Page 62 of Beautiful Defiance

21

SEVEN

Seething, I watch Malice drive off with Leigh. I get in my truck, ignoring Hannah and her curiosity. She’s been asking a shit ton of questions lately since that comment of Leigh’s, the one demanding I put a sock on my snoring.

Between classes, Hannah pestered me for what happened the night Henry came home. Said Henry’s friend posted something on social media about drowning a rat in the Stevenson pool. As far as she’s concerned, they don’t have a rat problem.

I can think of a handful of rats I’d like to exterminate. One of them being my dickwad teammate John for giving Leigh a hard time. The second rat is Malice for saying Leigh is his girl. Third rodent is Henry. No explanation needed. And, I’ve saved the best rat for last.

I’m a rat bastard for not speaking up for Leigh. A coward for not owning up to my mistakes. I’m also a sorry excuse of a leader.

As soon as John opened his mouth, I should have put a nail in that bastardly coffin and put him in his place for talking trash to a girl who’s done nothing wrong other than to help a guy from failing his classes.

Hanging my head, I turn the ignition, shift the truck into gear, and make my way home.

On the driveway that’ll get me to the house, I make a U-turn and park my truck alongside the fence separating the two properties. I have the house to myself. Dad is MIA. He was gone when I woke this morning. During lunch period, he texted saying he’d be gone for the week.

Did he find out where Mom is staying? Is he with her now, talking sense into her? It’s what I wanted to text back, but I kept my text short.

Me: K

Leigh’s right. I have been distracted. Have been getting into fights. Anything to get rid of the ball of aggression building in me since I overheard my mom accusing Dad of cheating on her. I’ve been there, except me and Allison weren’t marriage-vow serious.

Yeah, it pissed me off that she cheated. I should’ve had the good sense to end things between us before it got to that point. Instead, I let her talk me into keeping our lifeless relationship going.

Mom and Dad, though?

They made vows.

I grab my backpack, get out of my truck, and don’t bother locking the doors. There’s no chance anyone will steal the old girl. The only local thief I know of is home. I bypass knocking on the front door and go in through the open window.

“Leigh, if Malice is in there with you, you better tell him to scram or I’ll fuck up his pretty face.” I drop my backpack on the floor and climb inside, shutting the window behind me.

“Such language.” She tsks. “He’s not here.”

She’s sitting on the bed, looking sexy as fuck in a pair of those yoga pants girls love to wear and us guys love seeing them wear. On the front of her gray T-shirt are the words, “Got Buns?” Below the writing is a picture of Princess Leia.

“Did he stick around?”

“Are you really asking if he stuck around long enough to stick his tongue in my mouth or his junk in me?”

“Leigh, fuck’s sake, you and your mouth.” I cram my hands in my pockets and pull my shoulders inward. “Well, did he?”

“No. He dropped me off and didn’t let anything go further. He’s a gentleman.”

I scoff. “A Sterling is far from being decent. Remember that.”

I take my hands out of my pockets, grab my notebooks and textbooks from my backpack, and strew everything, including my body, on Leigh’s bed.

“Why do you have an off opinion of Sterling guys, including Malice? Did they give you a wedgie or one too many knuckle sandwiches?”

“Not funny, Leigh. And yeah, one of them crossed me. He’s the douchebag Allison cheated on me with. Thing is, she’s telling me she doesn’t remember going with him into one of the bedrooms at this party our junior year.”

“She was raped? Did she go to the police?”

“She’s ashamed as fuck, Leigh. Blames herself for what happened. She told me last week.”

“I . . . I’m sorry, Seven. I see why you don’t like the Sterlings.”

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