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 chop

verge

walk ahead of me, but she jerks out of his embrace and already I feel guilty because I

in the parking lot, heading toward Sadie's car, and I know all hell is about to break loose as Blake

A fucking scrunchie?

him say, “You dropped this

for handing me my ass. It was actually more fun losing,

"Maybe winning first

before I can run after Blake or

should

You could use it"

to Harper. The minute my eyes search for her again, she's already hopping into Sadie's car and putting

call out. She

her to get out. Instead, she looks away and clicks herself in while Sadie gives me the finger and burns out of the parking lot, like she's getting chased by

people are watching, then I blindly crawl into my Jeep and

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

and stare at my

tree thing called the incident

like that

"Yes,"

of God, can we not

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

“I'm sure your mom feels the

constant second—hand embarrassment

have nightmares of her

Coke and lean

flows through me as I explain how much it hurt that Harper didn't tell their parents she had

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 Cokes and he hates

wishes each of the Cokes

a damn bottle at this

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

He clears his throat.

communicate with you right now and seeing that on your

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

going to be