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."

to

verge of tears as we leave the

jerks out of his embrace and already I feel guilty because I know she's taking

all hell

A fucking scrunchie?

“You dropped

thanks for

over at me and smiles. "Maybe winning first isn't

grabs me before I can run after Blake or just hop into my car, start the engine, and

says quickly. "Look, maybe we should just head out

You could use it"

to Harper. The minute my eyes search for

She hesitates

me the finger and burns out of the parking lot,

curse until Ryan again informs me that people are watching, then I blindly crawl into my Jeep and

like you're a girl on a super dramatic reality show. Then, tell

my empty plate. "Other than,

the whole tree thing called the incident

that better

"Yes,"

him. "For the love of God,

hands in surrender. "Fine by me, again, it's my sister. If I

“I'm sure your mom feels

shudders. "I have constant second—hand embarrassment

have nightmares of her face

a sip of my Coke and lean back in the chair, explaining how everything went

how much it hurt that Harper didn't tell their parents she had a

about the chaos that is Leigh. And to his credit, Ryan sits there and listens, though I can tell

each of the Cokes had rum

damn bottle at

think you quys need to sit down and talk. I know why you kept it and I still support it, the picture

He clears his throat.

that, she doesn't have her phone, she can't even communicate with you right now and seeing that on your screen couldn't have been easy after all

to stick together like they do when one has to pee and seventeen of them get up and go. The point is,

to be