Page 106 of The Ruthless Note

I arch an eyebrow at her.

“Anyone touches you, they’re touching Dutch. And no one at this school is stupid enough to do that.” She unwraps the plastic around her sandwich and takes a big chomp. “I’m glad something good happened to one of us on this awful day.”

Her words remind me of Miller’s ultimatum.

My discomfort with the stares is eclipsed by my guilt. It’s all my fault Serena is in this mess to begin with.

“Serena…” I’m at a loss for words.

How do I tell her that she’s collateral damage in a war that has nothing to do with her?

“Nearly three years.” She lifts her gaze to the sky and puffs out a sad breath. “I avoided those stupid rumors. Never once set foot in Harris’ office. And now it’s just…” She shakes her head. “Damnit.”

“Miller said something about your past. What did he mean by that?”

She shrugs. “There was something that happened before I came to Redwood Prep.”

Serena leaves it there. I see past her smile to the worry hidden deep within her eyes. For someone who wears all that dark makeup, leather, and sarcasm like a heavy armor, she appears so fragile today.

“Nothing’s going to happen to you,” I promise. “We’re not going to give Miller what he wants.”

Her eyes drop to her tray. “It’s okay. If anyone has to back out of the scholarship program—”

“It’s not going to be you,” I insist.

She watches me, hope flaring to life in her eyes. And then it outs like an errant flame. “You and Sol are under Dutch’s protection. You know what that means.” One of her shoulders lifts in a lifeless shrug. “No matter what, Dutch and his brothers are going to find a way out for you. It’s okay though. I’m used to duking it out on my own. My philosophy is to expect what’s coming is worse than I can imagine.”

“That’s a really sad philosophy,” I whisper.

Even with all the crap I’ve been through, I still have hope.

Hope that Vi will find her footing with her makeup channel and see all her goals achieved.

Hope that we can pay off mom’s debts and move to a better neighborhood.

Hope that having the Redwood Prep seal on my senior year will open doors that will take us to places Vi has only dreamed of.

I might not have any hope for myself, but for my sister… I have a world of them. And I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get us there.

But not at the expense of my friends.

“Miller didn’t call that meeting because he really has a problem with you or Sol,” I inform her. “He wanted to get back at me for what I did to Christa. Giving into his stupid demands is exactly what he wants, but we’re not going to do that. Even if it costs me everything, we’re going to stand our ground.”

“You heard what he said. We couldalllose our music scholarships if we don’t comply.” She worries her bottom lip. “And I don’t know about you, but I can’t afford Redwood’s tuition on my own.”

“It’s not going to come to that,” I promise.

She doesn’t look convinced.

I swing around so I’m facing her fully. “From my first day at Redwood Prep, I knew that things worked differently here. These people,” I glance around, “care so much about appearances and net worth and fame that it blinds them to what really matters. They’re empty inside. They’d stab each other in the back in a heartbeat because that’s the only way they can make it to the top.”

Serena shakes her head. “Animals.”

“Exactly. They act like they’re better than the average person, but are they? To me, they’re just as ruthless. Just as dirty. Just as dangerous as the thugs in my neighborhood. It’s just a different kind of turf war here.”

“What are you saying?” Serena tilts her head.

“I’m saying we both deserve to be here. Unlike them, we didn’t get in on daddy’s credit card. We got in because of our talent and our hard work.”