Page 31 of Cannon
Kingston responds this time, his tone curt and no-nonsense. “Still asleep.” He clears his throat. “What happened last night can’t happen again, though.”
The muscle in my jaw twitches hard, but I nod.Agreed.It really can’t. I feel like shit about it. I start to step away to go for my run, but Kingston holds his hand up to stop me.
“Wait just a sec before you go, man.” He pauses, chewing on his bottom lip. “Look, I didn’t bring it up last night because we were dealing with enough. But I’m guessing you haven’t scrolled back far enough in our group chat to see the entire reason we barged in on you in the middle of the goddamn night.” His voice is clipped and stern. Totally in head-of-Hawthorne-Hall mode.
I frown, shaking my head as I thumb back to see what he’s talking about. There are some brief, disturbing words from Kingston to Archer about whatever Archer had brought to his attention. Then I find it—the one from Archer that reads We have an issueand the photo he’d included that started it all. My eyes scan the one-sided texts from this Nick asshole.
Back when Elliot came to us, I had wrongly assumed she was still dating him. Archer later informed me that wasn’t the case, and he’d be watching to make sure. True to his word, he’d followed through. My head darts up, and I’m sure my face reads a very clearWhat the fuck?without me having to say a goddamn word.
Archer sighs, skimming a couple fingers over his bottom lip. “I wasn’t nervous until he started in with the talk about Elliot being here and how he’d tell her dad.”
Right.Shit, if this douche knows, any of the alumni could be aware that we went ahead with the initiation of a female “brother.” My eyes flick to Kingston’s, and I see the wariness there.Yep.We’re on the same page.
“Aside from the potential ramifications of her father finding out what we’ve done—which is huge, don’t get me wrong—this asshole called her a whore. I’m going to take his motherfucking head off for threatening our girl. She’snothis.”
“I’d love to see if he has the nuts to show up here. But I also have some… thoughts.” Archer presses his lips together.
Kingston clenches his teeth together. “The last time you had thoughts, we spent the night in that shitty house.”
Archer shrugs. “I guess the question is whether we wait for him to show up or if we should lure him to us.”
“Whichever way it happens, he’s seriously underestimating the ‘little frat boys.’” Kingston’s lips curl with distaste.
I quickly tap out a response.
I want to fuck him up. Period.
Whatever way we do that is fine with me.
I jerk my thumb over my shoulder and head toward the front door.
As I start down the driveway, something prickles along my spine, and I turn, eyes going directly to Elliot’s window. The curtain rustles, as if she tried to hide the fact that she’d been watching me go.
Ah, fuck.
I take off at a hard run. I have a feeling everything will come to a head soon because of our sassy, spirited girl.
FIFTEEN
ELLIOT
SeeingCannon take off down the driveway has my heart sinking. I was hoping we could talk—or I would, anyway—even though I have no idea what to say to make things right with him.
Crossing to my desk, I sit down on the plush office chair and open my laptop. I don’t want a repeat episode of screen-induced nausea, but I have to know. I go directly to Dr. Google and proceed to type inKeppra, the drug I’d held in my hands last night, that’d subsequently gotten slapped from my hand. I wince, remembering how it’d stung—not only my hand, but also the fact that I’d been caught doing something I figured would upset him.
And now I kinda see why.
My mouth goes dry as I begin to read about the drug. It’s an antiseizure medication. For people with epilepsy. I search high and low looking for any other reason Cannon could be taking this medication, and I can’t come up with a single one. My heart clenches tight before sinking in my chest.
I’m devastated for him. It’s hard for me to imagine what it’s been like for him living with some sort of seizure disorder. Has he had it all his life? I don’t want to go too much farther down the Dr. Google rabbit hole because I don’t know his official diagnosis, and he obviously doesnotwant anyone knowing about it, either. I chew on my lip as I look through some of the side effects of the drugs, but only having known Cannon for so long, it’s hard for me to definitively say if the way I perceive him has more to do with being on this drug or if it’s simply his personality. I’m intrigued from a science perspective but also anxious.
After another minute, I stop reading as my stomach pitches. Curling up on the bed, I wonder if I should make Cannon aware that I looked that up or if I should keep my mouth shut about it until he decides to tell me. Maybe I should give him the chance to be forthcoming after he’s cooled down.
A fleeting, disturbing thought goes through my head—I have information that could really and truly mess with Cannon. But tampering with his meds or sharing his diagnosis with other people… the idea of it makes me feel sicker than looking at the screen did.
Despite the gross feeling it gives me, I have stuff on the other two guys as well: Kingston’s sister, the way she died, and the resulting precarious relationship he has with his dad. And Archer’s got issues with his parents, too… so much so that he found a way to escape their home at the tender age of sixteen. Something’s definitely not right there, though I don’t know as much about his situation with them currently or how much of it is common knowledge in the brotherhood.
They definitely don’t have perfect lives, and for a moment, I allow myself to feel bad for them. But then again… if I find out for certain thatanyof them did something to Will? Well, I wouldn’t hesitate to use what I know against them. And that’s why I’ll keep digging, no matter how potentially hurtful it seems.
