Then he took a drag of his cigarette leaving that nasty smell I loved so much blowing into my face.

  My heart was racing. My body started to ache.

  It was that kind of ache too.

  The one where I could have jumped at him and ended the bet right there on the beach.

  I managed to collect myself and slowly walked away.

  “Should have thrown the sand at my face,” I said.

  Barr laughed. “Next time, love.”

  I walked away from Barr and looked back a few times to see him still standing there. Enjoying his cigarette.

  Whatever I was even thinking about feeling needed to get squashed.

  I grabbed my phone and knew exactly what to do.

  I opened the barrage of text messages from Barr.

  And I finally answered his question.

  But I didn’t say yes.

  I said something else.

  Just to be a bitch and just to make sure I could convince myself I could take the Rulz down.

  I wrote back one word.

  YUP

  eight

  “We need to talk.”

  I opened my locker and saw what was waiting and quickly shut it.

  Now I had no choice but to talk to Beth.

  “What?” I asked her.

  “Will you slap me?”

  “What?”

  “Like right across the face. As hard as you can.”

  “I’m not slapping you, Beth,” I said.

  “Fine. I’ll find someone who will.”

  She moved fast and when I spotted Blair and Vicky I rolled my eyes.

  Beth hurried right up to Vicky and pushed her.

  “Shit,” I whispered.

  Beth nodded and tried to push Vicky again.

  Vicky wound up and smacked Beth right across her left cheek. She hit Beth hard, Beth fell against the lockers. Grabbing her face, she turned and faced the lockers, slowly bending her legs.

  Of course both Blair and Vicky looked at me.

  Blair pointed at me and then offered up a perfectly manicured middle finger.

  Vicky stared down at her hand, smiling.

  I just stood there and let them pass by.

  Beth slowly turned and came back to me.

  “What the hell was that?” I asked her.

  “My apology,” she whispered.

  “For what?”

  “For what I asked you to do,” she said. “I was caught up in the moment of everything. I deserved a slap across the face.”

  “Well if I knew that’s what it was for I would have slapped you,” I said.

  “I have another cheek,” Beth said.

  She moved her hand from her face and there was a pretty nice handprint on the left side of her face.

  “You’re crazy,” I said.

  “Maybe,” she said. “But I was even crazier to ask you to do what I did.”

  “I agree with that,” I said.

  “In my head it made sense. Something quick and easy to get back at Denny.”

  “I get it. He hurt you. And I’m sorry he did that. We can find another way to get back at him. I can get a screwdriver and-”

  “Or just put some of that super strong glue in his shampoo bottle,” Beth said.

  “No way,” I said.

  “Or tell everyone the truth about what he isn’t packing,” she said.

  “Keep going.”

  “Slash his tires. Invite him over for a little fun and then wait for him to drink himself to sleep and do all kinds of things to him. Shave his head.”

  “Or his eyebrows,” I said.

  “Glue his hand to his-”

  “You like the glue thing, huh?” I asked.

  “I’m not going to do anything though,” Beth said. “Not my style. That’s why I asked you. You’re a fucking badass, Ti. I’m nothing compared to you.”

  “Don’t say that.”

  “I have one trick. Period cramps. And it worked maybe three times.”

  “My advice then is to forget about Denny,” I said. “Whatever he did to you he’ll do to someone else.”

  “Maybe some other bitch will cut his dick off.”

  “Or maybe I could tell Kip he made a pass at me.”

  “No,” Beth said.

  “It wasn’t the worst idea. I mean, if I’m going to use them, use them as much as I can, right?”

  “I’m not getting involved in that,” Beth said. She touched her cheek. “Fuck, this stings. That bitch has a hard slap.”

  “Go tell Jacobson what happened,” I said. “It’ll get you out of class.”

  I opened my locker, forgetting what was in there.

  My eyes went wide and Beth grabbed the locker door. “What is that?”

  “Nothing.”

  “That looks like a shoelace,” Beth said. “Is that from…”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  It was some kind of skimpy gross looking bikini. A top and bottom that was not a top and bottom at all. Combine all the cloth together and it wouldn’t even cover one of my boobs. And that was probably exactly what Barr wanted. Me to wear this stupid thing.

  I slammed my locker closed, my cheeks red.

  “Wow,” Beth said. “I think if you wore that, all three of them would… explode…”

  “Gross,” I said. “Stop.” I pointed to Beth’s cheek. “Go get ice or something for that.”

  “So you accept my apology then?”

  “Yes,” I said. “You crazy bitch.”

  Beth walked away and I refused to open my locker again.

  I walked the hallway alone, feeling weirded out.

  Of course the first turn I made, Barr was standing there.

  “Hey, love,” he said.

  “I’ll never wear that,” I said.

  He grinned. “Hey. All I know is that I saw a pretty girl down on the beach fully clothed. Figured I would get you something to wear. Beach attire.”

  “That’s not beach attire. That’s… strip club attire.”

  Barr looked up and rubbed his chin. “Well, now that you mention it…”

  I threw a punch at his chest.

