“Fuck off, Breaker.” She attempts to escape, but I keep her caged.
“Oh, I’m Breaker now, I see.” My tongue wets my bottom lip.
“That’s what your friends call you, right?”
Fucking ouch! At her blatant insult, I move one of my arms, freeing her. She scurries away but stops short of Tripp who seems to want to join this party.
“We’re friends, right?”
At her question, my breath hitches. We aren’t friends. We never were, and we never will be. I inch forward.
“I’ve never known what one of my friends tastes like, Delaney, so I guess the answer is no. We aren’t friends.”
“Come on, asshole.” Tripp wedges himself between us, blocking Delaney like I’m some sort of threat. To her, never. To him, always. “Don’t be crude.”
“Eating pussy is hardly crude.” I laugh maniacally, completely making a scene. “Is this guy kidding, Delaney? Does he even know who he’s with? She’s never taken a ride on your face, has she?”
“Breaker, stop.” The panic in her voice gives me more pleasure.
“Your girl loves being lunch.” I grip Tripp’s chin. “Better start working on this weak-ass jaw of yours.”
“Breaker!” Delaney shouts, earning us an even larger audience.
“Preference doesn’t change overnight. For your sake, she’s going to pretend to be a soft princess to make you feel more like a man, but she’s going to be wishing you’d drill her into the wall at least once to prove there’s something in your weak, rich-boy body worth keeping around.” I grin, knowing very well my words will hit the target they’re intended for.
“Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?” Tripp comes chest to chest with me. The music halts, and the party goes dead silent. “I didn’t stutter, mother fucker. Who do you think you’re talking to like that?”
“He fucking heard you.” Marek’s voice booms from behind me. “He’s wanting to make sure he heard you correctly, because no one, not even a rich son of a bitch like you, waltzes in here with one of ours and thinks they get to be disrespectful.”
Marek Hawthorne. The cruelest student to come through Glass Heart Academy since Byron Decatur. I’m not going to lie. I’m thankful he’s on my side. Everyone knows he’s not someone to mess with. He’s the reason a ring of sexual deviants was shut down a couple of months ago. The group of sick fucks who had been building wealth and power for years, has finally ended because of him and the pretty little thing on his arm. My best friend, Palmer Weston, is the only girl to go toe-to-toe with us and granted the access to win us over.
“Hey, man, I didn’t mean any disrespect.” Tripp holds his hands up, showing what a coward he truly is.
“You should have a little more respect for the girl beside you.” Marek reaches forward and flicks the collar on Tripp’s shirt. “She’s precious to most of us here.” He circles around, making a show of Dixon, myself, and Palmer. “We aren’t opposed to killing for her, so remember that every time she’s gracious enough to allow a dumb fuck like you to touch her.”
“Okay, enough.” Delaney comes between us and Tripp. Her hand presses on Marek’s unmoved body while her eyes beg me to take control. “Breaker, seriously!” That sweet whine of hers never gets old.
“Naw, baby. I’m enjoying this too much.” I grin, goading her, knowing it will piss her off. Delaney is a firecracker. She’s sparking right underneath her skin, ready to lose her shit.
“Marek, I appreciate what you’re doing, but I’m fine.” She begs him with her eyes to let sleeping dogs lie.
“Are you?” I intervene. “Because I see a broken girl.”
“I’m not broken,” she demands.
I hit a nerve with that one.
“Broken is beautiful.” I point over her shoulder. “A guy like him may not see it, but the rest of us do, Delaney. When you’re ready for us to show you, you know where to find us.” I force through the crowd, refusing to let Delaney leave me in her wake.
I hear Marek set off one more warning to Tripp. His protectiveness for Delaney is starting to rival mine of Palmer. Knowing someone outside of me has her, always, takes some weight off my chest.
“Wait up, Break.” Speak of the fucking devil. A quick check over my shoulder finds Palmer jogging to catch up to me. “We need to talk.”
“I’m not in the mood,” I announce, jerking my arm away before she can grab me.
“Clearly, by that spectacle.” She grins. “Dude, you basically screamed I ate her box and she loved it to the entire party.”
“Too harsh?” I lean against the hallway wall.
Palmer takes up the space across from me and shrugs. “I know you’re struggling but she is, too. This Tripp phase will end sooner rather than later.”
“I don’t care.” I cut my eyes to the opening front door. A group of drunk girls stumble inside, bringing in a cool breeze.
“Oh, Barrett Davenport, who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?” Palmer kicks at my leg, connecting with my shin. “You care more than any one of these assholes in here. You simply don’t like to show it. You’re a human amongst monsters.”
“Who the hell are you calling a monster?” Marek grips her arm and yanks her to his chest. Over the top of his girl’s head, he glares at me. “That prick is going to be a problem.”
“Well, he’ll need to be someone else’s problem.” I wave goodbye with two fingers and head for the door.
When the cool air hits my face, I glance around and realize that sentiment is easier said than done. Tripp DuPont will be a problem, and by the way he’s grinning at me over Delaney’s shoulder, he’s plenty aware of the fact.
He has something over me.
Tripp has her, and he’s more than happy to flaunt it before me.
The single thing I possess that he
