Jaded (Jaded #1)

Chad Yerling grinned widely when he saw us walk in. He leaned back in one of the waiting chairs, his arm rested over two more, and had kicked up his shoes on another pair of chairs. Three students were forced to squish together in the remaining two chairs across the waiting room.

“What are you guys doing here?” he asked and removed his legs. Bryce and I sat down while Chad rearranged himself to lay sprawled over three chairs. His feet propped onto the stand.

“What are you doing here?” Bryce asked in amusement.

Mrs. Walker harrumphed as she sent a withering glare our way before she walked into the employee’s lounge.

Chad beamed and folded his hands underneath his head. “I got caught getting a blowjob in the boiler room.”

“You did? By who?”

Chad shrugged. “Just some girl.”

I narrowed my eyes and studied him. He was lying, but whatever. I saw that the other students had froze at his words. Chad’s coolness would rise another level.

He nodded in our direction again, “So what are you guys doing here?”

I shrugged and Bryce replied, “Mouthing off? I don’t know.”

Chad smirked, “Did you guys go to the library in second? Word is that you took off.” And had sex.

He hadn’t said the words, but they were still there.

“Nah. We skipped to eat with Corrigan,” Bryce murmured and the sneer disappeared from Chad’s face.

The office door burst open and a student sprinted inside. He panted as he babbled, “Corrigan Raimler is—”

Bryce moved in a flash and dragged the kid outside.

Chad glanced to me and asked, “What was that about?”

I shrugged and moved to follow. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure that Mrs. Walker was still absent—she was. Chad moved to follow too, but I said firmly, “You stay and cover for us. Tell them I’m sick.”

He could’ve come, but I didn’t like Chad—never had. He just gave me the creeps.

“Okay.” Chad nodded, but watched through the window as I quickly darted around the hallway.

Bryce had dragged the kid outside and was already interrogating him by the time I got there. “So what were you going to say?” He prodded the kid with a finger in his shoulder.

The kid looked like he was about to pee his pants. He trembled when Bryce towered over him.

“I…I…” he stammered and glanced up at me. Terrified.

“Just tell us what you were going to say,” I spoke, calmly.

“I…Corrigan…” He took a deep breath and rushed out, “Corrigan Raimler just stole one of my friends’ cars. I know it wasn’t his because it’s Teddy’s.”

Bryce and I shared a look.

“You were going to tell the staff that Corrigan stole your buddy’s car?”

He paled when Bryce repeated his words.

“No…nnnnoo. I wasn’t. I was just…”

“Corrigan is my best friend.” I wanted to make sure he understood.

The kid shrunk back against the wall.

“He’s my best friend,” Bryce murmured soothingly, but we both heard the lethal promise in that voice.

Seriously. I even got shivers.

“Um…”

“What’s your name?” I asked as I shifted closer to him.

His eyes widened further and he stuttered, “D-d-Darrell.”

“Darrell? And you’re friends with Teddy?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded and brushed against him. Bryce shifted backwards to give me space and I crooned into Darrell’s ear, “When you hear that Teddy’s car is gone, you’re going to not remember anything about it. Okay?”

He nodded quickly and swallowed tightly.

I ran a hand down his arm and murmured, silkily, “And the reason you’re not going to remember anything is because my friend could get into a lot of trouble. And I don’t want that. Bryce doesn’t want that.”

I moved back and stared him in the face.

“And if we hear that Corrigan’s name was slipped, by anyone, you’re the one that we’re coming after. Got it?”

He jerked his head up and down. His hands covered the front of his pants as I stepped back. He rushed past us, inside.

Bryce swore and yanked his phone out of his phone. He pressed Corrigan’s number and barked into it, “You idiot! You were seen by a kid. Do you know what would’ve happened if the kid had told?”

I breathed in relief as I fell back against the bricked wall of our school.

Bryce swore again, “No. It’s criminal charges, asswipe. You could’ve gone to jail or…” He hung up and stared at me.

I spoke the obvious, “It’s not the first time we’ve bailed Corrigan out of jail.”

“I know.” Bryce slumped next to me and slid to the floor. “But they would’ve pressed him harder because he’d be connected to Hoodum.”

It was known around town that the cops had a vendetta against Hoodum and his gang. They wanted to shut ‘em down completely, but they were having a hard time.

Hoodum was pretty slippery and pretty damned smart.

The door opened again and Chad poked his head out.

“Hey, just so you know, Mrs. Walker is freaking out that you guys are gone. You might want to get in here.”

“You were supposed to cover for us,” I said sharply.

Bryce looked at me, surprised, but Chad shrugged and muttered, “I tried, dude. Jeez.”

When he went back inside, Bryce asked me, “What was up with that?”