Page 83 of Disorder (Elite of Elmwood 2)

Her gaze followed mine, landing on the papers. “College applications. I thought they’d be a good excuse to see you if I needed one and they might help get your mind off, you know…”

“Getting the living shit beat out of me,” I supplied.

“Does it hurt? Because it looks like it hurts like hell.”

My mind flashed back to that alley. “Not so much anymore, but yeah, it fucking hurt.”

She shimmed off the bed and went to the desk, gathering the pamphlets. “If it makes you feel better, the whorish trio skipped school the day after. Heard the cops had a nice chat with the three of them. You got a few good swings in. Izzy had a black eye that no amount of makeup could disguise.”

I lifted my hand in the air, pinching my thumb and index finger close so only an inch of space separated between them. “Yeah, it makes me feel a little better.”

“So, college?” she prompted, dropping the stack on top of the bed in front of me, resuming her spot on the other side.

I grabbed one of the flyers. “I missed a few days of school, and everyone seems so college focused suddenly.”

“They had a college fair on Thursday,” Mads explained. “More or less kicked our asses into gear, realizing how close our deadlines are.”

“Oh, great. I missed it. Just another thing I can blame Ava for. That skank is damn determined to ruin my life.”

“Only if you let her. And besides, you have me. I brought you a packet from like every school there.” Her jaw worked tirelessly over a piece of gum.

I thumbed through the information on the University of Westly. “Thanks, Mads. You really are the best. I don’t know what I would have done this year without you.”

She picked up the next pamphlet and held it up. “Where should we start? Dupage College?”

“You don’t have to do this.”

She shrugged. “I’ve got nothing better to do, and I miss my best friend.”

“It’s been like five days.”

“Exactly. So, which school first?”

“None,” I muttered, dropping the flyer back onto the pile. “I’m still hoping to get a scholarship, otherwise I’m not sure college is an option. I won’t take a dime from Angie, for obvious reasons. My dad doesn’t have the money, and then there is the little tidbit that neither of them are my biological parents.”

Mads eyes softened. “Perhaps it is time the truth came out.”

There was nothing I wanted more, but it was the after that worried me—the unknown. “Where would I go then? Back to Brock’s? I can’t stay there forever. Besides, his parents came home this week. I doubt they are looking for an orphan to put up.”

“You could stay with me,” she offered graciously. “My mom would love to have you, cuz.”

A pure grin crossed my lips, not even the tightness from the cut could stop it. “Holy shit. I keep forgetting. We’re fucking related.”

Mads smiled. “Hell yes, we are. Seriously, come stay with me. Get out of here.”

The offer was damn tempting. I’d met her parents, who I absolutely loved, even before I realized they were my aunt and uncle. Mads also had another brother, Jason, who I hadn’t met yet. I had fucking cousins—a family that I could bring into my mess. “And have the cops show up at your house? I can’t do that or put you in danger. Shit, Carter might try to burn down your house next.”

Her gaze shifted to the closed door, twinkles of unease and specks of silver flames mixed in her eyes. “Has he said anything to you?”

I twisted the ends of my hair. “Not, yet. But he is going to want his information on the USB drive.”

She set down the paper in her hand, her eyes turning serious. “If he wanted it bad enough, he should have put a leash on his pet. She fucked up when she took you out of Brock’s house.”

I blew out a breath. “I can’t figure out if that was something they planned together or if Ava went rogue.”

“Jealousy is a powerful tool,” Mads mused.

“Ugh, I don’t want to talk about the losers anymore. It’s giving me PTSD.” The next thing I knew, we were laughing, and God, did it feel good to let loose, release all the tension built up over the last twenty-four hours in my muscles. There was nothing funny in what I said. It was sad but true. Maybe Mads just knew how much I needed a friend and all the benefits that came with it, like laughing for no reason.

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