  Rock. Fucking. Hard.

  “I hate you,” I said to him. “Don’t make me cancel tonight.”

  “Can’t cancel,” Barr said. “Things are already in place.”

  “Watch me.”

  Barr moved toward me. “No, love, you’re going to watch me.”

  “Are we deaf today?” a voice called out.

  It was Jacobson from down the hallway.

  “No,” Barr called out without looking at him.

  “Last I heard, all bells had rung,” Jacobson called out. “Miss Ditkiss, is there a problem here?”

  “No,” I said. “Sorry.”

  “Get moving,” Jacobson said.

  Barr walked by me but paused. He leaned toward me. “See you later for our date… Tinsley Ditkiss.”

  He laughed.

  My cheeks burned again.

  Jacobson was still staring at me. Except he was shaking his head.

  As though he knew I was already in way too much trouble to be saved.

  But that was just the saga of my life.

  * * *

  There was a giant SUV blocking my way to the driveway.

  It was Pres.

  I had to park my SUV and get out.

  He put the window down and pulled his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose with a cocky grin on his face.

  The word perfect flirted in my head and that was not a word I wanted to associate with any of the Rulz.

  But the way Pres was put together… head to toe…

  “Hey, girl,” Kip said from the passenger seat.

  I looked for Barr but he wasn’t with them.

  “Where are you off to tonight?” Pres asked.

  “I thought I smelled something other than cologne,” I said. “Jealous, huh?”

  “Never,” Pres said. He reached out the window and stroked my chin. “Never, sugar.”

  “I don’t know where I’m going,” I said. “Barr wants to show me something.”

  “I bet he does,” Kip said.

  “He can show anything he wants,” I said. “Nothing is going to impress me.”

  “That sounds like a challenge,” Pres said.

  I climbed up on the running board on the side of the SUV so I could be eye level for once with Pres.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “You always ask us that, sugar,” Pres said.

  “And the answer is always the same,” Kip said. “To check up on you.”

  “And once again, here I am. Me being me.”

  “Stay safe tonight,” Pres said. “If you need anything, let us know.”

  “Yeah? You think Barr is going to be putting my life in danger?”

  “You never know what Barr is capable of, girl,” Kip said.

  Pres touched my chin again, this time gently gripping it and pulling me toward him.

  I realized he was trying to get a kiss from me.

  And I wasn’t stopping it.

  Ohmygod, Ti, you’re going to kiss Pres and then go on a date with Barr. What the fuck are you?

  Pres put the tip of his nose to mine. That same sly grin crept across his face.

  “Need anything else?” I asked.

  “I’ll let you know when I do, sugar,” he said.

  His lips brushed the tip of my nose.

  And even that small gesture set my body on fire.

  My eyes looked to Kip’s bright blue eyes and he winked.

  How the fuck can a wink make this worse?

  I stepped away from the SUV and Pres drove off.

  They were messing with me worse than before.

  My phone buzzed and it was Barr texting me.

  See you soon love. Wear the bikini.

  I curled my lip and texted back the middle finger emoji.

  Which was stupid to do.

  Barr would take that to heart.

  * * *

  Barr showed up in a sleek, long black car with the windows all blacked out. It was low to the ground but not done in a custom way like guys used to do in my old town. When they’d buy a piece of shit car and then try to customize it so much it looked stupid and sounded like someone was passing gas as they drove by.

  Not this car.

  This car was made this way.

  It was the darkest black I had ever seen. Yet it was so pristine and shiny. There wasn’t a logo or name anywhere on it which made me assume it was probably worth more than anything I had ever owned in my life added up together. Or ever would own for that matter.

  Barr climbed out wearing a black buttoned down shirt with the top few buttons undone. Looking killer handsome that it made me pause for a second. He helped himself to a cigarette as I walked toward the car, casually inspecting it as though it wasn’t good enough for me to sit in.

  In reality I was shaking on the inside.

  He leaned against the car knowing it was a badass ride. You didn’t have to know a thing about cars (hello, me) to know this was a cool vehicle.

  “You look fucking amazing, love,” he said.

  I snorted. “Yeah, right.”

  Barr threw his right hand out and touched my side. “Hey. You do.”

  “Barr. These are cheap, shit clothes that I brought with me from the shithole I grew up in. These are dirty, poor girl clothes. I’m afraid to sit in your car.”

  “Well, it all works on you, love,” he said.

  He moved his hand to my face for a quick second before he opened the car door and reached inside. He moved smooth and cool, his eyes never leaving my eyes.

  I reminded myself I wasn’t the first girl he had ever taken out on a date. Or whatever this was. So I needed to be ready for all the moves and tricks and whatever else he had in store.

  That included handing me a single red rose.

  A long, thorny stem with a beautiful red, velvet petal laced rose at the top.

  Honestly, it was the prettiest flower I had ever seen in my life.

  There was a smell to it too. Just so fresh. So perfect.

  So Barr.

  And not just Barr either.

  All three of them.

  They had ways of always surprising me, even with little things.

  Barr dropped his cigarette and left it smoking on the ground.

