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."

appears ready to chop his

still on the verge of tears as we leave the

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

toward Sadie's car, and I know all hell is about to break loose as

A fucking scrunchie?

hear him say, “You dropped this after

at her, tuffles her hair and says, "Good game, thanks for handing

over at me and smiles. "Maybe winning

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

quickly. "Look, maybe we should just head

You could use it"

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

call out. She

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 the devil after stealing

Ryan again informs me that people are watching, then I blindly crawl into my Jeep and follow him to the pizza place by his house. I

before he cracks his knuckles and says, "Tell me everything, like you're a

and stare at my empty plate. "Other than, you know...the

thing called the incident

like that better

"Yes,"

God, can

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

sure your mom feels

constant second—hand embarrassment and horror,

nightmares of her

and lean back

Harper didn't tell their parents she had a

is Leigh. And to his credit, Ryan sits there and listens, though

sure he wishes each of the Cokes had rum

a damn bottle at this

I know why you kept it and I still support

He clears his throat.

top 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 been easy after all the lies

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 know

going to be