Fallen Crest Public (Fallen Crest Series) (9 page)

Walking away from Sam cost me. I was lying to her. She asked me a question, point-blank, and I dodged it, point-blank. She wasn’t an idiot, but I couldn’t tell her the real reason. Logan said he wanted to play with Tate, fool around with her, use her. So whatever. I wouldn’t run interference anymore. It wasn’t the best idea. I knew that much, but this was what Logan wanted and a part of me couldn’t fault my little brother. She dated him for two years. She’d been the only girl he had fallen in love with, and she hit his older brother up. The need for revenge was too sweet for Logan to walk away from, but Sam wouldn’t agree. She wouldn’t understand. Sam protected. She loved. She wasn’t a vengeance girl.

She was good. Logan and I were not.

Dodging around a group of girls, I headed down the hallway and ignored the two that stuck their hands out. One got a good grope of my stomach and the other tried to hold me back. Her fingers curled into my arm, but I twisted it free, knocking her back into her friends at the same time. As I kept going, one cried out from annoyance and I turned around.

They thought they could grab me, there were things called boundaries. “Try it again and I’ll make your life hell.”

Their eyes got wide and their heads shot straight up, but the one who tried to hold me back only rolled her eyes. I could tell she was the leader. Skimming over them, I figured they were freshmen—they would be the next Kate and crew—they were tough, popular, and already oozing sex.

“Mase!” Nate called, waving me down.

He was standing at Strauss’ locker. The two were lounging back and watching the girls. A group of cheerleaders were next to them. I wasn’t surprised. The exile had been broadcasted loud and clear. Kate and her friends weren’t on friendly terms with us anymore so there was a vacancy at the top. There was always attention from girls, but it was different since the exile. The girls had become more aggressive with the guys, and more competitive with each other. My eyes fell to the left of Strauss and saw some of the drill team. Two had seductive grins on their faces while their friends were glaring at the cheerleaders.

That was one benefit when Kate reigned. She kept the hierarchy in order.

“Hey.” I nodded to Nate and punched Strauss in the shoulder. I pulled it back at the last second so it turned into a friendly nudge.

Strauss gave me a halfhearted grin, his gaze lingering on an ass that walked past us.

“How’d that family pow-wow go? Did you guys get everything straightened out?”

Shit.

Strauss glanced at Nate as well. His hostility hadn’t been kept in check, but Strauss didn’t comment on it.

“It wasn’t like that, Nate.”

“Figured I should jet, just in case it was. I wouldn’t want it to be awkward.” He fixed me with a pointed look.

I lifted a hand and raked it through my hair. This wasn’t a scene I wanted to happen here.

“Logan!”

Turning, I saw Logan had a girl pinned up against a locker. He was grinning right in her face, and her cheeks were flushed. She lit up, smiling widely, and took a deep breath. It lifted her breasts, and Logan fixed his gaze on those. He didn’t look away, and the girl squirmed again. “Logan, stop.”

Strauss grunted.

The girl didn’t want him to stop. She was giggling, pressing against him, and pushing her breasts out even further.

“Mr. Kade,” a loud voice boomed from the end of the hallway.

Logan stepped back, dropping the girl at the same time. She squealed again, this time not from enjoyment.

“Both Mr. Kades are here. Two for one deal. Lucky me,” the voice said again with the same gusto. A hand came down hard on my shoulder at the same time.

Logan glanced up, meeting my gaze with a dark look before we moved as one. I turned around, dislodging the hand as Logan took a few steps to stand beside me.

I spoke first, “Principal Green.”

Dressed in a grey suit, green tie, and standing over six feet, he was at eye-level with me. The older man, in his early forties with graying hair, lifted his lip. It was an imitation of a smile, but it didn’t match the resignation in his eyes.

Logan snorted.

The principal inclined his head. “Something funny, Mr. Kade?”

He rolled his shoulders back, a cocky smirk coming over him. “Nah, Principal Green, except you look ready to drop on your feet. Busy night with the missus?”

Disapproval replaced the resignation. “I am here to give you both a warning.”

“A warning?” Logan locked gazes with me again. “We haven’t done anything.”

“Yet,” someone coughed from behind them.

Nate, Strauss, and some of the others laughed at the comment. A girl added in a groan, “They can do anything to me that they want.” Her friends giggled and began whispering together. Someone snapped at them, “Shut it. Stop being so annoying.”

Kate.

The girls fell silent.

Principal Green surveyed the crowd in the hallway, shaking his head at the same time. “How is it that you two command so much attention in this school? I’ve never met another person, much less a pair of brothers that can compete with the level of power you hold over my student population.”

Logan shrugged. “We’re cool, an inspiration to others.”

A smattering of laughter started again.

Principal Green drawled, “I highly doubt that.”

“It’s true. We’re like a walking Hallmark card, full of quotes and bible verses. We make people feel like they’ve been touched by an angel.”

“Oh, shit,” someone laughed.

Another commented, “He makes people feel touched all right.”

A third snorted, “And not from anything angelic.”

I cleared my throat and everyone shut up. “What’d you come here to say?”

“I got an interesting phone call from our local police.”

I glanced at Logan. What the fuck? Then I narrowed my eyes at the principal again.

“They’re screwed,” a guy laughed.

Principal Green twisted around. “Don’t you people have classes to go to?”

A few left. Most stayed.

