CHAPTER THIRTY
When we got to The Ryder, I sat it was a bar attached to a hotel. As soon as we entered, I remembered that Amelia's dad owned the place. It explained why they could drink at the bar and when we got there, they had congregated in a back corner, away from the other customers. It was a ritzy hotel and the neon red and black lighting set an intimate tone to the bar.
Miranda saw me first and waved us over by a pool table. She stood in a tight black dress with a red belt around her midriff. The rest of the girls were dressed in similar dresses, all tight and in different colors. I wondered if they planned it. They looked cliquey and expensive. Each of them wore dangling diamond earrings that matched their dress color.
"Hi, guys!" Miranda gave me a big hug. "I'm so glad you could come. The rest were disappointed you didn't come to the dinner."
Mason gave her one of his unreadable looks and she shifted on her feet. Her hand twitched for a second. It was the only movement I caught that made me wonder if she was uncomfortable. I would be.
"Mason, thanks for coming." She was so formal and gracious.
He shoved his hands in his pockets and went to the bar.
As he did, she laughed and touched the base of her neck. "I'm not going to take that personal. I shouldn't, right?"
I shrugged. "I told you. They're a*sholes."
"He certainly must like you. Mason Kade has never come to one of my get-togethers."
"I thought he showed up at the one last weekend?"
She peeled out another burst of laughter. It was high pitched enough to make me pause. Was she being fake or was she drunk? Something wasn't fitting with her. She giggled into her hand. "That wasn't him coming as a guest. We all thought he had come for his brother, but instead he came to lay into that girl."
Her eyes lingered on my bruise again. "You remember—the one I heard you got into a fight with."
Miranda seemed to be waiting for me to say something, but I wasn't sure what it was. When I started to ask something stupid, I was picked up and thrown over someone's shoulders. Logan's hyena laugh sounded as he twirled me around, bent over with my rear on display. I felt him patting it and he whistled under his breath. "You've got a tight ass, Sam. No wonder your quarterback wants to bang you so hard."
Someone gasped and someone else choked on their drink.
"Put me down, Logan." I tried to be fierce.
He laughed some more, but lowered me down. As he sat me on my feet, he lifted back up, but was close enough to brush against my body. When his eyes met mine, I saw a dark humor in them. I tensed and got ready.
I didn't want to be friends with these guys, but I wasn't sure what to do about it. Mason asked in the ride over if I wanted to piss them off now or wait for the perfect moment. I didn't have an answer and I still didn't. Still, whatever Logan was doing I knew he wanted to piss someone off.
As I caught a jerking movement from the corner of my eye, I wondered if he'd come for Adam. I watched as my former friend had a scowl on his face and he downed the rest of his drink in a savage motion. Cassandra was beside him with his arm around her waist. She wore a frown as she watched him. I thought I saw some concern in her depths as well.
Miranda gutted out a laugh and stepped forward again. "Logan, you've come as well."
He curved an arm around my waist and raised an eyebrow. "Weren't we invited?" His tone was too confident, too smooth.
She visibly swallowed and looked around. "Uh, of course you guys were invited. I assumed Samantha told you. You're both here."
Logan shot Adam a look. "I thought about bringing Tanya, but she thought it would be awkward. Plus, she needed an hour to get ready…"
Adam's scowl grew darker, but he didn't respond. Peter Glasburg and Mark Decraw stood between the two. They tried to look casual as they stood with their pool-sticks, but each couldn't contain their frowns. They threw Mason looks as he remained at the bar, who had a drink in hand and looked relaxed.
"Uh…she could've come if you liked?" Miranda's nervous laugh rang out high pitched. She cleared her throat and sounded more normal as she said, "All of you could've brought dates with you. That option is always open to the group."
Emily snorted out, "Of course, most of us are already paired up."
Miranda stared hard at her. "What are you talking about, Emily?"
The brunette smirked at her and sipped from her martini glass. "Come on, Miranda. You're with Peter. Cass is with Adam now. Amelia and Mark suck face most of the time."
