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I sighed, trying to keep myself calm. They were her best friends, and they were protecting her. I both respected and admired that. But now wasn’t the time. Their body language was enough to tell me something was wrong.
“I’m serious. I’m worried about her. She doesn’t miss school unless something’s wrong. What’s going on?”
Justin shook his head. “Fuck off, Asher. You fucks lostanyright to know her personal life when you started bullying her in the first place. But after yesterday?” He stood and leaned over the table, training those light brown eyes of his on me. I saw the threat in them, and an unexpected chill went down my spine, warning me away.
There wasdefinitelysomething off about him, but I just didn’t know what.
“Justin,” Luna said as he opened his mouth to finish his threat. “Sit. No need to get so worked up.”
Blackwell sat, and Luna looked at me pointedly before nodding. “Okay. Sure. You know what? I’m going to break confidentiality for a moment. You know why?”
I furrowed my brows. That didn’t sound good. “Why?”
“I want you to knowexactlywhat happened to her. Maybe then you’ll see just how much you hurt her. Maybe then you’ll see that you and that asshole Wolfe are fucking dangerous and need to stay away from her.”
My entire body stiffened. “Fuck. What happened? Is she okay? I just thought she might be really sick.”
Luna shook her head. “Oh, she’s sick alright—but not like you think. She’s recovering. You see, you and Damian spent the weekend with Temperance.” She faked a large smile. “It was all sweet, and nice, and cozy. She cooked for you. You cooked for her. You all watched movies and played house, and then you had a little fun in the shower and the next morning. It was a great time! Everyone hadsomuch fun. Everyone wasgreatfriends.”
All I could do was stare, my heart racing in my chest because I knew something bad had happened. Bad enough to warrant Luna saying more than three words to me. Bad enough for Temperance to miss school. Bad enough to make Justin try to dominate me in the middle of the cafeteria. Bad enough Luna had to calm him.
Her smile fell, and I immediately saw the rage settle in her eyes as she stared me down. “Then yesterday, everyone came back to school, and the two little boys were feeling insecure about havingfeewings.” The last word she said in a mocking baby voice. “So, they did what they do best. They lashed out. Hurt the object of their desire. Destroyed the girl they love but refuse to admit it.Crushedher under their boot. They exposed her in front of everyone. Telling everyone around about theprivateweekend they all spent together. It was all a laugh, wasn’t it, Asher? All good fun?Especiallywhen Temperance told you both off, right?”
I hesitated, unsure if she truly wanted an answer. “Luna, I don’tenjoyhurting her. I only did it bec—”
“Nope!” she said, lifting a hand. “You’re going to sit there like a good little bitch, and you’re going to listen because Temperance had to listen to your bullshit yesterday. She also had to listen to all the laughing, the whispers, and the snide,awfulcomments made based on what you and that shithead, Damian, said. They called her awhore, Asher. Because of the time she spent withyou. That intensely personal gift she gave you, you shared with the world, made fun of her for it, and laughed when others slut-shamed her. You are less than a man. Youneverdeserved her.”
I balled my hands into fists, swallowing my growing anxiety and guilt. I nodded. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“Here’s the thing, Asher. You two havenoidea how much power you have. You’re not the only assholes in this school, now are you? Rhetorical. No. The answer is abiggoddamn no. But you knew that.Heknew that. It’s why you both did what you did. Because all you guys had to do was plant the seed, and you knew the rest of the little lemmings would jump at the chance to water it for you while you walked away with your hands relatively clean. And water, they did. Unfortunately for Temperance, her enemies come from many different sides. And some of those enemies prefer to take a morehands-onapproach than thepoeticapproach you and Damian share.”
My eyes widened. “Someone hurt her?!” I asked. “Who? Tell me. I’ll fucking rip them apart. Was it Eric?”
She laughed. “Why don’t you ask Damian’s little girlfriend?”
Warning bells started ringing. “Harper?” Luna nodded with another fake grin. “Harper hurt her?”
“Becky and Melinda, too. Or didn’t you notice those twomysteriouslymissing today?” Justin asked.
I thought about it, and he was right. I hadn’t seen them. “Now that I think about it, no. I haven’t seen them.”
“There ya go,” Luna said. “You’ll be happy to know the little stunt you and Damian pulled yesterday pissed Harper offrealgood. So much so that she, Becky, and Melinda broke into Tempe’s room and spikedallher drinks with Rohypnol. Theyroofiedthem.All of them. Just so there wasn’t even theslightestchance of failure. When she passed out—while playing Call of Duty online with her best friend from Indiana, or we never would have known—your littlebestiesbroke in again.”
I swallowed, my eyes still wide as I listened to every painful second. I just wanted to shake the ever-living fuck out of her and scream at her to tell me, but this was my punishment. She was doing this for a reason. Temperance was safe, obviously, or they wouldn’t be here, but she’d suffered. Luna planned to make me suffer as well.
“The guy Becky got the Rohypnol from was both a drug dealeranda tattoo artist. Lucky that, huh? They snuck out last night, paying the guards off to let them leave after curfew. They snuck the guy in by putting him in their trunk, broke into Temperance’s apartment once they knew she was passed out, and then held her down while he tattooed her arm.”
“I’ll fucking kill them,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Luna said with obvious sarcasm. “Temperance saved Harper from expulsion and from getting arrested. I’m sure Rick had more to do with her not getting arrested, but Temperance lied and saved Harper.”
“Why?” I asked with obvious shock. Seriously, that girl had fucked Temperance up one side and right back down the other since she’d arrived. “Why thehellwould she save Harper?”
Luna shrugged. “Not my place to say. But Becky and Melinda spent the night in county. I’m sure Becky’s dad got them out on bail. I have no idea what happened afterwards, but I can assure you, they’ll get theirs one way or another.” She smirked.
“Oh, I canpromisethey will.” A dark smile curved one corner of Justin’s lips, and it scared me more than it should. That wasn’t a casual threat—he meant it.
Who the fuck is he?