Page 96 of The Venom We Bleed

I take the bag but don’t correct her assumption. If anything, I’m actually eating better staying with Nolan than I had when I’d been on my own. Nolan is basically an empty pit that food disappears into. I wonder if he has to eat so much just to keep up with his muscle mass.

Mads and I sit in silence as I crack open the bag and withdraw a sliver of salty goodness, popping the chip into my mouth and chewing. A fog has settled over the parking lot beyond the school building, the rain from the days before settling on the ground and turning everything wet. The amphitheater stage is one of the only dry places to sit out here which is why we’re practically alone.

“So,” Mads begins, “are you going tonight?”

I don’t have to ask what she means—it’s been all over school. The Silverwood Scorpions have a game tonight and they’re playing none other than my ex-alma mater, Silverwood Prep. I pop another chip into my mouth and chew thoughtfully before answering.

“I think they expect me to go,” I hedge. And I don’t know how I’ll be able to get out of it. After all, I don’t have a car anymore, and I’ve been relying on the guys to get me to and from school since I’m no longer at my apartment.

Mads sighs and leans back on the stage, placing both of her hands flat on the concrete and swinging her legs back and forth over the edge. “If you need a seat buddy, I’ll go with you,” she says.

“It’s probably not a good idea for me to go,” I say.

“Why?” Mads looks down at me. “Because your ex will be there?”

I shrug. “It won’t be just him,” I admit, “but yeah, I’d rather not run into anyone from my old school. They never come to this side of town, so it hasn’t been a problem since…” I let my words trail off, but Mads knows what I mean; I haven’t seen anyone from my old life since I left it behind to strike out on my own because of my dad’s arrest.

A beat of silence passes and Mads fixes her attention on the parking lot, her expression disappearing from my view as I look back to the bag of chips in my hand. My stomach rumbles as if demanding more. I acquiesce, popping another into my mouth.

“Well, I have to go.” Mads finally breaks the silence. “I’m a photographer for the newspaper and they didn’t have anyone else available for the game. So, if you need a partner, I’ll be there.”

Finishing off the rest of the chips, I sit up and crack my neck to the side. Peering at her from the corner of my eyes, I contemplate her offer. It’s been a surprise that Roquel hasn’t been dogging my heels all week since Monday when I first arrived at school with the Scorpion Kings. Despite my earlier prediction that I could handle Silverwood Public on my own, I’m starting to wonder if maybe I wasn’t wrong. I’m exhausted being around the guys twenty-four-seven for the last week. Mads is promising me a break from them and a buffer. I’d be crazy not to accept the olive branch.

“Yeah,” I say, crumpling the bag in my hands. “If I can’t get out of going, I’ll hang with you.”

Her head turns my way, a bright smile lifting her lips. “Does this mean I can get your number?” she asks, quirking a brow.

With a groan of annoyance, I pull out the cell phone I’d been forced to carry since moving in with Nolan and hand it over.“Here, put your number in and text yourself,” I tell her. “I’m gonna go throw this away.”

Mads takes the cell as I get up and stride over to a trashcan that sits just outside of the awning. I toss the empty chip bag in before returning to her side. By the time I reach her again, she’s holding up the phone for me and getting to her feet.

“I’ll message you later,” she says as the first bell rings for lunch to end.

I grab my bag, and together the two of us head inside, separating and heading in opposite directions the second we get inside. The main hall of the school is flooded with bodies in an instant and the crush slams into me as I try to make my way to my next period. Gritting my teeth, I ignore the jostling and semi-purposeful shoulder checks. This week has been marginally easier than previous ones, and I’m under no illusions that it has nothing to do with the Scorpion Kings.

When a hard foot slams down on mine, I’ve had enough. I shove the bitch that made the move to the side and step out of the crowd, pushing my back against the wall to let everyone else move past me. I’d rather be late to class than get into another altercation. No matter what Principal Long thinks, I never make it my mission to start fights, but I certainly won’t let myself be the school’s punching bag.

Not thirty seconds since I step out of the line of students rushing for their next class than a bulky arm slings around my shoulders and I’m sent against a chest that smells like cheap cologne. Wrinkling my nose, I push back and look up.

“Hey, Scorpion Slut.” I recognize the guy as one of the football players, but not just that—he’s the very guy that Roquel had fucked at the bonfire party. Hudson Grey. The insult strikes my ears a split second later.

This time, when I push him, it’s with far more energy and anger. I shove against his body enough that his arm slips off me. “Don’t fucking touch me,” I snap. “And don’t call me that.”

Hudson grins, completely unperturbed by my annoyance. “What’s wrong?” he asks as one of his friends—another I recognize from the bonfire, though his name escapes me—comes to stand behind him. “Don’t like the truth being put out there like that?”

“What’s the point in hiding it now?” his friend asks, leaning closer. “Everyone knows you’re the Scorpion Kings’ little plaything now, Donovan.”

I clench my hands into fists at my sides. “You don’t know shit.”

The two exchange a look and then smirk at me. What could they know? Maybe I’d had something with Nolan and then Lex, but I’m anything but a whore. I hadn’t fucked either of them.

Hudson leans closer, his expression rapt with interest. His friend, however, hangs back, looking over his shoulder as if he expects someone to pop out behind them. I frown. A second warning bell rings throughout the hall and I glance over to find that most of the students have disappeared down the side hallways towards their classes.

I shake my head and take a step back from Hudson and his buddy. “The both of you can fuck right off,” I say, turning to go.

“We’d rather fuck you,” Hudson calls after me. “We hear you give it real good and you don’t mind fucking the guys in the gutter now.”

Don’t. React.Every muscle in my body tenses as those two words ring out in my head.Don’t you dare give them the satisfaction of seeing you lose your shit.

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