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

miserable, I'm still on the verge of tears as

out of his embrace and already I feel guilty because I

Sadie's car, and I know all hell is about to break loose as Blake follows

A fucking scrunchie?

“You dropped this

"Good game, thanks for handing me my ass. It

looks over at me and smiles. "Maybe winning first

can

says quickly. "Look, maybe we should just head

You could use it"

The minute my eyes search for her again, she's already

out. She hesitates

gives me the finger and burns out of the parking lot, like she's getting chased by the devil after stealing his

curse until Ryan again informs me that people are watching, then I blindly crawl into my Jeep and follow him to the pizza place by his house. I don't

pizza before he cracks his knuckles and says, "Tell me everything, like you're a girl on a super dramatic reality show.

teeth and stare at my empty plate.

whole tree thing called the incident

that better

"Yes,"

him. "For the love of God,

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

your mom feels the same

second—hand embarrassment

have nightmares of her

Coke and lean back in the chair, explaining how everything went

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

is Leigh. And to his credit, Ryan sits there and listens, though I can tell I'm stressing him

sure he wishes each of the Cokes had rum

a damn bottle at this

you quys need to sit down and talk. I know why you kept it and I still support it, the picture that is, but she's

He clears his throat.

have her phone, she can't even communicate with you right now and seeing that on your

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,

to be