Crash

“Yeah,” I said, trying not to look back at the third squad car from the front, where a bowed head wearing a beanie cap was visible. “I’m good.”

“Okay,” he said, rising. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Officer?” Mom cleared her throat, sounding half pleasant. Must have been the sleeping pills. “Just to be clear, Mr. Ryder doesn’t live in the house next door?”

“No, Mrs. Larson,” he said. “Unless you count squatting in the boat house uninvited for a few nights.”

“Squatting?” she repeated like she’d never heard the word.

“Also known as breaking and entering in my line of work,” he explained. “Also known as a regular occurrence if you’re Jude Ryder.”

“This isn’t his first time being arrested?” mom asked, staring at me as she spoke.

Officer Murphy chuckled. “Nowhere near it,” he said. “We’ve known Jude and those other three delinquents since they were grade schoolers. Bad eggs, every last one of them,” he said, looking at me like he was trying to drive a message home. “These boys are the sort fathers pray their daughters never have the misfortune of meeting. These are the kind of boys that grow into men that spend their lives in prison.”

Mom sighed, shaking her head while dad enjoyed the benefits of la-la land.

“But Jude saved me from those other three,” I said, not sure why I was speaking up. As I’d expected, I knew nothing about Jude. I felt betrayed and lied too and duped. But somehow, even with all that stacked against him, I still felt the need to stand up for him. “They would have killed me if he hadn’t stepped in.” I made sure to make eye contact with my mom, driving home that Jude was the only one capable of saving me since my parents had been snoring drug-induced low Cs for hours.

“Not to dispute what you’re saying, Lucy, but in all my years of dealing with Jude Ryder, I’ve never once known him to care about anyone but himself,” Officer Murphy said to me, his smile sympathetic. “Boys like that are incapable of caring about anyone but themselves.”

“I don’t believe that,” I said, ignoring my mom’s glare.

“I know, Lucy. I know you don’t,” Murphy replied, opening the screen door. “Jude wouldn’t be such a capable and successful criminal if he wasn’t charming and manipulative, but tell you what. When Jude gets released in the next hopefully three weeks, but more likely few days, let me know if you hear from him, will you? If he calls you to apologize and beg your forgiveness or heck, even if he calls just to say hi, you let me know, and I will retract my statement about him not caring for anyone but himself. But if he doesn’t, will you do me a favor and forget you ever met Jude Ryder?”

I wasn’t sure whether I shook or nodded my head, but Officer Murphy was right about one thing.

I never did get that call a few days or a few weeks later.

CHAPTER SIX

First day of school. Brand new school. Senior year.

Those people that say a hell doesn’t exist are so wrong.

Southpointe High is everything I only believed happened on reality television. The girls were twice as pretty as the average teenage girl, the boys could pass for college students, so called geeks get tossed into garbage cans or shoved into lockers, several female teachers made glaringly obvious passes at male students, and I witnessed at least a dozen different drug deals taking place in between periods.

And it wasn’t even lunch time yet.

The teacher was just going over the semester syllabus, which included reading and reviewing books I’d read in seventh grade, when the bell went off like it was bomb raid alert. Being the new girl, when everyone ushered me to the seat closest to the door, little did I realize it was also closest to the bell that was its own sonic boom.

Like the three periods before, fourth earned another roll of snickers and eyes as everyone watched me all but jump from my skin. I was going to need to buy stock in ibuprofen because I’d be taking it every four hours from now until graduation day on June third. And yes, I already had a countdown going.

“So you’re the new girl the guys are already betting on who will nail you first,” a girl that was so put together, so gorgeous, she had to be a veneer said.

“Excuse me?” I was all for being friendly, especially when I didn’t have a single friend here, but I wasn’t one to roll over and expose my throat.

Veneer girl caught on quick that I wouldn’t be her personal doormat she could wipe the mud off her Valentinos on because she smiled, waving at the air. “Don’t let anything the male species says or does around these parts upset you. I know the general consensus is they’ve supposedly evolved from apes, but that’s just an insult to apes in my opinion.”

“Oh-kay,” I muttered, slipping my book bag over my shoulder.

“I’m Taylor,” she said, flouncing her hair as a guy nudged past her, giving her a look that should strictly be reserved for the bedroom.

“I’m Lucy,” I said, not sure if this could be the makings of my first friend at Hell High or someone who subscribed to the keep your friends close and your enemies closer motto.

“Have any plans for lunch, Lucy?” Taylor asked, weaving her arm through mine and tugging me through the door.

I didn’t have a chance to reply.

“You have to sit with me and my gang. I’m not taking no for an answer,” she said, leading me down the hall, making that hall her bitch. I swear every head turned as she sashayed down that runway. Guys winked, whistled, and stared. Lots of staring. The girls pretended to ignore her, but shot glares or stink eyes from the side.