Page 41 of Under the Influence
She rolls her eyes, cramming the red sleeve back into her backpack, zipping it up quickly. “Good thing I’m not a cheerleader or a blonde. Everything he’s done just makes himself look weak. I wouldn’t worry too much because the last thing I want is to mingle with sharks.”
Just wear their clothes, I think to myself, staring at the bag with the hoodie inside.
Cori jumps off the wall, “Thanks for the intervention, guys, but really. You don’t need to worry about me.”
Madden spares me a glance, “You guys want to hang out after practice?”
The bell rings, signaling the end of the day, and the crowd becomes thicker. Cori hangs around, waiting for my response.
“Drayton is picking me up,” I whisper, Madden’s face dropping.
“What?” Cori squeals, wrapping her arm in mine. “Tell me everything!”
Madden turns in the opposite direction, walking away. It breaks my heart a little, but I just wish he’d stand behind me on this. He doesn’t have to like Drayton, but he could stop acting like a jealous asshole. I know he just wants to protect me. I mean, I can’t blame him. It’s become second nature to him, and I let it happen because I like Madden being there. He’s the only guy I’ve ever had in my corner. Not my dad, that’s for sure.
“Text me later. You can crash at my house and I’ll tell you everything.”
Cori smiles, “Okay. Sounds good.”
We round the last corner before the main entrance doors, and Cori spots Crew at his locker, grabbing his baseball equipment.
“Hang on,” she instructs, walking over to him. “Hey, can I borrow your English notes from last week?”
He does a quick scan of the crowd around him, not acknowledging her.
“Crew?” Cori repeats, waving her hand in front of his face. Crew’s gaze lifts upward, and his eyes darken before turning the opposite direction, leaving Cori standing there like a fool.
Her head yanks around and spots Nash. His bat bag is slung over his shoulder, and a cocky smirk has taken over his face. He walks out the door, and being the spitfire she is, Cori takes off after him.
I follow closely behind, ready to back her up if she needs it. Visually though, she holds her own. She whips Nash around by his backpack, causing most of the heads in the parking lot to turn their way.
“So you told your friends they can’t speak to me?”
He laughs, bending a little to her level, “No, Corinne. I told the entire school that Corinne Cecilia Clark belongs to me.”
She lets out an exasperated laugh, “As if. I wouldn’t belong to you if you were the last guy on planet Earth and the human race depended on us.”
He smiles that cocky bad boy grin that every girl in school has dreams about and forces his lips to hers. Sealing the deal.
She yanks away, tears threatening her eyes. Her teeth clench together, “Get the hell away from me.”
He leans in, his lips against her neck, everyone still staring at the two of them, “You’ll never make friends here, and next time you use my ladder, make sure you put it back.”
Cori stumbles back in shock. What is he even talking about? He’s insane.
Drayton whips up in his Jeep, causing Nash’s attention to pull in his direction. Cori’s too.
“Hey,” he smiles, jumping from the driver’s seat to open the passenger door for me.
Nash’s confidence diminishes. It’s amusing, really, that just the presence of Drayton Lewis makes Nash appear empty.
“You ready,” he beams, pulling the door open and planting a soft kiss on my cheek.
Nash is furious as he positions himself between the Jeep and me. “No. No way. Get lost, Lewis. You don’t belong here.”
Drayton dips down, kissing my lips, “Oh, but I do.”
I feel almost giddy as he pulls away. It’s been years since I’ve felt like this. Since I’ve had something, hell, anything to look forward to. I look up and see Nash, his murderous glare a clear warning.
