Page 1 of Babe

PROLOGUE

Ace

Ishrugged my shoulder, hitching my bag higher as I headed for the exit of the school where the buses were lined up, ready to take all of us ungrateful teens home. Today had been a shitty day. I’d failed a test because my head was fucking pounding and I didn’t get any sleep the night before. One of the guys in the foster home I was staying at had ripped up my homework for another class, and the teacher refused to accept it, even with it taped up, so I got a big fat zero for that fucking assignment.

All I wanted to do was go to sleep, but that wouldn’t be possible. Not with kids of all ages shouting the house down. Not with my creepy-ass foster dad lurking around the house, high off his ass, ready to pounce on me whenever my guard was down. I had to be on alert at all times, especially when he invited his friends over. Friends who liked to touch twinks like me. Friends who liked feisty boys who put up a fight.

A shiver raced over my skin at the memories, and I shoved them down deep so I wouldn’t vomit everywhere.

Someone shoved into me hard from behind, laughter ringing out. My stomach lurched. Swinging around, my bag falling off my shoulder, I glared at the boy behind me—Keller. He was nineteen—had been held back last year since he failed a class, which was a requirement to graduate. He’d been too fucking dumb to pass it during summer school, too. And for some reason, he had a personal vendetta against me. I’d been ignoring him, trying to just keep my head down and stay out of trouble. Fighting would only get me suspended, which would just lead to more time in that fucking house.

“You got a fucking problem?” I snarled at him.

He snickered. “Finally grew a backbone, Journey?” he taunted. He stepped closer, reaching out to shove me, but I knocked his hands aside, my stomach sloshing when I touched him. I hated being touched or touching other people, especially when I wasn’t prepared for it.

His nostrils flared, and then, his fist swung out. I ducked, just barely avoiding being hit, but one of his friends came at me, shoving me aside and knocking me off balance. Keller quickly took advantage, dropping on top of me and swinging two hits against my face. But I was quick and angry. I managed to flip us, despite him being twice my size, and I fucking lost it. I bashed my fists into his face over and over, my swings too quick for him to deflect or fight back against. His friends tried pulling me off, but I locked my thighs against Keller’s hips, keeping myself in place.

Large hands gripped my shoulders, and I was yanked off the floor. “Get off of me!” I shouted, blood trailing down my chin. I spit more out of my mouth—right on Keller’s bloodied face.

“Stop, Ace!” a male barked. I swung my head to the left in alarm, blinking at the sight of Shaw.

“What the fuck?” I blurted before I spit out more blood. I wrenched myself from his grip, glaring at Konrad as he rushed around the corner. Clenching and unclenching my fists at my sides, I swung my gaze between them, my heart slamming against my chest. “What the fuck?” I asked again, not understanding.

They left years ago. Why the fuck were they here—in my school, at that? I hadn’t spoken to them since they fucking left me behind and joined the goddamn military. At one point, there’d been six of us. Six. Jax got arrested. Shaw and Konrad dipped out of town shortly after. Arlo left next, and then Cameron followed as soon as he graduated. The only person who’d kept in contact with me was Jax.

So, why the fuck were they here?

“Office—now!” the principal barked as he made his way around the corner, red in the face and out of breath. “Get up, Keller!” he snapped. “Office! Get a move on!”

Ignoring Shaw and Konrad—though not without throwing a glare their way first—I snatched my bag off the ground and stormed toward the office, seething and confused and just fucking angry. I felt like I was crawling out of my skin, too. I needed a goddamn shower to wash everyone’s touch off of me.

When I stepped into the principal’s office, he stiffly pointed at the seats across from his desk. Silently, I dropped into the seat, gritting my teeth and clenching my jaw. The door swung open again as I set my bag between my feet, and I glared at Shaw and Konrad as they stepped in, holding the door open for Keller. He looked fucking rough, and I couldn’t stop the small, bratty smirk from tilting my lips.

Stupid fucker.

“Drop that smug little look from your face,” the principal sneered at me.

I glared at him, my upper lip curling. “Why should I? He fucking started it. He always fucking starts it, and today?—”

“Enough!” he barked at me. I scoffed. “I ought to expel you. You’ve been nothing but trouble, Ace?—”

“Let’s not get too hasty,” Shaw spoke up, coming to stand behind me. When he rested his hand on my shoulder, I lurched away from him. Sighing, he dropped his hand back to his side. “Surely, after the paperwork that was presented to you by Mrs. Sheffield, you understand Ace has been in a… difficult situation,” Shaw said. I gritted my teeth, wondering what the fuck my social worker had to do with all of this. Was she the reason they were randomly appearing in my life? I was doing just fine without them. I didn’t need them. I didn’t fucking need anyone.

“This does not excuse?—”

“No, it doesn’t,” Konrad agreed. I scoffed again, but he ignored me. “But perhaps, before we go pointing fingers, we should look at the security feed and see what actually happened. Then, a solution and a punishment can be decided from there. We’re just asking that you not automatically blame Ace for this… disagreement.”

I snorted. Disagreement.

Konrad shot me a dark look, but I just shot him a fake, sickly-sweet smile before giving him both of my middle fingers. He clenched his jaw but didn’t respond.

Asshole.

Principal Hartly rubbed at the spot between his brows before he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and turned to his computer. Keller, for once, was silent, not saying a fucking word. He just leaned forward and snatched the box of tissues off Hartly’s desk and shoved some up his bleeding nostrils, wincing in pain as he did so.

Served his stupid ass right. He shouldn’t have fucked with me.

The loud chatter of the hallway we’d just left behind suddenly filled the room. I stayed still when the sound of me asking Keller if he had a fucking problem rang through the room. Konrad, not giving a fuck about etiquette, moved behind the desk.

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