Page 99 of F*ck Steal Kill

“Come on, Holland. You can stick around for five more minutes, and then I can finally buy that new TV I’ve been wanting,” he pleaded, rubbing his hands together.

One guess who’d set up a monthly pool on when I’d do my paperwork, offering odds and wagers on whether I’d make the deadline or not.

If you said Lacey, you would be correct.

“Ooh, sounds tempting, but I already emailed the reports. You know the betting pool uses them as the timestamp. I’ll try harder to fail next time.”

Shaking his head, he laughed some more as he waved me off, opening the doors for me. “Night, Holland.”

“Laters, Mark!” I waved over my shoulder, the smile on my face not even fake anymore.

Despite my hatred of paperwork, I loved everything about being part of the Shadows. Every day was different, and I got to see my besties, punish bad people, and work with my guys. To top it off, I no longer had to clean people’s rooms to make ends meet. And weirdly enough, people respected me here.

I wouldn’t say I was a completely different person; I still tended to stab first and ask questions later. But I no longer actively wanted to do that to everyone. It was progress for my morally gray heart.

My phone vibrated with a text from Lacey and Joy, halting me in my tracks as I read it.

Lacey: The amount of people that bet against you never fails to astound me.

Lacey: Mostly that you’ve convinced that many people to root against you.

Joy: It’s all the yelling.

Joy: And the throwing.

Lacey: Oh! And the one time she stabbed a stack of paper and sent it back to Jackson.

Okay, so maybe I’d exaggerated how much I’d changed. But I was working on it.

Holland: And yet, every month, I always make the deadline.

Lacey: And me a lot of money. I’ll be able to buy that new motorcycle I want soon.

Holland: Like you can’t already afford it.

Joy: Oh, she can; she just wants to brag about it.

Lacey: And name it HolsAss. Get it?

Holland: Ha. Ha.

Holland: I’m seriously considering trading you in. Molly seems nice. Maybe I’ll ask her to be my new bestie.

Lacey: All lies. Besides, she’s terrified of you. You love that I’m not.

Holland: Debatable.

Joy: What about Ava? She’s been wanting to hang out since she joined the intern program.

Lacey: JOY!

Lacey: I’ve never felt so betrayed before.

Joy: What? I didn’t say I was replacing you, and Ava is cool.

Lacey: Fine. You’re forgiven. She’s alright.

Joy: She’s the little sister you always wish you had. Admit it!

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