I’d fallen asleep.

Damn it.

I stretched my neck, rubbing the knotted muscles. The pool house was bathed in shadows and I strained my eyes to try to find my bearings. Dad’s sofa bed was still neatly made, but I didn’t have time to be angry with him. I was still furious at Kyle’s stunt earlier.

And, for as much as it pained me to admit, I was worried about Maverick.

It was irrational—he didn’t deserve my concern. But over and over, I’d imagined him in the middle of those blood-thirsty spectators, rivulets of red running from cuts and bruises on his annoyingly gorgeous face.

I slipped out of the pool house and walked over to the main house. Light streamed out of the kitchen window, and I paused at the low rumble of voices coming from inside. Pressing my back to the wall, I stayed in the shadows like a thief in the night. It was wrong. So wrong. But Kyle had cut me out, treating me like I was no one. Pushing me out, like I didn’t need to know. Like I didn’t matter.

It stung.

“The fuck were you thinking?” Kyle spoke. His voice cracked with frustration, a stark contrast to his usual light-hearted banter.

“Back off, Stone. I’m okay.”

“Okay?” My cousin laughed bitterly. “You look like you went ten rounds with Mayweather. Your mom will shit a brick when she sees you. I don’t even want to know what my dad will do. Remember last time?”

Last time? How long had this been going on?

“I don’t need you getting in the way, okay?” Maverick’s voice was low. More of a growl, really.

Kyle scoffed, and I imagined him shaking his head, his messy blond hair falling over his eyes. I inched closer to the door, my back plastered to the wall, and craned my head around the glass. Kyle’s form disappeared leaving Maverick alone. Hands pressed hard against the counter, he leaned forward, the muscles in his back straining against his t-shirt. His head was bowed, hiding his face, but I saw the tape around his spread hands, the red smears across the dirty material. My hand lingered on the handle. I didn’t want to go in there, but my actions were no longer my own. I wasn’t in control anymore.

When it came to Maverick Prince, I never was.

I hesitated, and he twisted, two dark pools stared back at me. Had he heard me? Or did he sense me there, lurking?

The spot lighting illuminated his face. His lip was split and swollen and a new bruise was forming over his old injury. I didn’t make a move to go inside and he didn’t approach.

We just stood there.

Watching.

Waiting.

I cracked first, overwhelmed by the intensity in his eyes. Yanking my hand away, I staggered backward and jogged back to the pool house. The door slammed shut behind me and I fumbled to lock it. My eyes fluttered shut as I tried to catch my breath—tried to tell my heart to calm.

“London.” There was a soft knock at the door. It was jarring. Maverick wasn't gentle. I froze. I hadn’t expected he would follow me.

“Go away, Maverick,” I called back, unable to disguise the quiver in my voice.

“Not until you open the door… please.”

My resolve cracked—like I had a choice when it came to him—and I turned around, twisting the lock. It swung open, and he slipped inside, pressing it shut behind him. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s rude to spy?”

“I wasn’t spying.” My voice caught in my throat, and he gave me a look that said he didn’t believe me. I lowered my eyes, looking anywhere but him. “I was worried.” It came out barely a whisper.

Why had I admitted that?

He closed the distance between us and then he was there, warm fingers gliding underneath my jaw, tilting my face. I met his gaze. Some of the darkness was gone, replaced with something else. Something that made my stomach flip wildly. “You shouldn’t waste your time worrying about someone like me.”

I could see his face now. The bruises forming under the surface. The cuts and grazes. My heart ached, imagining every time a fist connected with his skin, and before I could stop myself, I reached out for him. He caught my wrist. Holding it in mid-air.

“Why do you do this to yourself?” I asked, searching his eyes for an answer.

“You wouldn’t understand.” His voice was quiet, and I saw a glimpse of the vulnerable boy from that night. His eyes shuttered, and he leaned closer, inhaling a shaky breath, until his face almost touched mine. At the last second, he pulled up and his lips connected with my forehead.

“Maverick?” I swallowed hard. I didn’t understand what was happening, but I didn’t want it to end either. I felt it. The flow of energy between us—the same thing I’d felt last summer.

“Are we just going to pretend it never happened?” My voice was quiet, and I hated how insecure he made me feel. I wasn’t that girl anymore.

