Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 150546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 753(@200wpm)___ 602(@250wpm)___ 502(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 150546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 753(@200wpm)___ 602(@250wpm)___ 502(@300wpm)
My lip twitches at the sound of her voice. “Am I okay?”
I don’t bother to look down to her.
“I’m not going to like much of what I’m about to find out about the Elite Kings, am I…” She finally lands beside me.
I angle my gaze down to her. “You can handle anything.”
That I am fucking sure of.
She crosses her arms and shifts, peering up at me through dark lashes. It feels a lot like being punched in the gut anytime we lock eyes lately. Not sure what the fuck is happening.
“How do you know what I can handle?”
“Halo…” I tease, using her nickname. “You’re a fucking Hayes.”
“Mmm…” she muses, tucking the loose strands of her hair behind her ear. Her piercings glimmer from the full moon. “I’m not my brother, War.”
“Thank fuck for that,” I mumble around my bottle. “The world could only handle one of him.”
She chuckles, turning her back to the water and gazing out at the commotion going on behind me. It’s perfect because I can take in every sharp detail of her face. Every feature shaved from some mystical wand.
“How old were you?” she asks, and the question leaves her mouth as a whisper. I don’t understand what she’s saying. With Halen, it could be anything. Her eyes shoot to mine and hold me hostage. “How old?”
It sinks in.
My brows rise slightly. “Ah.” I clear my throat. “Thirteen.” Would she piece that together? Maybe not.
She sucks in a deep breath, closing her eyes and then opening them back onto me.
Smoke cradles her beauty delicately, as her face radiates against the taillights. She’s completely in her element.
“I was fourteen.”
The bottle slips from my fingers once again, and before I can snatch her backward and ask her what the fuck she means, and whether I mistook her question, she’s too far in the crowd to not make it obvious.
Halen
He would surely let go of my momentary slipup. I shouldn’t have said that to him. I don’t even know why I did.
“Why do you taste so good?” The stray bites at the nape of my neck from behind and I curl forward, recoiling away from him. “How long do we have to stay here?”
“What?” I turn in his grip. “The night has only just started.”
His eyes cross together as his hands find my hips. I don’t know why I’m even entertaining him. I mean, sure, Caden was fun, and I’m annoyed he never did text me back, but this one leaves me bored. I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s what happens when I pick up a literal stray. Honestly, do I not learn…
In my defense, by stray, I mean Instagram, but same, same. I know he attends Riverside Elite, but I don’t know what his parents do or how he came about living here.
“Hey, Halen!” Girls walk past and I wave at them. I’m trying to be more like Evie.
I told her I’d try. We’ll see how long that lasts…
A loud clap sounds out when my ass cheek stings like wildfire. “Baby…” Evie takes my hand and shuffles beneath my arm, pulling me in close. “Where the fuck have you been and why are you kissing some boy that I don’t know?”
I snicker, unlatching his arm from around my body to put some distance between us.
“Are you fucking drunk too?” I search her sharp cheekbones and soft lips.
My phone vibrates in my hand, and I swipe to open the message.
If you don’t want anyone to get hurt, I’d get them to leave.
I read over the words.
And then read them again.
Looking up from my phone, I focus on what’s going on around me. The smoke is still thick in the air from whoever it was that was just on the platform, and the crowd of people are all cheering.
I type out a message.
What are you talking about?
Shoving my phone into my back pocket, I round the driver’s side to my car and reach through the wound-down window to take the keys from the leather seat.
The music suddenly gets louder, the crowd in a state of chaos as people chant and cheer.
I can’t breathe or see. I’ve never panicked before. I’ve never had to, but the text War sent sends a shiver down my spine.
The current song continues playing as a robotic voice comes through the speakers. “Hello, train wrecks…” My stomach sinks.
A chorus of screams echoes through the crowd in excitement. Idiots. Alcohol, cocaine, and Molly equates to idiots.
Us included sometimes.
My back straightens as I spin back around to find Evie, but she’s gone.
My phone vibrates again, and I read over Vaden’s text.
She’s safe.
Before I can cuss them all out, Instastray grabs me by my arm and forces his lips to mine. “God damn.”
Mine fall open in shock, but my blood thickens through my ears. I need to find my best friend. I know he said that she’s safe, but I have to make sure. They’d never hurt her, but what if she didn’t get out in time?