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 his

on the verge of tears as

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

parking lot, heading toward Sadie's car, and I know all hell is about

A fucking scrunchie?

say, “You dropped this

at her, tuffles her hair and says, "Good game, thanks for handing me my ass. It was actually more fun losing, I

and smiles. "Maybe winning first isn't where it's at

can run after

says quickly. "Look, maybe we should

You could use it"

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

She

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

are watching, then I blindly crawl into my Jeep and follow him to the pizza place by his house. I don't remember

pizza 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 and

my teeth and stare at my empty plate. "Other than,

the whole tree thing called the incident

that better

"Yes,"

God,

again, it's my sister. If I

your mom feels the

embarrassment and horror, just

have nightmares of

lean back in the chair, explaining how everything

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

then I rage about the chaos that is Leigh. And to his credit, Ryan sits there and listens, though I can tell I'm stressing him

each of the Cokes

me a damn bottle

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

He clears his throat.

she can't even communicate with you right now and seeing that on your screen couldn't have been easy after all the lies and

do when one has to pee and seventeen

to be