I wasn’t. 

He didn’t get to hold power over me. No one did.

So why couldn’t I tell him to go?

“What happened that night, Maverick?” I whispered. I had to know—deserved to know—but he tensed and I didn’t need to see his face to know his mask had slammed back down.

“I should go.” He was already pulling away, but it was my turn to catch his arm. “Wait, talk to me.” I pleaded, my stomach twisting with pain, knowing if I let him walk away that would be it.

His gaze slid to mine again, but my Maverick was gone. “It was a mistake. I was never supposed to be there that night. You need to let it go, London. Forget about it. It. Was. A. Mistake.” His words were measured, but I didn’t miss the way his jaw clenched as if he was in pain. “This is a mistake.”

I reared back at his words and narrowed my eyes, calling his bluff. But he didn’t flinch. He’d already pulled away. I felt it in the air shift around us. For a brief moment, it had been warm and electrified with anticipation, but now it was cold and empty. Maverick moved for the door, pausing to look back at me. “It’s better this way, Lo.” His expression was torn, but I was too angry to care.

When he was gone, I sank to the floor and hugged myself tight. I didn’t cry—I wouldn’t. Not over Maverick Prince and his mind fuck games. He wanted me, I could sense it. Had sensed it that night last summer. But something held him back then, and it was holding him back now.

As I fought back the tears, I realised for the first time since arriving, he’d called me Lo.

~

“You look like shit.” Devon offered me a tight smile. “But not as bad as Prince.”

“Oh my God, did you see his face? Principal Delauder hauled him into her office this morning.” Autumn’s eyes flickered to where he was sat with his friends, hunched over. “Maybe he finished what he started at JB’s?”

“JB doesn’t have a scratch on him,” Laurie added.

“Maybe that’s because Prince got his ass handed to him, it’s been a long time coming.” Devon’s voice was bitter, and he glanced over at me. I don’t know what he expected to find, but I schooled my features, feigning indifference.

When I realised the three of them were watching me intently, I said, “What?”

“Well,” Laurie spoke for the group. “You do live with him. Didn’t you see anything? Hear anything?”

“Seriously?” I stared at her incredulously. Even if I did know anything did she really expect me to go running my mouth off?

About my family.

Ugh. I hated that word.

Laurie’s eyes dropped away, but Devon finished what she’d started. “Come on, Lo, you can’t expect us to believe you live there and know nothing? I bet his mom lost it, your uncle too?”

I felt the irritation growing into something darker and clenched my fists at my side. “If you’re only friends with me to get the latest Stone-Prince gossip, you’ve got the wrong girl.”

Devon rubbed his temples, guilt flashing across his face, while Laurie and Autumn’s mouths dropped open. I didn’t stick around to hear their apologies. I shoved off the bench and cut across the lawn toward the main building. It meant walking right past Maverick and his friends, but what other choice did I have? Besides, he’d made it perfectly clear where we stood last night.

They were talking and joking but as I neared them one of them noticed and nudged the boy beside him. Then Luke spotted me. He gave me a small nod, so small I doubt anyone saw. But then another couple of the boys looked up and before I knew it they were all looking. All except Maverick. Then he twisted around and our eyes collided. I forced myself forward. Forced myself to break the connection.

And I didn’t look back.

When I reached my locker, my body hummed involuntarily. What was that? The way they’d looked at me—the way he’d looked at me. My pocket vibrated, and I pulled out my phone and read the text from Kyle.

 

Kyle: What was that about?

 

Lo: Nothing. Leave me alone.

 

His reply came straight back.

 

 Kyle: Don’t be like that. I’m sorry, okay?

 

Lo: Not good enough.

 

I turned off vibrate and stuffed it back in my pocket just as something caught my eye at the end of the hall. Summer ducked out of a room and into the girl’s bathroom. From the way her head hung low and her body folded in on itself, it didn’t look good. I took off after her.

“Summer?” I called as I burst through the bathroom door. She was in there, I could hear her uncontrollable sobs echoing off the wall tiles. But she didn’t reply.

“Summer, I know you’re in there,” my voice softened, and I crouched down looking for her feet. Bingo. I pushed the right door, and it swung open. Tears streamed down her face as she met my concerned gaze.

