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Lev
I lick the paper and seal the joint. I’m getting extra high tonight because I’m not getting anything else. For the past three nights I’ve climbed in through Scout’s window in the wee hours, but tonight, Scout and her friends are having some bullshit pussy posse party, so I’m stuck listening to my brother and our teammates drone on about football. Like we don’t hear enough of that shit twenty-four-seven.
“So what gives, man?” King says to my brother. “I heard you and Scout finally did the deed and you didn’t wanna tell us?”
My whole body stiffens. I grit my teeth and my hand balls into a fist around the joint I just rolled.
“What the fuck? Who told you?” Nav says.
“Scout told Blythe, and Blythe told me.” King drains the rest of his beer and crushes the can with one fist. “Which begs the question, why the fuck you holding out on us? You finally got some ass, bro.”
“He’s probably holding out because the piece of ass you’re referring to is my goddamn sister,” Saint says through gritted teeth.
“Oh, shit. Sorry, dude,” King says. “I forget sometimes that Fox here is boning your little sis.”
“Don’t fucking talk about my girl like that,” Nav says.
His girl. Bullshit she’s his girl. She can’t belong to both of us, and he might have gotten lucky, but I was there long before he was. I have her firsts.
“Yeah, don’t think I didn’t hear you in my sister’s room last night, asshole,” Saint says, glaring at Nav.
“What? I wasn’t even there last night. Your sister’s complicated enough when she’s not PMSing. I don’t need to be there when she’s horny and can’t f—”
“Ahhhh!” Saint covers his ears. “Don’t ever say the words ‘fucking’ and ‘my sister’ in the same sentence again.”
“Sorry, but it’s true. I wasn’t in your house last night.”
Saint’s brow furrows and he exhales long and slow, his eyes meeting mine. I don’t look away. I hold his gaze the way I normally would when someone challenges me, but this is my best friend, a brother who knows me better than my twin. His eye twitches, and I know he’s going to beat the shit out of me when he gets the chance. Or he’s going to try to beat the shit out of me. No one’s ever bested me yet, not even Nav.
I lift my beer and take a deep pull, finishing the Coors Light and crushing the can. Fucking light beer. I need something stronger. I need a hit, but not of any drug. I need a hit of Scout. She’s the kind of poison that kills you swiftly, with all the venom of a Black Widow, and it’s the sweetest death any man could ask for.
It’s an apt description for my little Cub, and I don’t realize I’m grinning from ear to ear until Saint slams this beer down on the table and stalks away. Fuck. It’s about to go down.
“The fuck’s wrong with him?” Nav says.
“Probably on his period too,” I mutter, rising from my seat and tossing my empty can on the table. “I’m out.”
“Pussy,” Nav taunts.
I flip him the bird. “Suck it.”
“You crashing tonight?” I ask Kingston. Not that I actually give a shit, but I’d like to know I’m not going to run into two hundred and twenty pounds of linebacker when I sneak out to visit Scout.
“Yeah, man.”
“Well, thank fuck the wicked stepmom is no longer here. I thought I was gonna puke watching her make eyes at you. I know she was offering you food and shelter, but you didn’t need to whore yourself out for it.”
“What can I say? I like me some cougar.” Kingston’s deep chuckle follows me all the way to the door of the pool house.
Before I can reach the manor, I’m pulled into the bushes, and a fist flies at my face, hitting me square in the fucking jaw.
“You’re fucking my sister?” Saint’s voice is like ice, a whisper meant to carve me right to the core.
The strong metallic taste of blood fills my mouth and I spit on the ground. Fuck. The dickwad actually drew blood. “Yeah, I fucked her. Seems she has a thing for the Fox men.”
“I should skin you alive.”
“You could try.”
“Don’t test me, asshole. Why are you fucking my sister? That’s your brother’s girl.”
“No, it’s not.” I sneer.
He frowns as he studies my face, and for the first time in my life, I do look away when I’m challenged.
“Jesus Christ.” Saint flexes his fist and exhales. “You’re in love with Scout.” It isn’t a question. We both know it. “Does she know?”
I laugh. “Do you really think I’d be stupid enough to give her that kind of ammunition?”
He scoffs and shakes his head. “No, you wouldn’t. So what the hell are you going to do?”
“Pretend this conversation never happened, for one.”
Saint glares at me. “If this gets out, it will ruin her.”
I narrow my eyes. “We’re aware of the consequences.”
“Are you? She rules that fucking school. At. Our. Side. What happens when we go off to college next year? You and Nav won’t be there to fight her battles.”
“Has Scout ever needed anyone to fight her battles for her?”
“This hurts more than just her if it comes to light. This affects all of us.”
“Which is how I know you won’t say anything.”
“He’s your fucking twin.”
I slice my gaze to his and growl. “And he took my girl!”
“She wasn’t your girl. She’s never been—”
I bunch my fist in his shirt and yank him closer, spittle flying from my mouth as I hiss, “She’s always been my girl.”
“Funny, your brother says the same thing.” Saint shoves me away from him and walks backward. “I don’t give a shit which one of you she’s fucking, but if either of you hurt her, I’m going to fucking kill you.”
He walks away and I exhale and stare at the stars through a canopy of trees.
Is he right? Will this destroy her when it comes out? Not if, when, because neither of us are foolish enough to believe this won’t.
Secrets are never hidden for long at Scarsdale High.