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

miserable, I'm still on the verge of

of me, but she jerks out of his embrace and already I feel

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

A fucking scrunchie?

say, “You dropped this after

game, thanks for handing me my ass.

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

Blood pumps through my body as my nostrils flare. Ryan grabs me before I can run after Blake or just

maybe we should just head

You could use it"

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

She hesitates putting it

gives me the finger and burns out of the parking lot,

into my Jeep and follow him to the pizza place by his house. I don't remember

before he cracks his knuckles and says, "Tell me everything, like you're a girl on a super dramatic reality show. Then,

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

whole tree thing called

that better

"Yes,"

the love of God, can we not

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

“I'm sure your mom feels

constant second—hand embarrassment and horror, just

nightmares of

of my Coke and lean

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

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

wishes each of the Cokes had

a damn bottle at this

and talk. I know why you kept it and I still support it, the picture that is, but she's so stressed out, man. Mom and Dad were not easy on her after...the

He clears his throat.

have her phone, she can't even communicate with you right now and seeing that on

know Sadie isn't being 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

going to