“What happened?”

“N-nothing, I’m fine.” She swiped at the tears with her sleeve but a fresh wave poured out.

“Bullshit.” I closed the stall door behind me, slipped my bag over the peg, and crouched down in front of her.

“If something happened, you can tell me. I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

Her lips quivered as she considered my words. We had spent little time together since I arrived, but other than talk about her friend, the musician, I hadn’t seen her with a group of friends. And knowing how her elder siblings behaved, I doubted she had many people to confide in.

“Summer, talk to me…”

“It’s Nick.”

“Nick, your friend in the band?”

She nodded, choking back an ugly sob.

“What happened?”

“Isleptwithhimandthecondombroke.” It came out a garbled mess of words and sniffles.

Fuck.

“Okay, did you see someone? Family planning? The doctor?”

She shook her head violently unable to form words.

“Summer, is there someone I should call. Macey? Your mom?”

“No, no.” She clutched my hand, and I stumbled back almost falling flat on my arse. I shimmied onto my knees and wrapped my arms around her trying to ignore the fact I was on the bathroom floor.

“Ssh, it’s going to be fine. Everything will be fine. Let’s get out of here and figure out what to do, okay?” I held her at arm’s length, searching her eyes. She looked broken and my heart ached for her. “Come on,” I said. “It’s still lunch break, maybe we can sneak out without being noticed.”

I highly doubted that with the way Kyle seemed to know my every move. But I had to try. There was no way she could stay in school in this state.

Scrambling to my feet, I pulled Summer with me, and unlocked the door but not before shoving a handful of tissue paper at her. As I stepped out, she grabbed my hand again. “Wait.” Panic flooded her voice. “I’m not sure I can. What if someone sees, what if…”

“Hey, I’m not going to tell, okay? And if we run into someone we’ll say you got your period or something. People don’t want to know about that kind of stuff.”

Summer nodded again, sniffling back the tears.

“Dry your eyes and then I’ll check the coast is clear.”

We slipped out of the main building through the back door without being spotted. I still wasn’t over familiar with the school campus, but Summer pulled herself together enough to lead the way. We slipped out unnoticed through one of the side gates. I didn’t know how long it would be before someone realised we were missing, but I couldn’t throw her to the wolves, I wouldn’t.

“What now?” she asked, huddled close to me, her arms holding herself together.

“We go back to the pool house to regroup. Everyone’s at work. And if we use the back entrance, Loretta doesn’t have to know we’re there.” I hoped.

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Summer,” I said with a strained smile. “We’re family.”

There was that word again.

By the time we reached the house, my phone was blowing up with notifications. I cursed under my breath as I punched in the code on the gate and we slipped inside. The grounds were quiet, and I silently prayed Loretta had left for the day. Inside the pool house, Summer sat in the chair, waiting for me to come up with a plan.

“Can we call your doctor?” I didn’t know the first thing about healthcare in the States but I knew enough to know it wasn’t like our free health service in England. Summer’s face fell flat, and I had my answer.

We needed another plan.

“Okay.” I retrieved my phone.

 

Kyle: What the hell Lo? You skipped class?

 

A minute later.

 

Kyle: Where are you?

 

A minute later.

 

Kyle: Seriously, Lo, cut the shit and text me back.

 

Ten minutes later.

 

Unknown: Kyle said you skipped school. What the fuck are you doing?

 

There was one more sent only minutes ago. And I didn’t want to think about how Maverick how gotten my number.

 

Unknown: London…

 

Now he cared? I deleted them all—but not before storing his number—and opened Google, searching for the nearest family planning clinic. I read the list off to Summer who confirmed it was a fifteen-minute walk to the clinic Dr. Google recommended.

“Lo, I’m scared. What if—”

Rushing to her, I sat down and hugged her close. “Ssh, everything will be fine. We’ll get you checked out and I’m sure they can give you something, you know, as a precaution.”

“Okay.”

I grabbed some money from Dad’s ‘emergency fund’ and hid our bags in my room. At least if Loretta was around, she wouldn’t spot anything.

“Come on, let’s go. Hopefully we can get back before anyone else gets home.”

Because if we didn’t, I wasn’t sure I could protect her from her family.