Fallen Crest Public
Page 69
Logan sighed. “You want the truth?”
It was my turn to snort. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted. No one tells the truth anymore.”
“Kate’s uncle is a cop. That’s why she didn’t get arrested. When Principal Green was going to expel her, he got a visit from her uncle and some of his buddies. They twisted his arm so she only got in-school suspension, and he can’t let the ringleader off and expel the other three, so all four got ISS.”
“It’s bullshit.”
“Yeah.” He didn’t hide from it. “That’s why we don’t bother with reporting shit. We learned long ago it doesn’t do a thing. We settle things our way now.”
Their way? “Screwing the enemy? Is that how you do it?”
“No, Sam.” He stood. “Is that all you can think about? Look, Mason didn’t want you to know about it. He’s protecting you again so that you’re not a part of it. I know you’ve had a rough ride, but what have we done to lose your trust?”
“He’s f**king her,” I cried out and pushed up from the couch. Then I swayed. The alcohol made me sluggish, but a sudden sharp stabbing had me falling to the side. Grabbing my side, I bent over again.
Logan cursed, but caught me. “Sam, stop. Sit down.”
I shook my head and pushed him away. Then I regretted it. He was sturdy. He was strong. I needed his support at that moment. “Logan.”
Everything crumbled inside me. A sob escaped me, but then he was there. He sat on the couch beside me and pulled me into him. A hand went to my head, pushing it down to his chest, but then it didn’t matter. I was clinging to him as more and more tears racked through me.
The image of Mason with her wouldn’t stop. It repeated over and over.
“Logan.”
“Shhh.” He began running a hand down my back and smoothing down my hair. “You can cry, Sam. You can always cry. You just can’t let it stop you from fighting. That’s the only thing.”
He was touching her. He was kissing her. I couldn’t think about it. Shaking my head against Logan’s shoulder, I clutched his shirt even tighter and pressed into him.
Logan drew in a breath, and he never released it. He had gone from being comforting to being rigid.
I pressed even more against him. Mason was still touching her in my mind. Her hand gripped his hair, and she was moving over his lap in a seductive rhythm. A growl burst from me. I hated it. I hated her. “Logan.” I shuddered against him.
“Sam.” His voice broke and he quieted.
I clambered to get closer. Lifting my legs onto the couch, I kneeled beside him, pressing into the couch so I was almost on his lap. His hand swept down and caught one of my legs. He lifted it with me, and I let out a ragged breath. I needed his comfort. That was all I needed. Slipping my arms around him, I hugged him. My cheek went to his shoulder, and my eyes closed.
“Sam,” he murmured again. His hand began rubbing on my thigh where he gripped me. “You need to stop. Your ribs can’t take this.”
He was right. I tried to get closer to him.
“You’re going to fracture them again.”
I was, but Mason was still touching her. His lips were on hers. He wanted to slip inside of her, and she let him. She savored it. I could tell. That was my place. She had replaced me. “Logan,” I whispered now.
His hand smoothed my hair, running down and over my back to circle up and repeat the caress. His other hand was rubbing over my thigh.
I paused.
A small trigger went off. Mason. He was close. I felt his presence how I always felt him, but that wasn’t true. It was in my mind. He was with her. Kissing her. Stroking her.
It was like his hand went into my chest and grabbed my heart. He squeezed it with every memory. He was with her. I needed it gone. Now. Anyway I could, and I felt Logan’s hand then. It touched the side of my face and I turned back to him. Mason moved to the back of my mind.
“What the f**k?”
But he wasn’t. I turned. Mason was standing right there. He wasn’t in the back of my mind anymore.
Logan’s hand jerked away, like it’d been burned. He lifted me off his lap to the couch and stood up. “It’s not what you think.”
Mason was there. The timing struck me, and I started laughing. He was there now, and that was all he had to say. Neither of them said another word. Both were silent and I couldn’t stop laughing. No. I was crying now. The booze wasn’t helping. I was still feeling everything, even the pain from my ribs were hurting me again. I tried to stop laughing, but I couldn’t. The couch had imprisoned me. I curled to my side and stopped laughing enough so I could draw in a deep breath.
Shit. My ribs were really hurting.
“Is she drunk?” Mason asked now.
That struck me as even more hilarious. High-pitched laughter peeled from me. Then I begin giggling in between, alternating between the two with a sniffle every now and then. Nope. I sobbed now. More laughter, giggle, sobbing. I couldn’t stop.
Logan’s voice lowered. He was cautious. “She saw you and Kate.”
“I know,” Mason whipped at him.
The rage was there. He was barely holding it back. I recognized it, but I couldn’t say anything. I was able to stop the laughs so only giggles came from me, but then I realized I didn’t want to stop. It would hurt again once I did. He’d been touching her.
“Sam.”
I held a hand out to stop him and buried my head into the couch. It muffled some of my hysteria.
“What the hell did you do to her?” he growled.
Logan snapped back, “What do you think? She saw you with Kate.”
“I told her—”
“She saw you, Mason! You’re ready to beat me up because I was comforting her. You were making out with another girl. Put two and two together.”
“I am.”
“You’re not. She’s hurting, like a lot, and not just from seeing you and Kate. She’s drunk as hell, but her ribs have gotta be killing her.”
Mason cursed.
My laughter had subsided to soft chuckles now, but I still couldn’t stop them. So much damn pain was slicing through me. I couldn’t move so I stayed there, curled into the couch, my head pressed against the cushion. It hid the tears that I couldn’t stop either.
I was a mess.
But they were there. Both of them. This was what I wanted. I needed to know they would come back. Someone sat beside me and the couch shifted underneath me. Another burst of fresh pain went through me. This time it was like a knife had been stuck deep into me. It was pulled back out and back in, over and over.
