Ugly girl

We hear the familiar sound of the door clicking shut behind him immediately followed by Shay’s beaming welcome, and the second we can, we make our escape. Maze and I walk along the curb of the road and considering I haven’t given this place enough of a chance to go exploring, I have no idea where I’m heading so I follow her lead.

We walk for ten minutes toward the old abandoned basketball courts as Maze chats about the kids at school, still filling me in on all the ins and outs of the people I’ll soon get to know. We stay in the shadows as Maze lights up the joint and inhales deeply. Her eyes close as she takes her hit and on opening them, she passes the joint to me.

I bring the joint to my lips and much like Maze, I take a long drag. I slowly let out my breath and watch the cloud of smoke disappearing into the breezy night air. “Shit, this is good stuff,” I commend, passing it back. “Where’d you score this?”

“Robbie McDowell. He’s a junior. He makes it his business to get to know everyone so don’t be surprised if he comes and says ‘hi’ over the next few days. He just wants to scope you out, see if he can get any cash out of you. He’s got some good hash, but don’t try his blow. I don’t know where the hell he gets it, but he overcharges and it’s shit. It’ll fuck you up and not in a good way.”

“Noted,” I say, wide-eyed, wondering why the hell it’s taken her up until now to divulge on the most crucial information I’m going to need while staying here. Though her warning falls on deaf ears. I don’t do cocaine or any of the hard shit, only the occasional joint and only if I really need to relax. Tonight’s smoke is just for fun.

We find an old park bench and drop down, making sure to keep in the shadows despite the place practically being a ghost town. We chat and get to know each other and after ten minutes, I hear the familiar sound of a basketball on the pavement and I’m instantly thrown back in time. Blake used basketball as his drug to help get past the ache of missing mom and dad. Every night I would hear him playing ball, I’d listen to the echo of the ball bouncing off the pavement, the sound of his sneakers as he ran up and down the court, and the familiar sound of the ball falling through the net.

Despite Blake still practicing every day, it’s a noise I no longer listen out for. Now, I listen for the sound of monsters creeping down the hall, I listen for my door handle turning, I listen for the sound of uninvited men trying to steal what’s not theirs. The only sound that can possibly bring me any peace is the soft whoosh of my blade releasing from my pocketknife. That sound has what it takes to help me breathe. It’s my safety net and I’ll never be without it. Never again.

I hear the player jogging up the court and it’s followed by the familiarity of the guy leaping into the sky and dunking the ball into the hoop. The sound almost has a smile coming to my face. It reminds me of a time where things were different, where I didn’t have my brother’s future on my shoulders and even knew what a real monster was, but the ball falls through a chained net, making a harsh jingle and the memory fades. Blake only ever played with rope nets because that was the best money could buy. Oh, how things have changed.

For a moment, I wonder if it’s Blake out on the court and if he somehow escaped Shaylee’s clutches and followed us here, but he wouldn’t do that. He’s too nice. It must be some random guy…maybe not even a high school student as I’m sure the whole team would be at Fischer’s place, the whole team apart from Blake seeing as though his big sister sent him home early.

I have to admit, I was surprised the team was even hanging out tonight considering it’s a Monday. Had he asked me on Friday or Saturday night then it could have made complete sense, but a Monday…kind of weird.

Whoever’s out there continues playing while Maze and I zone out, enjoying our joint while the world goes on around us. Ten minutes turn into thirty and before I know it, nearly two hours have passed. I haven’t gotten any texts from Blake so I’m assuming everything is fine at home and I haven’t been sprung, but we’re definitely pushing the limits. I don’t know if I can completely trust Shay and Ben, but I certainly respect them and because of that, I think it’s time to start heading home.

Maze and I get up from the bench and start walking back past the basketball court and out to the main road. My eyes are firmly on the ground, hoping I don’t trip and fall, but clearly, Maze’s eyes are on something else. “Damn, I know I fucking hate the guy but if he wanted to slam me up against one of these lamp post, I’m not going to say no.”

A bad feeling settles into the pit of my stomach and my curiosity gets the best of me. I glance up only to find none other than Slade Cruz staring back at me.

Fucking perfect.

We go to keep walking but his hands shoot out and I have just enough time to throw my hands out and catch the basketball that’s coming full force into my chest. Pain rocks through me but I put my game face on and throw it straight back, hoping I’m able to do at least a little damage.

Considering the direction he’s coming from and the fact that he comes fully equipped with a basketball, clearly he was the guy who was just using the court.

Slade doesn’t dare take his eyes off me as he stares through narrowed eyes, the disgust and a

Maze sucks in a breath. “Oh, fuck.”

I let out a sigh. It seems Maze is all talk and no play. I guess I’ll be handling this one on my own.

Slade props the ball against his hip and strides forward, not once taking his eyes from mine. I mentally go over our little discussion by my locker this morning instead of focusing on the loose basketball jersey that’s showing off a body that any woman would be thrilled to be beneath. “I thought I told you to leave,” he spits, stepping right into my personal space so that he looks down on me just as he had this morning.

A smile rips across my face as I feel that same anger I’d felt this morning wash over me and cloud the pain within my soul. Anger isn’t exactly a great thing to allow myself to feel, it’s reckless and dangerous, but anything is better than the memories of the past thirteen years.

“Are you hard of hearing?” I question, raising my chin and reminding him that he’s going to have to try a shitload harder to intimidate me. “I’m almost certain that I made myself perfectly clear this morning, you know when your friend was seconds away from betraying you and begging me to suck his dick.”

“Damian can fuck with whoever he wants,” Slade snaps back at me as Maze seems to take a step back toward the house behind her. “What? You think him treating you like some cheap slut is going to hurt me? You couldn’t be more wrong. If anything, why don’t you go right ahead and let him fuck you, show everyone around here what kind of girl you are.”

I step impossibly closer as the anger bubbles into something more, hoping this bullshit isn’t going to cause the nosey people in the homes around us to call the police on our delinquent asses. “You’ve got no fucking clue what kind of girl I am.”

“Oooh,” he booms with laughter. “Did I hit a nerve?”

“I’m sure you couldn’t hit anything.”

Slade drops his face beside mine and I feel his breath on my neck, but that’s not all I feel. His hard body presses up against mine and the flood gates open wide, making me want to hate myself. His voice comes low and enticing, almost like a needy whisper. “Want to find out?”