Page 3 of Devil's Bargain

Nina herds Josh along, pushing on his back. She smiles a sugary smile. “Lesson learned, Mr. Emerson. Have a great day!”

“Remember, endless more!”

Nina rolls her eyes. “Yes, yes. Endless more. Great big stash. We get it!”

We round the corner.

“He’s weird, isn’t he?” Nina says, stopping by her locker.

I hum in agreement while I put in the combination for my lock. “Definitely weird!”

“Royal ladies, my arms ache!” Josh whines, following a cheerleader with his eyes.

“Are you not dying to run after her?” I ask, putting the detention slips between his lips before taking my bag and swapping out my books. I place it back on top of Nina’s in his arms.

He spits the slips out. “I like to keep my bits intact, thank you very much! She would swallow me whole!”

I roll my eyes. “She’s a cheerleader. Not a dragon!”

His eyes bug out. He shuts my locker with his shoulder, arms laden with bags, and hisses, “Her kind is the most dangerous kind at this school. She’s a man-eater, April! I’m not falling for it like Ben and Dallas!”

“You’re nuts!” Nina laughs, closing her locker. “Now escort us to class, my humble servant.”

* * *

“Are you not eating?” Dallas asks me, placing her tray down on the table. She sits down and reaches up to tighten her messy bun, tendrils of raven hair falling into her eyes.

I don’t tell her I can’t afford to buy something to eat.

The lunch hall is bustling with noise and activity. We’re seated in the center of the room toward the doors.

Nina looks at me knowingly.

“I’m not hungry!”

Dallas digs into her pasta.

“Don’t tell me you’re on a new diet or something?” Matt questions around a mouthful of food.

I roll my eyes. If only that was the case.

Nina pushes her tray away and looks at me pointedly. “We had that thing remember?”

“What thing?” Matt asks, reaching for his drink. He pops the cap.

Nina drags me up from my chair. “Girls business.”

Josh looks up from his phone and smirks. “This I want in on! Can I be the sausage in your bun?”

Steph throws a piece of pasta at him. “You’re such a dick!”

Josh picks it off his shoulder and pops it in his mouth. “I don’t deny it, sugar.”

Nina drags me away by my elbow, weaving between lunch tables. We don’t stop until we are locked away in an empty bathroom.

She digs inside her bag for her make-up and reapplies her purple lipstick, eyeing me in the mirror. “Spill!”

I run my fingers through my tangly hair. It’s drying in frizzy waves.

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