Page 24 of Dirty Love

Right.

* * *

I don’t feel like eating this morning, so it’s no surprise Nicky doesn’t, either. Hair still wet from his shower, he bypasses the kitchen completely, typing on his phone while he pulls his black hood over his head. He walks to the front door and I follow him outside, scrubbing a hand over my face when he doesn’t even look back to check if I’m coming. Determined to fix what I broke, I move for the truck and open the driver’s side door, looking over when I hear two cars pulling up on the road behind us. The first one’s our dad, only just getting home from work, but the second car is one I recognize from school, the same one that belongs to Jasper fucking Whyte. With two black eyes and a nasty cut on his nose, he looks right at me and I snap my head to Nicky, my nostrils flaring when he continues walking past the truck with his eyes on the ground, his hands shoved into the front pocket of his hoodie.

He wouldn’t dare.

It seems he would, though, because before I can even think about stopping him, he slides into the passenger seat and shuts the door, his shoulders pulled up to his ears as he mutters something I can’t hear.

Drive.

He told him to drive.

“Who the hell is that?” my dad asks, but I’m already gone, all self control forgotten while I watch them disappear around the corner.

A fucking dead boy is what he is.

* * *

I pull up in my spot next to Mark and rip my bag from the passenger seat, ignoring the boys standing around outside as I make my way across the parking lot. I’m pretty sure everyone’s staring at me like I’ve lost my damn mind, and maybe I finally have, but not one of them moves to talk to me or get in my way.

They know not to get in my way.

Unlike this fucking guy who doesn’t seem to get that I will kill him if he doesn’t back the fuck off of what belongs to me.

I get to his car and yank Nicky out by his elbow, making him stumble, dragging him with me while I walk around to the driver’s side.

“Kade, chill, it was just a ride,” Jasper chuckles, climbing out with his hands raised either side of him, smirking to himself as he side-eyes Nicky over my shoulder. “It’s not my fault he chose me over y—”

“Listen here, you little cunt,” I cut in, stepping closer until my chest bumps his, arms behind my back as Nicky pulls on my wrists from behind. “I won’t tell you again. Stay the fuck away from my brother.”

“Or what?”

A laugh bubbles out of me and I shake my head at him, deliberately moving my eyes over his messed up face. “You don’t wanna know.”

He grins and rolls his eyes like he thinks I’m adorable, seemingly unbothered by the fact I’m this close to kicking his ass twice in two days. Knowing I’ll do it, Nicky pulls me a little harder this time and I force myself to go with him, turning around and pushing him back just to crowd his space again.

“Move.”

“No,” he says clearly, and I know he means it, but I’m too fucking mad to listen to reason right now.

Mad, I can deal with.

Mad gives me a solid excuse to put my hands on him, to grab the little brat by his hoodie and take him with me, to hide him behind my truck and wrap my fingers around his tiny little throat.

So that’s exactly what I do.

His breathing picks up and he takes a hold of my wrist, cursing when his back hits the passenger side door. The first bell rings but I ignore it, leaning over him to steal his phone, my fingers shaking with rage while I delete Jasper’s number, then block it.

“Don’t ever get in a car with a guy who’s not me.”

“Why not?” he asks, half bored, half mocking. “Because I’m yours? You really gonna say that to me right here where any fucker could hear you?”

I keep my mouth shut and he nods, hitting me with a look that says yeah, I didn’t think so. I glare at him and study his annoyingly perfect features, dipping my head to brush his nose with the tip of mine. He remains deadly still for a few seconds, but then he shivers and I move across to his cheek, enjoying the way he still melts at my touch even when he’s pissed at me.

“What do you see in that guy, Nicky?” I whisper, sliding his phone back into his front pocket, keeping my hand there to graze his abs with my knuckles. “Why did you go with him?”

“He’s my friend.”

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