Total pages in book: 157
Estimated words: 149510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 748(@200wpm)___ 598(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 748(@200wpm)___ 598(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
“What? Fuck no,” Ace counters again. “No way. If you’re doing it, you’re doing it with us.”
Julia smiles, and Scottie keeps avoiding my eyes. Blake nudges me. “Looks like that whole discussion really came full circle.”
Someone behind me shoves hard as Connor opens the vent and starts lifting participants inside, and I grab Scottie’s hips to steady her as we both lurch forward. As soon as we’re righted and she pulls out of my grip, I turn around and shove the person directly behind me, even though I don’t know if it was their fault or not. Evidently, the kid recognizes me from fight night because he backs up and takes a few of his friends with him, apology in his eyes. It’s only then that I notice Dane at the back of the room with a group of guys I don’t recognize. He’s not looking at me or even in this direction, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he were the actual culprit of the shove.
Ace pulls my elbow and turns me around, and we make our way to the front as a group, handing over our money to a guy with jet-black hair when prompted and getting our hands marked.
“At least half of the people who came here tonight left through the door they came in…but don’t worry, we still got their money for the pot,” Lexi tells people as they step up to the vent to climb inside.
“I love her so much,” Blake whispers so close to my ear, I have to wipe off some of his saliva.
“Down, boy,” I comment, to which he smiles.
I study Lexi closely as she checks all of our hands and look for any sort of family resemblance. She’s light to my dark, but I feel like there might be something there in the cheekbones.
I’m so fucking stupid for getting so involved with all these people.
“Really out here risking people’s lives tonight, huh, Lex?” Ace asks her directly, a small smile playing with the seriousness of his words. “Not even supplying bottles of water for people who might get trapped for days.”
She rolls her eyes and whispers, “There are exits all over the tunnel network. They might not be the right exit, but they’re exits. If people aren’t smart enough to take them, that’s not on me.”
It’s an amazingly cutthroat attitude, but coming from a Winslow, I can’t say I’m surprised. They’re all in a privileged, self-serving bubble.
“Here,” Julia says to Scottie and hands her a folded-up paper towel. “Just in case your nose starts bleeding again.”
My eyes shoot to Scottie’s face, searching it for evidence of an injury, and I immediately see faint bruises under her eyes. “What happened?” I ask, but she doesn’t give me a response. Instead, she just takes the paper towel from Julia’s outstretched hand and puts it in her pocket.
My chest tightens with irritation. I swear, if that fuckhead Dane did something to her, I will kill him.
“Scottie?” I step directly in front of her and gently slide my hand under her chin so she has to meet my eyes. “What happened? Who did this?”
“Tonya’s elbow.” She rolls her eyes at me and steps back so my hand falls away from her face. “It was an accident in practice, so you can relax.”
“Don’t worry, Finn,” Julia chimes in. “Scottie and I didn’t get into any brawls on our way here. Though, she did get some awful texts.”
“Julia!” Scottie snaps, annoyed.
“What awful texts?” Ace asks before I can.
“It’s some unknown number that keeps texting Scottie really nasty things,” Julia offers, making Scottie frown even harder at her. Julia is unfazed. “Sorry, girl, but I still think you should show campus police. Or, at least, make sure these big dudes have your back.”
Scottie sighs. “This really isn’t any of you guys’ business. I can handle it.”
“Show me the texts,” I demand as kindly as I can manage.
“No.”
“Scottie, let me see the texts.”
“It’s no big deal,” she says, and she makes a point to walk around me. “Now, come on, we need to get moving if we want to get through this maze before sunrise.”
She might consider this dropped, but I sure as fuck don’t.
Our group follows her lead, and when she steps up to the vent, I make a basket with my hands and nod for Scottie to step in it with her foot. She looks at my hands like they’re snakes.
“Look, you’re not getting up there on your own, so you might as well take the boost.”
“Fine. I’ll let you help me on one condition.”
“And what’s that?”
“You tell me where you went when you crawled out of bed without saying goodbye.”
Scottie
My whole body shakes as I climb through the tight vent after getting a lift up from Blake Boden.
I’m vibrating a little bit out of fear for what’s ahead. But it’s mostly anger.