Page 25 of The Star

“There’s still a half hour till class ends. You want to hook up really quick?” she mumbles as she kisses along my neck.

Nothing sounds worse, after seeing what I saw on Logan’s phone, so I grip at the outside of her thighs. “Nah, I need to get across campus.”

She pulls from my neck, pouting. I give her my best convincing grin, pinching her bottom lip between my thumb and finger. “Tonight?”

Her lips curve into a smile as she slides off my lap to stand up. “Sounds good. Meet me after practice?”

I nod, kissing her lips once, then cocking an eyebrow at her. “There’s something you can do for me.”

She grins, sensing the tone of my voice, and puts her hands on her hips to receive instruction.

twelve

LOGAN

Isit alone at lunch, and no one speaks to me in any of my classes for the entire day – almost as if on purpose. By the time the final bell rings for the day, my body is aching from the sheer fact that my muscles have been clenched in anxiety all day. I was constantly looking over my shoulder, waiting for something to happen. But what I’m noticing about Luxington High is that it is nowhere near what I’m used to.

Franklin was pure chaos – yelling, fights, laughter, high energy. But Luxington? The students walk around like robots, going from one place to the next without even an ounce of excitement orfun.

It’s boring, and I find myself feeling bad for the upper class in this moment. Sure, they have money and dope amenities, but where’s the thrill? Where’s the joy?

Unless I’m thinking too hard into this, and they’re just dedicated to their education. But we’re in high school, aren’t we supposed to be having fun? Causing chaos and letting our hair down?

I wait by Carson’s Jeep after school, but when most of the students have already pulled out of the student parking lot, I start to feel nervous that I’m trapped here. I pull my phone from my pocket to see if my dad can pick me up, then I spot Hayden and Levi sauntering toward the Maserati next to me.

“Oh, Christ,” I mutter under my breath, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning against Carson’s Jeep.

Hayden steps in front of me, pulling open the driver’s side door of his Maserati before addressing me. “He has football till 7.”

I heave a sigh. “Great.”

He takes a step back, opening the back door of his car. “Get in.”

“I’d rather choke on my tongue.” I snort.

“Logan!” Levi calls from the opposite side, and when I direct my attention to him, his mouth spreads into a huge smile. “I got something you can choke on instead.”

I hold up finger guns. “Hard pass.”

Hayden throws his arm on top of the open back door, leaning so he’s at my level. “How are you going to get home?”

I slice my eyes. “I’ll wait for Carson.”

He laughs. “He goes out with Cass after practice.”

“So I’ll call a fucking Uber,” I snap.

He sighs, stepping around the open door and moving closer to me. “Just get in the car, Logan. I promise not to murder you.”

I don’t have any money for an Uber, and when my phone goes off with a text from my dad saying he’s stuck at work, I start to feel helpless. I don’t like it. I always had things handled in Franklin, was always self-sufficient. I either took the city bus, or I walked. But in Luxington, everything is so far apart, and I have no idea where anything is.

It’s looking like this cocky fuckboy is my only option.

I hold up my phone. “Do something shady, and I’m calling 911.”

He rolls his eyes a little as he slips into the driver’s seat and starts the engine, closing his door behind him. Levi follows suit, dropping into the passenger’s seat. I shoot my dad a text, telling him I found a ride, then slide into Hayden’s backseat.

I’d be a dumb bitch not to appreciate the butter smooth leather with red accents, the vibration underneath me of the engine and the clean, new-car smell. I don’t say anything, though, I just strap myself in with the seatbelt while Hayden reverses out of the spot.

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