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."

to chop

the verge of tears as

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

lot, heading toward Sadie's car, and I know all hell is about to break loose as Blake follows behind her and hands her

A fucking scrunchie?

“You dropped this after

for handing me my ass. It was actually more

"Maybe

nostrils flare. Ryan grabs me before I can run after Blake or just hop into my car, start the engine, and run

says quickly. "Look, maybe we should just head out and talk

You could use it"

my eyes search for her

out. She hesitates putting it

her to 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

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

slice of pizza before he cracks his knuckles and says, "Tell me everything, like you're a girl on a

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

the whole tree thing called the incident

that

"Yes,"

of God, can we not talk

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

shrug. “I'm sure your mom feels the same

second—hand embarrassment and horror, just

have nightmares of

a sip of my Coke and lean back in the

tell their parents she had a

the chaos that is Leigh. And to his credit, Ryan sits there and listens, though I can

sure he wishes each of

damn bottle at this point.

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

He clears his throat.

she doesn't have her phone, she can't even communicate with you right now and

need to stick together like they do when one

going to