Page 81 of Crew Princess
Cross surveyed everything and made a decision. He took a step back, clearing the way, his head cocked to the side.
“Yeah, this is the guy,” he said tightly. “You heard him. Let him help hisbest friendout of here.” He arched an eyebrow, silently issuing a challenge to his half-brother. “Let’s let him get his buddy. We got places to be anyway.”
One of the unconscious guys was coming around. His eyes opened with a groan, and he pushed himself to a sitting position.
Blaise motioned to him. His eyes never left Cross as he walked over to Zeke. “Can you give me a hand, Darby?”
The guy was still trying to clear his head. “Yeah. Uh… Hold on.” He kept blinking. “What happened?”
“You knocked one of ours down,” Zellman told him. “We came back twice as hard.”
Jordan tapped his shoulder. “Let’s go, Z.”
Still eyeing them, his top lip curled up in disdain, Z began walking away backward. “Yeah.” He flipped a finger in the air. “Until next time.”
Cross tore his gaze away from his brother, his hand catching mine. He turned and began walking us to Jordan’s truck. Then it was like a spell lifted, and reality rushed at us. We’d just fought Fallen Crest Academy students, near their campus. They were sure to have security cameras, and though we were across the street, they could’ve captured everything.
We needed to jet. Now!
“Come on!” Jordan pounded the top of his truck, the engine revving, and his window down. Zellman had jumped in the back, still glaring at the guys.
Cross jumped in behind him, and I lunged for the front seat. Jordan took off, his wheels spinning up dirt even before I shut my door. Then we were off, and I had no doubt we’d just put another problem on our pile to tackle, but I couldn’t ignore the thrill inside of me.
I felt alive.
It shouldn’t be like that, but I couldn’t deny it.
I turned, making eye contact with Cross, and he read my need. He nodded, splaying his hand on the window between us. I moved, fitting mine against his on the other side of the glass. I figured I’d tell them once we got to school that I’d already texted ahead. Race was going to cover for us, putting the word out that we were at school if people started asking. The attendance office might show we were late, but word in the hallways would be that we were right on time.
It’d have to do if anyone questioned us.
Just as we turned the corner, I saw three school officials heading out across the lot.
We got to school five minutes after the last bell rang to start the day.
Separating at the bathroom, I rushed in and did a quick clean, but I still smelled like booze, campfire, cold sweat, and blood. Plus, dirt. I groaned, washing my face and pulling my hair up into a braid. I couldn’t do much else except slip on a different sweatshirt. That wouldn’t disguise the smell, but I had deodorant in my locker, and Taz had some body spray.
When I came out, Cross was just finishing at his locker. He stopped, book in hand, and leaned back against it. He gave me a cocky smirk as he folded his arms over his chest.
“Look at you,” I almost cooed.
He laughed, but that smirk just grew. I opened my locker, and he waited for me to rifle through, get what I needed, and step back.
Spying the new sweatshirt in my hand, he asked, “What are you doing?”
“I stink.”
I pulled the sleeves back through so they went the right way.
“So?” He leaned over, sniffing me. “And you don’t.”
I did. “It doesn’t matter. Girls don’t like to smell.”
“Uh, girls usually don’t smell. They think they do, but they don’t.”
I wasn’t going to have a gender debate with him about my olfactory senses. Nodding at Taz’s locker, I asked, “Can you open it? Grab her body spray? I know she has some in there.”
As he did, I used my deodorant and put my sweatshirt on. I zipped it up, pulled off my other shirt, and tossed it in my locker.
