Page 10 of Pretty Lies (Watch Me Burn #1)

I leaned back in my chair, not hiding my surprise. I’d assumed his dad had died or run off since I’d never really heard much about him.

“His dad’s actually in his life? He doesn’t talk about him.”

“No offense, but he’s only known you for a week, so he wouldn’t have wanted to.

It’s a touchy subject at the best of times, so for him to tell you, he’d need to know you better.

His dad’s a mean son of a bitch when he wants to be, so Caden’s never gotten along with him.

He used to beat on Josie when Caden was younger, and he put Caden in the hospital when he was a kid because he tried to protect her.

His dad’s been best friends with my dad ever since they were younger, but I’ve always been told to stay away from him.

Caden hates him and he has good judgment, so I keep my distance.

Ty’s the same, and Luke hasn’t even met him.

” He seemed deep in thought for a second before giving me a curious look.

“You know, if you want to do something without Caden when you’re bored, you can come and hang out with us? Like, on Sunday you could’ve?—”

“I was locked in my bedroom until this morning, and besides, I have no way of talking to you guys to find out where you are,” I replied, still thinking about Caden. I couldn’t imagine him dealing with a similar abusive childhood to me.

Jensen rolled his eyes, holding his hand out as I checked the time on my phone.

“Give me your phone.”

“What?”

“Trust me?”

“Fuck no,” I bit out as I clutched it to my chest, earning an amused chuckle from him.

“Good girl.” Then he snatched it before I could react.

I went to snatch it back, but he held his other hand out to stop me with a grin.

“Calm down, Donovan. I’m only putting my number in for you.

I’ll put Holloway’s and Ty’s in too, just in case you need them.

” He didn’t mention Lukas, which was fine by me.

I wouldn’t call that dickbag even if my life depended on it.

I was confused about Jensen wanting to spend time with me without Caden, and it put me on edge. From what I’d gathered from the school gossip, the guys didn’t let outsiders in. So why would they want to bring me into their group?

I wasn’t used to people being nice for the sake of it. It was strange.

I relaxed once he handed my phone back, then he pulled his own from his pocket and started texting casually, my voice soft as I spoke.

“Thanks, Jensen.”

“No problem.” He didn’t look up from his phone or offer more conversation, so I kept my mouth shut.

Five minutes later, Tyler waltzed into the room with a smirk as he sat down heavily in a chair in front of us.

“You sure like to make a scene, Jense. Claire’s posse have already spread it around the school that you and Caden are both banging her.”

I snorted and gave Jensen an overly sweet smile. “They wish I was fucking them.”

Jensen raised an eyebrow, appearing confused. “Hang on, you aren’t fucking Holloway?”

“No. I’m allergic to rich boys. It’s quite serious, actually,” I deadpanned.

“Looks like you’re banging him, if you ask me,” he chuckled, not believing me for a second, not that I could blame him. So far, he’d seen us make out and curled up asleep together.

Caden wasn’t the type to do those things without his dick being involved, from what I’d gathered.

“We like to piss off Max. I guess the joke’s on us now that he’s actually mad,” I said under my breath, but Tyler looked at me, his voice rumbling with anger.

“Doesn’t matter how mad he gets. No man, especially your own fucking father, should lay a hand on you.

Jense texted me about Holloway, and to be honest, he probably took a swing at your dad, and that’s why he’s in trouble.

After school, we’ll drop you home, and I’ll ask Josie myself where he is. No biggie.”

We stayed in the empty classroom until lunchtime, having a drama-free lunch for once, and no one bothered me in my afternoon classes either. It was nice for a change.

Even the teachers didn’t look my way or single me out.

When the bell rang, I found Tyler waiting outside my classroom for me.

“Uh, what are you doing?”

“Waiting for you. What does it look like, trailer trash?” he teased, taking my bag from my tight grip and hooking it over his shoulder. “C’mon, Jense is meeting us at your locker.”

“You could’ve just met me at the lockers too, you know?”

“I’m a fucking gentleman, babe.”

“Where?” I scoffed, his mouth curving into a smile.

“I don’t think you’d like it if I showed you.”

Jensen was at my locker as promised, and I shoved my books away and tried to take my bag from Tyler with no luck, giving up and admitting defeat as I walked between them towards the parking lot.

Lukas was already waiting for us, and he seemed surprised to see me with them without Caden. He didn’t voice it though, luckily for him.

“What’s the afternoon plan, guys?” he asked as Jensen unlocked his car and shrugged.

“We’re going to hang out with Rory at Holloway’s for a bit. Might have a swim or something.”

I was too busy checking out Jensen’s car to be listening. He had a similar taste to Caden, and I shamelessly checked out the black 2018 Chevrolet Camaro SS, trying hard not to drool.

I sensed Lukas’ eyes on me, and I glanced up to find him watching me cautiously. I sighed, knowing what he wanted. “Did you want to come and hang out?”

The words tasted bitter, but I was the intruder here, not him.

“You’re cool with that?” he asked with surprise, his shoulders relaxing.

“I personally don’t give a shit,” I smiled sweetly, waiting for him and Tyler to slide into the back of the Camaro before I dropped into the front passenger seat.

Tyler chuckled at Lukas, who was scowling at me for being a bitch, but I ignored him and turned to Jensen as he climbed into the driver’s seat.

“Back to our talk earlier. Why do people think you’re all kings of the school?

I mean, I get it, but how does everyone just follow that rule? ”

“Easy. They’re shit-scared of us. We’re hot, rich, and we fuck good,” he winked. “On top of that, our family names are kind of a big deal. My dad could tear down half the family businesses in the town if I asked him to.”