  He took my hand and walked me around to the other side of the car. Pretending to be a gentleman, he opened the car door and helped me inside.

  The seats were a black leather that were super big and super comfortable.

  I sat there trying to keep my breathing in check.

  Barr got into the car, revved the quiet yet deadly engine, and looked at me.

  “Ready, love?” he asked.

  “I’m sitting here, aren’t I?” I asked, trying to offer a snotty bitch tone.

  That only made Barr smile even more.

  He loved when I was mean.

  He loved when I was nice.

  When he put his foot to the pedal, the car took off.

  And I mean… took off.

  I grabbed for the door and the seat, my body pushed hard to the seat, almost making it hard to breathe.

  He sped down the driveway and I thought about shutting my eyes because there was no way in hell he was going to make it through the gate opening without killing us. The car flew through the open gates and Barr cut the wheel, turning right with smooth precision. Any other car would have fishtailed and the tires would have squealed. Not this car. It was made for this kind of driving.

  And once we got on the main road where it was nothing but straight road, he sped up even more.

  “You okay over there, love?” Barr asked.

  “Just fine,” I said. “You wanted to pick me up in an expensive car and show me you could drive fast?”

  “No. We have somewhere to go.”

  “Where?” I asked.

  Barr glanced at me. “That’s the fun part. You’ll see.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  Barr sped through town and then left town.

  That’s when even more of my nerves started to act up.

  BFH had become a sense of home to me. Even if it was temporary, it was still something. Anytime I had to leave, it left me uneasy. Especially when I wasn’t in my own vehicle.

  “I’m going to ask you something, love,” Barr said. “You’re going to hate me for it.”

  “You really know how to charm a girl on a date, huh?” I asked.

  “Not really a date when you already know the ending,” Barr said with a wink.

  My cheeks warmed up.

  Oh, really? You think you’re getting what you want tonight?

  “What do you have to ask me, Barr?”

  “How’s your mother?”

  I turned my head and looked out the tinted window.

  There was silence for a few seconds.

  “See, I’m not afraid to ask questions, love. And keep asking questions. You know that though. So you either tell me the truth or what you think I want to hear.”

  I curled my lip.

  “Why the hell do you care?” I asked. “You tried to hurt her worse than she already is.”

  “Nah,” Barr said. “That was just me making sure we were on the same page.”

  “Yeah? How about you just take me back home then. I don’t give a damn what you have to show me.”

  “You do,” Barr said. “I kind of hit home with the whole Mom thing, huh?”

  I swallowed hard. “What is this? You want the truth? She’s a mess. She’s always been a mess. And I have no idea what’s going to happen to her. The only reason I’m here is because me looking safe makes it easier for her to deal with her own life.”

  Barr nodded. He reached across the car to take my hand.

  I wasn’t playing that game though.

  I ripped my hand away.

  “So I hit a nerve,” he said. “Rightfully so. It’s the same nerve to hit with me.”

  “What?” I asked.

  Barr looked forward, put both hands to the wheel, and smirked.

  He sped up and then suddenly slowed.

  He took a few random turns and we were then on some back street. Almost like an alley but wider. There was a single light hanging above each door. It almost reminded me of some fantasy story or whatever. Where you’d pick a door to another world or open a door to get a superpower.

  Barr made one more right, and stopped.

  “Here we are,” he said.

  “What is this?”

  “Are you afraid of dark alleyways, love?”

  “Not even close,” I said. “This is like home to me.”

  Barr laughed. “Ah, Tinsley… you’re making me love you. That’s dangerous.”

  My eyes went wide as Barr opened the door and got out of the car.

  I hurried to join him as he lit up another cigarette.

  “You probably have a lot of questions,” he said. “We’ll get there. Now come with me.”

  Barr put his hand out.

  And this time I really had no choice but to take it.

  nine

  Barr made a fist and pounded on one of the black doors. It was a heavy, metal door, looking damp and rusted.

  He flicked his cigarette as far down the alley as he could and then looked at me and winked.

  The door opened a little.

  “Yeah?” a deep voice said.

  “Here to play,” Barr said.

  The door shut, locks popped, and then it opened all the way.

  A very tall man held the door and nodded to Barr. Then he nodded to me.

  “She’s my guest,” Barr said. “She’s cool. No need to worry about us.”

  I grabbed Barr’s hand with both of my hands. I got really close to him. My heart was racing.

  “What is this?” I whispered.

  My mind raced.

  Was this some kind of poker thing? Gambling thing? Or worse?

  The hallway was narrow and there was only one way to go.

  Down.

  As we walked down a set of steps, I heard what sounded like a trumpet.

  And when the steps ended I turned and let out a gasp.

  It was an underground music bar thing. Like a club. With small tables in the middle of the floor. Booths on the walls. An actual bar at the bar. And then a stage on the opposite end of that.

  Barr slipped his arm around me and pulled me close. “I get what you feel, love. You’re doing all you can for your mother. Carrying that shit. Thinking if you could just give her one more chance, right? And then she’ll be okay and you’ll be okay.”

 

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