He sighed. “I’d rather not have this conversation with an audience. Mason. Logan. Both of you come to my office?”

It was asked as a request. It wasn’t. We followed him to his office. As we were about to turn right into the main office, Sam was coming from the left. Both of us saw her and she stopped mid-stride. The arm that held her books fell to her side and her mouth opened. A questioning look came into her depths, but I also saw the hurt still there. My jaw clenched and I turned away.

Logan wolf-whistled at her.

She didn’t reply. I felt her gaze burning into the back of my skull. My shoulders tensed and I gripped the handle on the office door harder than necessary. I knew Logan caught the exchange and I knew my little brother wouldn’t understand.

Fine. He could explain it to her himself. Then Logan would understand.

As we took the two seats across from Principal Green’s desk, Logan bumped his knee against mine.

I ignored him.

He hissed, “What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“Mase,” Logan hissed again.

“Okay, boys,” Principal Green started.

I ignored him too. “Remember the thing you talked to me about last night?”

“Oh.” Logan fell back against his chair. He let out a long breath. “She knows.”

“She picked up on it. You can tell her.”

“What? No way—”

“Gentlemen,” their principal clapped his hands together and leaned over his desk, “am I interrupting a little spat between the two of you?”

Logan rolled his eyes and slumped down his chair. I leaned forward. Principal Green had never done anything to screw us over, but he was an adult. It was bound to happen. “What do you want? We haven’t done a thing so the police stuff has nothing to do with us.”

Principal Green smiled to himself, leaning back in his chair. “Always down to business, Mason. I do appreciate that. Like I said before, I received a phone call. I was going to mention it to you at some point, but when I saw both of you in the hallway, I figured I should get it over with.” His top lip lifted in an attempt at a smile.

“Congratulations, Principal Green.” Logan rolled his eyes. “But here’s a tip. Don’t give your number out to hookers. They can’t call for bail the next day.”

“I was called by the police station this morning.”

“You know a hooker that got arrested?”

“Logan Kade.”

“Or don’t even use hookers. If you get a mistress on the side, buy a pre-paid phone. Make sure to use cash. The wife can’t catch you and your lady friend can call you all she wants.”

“Mr. Kade, you should leave before I put you in detention.”

He ignored him. “Don’t go on Facebook either. I wouldn’t even have an account if you become a pro cheater.”

“Leave or I’ll give you detention. I am not in the mood.”

Logan snorted as he stood up. “Detention? What will the coach say? I’d miss practice.”

“Leave, Mr. Kade.”

“Leaving, Principal Green.” Logan flashed him a grin and lifted two fingers in the peace sign. “Remember my tip: Don’t give your number out to hookers and no Facebook. It’ll save you a lot of trouble.”

As soon as the door closed, I stated, “We didn’t do anything.”

“I know. They know that, too, but someone else did. Budd and Brett Broudou. They went to Quickie’s and beat up a clerk. When the clerk was questioned, he indicated an earlier incident with them this week. He said you almost fought them.”

“They beat the guy up?”

“Yes, they did.” He cleared his throat. “Everyone is aware of the strained relationship between the two schools. There have been past incidents and this is my warning to you, Mason. Stop it. This rivalry with Budd and Brett Broudou needs to stop. This is between them and you, but both parties have included their schools. Other students will be hurt by this. Have you considered those consequences?”

My tone went cold. “I’m aware of the consequences.”

Then I left. Principal Green didn’t stop me, but it wouldn’t have mattered. I didn’t care to listen to any more advice from him. I was more aware of the consequences than anyone else.

As the rest of the week passed, I was in an alternate universe. Logan was pissy because I disapproved of Tate, who continued to stop at his locker every chance she got. Nate was pissy … well … that was deserved. We kicked him out of our meeting. I was pissy with Mason because he didn’t disapprove of Tate anymore, or because he didn’t explain it to me. There must’ve been more to it than what he said. He didn’t have some ‘sudden’ realization that Logan wasn’t going to fall in love with Tate again. There was a reason—this was Mason—there was always a reason, and as the rest of the week wore on, I was starting to realize he wasn’t going to tell me.

The conversation was avoided, and when I brought it up, he’d distract me. Of course, most of those places were distracting anyways. In the shower. In bed. In the car. The only place he didn’t try was in the kitchen. The one time I raised the question again, he ate quickly and left. Some excuse was thrown over his shoulder as he headed to his car.

I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t happy at all.

But when Friday came around and I found myself in an empty house, I was ready to admit defeat. I had no idea where anyone was, but I had a shift at Manny’s. The evening would go fast, or that was my hope.

When I got there, there was no one. Crickets.

The door shut behind me and sent an echo throughout the place. Brandon stopped wiping the counter and lifted a hand. “All hail, Strattan.”

“Are you trying to be funny?”

“Not you, too.” His grin vanished.

“Not me what?”

“You’re crabby.” He gestured inside the kitchen with a glass and towel in hand. “You and my sister. What’s in the water at that school? She’s been crabby all week.”

“Shut up, Brandon!” I heard through the door. “Just be happy you’re still getting dates.” Her voice became clearer as she stood in the doorway. Her hand was in her hair; it looked stuck there. “You’re almost a has-been, tending bar for a living.”

“Screw you. I own this side, remember?”

She rolled her eyes, stalking past him and shoved open the screen door. When it banged shut behind her, she plopped down in one of the lawn chairs. The smell of cigarette smoke soon drifted inside.