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

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

his embrace and already I feel guilty because I know

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

A fucking scrunchie?

him say, “You dropped

winks at her, tuffles her hair and says, "Good game, thanks for handing me my ass. It

"Maybe winning first isn't

flare. Ryan grabs me before I can run after Blake or just hop into

should

You could use it"

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

She hesitates putting it

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

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

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

my empty

tree thing called

like that better

"Yes,"

interrupt him. "For the love of God, can we

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

“I'm sure your mom feels

have constant second—hand embarrassment and horror,

of her face for

and lean back

Harper didn't tell their parents she had a

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

each of the Cokes had rum in

bottle

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

He clears his throat.

of 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

to stick together like they do when one has to pee and seventeen of them get up and

to