Page 43 of A Hurt So Good

“I never said you needed my help.”

“Then why would you get in the middle of it?”

“There were seven of them, little bird. One of you.”

“And? You think I can’t handle myself?” she snaps back at him.

“I didn’t say that, but you were outnumbered,” he tells her, keeping himself calm. Arya stares him down before turning on her heel and marching toward the couch where I sit. She drops down next to me, and I throw my arm around her shoulder, pulling her into my side.

“What happened?”

“Your girlfriend happened,” she snaps at me, causing me to chuckle. Rachel is not my girlfriend, no matter how much she wants to be.

“She come at you?”

“She tried to but Arya punched her in the face,” War chimes in. Arya lifts her hand and flips him off before relaxing back into me.

“Good for you. She needs her ass beat.”

“I say we jump her, Arya,” Sasha chimes in now.

“I agree,” Arya says.

“We’re not jumping anyone,” Harlon tells them both.

“You don’t own us, Harlon. We can do what we want,” Sasha tells him. He laughs and grabs her, pulling her to his side.

“You’ve lost your mind.”

“Have not. I’m so sick of Rachel and her little bitches. I debated throwing a mazel tov cocktail through her damn window and watching her burn.” I glance over at my sister and just stare at her till she looks at me and says, “What?”

“Stop hanging out with War,” I tell her. The two of them laugh, but I don’t. I have enough trouble with Sasha as it is.

“What are we doing tonight anyway? This is fucking boring,” Sasha smarts off.

“Go to bed,” War tells her. She flips him off, grabs the controller, turns the TV on, and then searches all the channels. I lean down and whisper in Arya’s ear, “You okay?” She drags her eyes up to meet mine and nods, but I can tell something is off with her. I just don’t know what it is. Instead of asking her again, I shove off the couch and motion for War and Har to follow me outside.

We step out, and I close the door behind us.

“What’s wrong?” Harlon asks first.

“Do you think Arya is acting a little off?” War snickers.

“That’s probably my fault,” he says. “I took her into the abandoned house.”

“Why?”

“Why the fuck not?” Har shakes his head, running his hand through his hair.

“I don’t think that’s it. She’s been acting a little off lately.”

“I don’t know. I haven’t really paid much attention, I guess,” Harlon adds.

“Maybe it’s just me. I’m still on edge about the whole drugging thing.”

“We all are, but we got her covered,” War says. I nod my head. He’s right. We’ve been spending more time with her lately and have been hanging around at my dad’s too.

“Maybe I’m just paranoid,” I mumble.

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