“Your reason for being a king of the school is because you fuck good? You’re so full of yourself.”

The other two buckled up silently, but once on the road, Lukas leaned forward with a scowl. “Why are you telling her about everything? It’s not just your shit to tell, Jense.”

Jensen shrugged. “It’s common knowledge, so what’s the big deal? Besides, all kings need a queen, right?”

“Right?” he replied slowly, and Jensen smirked.

“Well, you’re welcome. I made her ours.”

Lukas looked ready to explode, his jaw tight. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It means, between Caden sticking up for her and me telling Mr. Franklin this morning that she’s one of us, she’s now officially part of our group,” he exclaimed proudly to Lukas’ horror.

“Bad idea, Jense,” he hissed, but Tyler laughed like a hyena, smacking his knee as he hooted.

“Claire’s going to blow a fucking gasket! Do you think people will just bow down to Rory? Claire would be so mad! I’ll give her a shoulder to cry on. Sad trust fund princesses always fuck like they’ve got something to prove.”

“You said she’s shit in bed, dude,” Jensen scoffed.

“Maybe I just have to make her mad first?” he joked, and I rolled my eyes.

I listened to them talk it over, only half paying attention since most of it was about Tyler’s dick and the girls he wanted to stick it in, but I perked up instantly when we arrived at the house to find Caden’s Challenger parked in the driveway.

We all walked inside together, and Caden glanced up as he leaned against the kitchen counter with a teasing smirk on his face.

“I know you guys can’t handle it when I’m not around, but a welcome home party?”

Jensen rolled his eyes playfully, amusement in his tone. “As if. We were coming over to swim in your pool and hang out with Rory.”

“You all have your own pools,” Caden answered dryly before his eyes landed on mine, his expression softening instantly. “Hey, how’s your face?”

“It’s okay,” I shrugged, not knowing how to act in case he got into trouble for being near me, but he raised an eyebrow and smiled.

“Are you going to just stand there like an awkward weirdo, or give your favorite stepbrother a hug?”

“Technically, you’re not my stepbrother. Our parents aren’t married. Only creepy guys ask where their hugs are too,” I grumbled, his lips tugging into a grin.

“A piece of paper doesn’t mean shit. They’re dating, so we’re family.

Besides, don’t destroy the fantasy. Get over here.

” I hesitated before walking across the room towards him, a strange sense of relief washing over me as he pulled me against his chest and held me tightly.

“Are you sure you’re okay? I would’ve checked on you, but Mom kept my phone here. ”

“Did she send you to your dad’s place?” I asked softly, his body tensing.

“What do you know about my dad?” he asked flatly, regret filling me as I realized he probably didn’t want me to know.

“Only that he exists and you don’t like him,” I mumbled, a light chuckle leaving him.

“Liar. What have the guys been telling you?”

Jensen leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.

“Basic shit. You get sent there when you’re naughty, and your dad’s mean.”

“When I’m naughty, huh?” Caden snorted with amusement, and Jensen gave him a wide smirk.

“Yep.”

“I don’t get it. Mom hates him, so sending me there now that there’s no legal requirement?” He blew out a breath, making me feel ten times worse.

“Dad’s a fucking snake. I’m sorry,” I mumbled, and he wiped the hurt from his face and changed the subject.

“What did I miss at school today?” he asked, not moving back from his hold on me, and Tyler laughed like a maniac, waving his arms around with sudden enthusiasm. He could go from zero to a hundred in seconds.

“Oh, you should’ve been there, man! Jense stood up for Rory, so you can imagine the gossip around that, but he took her out of class with this big speech to Mr. Franklin that she’s one of us. Guess the school just got themselves a queen.”

Caden pulled back from me, giving me a frown. “Why did Jensen need to save you today? Everyone knows to leave you alone.”

Tyler kept laughing like the asshole that he was. “Save her? Fuck no! He told Claire to fuck off for her own safety or he was going to let Rory kick the crap out of her. Kind of wish he’d just let her. I love a girl fight.”

Caden scowled, ignoring his friend’s opinion as he turned to me.

“Claire started her shit on you?”

I rolled my eyes. He was acting like I’d had the shit kicked out of me .

“She just figured that without you there to protect me, she should see how far she could push me. She didn’t do anything other than sit next to me. Jensen told her to get out of his chair before she could say much though. It wasn’t a big deal.”

“His chair, huh?” Caden asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice that I didn’t understand. He seemed irritated.

I gave him a casual shrug that he didn’t seem to appreciate. “Yeah, he decided to sit with me so people backed off.”

Caden and Jensen shared a silent conversation for a moment before Tyler spoke up, breaking their standoff. “Let’s all go swimming and cool off, yeah? Good to see you, Holloway. Glad you weren’t kidnapped or something. I was about to put out an Amber Alert.”

He took off outside with Jensen and Lukas behind him, leaving me with Caden, who sighed and looked at me again with curiosity. “They really looked out for you today? No other problems?”

I fiddled with my hands in front of myself and shook my head. “No problems, but we skipped morning classes and hung out until lunch, then in the afternoon, I kept to myself, so I guess no one got the chance to get in my face about anything.”

He seemed confused for a moment before raising an eyebrow.

“They’ve seriously brought you into the group, huh? Never thought I’d see the day.”

I frowned, not following what he was implying. “What day?”

“The day that a girl brought them to their knees,” he stated casually, taking my hand and leading me out to the pool to join the others as if he hadn’t just dropped that little bombshell.

There was no way they actually saw me as part of their circle, they were only tolerating me because of Caden.

Right?