Fallen Crest Public

I drew in a breath. “Did yours slap you around?”

“Did yours tell you to f**k a colleague’s daughter because she was fat and lonely?” Logan laughed to himself. His eyes were hard. “The guy didn’t even care that she’d be hurt later. He said the one time would be enough for her to hold onto through college. He said he had no hope for his daughter finding a guy, and one good screw could help her out.”

“You know who your parents are.”

“So do you,” he threw right back. Lifting the bottle again, he drank from it and tucked it back in place. “What are you doing, Sam? Tit for tat? Are you trying to make me feel sorry for you? Mason’s not with her because he wants to be. He’s with her to protect you.”

“How?” It ripped from me. “He gave her what she wants. She won, Logan. Don’t you get that? She beat me up, tried to make my friend dump me, and she didn’t even get in trouble for it. That’s not right.”

“She got ISS.”

“In-school suspension is not good enough.” I shot forward.

So did he. “Stop. Your ribs, Sam.”

“I’m too drunk to feel it.” But not drunk enough to stop the other pain. Those images kept flooding in. I couldn’t get rid of them. “Why didn’t she get in more trouble? Why wasn’t she arrested? She should’ve been arrested.”

Logan sighed. “You want the truth?”

It was my turn to snort. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted. No one tells the truth anymore.”

“Kate’s uncle is a cop. That’s why she didn’t get arrested. When Principal Green was going to expel her, he got a visit from her uncle and some of his buddies. They twisted his arm so she only got in-school suspension, and he can’t let the ringleader off and expel the other three, so all four got ISS.”

“It’s bullshit.”

“Yeah.” He didn’t hide from it. “That’s why we don’t bother with reporting shit. We learned long ago it doesn’t do a thing. We settle things our way now.”

Their way? “Screwing the enemy? Is that how you do it?”

“No, Sam.” He stood. “Is that all you can think about? Look, Mason didn’t want you to know about it. He’s protecting you again so that you’re not a part of it. I know you’ve had a rough ride, but what have we done to lose your trust?”

“He’s f**king her,” I cried out and pushed up from the couch. Then I swayed. The alcohol made me sluggish, but a sudden sharp stabbing had me falling to the side. Grabbing my side, I bent over again.

Logan cursed, but caught me. “Sam, stop. Sit down.”

I shook my head and pushed him away. Then I regretted it. He was sturdy. He was strong. I needed his support at that moment. “Logan.”

Everything crumbled inside me. A sob escaped me, but then he was there. He sat on the couch beside me and pulled me into him. A hand went to my head, pushing it down to his chest, but then it didn’t matter. I was clinging to him as more and more tears racked through me.

The image of Mason with her wouldn’t stop. It repeated over and over.

“Logan.”

“Shhh.” He began running a hand down my back and smoothing down my hair. “You can cry, Sam. You can always cry. You just can’t let it stop you from fighting. That’s the only thing.”

He was touching her. He was kissing her. I couldn’t think about it. Shaking my head against Logan’s shoulder, I clutched his shirt even tighter and pressed into him.

Logan drew in a breath, and he never released it. He had gone from being comforting to being rigid.

I pressed even more against him. Mason was still touching her in my mind. Her hand gripped his hair, and she was moving over his lap in a seductive rhythm. A growl burst from me. I hated it. I hated her. “Logan.” I shuddered against him.

“Sam.” His voice broke and he quieted.

I clambered to get closer. Lifting my legs onto the couch, I kneeled beside him, pressing into the couch so I was almost on his lap. His hand swept down and caught one of my legs. He lifted it with me, and I let out a ragged breath. I needed his comfort. That was all I needed. Slipping my arms around him, I hugged him. My cheek went to his shoulder, and my eyes closed.

“Sam,” he murmured again. His hand began rubbing on my thigh where he gripped me. “You need to stop. Your ribs can’t take this.”

He was right. I tried to get closer to him.

“You’re going to fracture them again.”

I was, but Mason was still touching her. His lips were on hers. He wanted to slip inside of her, and she let him. She savored it. I could tell. That was my place. She had replaced me. “Logan,” I whispered now.

His hand smoothed my hair, running down and over my back to circle up and repeat the caress. His other hand was rubbing over my thigh.

I paused.

A small trigger went off. Mason. He was close. I felt his presence how I always felt him, but that wasn’t true. It was in my mind. He was with her. Kissing her. Stroking her.

It was like his hand went into my chest and grabbed my heart. He squeezed it with every memory. He was with her. I needed it gone. Now. Anyway I could, and I felt Logan’s hand then. It touched the side of my face and I turned back to him. Mason moved to the back of my mind.

“What the f**k?”

But he wasn’t. I turned. Mason was standing right there. He wasn’t in the back of my mind anymore.

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