneath you, right? Isn't that you thought about Tanya? You thought for sure you had her in the bag, she goes to public. All those girls are beneath you, isn't that what you think?"
Adam's face was set in stone. The hand that clenched his glass was white around the knuckles. A quiet crack was heard. The group had grown silent and everyone heard it. Another crack sounded.
Logan's voice was so quiet now, going in for the kill. He bent his head forward and his eyes were narrowed. "What about your friend Casssandra there?"
She whipped her head around. Fear was evident as she started to shake. "What are you talking about…" She stammered out, "I..id…Idnever…" She bent forward and took some shuddering breaths. Miranda scurried away from her with a look of terror on her own face. Peter held her hand in his now and he lifted it to his chest.
Adam was white around the corner of his mouth. He turned his head slowly, so slowly. My heart pounded in my ears. My hands started to tremble and I knew my knees were quaking against each other.
He asked in a soft voice, "Is it true?"
Cassandra's mouth hung open. Her eyes bulged out as she looked from Logan's confident smirk to Adam's tightly controlled face. "I…I…"
"Is it true?" Adam asked again.
The tenderness in his voice sent chills down my back. I hugged myself and tried to ward off the promise of violence in the air.
"I can't believe you." He seemed so calm, but his eyes were too dark. "You know how much I hate them."
Logan and Mason glanced at each other and both wore a small grin.
Cassandra's voice was hoarse. "I didn't—it was stupid of me, but… Oh gawd. I'm so sorry, Adam."
Emily started laughing by the bar. She saluted her martini glass in the air. "Way to go, Cassie. Way to start the New Year by being honest."
Cassandra hissed at her, "Shut up, Emily. Like you haven't done the same thing. Logan's probably slept with all of us, Miranda included."
Miranda's eyes got wide and Peter jolted away from her like he'd been burned. She turned to him and pressed her hands to her mouth. "I haven't, baby. I haven't. I swear."
He studied her with narrowed eyes. "You've always wanted Logan to be in the group. You've talked about it for years."
Her hand shot out and she pointed at them. Her foot stomped down. "Only because they should've been in our group. They were supposed to pick our school. We have the better school. Just because they have a better football team, that's the only reason they picked public. They were supposed to be in our group, but instead everyone wants to go to the public parties. Everyone thinks Fallen Crest Public High is so great, all because of them! They were supposed to be at our school. Fallen Crest Academy is the better school. That other school is beneath us, it should be beneath us. They should be kissing our feet. That's the only reason why I've talked about them. I swear, baby!"
Logan bent over laughing. He slapped a hand on his leg. "Man, you guys are so easy. It's been, what? Ten minutes?" He continued laughing as he shook his head. "My job here is done. Have a great night, ya'll."
Adam frowned. "What are you saying? You didn't sleep with Cassandra?"
"Oh no. I did, at the party actually. I was just with Tanya later. Emily was one time and I think," He frowned at Amelia who stood beside Mark. "…Halloween last year?"
She gaped at him, but jerked her head in a nod.
"He's joking," Mark burst out, but he turned sharply on her.
She closed her mouth and slowly turned her head from side to side.
"Amelia!"
Her shoulders lifted up and she held her palms outward. "You didn't want exclusivity, Mark. What do you expect? He's hot."
"You're a slut."
Everyone turned to Miranda who was glaring at Logan. Her hands held her glass tightly. Her arms were still shaking, but not from fear this time. She repeated, "You're a slut."
Logan smirked and glanced at Peter. "I don't hide it."
Her eyes went wide again and she whirled to her boyfriend, who looked away at the same time.
Emily exclaimed, "This was a great idea, Miranda. We should invite Strattan every time."
At this, all eyes went to me. I realized that it looked like I was cowering behind Mason and Logan so I shouldered past them and straightened my back. My chin rose and I stared Miranda down. "You sent me text after text tonight and you called me. You were begging me to come. So I came. If you want to blame me for this, fine. I told you to stay away from Mason and Logan, but you didn't."
