Page 55 of Delinquent (Academy of Misfits 1)

“Sure,” I mutter. He waits a beat, then realising I’m not about to say any more, leaves.

I hear the door slam shut and breathe out a sigh of relief, then decide that I do actually need to pee and do exactly that. Just as I’m pulling up my jeans and flushing the toilet, I hear the door open once again. Rolling my eyes, I unlock the cubicle and yank the door open. “Fuck sake, Sonny, can’t a girl pee in peace?”

Except it isn’t Sonny, it’s two of the girls from the HH crew and they’re out for blood. Mine, specifically.

“She’s here,” one of them says, pulling the door open slightly. Beyond I catch a glimpse of the girl who had smirked when I cussed out Monk on the field. She gives me a pitying look just before the door closes and I can’t help but wonder what kind of circumstance led her to the HH crew.

“Get the fuck out of my way, Little and Large,” I sneer, making sure to give both my most cutting glare. They really are little and large, like total opposites of one another. One’s tall, almost Amazonian and attractive in a fierce don’t fuck with me way. The other is petite, slightly curvy, pretty, but with a dark look that tells me she’d rather cut her own mum than be disloyal to her crew.

“Nah, don’t think that’s gonna happen,” the tall girl says. I’m pretty sure her name’s Diamond. It suits her. Beautiful, sharp, perfectly flawed. She was the girl eating Camden’s face the other night. I dislike her even more now.

I roll my eyes, leaning against the sink and feigning boredom. “I’m kinda tired of the same old shit. Would’ve thought that between you two there’d be some originality to the cuntish behaviour. Jumping me in the toilet? You do realise sticking someone’s head down the loo is so 1980’s, don’t you?”

“You sarcastic little…”

“Bitch?” I finish for her. “Yep, like I said. Un-fucking-original. Anything else you’d like to add before we get down to it?”

Emerald, the shorter of the two, smiles slowly as Diamond boxes me in. “Yeah, which toilet?”

“Oh, you really don’t know who you’re fucking with, do you?”

Ten minutes later I walk into the canteen not a hair out of place. The same, of course, can’t be said for Emerald and Diamond. Pretty sure they’ve swallowed enough toilet water to keep them in bed for days. Did they honestly think they’d could jump me and get away with it? I’m sick of people thinking I’m a pushover. Sonny stepping in and fighting Monk has done me no favours. It made me look weak. Let’s see if my rep changes around here now.

“What are you smirking at?” Sonny asks just as Ruby, the girl who was on lookout, comes rushing into the dining room. She heads straight for Monk, who’s sporting two black eyes and tape across his nose, and whispers in his ear.

“Let’s just say after you left the toilet, things got super interesting with a couple of the HH girls,” I respond, sitting down and swiping a donut from Sonny’s tray.

“They jumped you?” he snaps, pushing back his seat.

“Hey, don’t sweat it. I’m not. They got what they deserved.”

A sudden loud crash sounds as Monk swipes his tray off the table in his rage. He points at me before raising his finger to his neck then sliding it across his throat.

“Fuck, dramatic much,” I state, not in the least bit worried about his threats. I probably should be, he seems like the type to follow through, but I’m not. Now who’s being cocky?

“Motherfucker,” Sonny snarls, moving to stand, but I clock the canteen staff watching him and grip his arm.

“Don’t, we’re being watched. Not to mention, you got me into this shit in the first place by jumping to my rescue with Monk.”

“He insulted you. I dealt with it,” Sonny responds, watching Monk as he storms from the canteen.

“Yes,youdealt with it, not me. It was my fight, Sonny.”

“Well, sorry if I didn’t want to see you hurt,” he snaps.

“It isn’t about me getting hurt or not. This is about me showing them all I’m not a fucking pushover, or weak. I understand the rules of the street, Sonny. I’ve had to live by them regardless. Those pricks will keep gunning for me if I don’t fight back.”

“I get it, Asia. But I can’t stand by and see them go for you. Iwon’tdo that.” He lays his hand over mine, squeezing gently. “Some people are worth fighting for.You’reworth fighting for.”

My skin prickles under his touch, but I’m prevented from responding as Pink and Kate slide into the seats next to us. Pink looks like she’s about to self-combust with excitement.

“Tell me you shoved their heads down the toilets like everyone’s saying,” Pink says with glee.

“Is that what you did?” Sonny’s mouth drops open, then he leans back in his chair and laughs, his whole body shaking with mirth.

“That’s what they had planned for me, I just happened to get to it first.” I shrug, drawing a low whistle from Kate.

“You sure know how to fuck with them,” Kate says, looking at me in awe.

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