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

on the verge of tears as we

of his embrace and already I feel guilty because I know she's taking sides

car, and I know all hell is about to break loose as

A fucking scrunchie?

him say, “You dropped

her hair and says, "Good game, thanks for handing me my ass. It was actually more

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

nostrils flare. Ryan grabs me before I can run after Blake or just hop into my car, start the engine, and run him over. “Not worth it,

maybe we should

You could use it"

eyes search for

call out. She hesitates putting it

me the finger and burns out of the parking lot, like she's

my Jeep and follow him to the pizza place by

knuckles and says, "Tell me everything, like

teeth and stare at my empty plate.

the whole tree thing called the

like that better

"Yes,"

love of God, can we

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

sure your mom feels

shudders. "I have constant second—hand embarrassment and horror,

nightmares of her

sip of my Coke and lean back in the chair,

tell their parents

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

sure he wishes each of the Cokes had

me a damn bottle at this

kept it and I still support it, the picture that is, but

He clears his throat.

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

stick together like they do when one has to pee and seventeen of them get up and go. The point is, I

going to