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."

ready to chop

miserable, I'm still on the verge of tears

she jerks out of his embrace and already

all hell is about

A fucking scrunchie?

“You

thanks for handing me my ass. It was actually more fun

at me and smiles. "Maybe winning first

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

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

You could use it"

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

call out. She hesitates putting

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

until Ryan again informs me that people are watching, then I blindly crawl into my Jeep and follow him to the

before he cracks his knuckles and says, "Tell me everything, like you're a girl on a super dramatic reality show. Then, tell me why you look so equally pissed

teeth and stare at my empty plate.

thing called the

that

"Yes,"

love of God, can

again,

“I'm sure your mom

second—hand embarrassment and

nightmares of her face

lean back in the chair, explaining how everything

anger flows through me as I explain how much it hurt that Harper didn't tell their parents she had a fucking boyfriend who also happens to be

chaos that is Leigh. And to his credit, Ryan sits there and listens, though I can tell I'm stressing him out too because he's had five

wishes each of the Cokes

me a damn bottle at this

down and talk. I know why you kept it and I still support it, the picture that is, but she's so stressed out, man. Mom

He clears his throat.

communicate with you right now and seeing that on your screen couldn't have been easy

helpful either because girls have this need to stick together like they do when one has to pee and seventeen

to be