Page 59 of Raise Hell

I’m not sure what impulse drives me to kill the locker room talk.

It’s not like I owe that girl anything except pain. But I still feel an urge to keep the discussion from getting out of hand.

“Sounds like you’re on it,” Vaughn says, voice droll. He turns to Nolan. “I hope you’re putting as much thought into the Initiation as you are into a problem that has already been solved.”

The derisive tone is enough to distract Nolan. “And what do you know about the Initiation?”

Vaughn smirks. “More than you.”

Vaughn has two older brothers whom have already been through their own Initiation.

Alumni aren’t supposed to share details with us ahead of time, but that probably didn’t stop them from dropping a few hints.

I’ve heard rumors that it’s everything from sacrificing a live goat to kidnapping a homeless man from town, driving him out to the middle of nowhere, and leaving him there. Whatever it is will probably be at least a little illegal, something that we will want to keep to ourselves.

A shared secret that will bind us together, along with all the other secrets of Havoc House.

“You know, I’m getting a little tired of you lording over us like you know shit,” Nolan snipes. “Either tell us what you know or shut the fuck up about it.”

“Yeah, I’m good not doing either of those things, and there is fuck all you can do about it.”

Nolan rises from the table, his posture threatening. “Fuck you, Vaughn.”

“You know what, man. If you want to do something, go right ahead and do it.”

“Maybe I will.”

They square off with each other like they might just throw down at the breakfast table. The two of them have always butted heads a little more strongly than any of the other guys in the house, but their arguments don’t usually come to blows.

Vaughn shoves Nolan back against the table, knocking my bowl hard enough that cereal and milk slosh out.

Instead of getting angry, I just feel tired. I really don’t have it in me to intervene.

I jerk my chin at Cole. “You mind?”

“What?” Cole looks back and forth between them as he drinks directly from the milk carton he just pulled from the fridge. “I’m not in it.”

For such a big guy, Cole has always been a bit of pacifist.

Or maybe he’s just lazy.

The room is small enough that even standing we’re still crowded up next to each other. If the two of them decide to really go at it, there won’t be any stopping the fight before the kitchen is trashed.

When Nolan balls his hands into fists and rears back, I rush to get in between them. “Okay, enough.”

With a sigh, Cole steps up in front of Vaughn. He takes another swig from the milk carton he hasn’t set down. “Is all of this really necessary?”

The answer is obvious, because neither of them act like they’re done.

“Ever since this year started, you’ve had a major attitude. I’m sick of that shit.” Nolan leans past me enough to shove a finger in Vaughn’s face. “You’re not even helping us handle Olivia. It’s like you don’t even care if we get initiated or not.”

Vaughn wrenches his shirt out of my grip and backs up. “I care just as much as you do, if not more. Doesn’t mean I’m jerking off over all the details.”

Nolan glares. “Then tell us what you know about the Initiation.”

“Guess you’ll have to figure it out when everybody else does.” Vaughn kicks a chair out of his way as he leaves the room.

“Fucking asshole,” Nolan seethes.

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