Page 12 of Pretty Broken Things

“Make your friends back off of Tracy. I’d like for her to stick around for a while, and she tends not to do that when things get unpleasant for her.”

“You think I control them?” I ask, laughing.

“I’d rather you separate yourself from them and figure out who you really are, but short of that, yeah, I’d take you backing the bitches off of my friend,” he says.

“Does Tracy know you’re coming to me with this? I can’t imagine she’d be too happy with your interference. Also, she is more than capable of taking care of herself,” I point out.

“Answer a question for me. Did Shane step in on my behalf? That’s why you walked into the snack shack and found Tracy and I, right?”

I nod. There’s no use denying something I’m sure Shane would happily gloat about.

“You guys here in the Bluff don’t live by the same code we Parkers do. Tracy won’t be mad at me for stepping in on her behalf. No, she doesn’t know, but she’d have my balls if she found out I had a chance to have her back and didn’t take it. We might not have money, but we have loyalty. I don’t pretend to be their friend. They’d risk their safety for me, and I for them. So you have to decide which it will be. When we say ride or die, we mean you’re either riding with us, or we’ll let you die if it comes to it. All or nothing.”

I screw up my lips. There’s not a single person in my life who would throw themselves into drama on my behalf. Like I needed another reason to envy Tracy White. “You’re right. We don’t live by any code here in Ocean Bluff. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but my friends are bitches.”

He smirks. “I’ve noticed. What I can’t figure out is why you’re friends with them.”

I shrug. “If you figure it out, will you let me know?”

“Well, if you can shake the rich bitch attitude, you’re welcome to join us. If not, do what you can to redirect those two you call friends, otherwise I’ll act and it won’t be pretty.”

* * *

Everythingabout this school is divided. Parkers use the back lot, while our shiny new cars are in the front of the school. Erin was right about a lot of the lockers for students from Jefferson Park being located in the less convenient locations. It seems even the office staff is biased toward the wealthier students. Can’t really say if that is their assumption our parents want it that way, or if there has been actual pressure from them.

Nowhere is the separation between us and them more noticeable than at lunch. Ocean Bluff is a public school, but one with a considerable tax base. Our cafeteria runs like most across the country, but the ambiance is more like an upscale restaurant. The lighting is soft and warm. Large windows overlooking the campus gardens surround two thirds of the room, while the other wall is the serving stations.

The food is also restaurant quality, but the prices are to match. It’s incredibly unethical, but the Parkers on assistance are provided sack lunches. I never really thought about it until now. Looking around the room, I see a large number of them in the back of the room digging through the brown bags. Ford is right about me, I’m a stuck-up bitch. Worse, I’m willingly blind, and have overlooked the inequity of our world for too long. If I had more moral fortitude I’d do something about it, but instead I do what I’ve always done, put my head down and join my friends near the windows.

Spread over several tables, are my so-called friends. Has everyone always looked like a stereotype from a teen drama? Hell, several of the girls are wearing their cheer uniforms, and we don’t have a game or pep rally today. A few of the guys are sporting their jerseys, because let’s be honest, with Ford and Shane around it’s pretty easy to forget they’re even on the team. They do spend more time riding the bench than playing.

Brandie bumps my elbow with hers. “Where have you been all day?”

I give her a puzzled look. “What do you mean? I’m right here. I’ve seen you in like every other class today.”

She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, physically you’ve been here, but that blank look in your eyes says mentally you’ve been somewhere else.”

I lean in closer to her and lower my voice. “Does all of this ever seem stupid to you? I mean, do Carlton and Blair actually need to remind us they’re on the football team? There isn’t even a game today. And why is Miranda wearing her cheer uniform? We get it, you’ve got school spirit, but damn.”

Brandie blinks, and stares at me for several uncomfortable minutes. “You are becoming friends with him.”

My gut instinct tells me to deny, but then Ford’s words from earlier sound in my head. “We might not have money, but we have loyalty.” Would any of my friends have my back if I needed them?

“Maybe I am,” I say, and try not to tremble with fear.

I’ve heard what people say about me. Supposedly, I rule this school. Anyone on the outside doesn’t see how precarious that position is. Brandie or Erin wouldn’t hesitate to yank me off my pedestal and I’m fairly sure they’d kick me on my way down. I guess I accepted it as normal, because my own parents need strong motivation to pay attention to me. Well, my dad at least, because since my mom left the only thing I’ve seen from her is her dust.

Brandie gasps. “You don’t mean that. Do you know what it would mean for you to be seen talking to him? It would be the end of all of this.” She sweeps her hand out to her side.

How many times have I smiled in the face of one of these people, then talked about them the moment they walked away? Countless, that’s how many. The thing is, I fully expected they were doing the same thing about me. In my lame way of thinking, that was just the way things worked, but what if I was wrong?

“Do you promise?” I ask her, and only get her gaping mouth in reply.

Before she can think, I grab my tray and cross a line I know there’s no coming back from. I feel all eyes on me as I stroll toward Ford’s table.

“I think you’re lost, Countess,” Lydia sneers.

Tracy holds up her hand, her face a mirror of Ford’s. They really do fit together. The thought makes me more jealous than it should if I really just wanted to be friends with him.

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