Page 185 of Crew
I was glad.
All the talking I'd done over the last couple months had tired me out. There'd been the whole professing at Durrant's house, then the police questions, my brother's own interrogation of me, Heather had her questions too. After that, once we went back to school, there was the community service. Taz had been out of school recovering, so I was stuck with Tabatha, Sunday, Monica, and all of their friends. Plus The Badger--for the committee and our counseling sessions, and I just started those.
I could go mute for the next six years to break even.
"Come on, Cross!" Jordan rolled his eyes.
"You come on." Cross pointed at him. "We put that rule in place to save ourselves from stupid drama, and it wasn't needed. We were in seventh grade, and be honest, you put it in place because you didn't want Bren and me kissing even back then. You wanted to be the one to kiss her."
"Wha--what?!" I surged to my feet.
Jordan's neck was getting red. He clenched his jaw, stiffening. "It's not like that. It wasn't like that, Bren."
Z shot his hand in the air, still grinning. "I always wanted to make out with you, B."
Well, that was... Okay then. I sat back down, still frowning. "Thanks?"
"But not anymore," Zellman added. "You're like my sister now. Crew family. But no lie, I'm hoping to see your tits someday. And it's probably going to happen, since we all scrap."
That was Zellman's new word for fighting. Scrapping. He thought it sounded better, less violent. Why he'd decided that, I'd never know. But we went with it.
"Fine," Jordan said. "I was young too, and I was stupid, and yes. Cross is right. I suggested that rule because I didn't want you and Cross to date, but even after I stopped caring, I thought it was a good rule. I still think it's a good idea."
I looked to the ceiling.
Cross groaned next to me.
Jordan spoke over us, raising his voice. "But I can see how serious you guys are, and I think it's a rule that's going to have an exception. The only crew couple we can have in this crew is Cross and Bren."
I wasn't the only one who snorted.
There were no other girls, and all the guys were straight. I had no intention of dating either of those two, but as far as Jordan, it was a win. He was conceding.
"Thank you," I said.
He nodded, a smile tugging at his mouth. "I'm fully aware you guys wouldn't have given a shit if we didn't make this amendment, but it means a lot that you're pretending to care."
"I want our crew to officially be a democracy," Cross added. "No more leader shit."
Jordan rolled his eyes this time. "Yeah, right. Things will get heated again. You'll take over, because you're better at that stuff than me, and when things loosen up, I'll step up like I'm doing right now. Let's call a spade a spade. We all know that's how it'll be." He picked up his beer, standing. Gesturing to Zellman and me, he added, "Bren will go rogue, start shit when she gets mad. Z will keep trying to get Sunday's pussy even though he does every other day--"
"And it's so good." Z moaned, closing his eyes and slumping back on the couch. "So warm and tight."
"--and that's how we're going to keep going." Jordan ignored Z. We all ignored Z. "Stand up, Wolf Crew, and beers up."
We stood, clinking our beers together and raising them, all pressed together.
Jordan's voice grew rough. He blinked a few times. "I wouldn't change our crew for anything. Never fucking change."
Z piped up, "On three! One, two--"
We all finished together, "Wolf Crew!"
Taz sat on Race's lap in the middle of a field party--which was actually more of a woods party since we were in a clearing smack in the middle of a forest.
Alex remained away, going to a second and more intensive treatment facility after the first. The cynical side of me wondered if it was done at his lawyer's urging, as it would show "good faith" that he was trying to rehabilitate himself. The case against him for assaulting Taz hadn't gone before the judge yet for sentencing.
"And I told Tab it was a bad idea to date college guys. It's never going to work." Taz looped her arms around Race's neck, leaning back and looking up at him.
