You’re Mine by Penny Brooks

Chapter 124

Easton

I'm a fucking mess through last period and can't even fucking text Harper to apologize or discuss the whole thing with her mom.

The sick feeling I get in my chest when I think about her not claiming me and of course on top of that the picture.

Fuckkkk, the damn picture. I see Sadie the minute I get out of class and think, oh good, someone I can convince to be on my side, when she smacks me on the ass with her backpack.

"The hell, Sadie!”

“How could you hurt her like that! I thought you trusted her! She was bawling."

Her own eyes tear up. "Really, Easton?

I mean, fucking, really?"

"Keep your voice down."

I grab her by the elbow and bring her toward my locker when Ryan walks up. "Is there a reason you're hitting him?"

"Yes,"

she seethes and looks around us. "He has a picture of Leigh on his phone with her tits just dangling out there and Harper saw it and it was the same day...it was..."

She shakes her head. "That same fucking day you guys decided to get serious, you lied, Easton. AGAIN!”

"Keep your voice down!"

Ryan repeats and shares a look with me. "Sadie, you don't know the whole story.”

Her eyes widen. "You knew?"

"Shit."

Ryan lowers his head. "Look, can we do this in the parking lot at least?

People are starting to stare."

appears ready to chop

the verge of tears as we leave the

Ryan walk ahead of me, but she jerks out of his embrace and already I

in the parking lot, heading toward Sadie's car, and I know all hell is about to break loose as Blake follows behind her and hands her a scrunchie.

A fucking scrunchie?

say, “You dropped this after

winks at her, tuffles her hair and says, "Good game, thanks for handing me

"Maybe winning first isn't where it's

Ryan grabs me before I can run after Blake or just hop into my car, start the engine, and run him over. “Not worth it,

quickly. "Look, maybe we should just head out and talk or

You could use it"

search for her again, she's already hopping into Sadie's

out. She hesitates

out. Instead, she looks away and clicks herself in while Sadie gives me the finger and burns out of the parking

into my Jeep and follow him to the pizza place by his

cracks his knuckles and says, "Tell me everything, like you're a girl

teeth and stare at my

the whole tree thing called the incident

that

"Yes,"

the love of God,

again, it's my sister. If I could bleach my brain I

your mom feels

constant second—hand embarrassment

nightmares of her face for

Coke and lean back in the chair, explaining how

that Harper didn't tell their parents she had a fucking boyfriend who also happens to

Ryan sits there and listens, though I

sure he wishes each of

me a damn bottle at

and I still support it, the picture that is, but she's so

He clears his throat.

even communicate with you right now and seeing that on your screen couldn't

being helpful either because girls have this need to stick together like they do when one has to pee and seventeen of them get up and go. The point is, I

to be