Page 3 of Queen Of Clubs

“Hey, Zane!” Zoey, one of the cheerleaders, calls out, waving at him.

Zane, Griffin, and Everett aren't on any of the sports teams, and we sure as hell don’t come from money, yet all of them are popular in their own way.

“Hey.” Zane nods, giving her a cocky smirk. I hate it.

She grins, giving him ‘fuck me’ eyes, and I feel like I’m going to be sick. “Come on,” I laugh, taking off running. “Last one to the tree house has to wash Charles’ clothes.”

Was that my way of getting the guys out of here before one of them could sink their claws into my friends? Hell yes, and it works, too. Because they all start to laugh, the sound of them running through the gravel echoes behind me.

I laugh with them as they chase me, adrenaline rushing through my veins. I take a sharp right, leaving the school's boundaries, and end up on a back road with a trail that leads to our treehouse.

I’m quick and careful not to trip up over any falling branches or rocks, knowing this path like the back of my hand.

My pulse spikes as I hear them getting closer. “Run, run, as fast as you can, Jelly Bean!” Griffin taunts.

I squeal in excitement when I look back, seeing them right on my heels. It causes me to pump my legs harder, my backpack slapping against my ass with each step.

When I get to the clearing, I see the tree on the other side just a few yards ahead. I’m so close when I feel arms wrap around me. “Not so fast, Troublemaker,” Zane chuckles.

I shout, taken by surprise. “That's cheating!” We tumble to the ground, Zane taking the brunt of the impact.

“Not if the rules weren't stated beforehand,” he counters, rolling on top of me.

“It’s implied,” I growl, making his lips twitch with a smile.

“Still. There’s no way in hell I’m washing that man's crusty old underwear.”

“Oh really?” I smirk. “Then you should have thought about that before you tackled me to the ground. You see, while we’ve been doing this fun little dance, Everett and Griffin have already touched the tree. They're safe. Meaning it’s down to me or you on laundry duties.”

“Fucking hell,” he curses, realizing his mistake. He was too caught up in the fun; I can’t blame him. Also, not complaining about the fact that he’s on top of me. If I wasn’t determined to win, I might revel in it.

“Have fun with those tightie whities.” I grin just as Griffin tackles Zane off me. The two of them go rolling to the side with a grunt.

With a beaming smile, Everett holds out his hand for me. I take it, letting him quickly pull me to my feet.

I run the last few steps to the tree and touch it. “Fuck yeah, bitches!” I cheer, earning my rightful win.

Zane and Griffin stop fighting, their attention turns to me. “Damn it!” Zane growls. They get to their feet, dusting themselves off. “You little Troublemaker.” He narrows his eyes at me. “I’ll be getting you back for this.”

“Looking forward to it, Casanova.” I wink.

He grins, chuckling as he shakes his head. He’s all bark, no bite, because there’s no way he would have let me take the punishment of losing, even if he managed to get to the tree before me.

None of them would.

They all hate how our foster parents treat me. When we were younger, the guys did their best to keep in line, to make them happy. But they also would do their best to help me, making my workload easier.

As they got older, bigger, they’ve become more vocal about their displeasure with how I’m treated. Charles does his best to hide it, but he’s afraid of the guys. When Karen or Charles demand I do something, the guys always say they will do it instead.

When the parentals argue that they asked me, all my guys have to do is give them an intimidating look, then Karen and Charles back off and let them.

That's another reason why I’m so convinced they’re going to be alphas. It just comes naturally to them.

I tell them they don’t have to, that I’m fine with doing what I’m told to do myself, but they won’t listen.

It’s not everything, I’m still forced to do stupid shit when the guys are at work on the weekends.

When we get to the house, the TV is blaring. “Hey!” Charles shouts to be heard. “Are you guys back yet?”

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