Page 65 of Of Pranks and Passion

His eyes narrowed, and he looked at me like he was searching for something. What, I wasn’t sure, but I didn’t think I’d like whatever he found, because his face shifted into something more stubborn. This wasn’t going to go my way, was it?

“How much have you saved since I blocked your sister?”

Not answering that. It wasn’t a lot. I got paid peanuts, because I was supposed to make a portion of my income from tips. The owner forgot that college kids were broke and stingy, and I only ended up with like ten dollars max in tips per week if I was lucky. Sometimes I barely made a few dollars.

“I’m fine, Easton.”

Carter scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Like you said you were fine when I checked in with you last week between classes? You failed to mention you were being harassed. Is that why you haven’t been staying here?”

“He was attacked outside the dorm. He’s not coming back here,” Easton interrupted. “How much, Gary?”

“You were attacked?!” Carter shouted.

They were both coming at me like I was a child who needed to be taken care of. A familiar swell of anger burned through me, but instead of stuffing it down like I normally did, I let it out, pushing away from Easton with a scowl.

“Stop! I’m not a little kid!” I glared at them both. “Carter, I didn’t tell you what was happening because Easton was looking out for me already, and I felt safe with him. When I was attacked on campus, I hid here until my friends picked me up, and it freaked me out to come back, so yes, I’ve been staying with Easton, because I feel safer there. And Easton, I don’t need youspending money on me. You already do too much for me, and I don’t have anything to give you in return. I don’t want to use you like that. So no. You’re not buying me a coat. I have the money. I just hesitated spending it in case Brienna called and demanded more cash. I can afford it fine.”

Grabbing my backpack from where I’d dumped it on my desk, I headed for the door. “I don't need to be coddled. I’m not a toddler. Respect my choices or leave me alone.”

Storming out of the room, I made a beeline for the stairs. I’d never in my life shouted back at someone like that. It felt… exhilarating. I knew Easton wouldn’t lash out at me, he wasn’t like that, and I doubted Carter would either. I could tell them what I was thinking without getting hurt for it.

But… they might not speak to me for being so rude. My footsteps slowed a little. They weren’t Brienna, they wouldn’t hurt me for having an opposing opinion, but they might decide I’m too annoying to deal with. And then where would I be? I should’ve just kept my mouth shut.

“You’re overthinking,” Easton commented with a bored expression. He slid down the rail, balancing precariously until he could land beside me. Tossing an arm around my shoulder, he tugged me close. “You made yourself clear. There’s nothing wrong with that. No one is going to hate you for it.”

“So you’re a mind reader now?” I griped. I was still a little pissed but mostly grateful he didn’t hate me. I didn’t know what I’d do without him.

“Mm. Or maybe you’re just that easy to read,” he replied. He tightened his grip, forcing me at an awkward angle while he rubbed his knuckle against my hair. I squawked out a protest, poking him in the ribs to free myself, and Easton laughed.

“Relax, Gary. Friends fight. We get over it. You’re cool. I don’t think your roommate is pissed either. Just shocked. Why didn’t you tell him?”

I shrugged, falling into step beside him as we headed out of the building. I really did have a class to get to. “Slipped my mind, I guess. You were there to protect me. I didn’t think about it that often. Besides, we’d started having sex that same week this all started, and I was a little distracted.”

Easton’s rumbling chuckle was tinged with pride. “Yeah, that was a fun week. You were walking funny for days.”

“Shut up!”

He kept teasing me as he walked me to class, and I felt my shoulders come down little by little. It was nice to be able to speak my mind without fear of backlash. I even got a text from Carter apologizing for being pushy and asking me to join him for lunch. I knew he’d want to talk about the stuff with Brienna, but he was being nice about it, and I still thought of him as my friend, so I didn’t want to shut him out.

I had friends now. Friends I could be myself with, who would watch my back and who would let me have emotions without lashing out at me. No matter how hard Brienna tried to ruin my life, she was going to fail. Because I had them. And I was finally brave enough to fight to keep them.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

EASTON

After Gary’s little outburst,I didn’t bring up buying a jacket again. I did find a spare of mine from a few years prior. My old man’s wife got it for me. It was bright red, and I hated it. I stuffed it away because it was too colorful for me. When I gave it to Gary after we went home that night, I could tell he was suspicious, but I wasn’t ignoring what he said. He wanted to be equals, to not use me for my money. I appreciated that. I just didn’t want him going broke trying to stand on equal ground. Everyone struggles sometimes. I was okay with helping him, because I knew he wouldn’t take advantage.

“It was mine, Gary. Just take it.”

“Yeah, right. I couldn’t even imagine you in a red jacket. If you bought this for me–”

I dropped my head back with a groan. “That’s why I don’t want it. My stepmom bought it for me because she was trying to be nice. I hated it, but Jayden convinced me to accept it and tuck it away somewhere, so I didn’t upset her. I forgot about it until you mentioned needing a coat. Take it or I’ll hurt you.”

Gary scoffed, crossing his arms, but I could see the smile pulling at his lips. “You would not.”

True. I could get rough with Coach and sometimes Chuckles, but not with Gary. I’d break him. The only time I got rough with him was during sex.

“Take it or I’ll take over your workouts again.”

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