Page 27 of Mad As Hell

“You need to handle this,” Ash finished, passing me his phone.

I tapped the screen and started the video. “Fuck,” I swore when I saw Maddie, helpless and humiliated, as something dripped off her hand a second before everyone started hurling shit at her.

I squinted. “Are those…”

“Condoms,” Ash confirmed, taking his phone back before I could snap it in half. He pocketed it and gave me a sharp look. “Handle this.”

I glared at him, well aware that he was feeling morally superior for being the only one of us who hadn’t immediately written Maddie off.

“I plan to,” I snarled, shoving him aside to open my locker. I yanked my clothes out and started dressing.

Court leaned a shoulder against the wall of blue metal beside me, his eyes on his phone. “Bex won’t answer me.”

“Are you surprised?” Ash scoffed.

I slammed my locker shut hard enough for it to bounce back open as I rounded on my best friend. “Are you fucking done?”

“No,” he spat, eyes flashing as he squared his shoulders. “This whole mess could’ve been avoided if you’d just stopped to fucking think.” He glared past me to Court and Linc. “All of you. What happened two weeks ago is nothing compared to what we’re up against next.”

My jaw dropped open, and shock was the only thing keeping me from wrapping my hands around his throat. “Nothing? You think what happened is nothing?”

“No, dumbass,” he snapped. “I’m saying that if you can’t handle your emotions for a single fucking night, then we’re fucked before we even get started.”

“I get it,” I hissed, shoving him back a step. “I fucked up.”

“And what are you doing to fix it?” he demanded, stepping up to me once again, challenging me.

Linc eased between us, his dark blue eyes looking around at the guys still lingering who were taking too avid an interest in our argument. “Chill, guys. We all want the same thing here.”

I glared at our remaining teammates until they scurried away, leaving me with the only real friends I had.

Ash sighed and glanced down before lowering his voice. “You’ve been saying you’ll handle it, Ry, but it isn’t being handled. It’s blowing back on the girl you claim to love.”

“I do love her,” I retorted, running a hand through my wet hair.

“Then how do we fix it?” he countered. “Because Dean is running around the house like he won, and Brylee is out of fucking control. You know we have your back, but this shit needs to be settled. If we can’t handle schoolyard bully shit, how are we supposed to handle everything else?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and nodded. I’d been stagnant for too long, and I realized now that had been a mistake. I was done sitting on my ass, and if that bumped up our timeline, then I’d deal with the fallout. “Get Dean into the dining hall at noon.”

Linc’s brows rose. “Do I even want to know what you have planned?”

I grinned, knowing it probably came off a little feral. “No. Can you guys take care of it?”

“Of course,” Court said with a nod.

I looked at Ash. “Get Maddie excused from her morning classes, okay? I’m going to see if she’s okay.”

“She won’t want to see you,” Ash pointed out, but most of the hostility had been replaced with curiosity.

“Good thing I’m not asking permission.” I glanced at Court and Linc. “I want a full house at lunch, got it?”

Linc smiled. “Absolutely.” He turned, Court following, to spread the word that lunch wasn’t a time to miss. Odds were, people would be expecting me to one-up Brylee’s crusade against Maddie. If there was one thing the assholes around here loved, it was fresh blood in the water.

I hung back and looked at Ash. “You still have all the files?”

He nodded slowly, realization dawning in his green eyes.

“Good. I want you to send them where we talked about,” I informed him.

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