Page 20 of Soul of a Psycho

I sigh. Who cares anyway? At least if I go over there, I can sit and not have to wander around anymore.

When I slide in across from her, she makes a face at my jacket. Cade’s jacket. I didn’t allow myself the luxury of changing after he drove us back. I grabbed my bag and ran to fourth period like my life depended on it.

“You’re looking a little worse for wear there, Barbie,” she says.

I narrow my eyes at her. “Gee, I wonder why.”

She frowns and leans forward. “I didn’t do it on purpose, okay?” She glances at the girl on her left, practically a carbon copy of Ruby except not nearly as cutesy looking and her blonde bob has streaks of black dye through it.

“Is that why you called me over? So you can save face? Because I’m pretty sure I counted down.”

“No. It’s Britney’s fault.”

I eye the girl next to her.

“Not her!” Ruby snaps at me. “The bitch from bonding, with the red hair.”

“How is it her fault?” I ask, and I can’t believe I’m entertaining this.

I should have just skipped lunch, but I’m pretty sure if I had gone back to my room, I would have gone to sleep and missed my last two periods.

Ruby scowls and leans back, folding her arms across her chest.

“That’s what I thought,” I say, and pick up the hot roll on my plate.

The girl next to Ruby nudges her with her elbow, and Ruby groans, throwing her hands up.

“She fucking pushed me, okay?” She huffs. “Right when I was about to catch you, she pushed me.”

I squint at her, trying to figure out if she’s telling the truth. She could just want me to tell Martha it was an accident to cover her ass. Not that I was going to tattle anyway, but still.

Her friend nods at me as if to say,it’s true,and I sigh. We’re going to be roommates for a very long year, and I’m too tired to hold onto my anger, anyway.

“Fine,” I say and rip open my roll. “But I get to keep your vape pen.”

Ruby isn’t happy about my condition, but she doesn’t fight me on it, and lunch with her and her friends is tolerable, if not enjoyable. I learn that the girl with the black streaks in her hair is named Callie, and the other with a black pixie cut is Lana.

They mostly talk about tattoos they are going to get after they graduate, but I’m only mildly listening as I eat my fourth roll. I think they bake them fresh, and I could eat another if I wasn’t too ashamed to go and ask for more.

I keep getting whiffs of something that makes my breath catch, something like nature and gun metal, and it takes me a few seconds every time to calm my heart when I realize it’s just Cade’s jacket. I keep glancing around, hoping he’s sought me out, but I don’t see him anywhere.

“So, let’s see the damage,” Lana says, stretching her arm across the table and tugging at my sleeve.

A prick of jealousy hits me at her touching something of Cade’s.

“What?” I tuck my arm in and surreptitiously try to replace her fingerprints with mine.

“Ruby said it was bleeding all over. Let’s see the carnage.”

“Oh…” I notice a twinge of pink on Ruby’s cheeks. “It’s not that bad.” I say on her behalf. I’m beginning to think she’s not as tough as she acts.

“Just show em’.” Ruby rolls her eyes.

I begrudgingly take off the jacket and twist my arm so they can see the stitches.

“Holy shit. That’s metal,” Lana says. “You could get a cool tattoo designed around that scar.”

“You didn’t cry?” Callie asks, wrinkling her nose.

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