Page 39 of The Venom We Bleed

I wince at the reminder of those assholes and am surprised to learn that Roquel doesn’t know about their little threat the other day. I would have assumed they’d have bragged about it to all their friends by now.

“—so please don’t say no. I can’t go alone, I just can’t.”

I blink and return my attention to Roquel’s pleading gaze as she clasps her hands in front of her chest and stares at me.

“Don’t you have other friends to go with?”

“Yeah, but they can’t go—one of them has a family thing she can’t miss and the other is going to be out of town?—”

I hold up a hand, halting her excuses as a headache begins to throb in a band around my skull. “Just…” I hesitate, trying to think of any other good reason I can refuse. The nagging sensation in the back of my mind, however, doesn’t let up. It reminds me that when everyone was shitting on me, Roquel was the only one who actually offered me a hand ... and she had gotten me this job. Without it, I’d be sucking down ramen for months and likely unable to pay my senior dues at the end of this year.

From the upper echelon to the gutter,I think to myself with no small amount of depression.

“Pleeeassseee,” Roquel begs. “It’s just one party, and like I said, you need to show Megan that you’re not afraid of her.”

I scowl at that. “I’mnot.”

Roquel nods her agreement. “And going to this party will show her that,” she insists. “It’ll show her that you’re not going to hide away and that you don’t care what she thinks; that you’re not afraid of what she or the Scorpion Kings can do to you.”

And just like that, I know I’m going to say yes. It’s not showing Megan that I’m not afraid of her. The mere mention of the Scorpion Kings is what decides it for me. They, more than anyone else, need to know that they can’t push me around. I might be a social pariah and I might be broke, but that doesn’t mean I’m someone they can walk all over.

“What if I have to work?”

She must sense that I’m ready to give in because, at that question, Roquel claps her hands and grins at me. “Oh don’t you worry about that,” she says. “I already told Auntie about the party and that I was going to ask you. She was planning on giving you the weekend off anyway since you picked up extra shifts last week.”

The sound of something clattering behind the bar has me jolting and both Roquel and I swing our gazes to where Madison pops up and comes around the side, grabbing up the stack of black check booklets that she’d accidentally knocked off the front.

I open my mouth to ask her if she needs any help only to be interrupted as Roquel calls across the club. “Hey, Mads!” The girl’s blonde head pops up once more and she looks our way. “Are you off next Friday?”

Madison glances from Roquel to me and then back again before nodding.

Roquel squeals with delight and shoots me an accomplished smile.

Fuck. Me.

“Great! Then the three of us are going to the party,” she announces. “I’ll drive.”

Gathering up the last of the booklets and setting them atop the bar once more, Mads tilts her head in our direction. “Party?” she repeats.

Roquel hops off the back of the couch and shoots towards her. “Yeah, I just got Juliet to agree to go to Robby Cordin’s party next Friday and we were hoping you’d come with us.”

“Wewere?” I mutter to myself, rolling my eyes. Roquel ignores my comment and bounces up and down in front of Mads as she holds the other girl’s hands.

“This is going to be so much fun. Robby’s parties are fucking killer. His parents let him use the back of the junkyard property they live on and as long as no one gets too loud or gets the cops called then we can pretty much do whatever we want there.”

This is a dumb idea, but as Mads turns her gaze from Roquel to me, something unfurls in my chest. It’s cold at first before turning warm. Sympathy? Maybe. A groan rumbles up my chest, but I already know it’s too late now. Roquel’s made her mind up and if anything proves the girl is a force to be reckoned with, it’s also the fact that she somehow managed to befriend me when I was sure I’d be able to make it through the entire school year without getting close to anyone.

I give Mads a nod of encouragement. “I guess you’ll have to come now,” I say before I jerk my chin towards Roquel. “She won’t let up until you do.”

Poor Mads doesn’t even get a chance to respond. Roquel’s over-excited scream is enough to seal both of our fates.

17

GIO

“Coach is trying to kill us,” Nolan groans as we stride through the door into the house.

Heavy cigarette smoke lingers in the front room, but there's no hint as to how long ago my old man was home. He smokes so damn much that the scent has seeped into the walls. It always smells like cigarettes no matter how much my ma tries to clean up after his lazy ass.

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