Fallen Crest High

"What if she tells him what you guys did?"

He stopped and stared at me. His gaze was piercing. "She was drunk and crazy. We didn't do anything except to help." He narrowed his eyes. "It should be four to one."

Clarity slammed into me. I heard the veiled threat and surged to my feet. "You think I'm going to rat?"

He grinned and the tense moment was gone. "I didn't think so. Check to make sure I got everything. I need to get my own stuff."

"Where are we going? I don't know what to pack."

"Nate lives in the mountains, but he's got a Jacuzzi." And he left with those parting words.

My butt plopped down on the couch and I held my bag with numb fingers. It dangled from them to the floor. All I could do was sit there. What the hell had happened? And then I realized it didn't matter. He had everything covered for me, even my clothes. All I had to do was go downstairs and go for a ride. Did I go?

An hour later as I stood in the foyer, waiting, I knew that question was irrelevant. There'd never been a question not to go.

A bag crashed next to me and I jumped back. Then a second later, another bag followed with a third beside it. Logan and Nate peered down to me from the stairway and Logan waved. "Sorry!"

I frowned up at them, but they disappeared. It wasn't long before both were downstairs and in the foyer with me.

They looked happy, not happy—radiant. Logan was bouncing in place and Nate was bent over laughing at something. The two were full of adrenalin and excitement.

I shook my head. What was happening? It was all such a daze to me.

Then Logan threw his arm around my shoulder and jerked me against him. He breathed on me. "Are you ready to par-tay?"

"Party?" My eyes got big. "I thought we were going to the mountains."

"Uh, yeah…with thirty others." Logan sighed in exasperation and then frowned before he barked out, "Hey!"

I jumped again.

"What about your friends? You want to invite some of them?"

"My friends?"

"Yeah, that nerd girl and the quarterback who wants to bang you."

"He doesn't want to bang me."

Logan squeezed me against him and tipped his head back. His hyena laugh came out. Nate started to join in.

"He doesn't."

Both kept laughing and shook their heads.

"He doesn't."

Mason appeared with two bags in one hand and a black duffel bag on his back. He rolled his eyes and pulled out his keys. "You can't even lie to yourself. The douchebag has wanted to get in your pants for a long time."

I looked around. All three gave me knowing looks. Then I threw my arms in the air. "I don't even know why I was saying that."

Logan reached out and caught my shoulders when I started to leave. He pulled me back against his chest and enfolded his arms over my chest. "Ah, our little sister, trying to be all nice and saintly."

Mason snorted and opened the door. "Saints don't set cars on fire."

We all piled out behind him and Logan chuckled. "There's that, yeah."

When we got to Mason's Escalade, my bags were picked up and thrown inside. Logan nudged me with his shoulder. "If you want to invite your friends, you better call them now. We're picking up some others and heading out."

I pulled out my phone. "What do I say?"

He shrugged. "Tell them we're going to a kickass cabin for two days, but they have to be at Joe's Gas Station in thirty minutes. A minute late and they're dust."

"Give 'em forty. We have to swing by and pick up Marissa. She's in town at her aunt's." Mason brushed past me for the driver's seat. His hand swept against my thigh.

A small tingle shot threw me, but I frowned. Marissa again.

Logan gave me a knowing smirk, but headed to his own Escalade. After Nate and I got in Mason's, they tore out of there. When I called Becky, her response was to scream. She didn't say anything else, just started screaming and threw her phone aside. I could hear banging in the background, but disconnected the call soon after that. I could only imagine what she was doing. Adam's response was more reserved. He didn't respond for a moment, and then he said in a gruff voice, "I suppose I should make sure Becky gets there. We'll take my car."

After that was done and I'd put my phone away, the guys were quiet. Nate was looking at me and Mason kept glancing at me in the rear view mirror.

"What?"

Mason snorted again and looked away.

Nate gave me a polite smile. "Nothing."

"What?" I asked again, but I knew they wouldn't respond. And they didn't. Neither said a word as we drove around town. At each house they stopped at, people would come out with bags already packed. A few got in Logan's car, but soon two others drove their cars and filled them up. No one else got in Mason's and then Logan's Escalade pulled up next to ours. Each rolled down their windows.

"Go to the gas station and deal with all that stuff. I'll pick up Marissa."

Logan nodded and craned his head to meet my gaze. "Hop on over here, little sister."

"What? Why?"

The two brothers shared a look, but Logan responded, "We need you there to meet your friends. You're going to ride with them."

"Oh. Okay." And since that made perfect sense, I climbed out and got into his backseat. Two of his friends scooted over while another two jumped in the back with the bags. We took off one way and Mason went the other way.

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