It was my turn to snort. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted. No one tells the truth anymore.”
“Kate’s uncle is a cop. That’s why she didn’t get arrested. When Principal Green was going to expel her, he got a visit from her uncle and some of his buddies. They twisted his arm so she only got in-school suspension, and he can’t let the ringleader off and expel the other three, so all four got ISS.”
“It’s bullshit.”
“Yeah.” He didn’t hide from it. “That’s why we don’t bother with reporting shit. We learned long ago it doesn’t do a thing. We settle things our way now.”
Their way? “Screwing the enemy? Is that how you do it?”
“No, Sam.” He stood. “Is that all you can think about? Look, Mason didn’t want you to know about it. He’s protecting you again so that you’re not a part of it. I know you’ve had a rough ride, but what have we done to lose your trust?”
“He’s f**king her,” I cried out and pushed up from the couch. Then I swayed. The alcohol made me sluggish, but a sudden sharp stabbing had me falling to the side. Grabbing my side, I bent over again.
Logan cursed, but caught me. “Sam, stop. Sit down.”
I shook my head and pushed him away. Then I regretted it. He was sturdy. He was strong. I needed his support at that moment. “Logan.”
Everything crumbled inside me. A sob escaped me, but then he was there. He sat on the couch beside me and pulled me into him. A hand went to my head, pushing it down to his chest, but then it didn’t matter. I was clinging to him as more and more tears racked through me.
The image of Mason with her wouldn’t stop. It repeated over and over.
“Logan.”
“Shhh.” He began running a hand down my back and smoothing down my hair. “You can cry, Sam. You can always cry. You just can’t let it stop you from fighting. That’s the only thing.”
He was touching her. He was kissing her. I couldn’t think about it. Shaking my head against Logan’s shoulder, I clutched his shirt even tighter and pressed into him.
Logan drew in a breath, and he never released it. He had gone from being comforting to being rigid.
I pressed even more against him. Mason was still touching her in my mind. Her hand gripped his hair, and she was moving over his lap in a seductive rhythm. A growl burst from me. I hated it. I hated her. “Logan.” I shuddered against him.
“Sam.” His voice broke and he quieted.
I clambered to get closer. Lifting my legs onto the couch, I kneeled beside him, pressing into the couch so I was almost on his lap. His hand swept down and caught one of my legs. He lifted it with me, and I let out a ragged breath. I needed his comfort. That was all I needed. Slipping my arms around him, I hugged him. My cheek went to his shoulder, and my eyes closed.
“Sam,” he murmured again. His hand began rubbing on my thigh where he gripped me. “You need to stop. Your ribs can’t take this.”
He was right. I tried to get closer to him.
“You’re going to fracture them again.”
I was, but Mason was still touching her. His lips were on hers. He wanted to slip inside of her, and she let him. She savored it. I could tell. That was my place. She had replaced me. “Logan,” I whispered now.
His hand smoothed my hair, running down and over my back to circle up and repeat the caress. His other hand was rubbing over my thigh.
I paused.
A small trigger went off. Mason. He was close. I felt his presence how I always felt him, but that wasn’t true. It was in my mind. He was with her. Kissing her. Stroking her.
It was like his hand went into my chest and grabbed my heart. He squeezed it with every memory. He was with her. I needed it gone. Now. Anyway I could, and I felt Logan’s hand then. It touched the side of my face and I turned back to him. Mason moved to the back of my mind.
“What the f**k?”
But he wasn’t. I turned. Mason was standing right there. He wasn’t in the back of my mind anymore.
Logan’s hand jerked away, like it’d been burned. He lifted me off his lap to the couch and stood up. “It’s not what you think.”
Mason was there. The timing struck me, and I started laughing. He was there now, and that was all he had to say. Neither of them said another word. Both were silent and I couldn’t stop laughing. No. I was crying now. The booze wasn’t helping. I was still feeling everything, even the pain from my ribs were hurting me again. I tried to stop laughing, but I couldn’t. The couch had imprisoned me. I curled to my side and stopped laughing enough so I could draw in a deep breath.
Shit. My ribs were really hurting.
“Is she drunk?” Mason asked now.
That struck me as even more hilarious. High-pitched laughter peeled from me. Then I begin giggling in between, alternating between the two with a sniffle every now and then. Nope. I sobbed now. More laughter, giggle, sobbing. I couldn’t stop.
Logan’s voice lowered. He was cautious. “She saw you and Kate.”
“I know,” Mason whipped at him.
The rage was there. He was barely holding it back. I recognized it, but I couldn’t say anything. I was able to stop the laughs so only giggles came from me, but then I realized I didn’t want to stop. It would hurt again once I did. He’d been touching her.
“Sam.”
I held a hand out to stop him and buried my head into the couch. It muffled some of my hysteria.
“What the hell did you do to her?” he growled.
Logan snapped back, “What do you think? She saw you with Kate.”
“I told her—”
“She saw you, Mason! You’re ready to beat me up because I was comforting her. You were making out with another girl. Put two and two together.”
“I am.”
“You’re not. She’s hurting, like a lot, and not just from seeing you and Kate. She’s drunk as hell, but her ribs have gotta be killing her.”
Mason cursed.
My laughter had subsided to soft chuckles now, but I still couldn’t stop them. So much damn pain was slicing through me. I couldn’t move so I stayed there, curled into the couch, my head pressed against the cushion. It hid the tears that I couldn’t stop either.
I was a mess.
But they were there. Both of them. This was what I wanted. I needed to know they would come back. Someone sat beside me and the couch shifted underneath me. Another burst of fresh pain went through me. This time it was like a knife had been stuck deep into me. It was pulled back out and back in, over and over.
