Page 22 of Soul So Dark

No sooner does Colson acknowledge me than there’s a deafening buzz and then a shadow passes over the parking lot. Shrieks and laughter erupt as a small white plane dips down over the school and then shoots back up. I flinch, ducking slightly as reflex takes hold.

I know next to nothing about airplanes, but I know this one’s a Cessna that’s headed south toward Hellbranch. Everyone here is used to seeing them, intentionally diving on the school for reasons unknown. Probably just to fuck with us.

The girls around the car let out a few curses, except for the one with dark blonde hair and teal eyes that look just as radioactive as Colson’s. She just stands there, motionless, gazing at the plane as it launches back into the sky and disappears in the distance. She doesn’t smile, laugh, or even roll her eyes, just watches with what I swear is a miniscule smile at the corners of her mouth.

“That one of your planes, Mason?” Bryce teases.

“Wrong type,” Mason smirks, “no room for my wet bar.”

Does Mason even know how to fly a plane? His family owns a private jet company somewhere around here. All I know is that whenever Colson goes on spring break or summer vacations with the Wilders, it’s in one of their planes. Mom and Scott will say it’s safer and they’re glad they don’t have to deal with commercial air travel, but all I get is Colson coming home acting like a braggy asshole for a week.

“Definitely one of the Rhodens, based on the small dick energy,” the girl with the short dark hair says as she flicks her ash onto the asphalt. “It was probably them who wrecked the gym, too.”

“How do you know?” Bryce asks.

“They own that big cattle farm out there, too,” she replies, “and one of them kind of looked like Brantley Rhoden.”

“They all had helmets on, Logan,” Bryce points out.

The dark-haired girl, Logan, gives an irritated huff. “It’s avibe,Bryce.”

“Speaking of which,” Alex pipes up, turning to Aiden, “do you still see Brantley and Wesley?” he asks as I finally look away from the blonde girl and her fluorescent eyes.

Aiden just shrugs. “Not lately.”

Colson shoots him a devious glance. “Not since your dad bribed you to stay away from them?”

“An offer I couldn’t refuse,” Aiden drawls, a smile threatening the corners of his mouth as he leans into the middle of the circle where Logan holds her cigarette to his lips, letting him take a drag off of it.

I recognize the names they just mentioned. The planes that regularly swoop down on the high school belong to the Rhodens. And the Rhoden family is a deep well of rumors. They’re notorious for recruiting high school kids from Hellbranch, Canaan, and Dire Ridge, offering to pay them more than anyone else will pay a high schooler. For what, I don’t know, but all the parents around here warn their kids to stay away from them.

I guess they got to Aiden at some point. Then again, his father’s probably in on whatever criminal activity they allegedly engage in. But in addition to all the trucks that go in and out of their property, they have a landing strip where small planes constantly land and take off. Their flight path—wherever the hell they go—goes over our house, but never that low.

“Dallas.” Colson’s voice grabs my attention. When I turn to him, he’s motioning for me to come closer. Then he bows his head and lowers his voice. “You alright?” He glances to his right, to Alex standing next to him laughing with Aiden.

I blink, but maintain my oblivious expression. He’s asking me if I’m upset about what happened at lunch today—about what Alex said to Jamie in front of everyone.

“Yeah, why?” I don’t let on that I even saw it because right now I’m so fucking over everyone asking and implying and assuming that I’m too upset to function.

Except Alex. When I saw him in the cafeteria yesterday, I actuallywastoo upset to function. And in true irony, he was the only one who showed up out of nowhere to put me back together again. But between what happened with Shelby only minutes ago and now Colson feeling me out, I’m tired of people treating me like a time bomb. And maybe I am, but people don’t have to act like it.

“Don’t worry about Ole Dally,” Aiden interrupts, looking down at me through hooded eyes, “she might be tiny, but she’s tough as nails.”

His gaze makes my skin crawl, with black eyes and his lip rings under each canine that make him look like a viper. I give an exaggerated roll of my eyes and brush him off, which seems to satisfy Colson enough to turn back to Bryce and her friends. I push off the hood and head for the passenger door, tugging it open to toss my bag onto the floorboards. Then I collapse into the seat, shut the door, and wait for Colson to finish so we can leave.

I lift my hand, curling my fingers into a fist to examine my acrylic nails. Rose pink and black, just like Evie’s. They’ve grown out and I need to get them filled, mostly because I don’t want them to change. Maybe I’ll have them painted the same colors for the rest of my life.

Suddenly, the back door opens and someone ducks into the car, taking a seat behind me.

“I didn’t tell him what you told me,” I hear Alex’s voice over my shoulder, speaking through the headrest, “he just thinks you heard about what I said to Jamie.”

I’m glad he can’t see the smile spreading across my face. Despite Colson’s opinions, I’m not a mean person, but I did gain immense satisfaction from watching Alex yell at that girl in front of everyone and turn her into a stammering mess. Sometimes, a small part of me wishes I could be like that.

I wish I could stand up to someone like that when it counted.

“I know,” I say out of the corner of my mouth, “and it was really funny.”

“I can yell at her some more if you want.” I can’t see his face, but I can tell by his tone that he’s smiling, too.