Page 24 of Crew Princess
Cross moved in. “Roussou’s hard to survive if you’re hated, but your family has money. You’re one of the exceptions in town. It’d be easy for you to go somewhere else, maybe a private school. They like to pride themselves on being safer and a better education than anywhere else around here. Fallen Crest Academy comes to mind as one of those schools.”
Cross’ tone was slightly mocking. Mine was just cold.
Alex gazed between us before holding his hands up. “I’m not going to lie and say I enjoy going to Roussou now. Shit’s different. I’ve got no friends, or yeah, maybe one or two who are scared to let anyone know they’re still friends with me, but no one who’d do that shit. I wouldn’t even roll the dice. Say I did do that, set someone up, I know word’s gonna get out as to who was behind it, and what then? I’m more hated? By all of the crewsandthe Normals? Please. I’m dumb, but I’m not that dumb.”
He bent to pick up his bag. “I’m just surviving the end of this year. I have to do some summer school to catch up on what I missed, but after I graduate, I’m out of here. I’m not in the crew life anymore.”
He waited to see if we’d stop him, but neither of us made a move.
Going around us to the sidewalk, he stopped. “Listen. Watch my brother, okay? He didn’t come back to take over the Ryerson crew, no matter what he said. I don’t know why he’s here, but it’s not for them.”
Cross’ eyes flickered to mine, a question there.
I wondered the same thing.
Alex saw the look. “I don’t think he came back for Bren either. He enjoyed meddling in your relationship before, sending Race here to try to get between you, but I’m sharing a house with him. If he cared about either of those things, he’d be grilling me about your crew and Channing, but he’s barely home.”
“Is he with the crew?”
“No. Half the time they’re calling me to find out where he is.”
Another truck pulled in, and Alex clammed up real quick. “I can’t say any more. And do me one favor? If you’re going to question me again, don’t do it at school. I’m already a target there.” Tightening his grip on his bag, he threw it over his shoulder and headed inside.
Two bodybuilder types strolled past, eyeing us, but they went by without a word.
Cross came over to stand next to me, facing the gym. “What do you think?”
I shook my head, my stomach twisting. “I don’t know. When’d we ever learn we could trust Alex Ryerson?”
“True.” His arm brushed mine. “I hate to say this, but we should get more information from your brother, find out what exactly he was told. Then, if we have to, we question Alex again, but in the crew way.”
Which meant violence, lots of it.
I nodded, feeling like I was forty years old. “Not yet. Let’s go bunk down at Jordan’s and tell him and Z when they wake up what’s going on.”
“Okay.”
We didn’t get the chance.
Word had spread by the time we woke up at Jordan’s after a few hours. Jordan didn’t even know we were there until we came down from the loft he and his father had installed last month.
We found him sitting on the couches with Race, Zellman, and Taz, talking about what Alex had done.
“Whoa!” Jordan did a two-step as we came down the stairs, jerking and spilling some of his beer. “What—when did you guys get in?”
Taz had a coffee. Ignoring Jordan, I went right for her and plucked it out of her hands.
“Um. Okay. There you go, yeah… I brought it for you.”
I smiled and sank into the seat next to her. “I’m sorry. I’ll go on a coffee run after I drink this. I promise.”
Race chuckled, handing her his coffee instead.
Z had been tossing a ball in the air, but caught it and leaped over his chair to the kitchenette. “No problem. I’ll brew a pot.” He snickered, grabbing a filter. “We’ve even got flavored coffee. Bam. How about that?”
Taz frowned. “Huh?”
“Nothing.” Cross yawned, rubbing the back of his neck before taking the seat Zellman just left. “You guys heard about Alex?”