Logan's grin grew as she continued.
"You should've brought in a guy next, not Samantha Strattan." She lifted her martini glass to me. "No offense, Sam, but everyone can tell you don't care about social things. Everyone knew Jessica Larsen slept with your boyfriend for two years. That would humiliate most people, but you acted like you didn't care and I don't think that was an act. I think you really didn't care." She scoffed at Miranda again. "You just wanted to bring her in because you hoped Mason and Logan would come with her. You never cared about her until you heard she was close to them."
"You're drunk, Emily." Miranda glared at her. "You should go sleep this off. You don't want to be rude."
She snorted again and tipped her head back to finish the rest of her martini.
Her thin legs wavered underneath her, but she kept her balance when she raised her empty glass. "Another, bartender!"
Logan chuckled as she went to the bar. "I like her."
"You do?" Miranda had grown pale.
"She tells the truth." He sent her a smirk. "That's all we can ask for…right?"
"The truth?" Adam barked out as he straightened from the wall in a sudden movement. Peter and Mark jumped back in reaction. "What's the truth, Logan?
Huh?" He started to stalk forward, but Cassandra tried to slow him down. She was in front with a hand on his chest.
Logan slipped his arm from my waist and maneuvered me behind him. In the blink of an eye, Mason was in front of me too. Miranda gasped and looked around wide eyed. She kept glancing from the Kades to Adam.
Everyone watched him.
His angry scowl intensified and he bit out, "Why'd you take Tanya? You didn't care about her before."
Logan's shoulders jostled in silent laughter. "Are you kidding me?"
"No!"
His shoulders stopped and stretched out instead. "Are you pissed because you never got there?"
"I think…um…I think…" Miranda stepped between them. Her arms were shaking.
Peter moved her aside and puffed out his chest. "Guys, let's be civil here."
"No!" Adam tried to shove him aside, but Mark shot between them instead.
Cassandra was pulled out of the way by Miranda.
Logan sounded calm, too calm, as he chuckled. "Let him through. He's got something on his chest. Let's help him get it off. This is the trust tree, right?
Here we go, therapy group for everyone."
"You think you're so awesome, don't you?" Adam growled. He had a glass of beer in his hand now. He waved it back and forth in the air now.
"I prefer badass."
The growl grew. "'You're so rich', 'you're so hot', 'everybody wants you.' I am so sick of you two—"
"Both of us?" Mason's voice was low, eerily low.
Everyone snapped their attention to him.
Logan laughed. "Wait your turn, Mase. My fun first."
Mason shot him a dry look, but Logan ignored it. His grin grew wider and he beamed at Adam. "Come on, tell me more. I'd love to hear what else you hate about me." He tsked him with a finger in the air. "Just me, though. You hear that? We'll move onto my big brother in the next session."
Rage leapt to Adam's eyes. I stepped back from instinct. I'd never seen so much rage within him before. My heart started to pound. It grew in speed as Adam bent his head. His mouth had curved in a hateful scowl.
"You laugh at me? Are you kidding me right now? Do you know who you're messing with?"
Logan's laugh sounded genuine. "Do you think I care? You're the guy who gets the leftovers. That's what I know about you."
Adam grew silent. My heart was pounding so loudly. It was deafening to my ears.
"I had Ashley before you, and during you." Logan's smirk grew. "I had Tanya before you and again before you. Who else is there?" He made a show as he turned around. He tapped his finger to his chin and he paused when his gaze rested on me. "Who else is there?"
"Logan." It was a quiet warning from Mason.
Logan twisted back around; the delight on his face was unsettling. "There's got to be others. Tina Schnieder? She told me you wanted to date her too, but no one knows about that one. She's goes to public. She's beneath you, right? Isn't that you thought about Tanya? You thought for sure you had her in the bag, she goes to public. All those girls are beneath you, isn't that what you think?"
Adam's face was set in stone. The hand that clenched his glass was white around the knuckles. A quiet crack was heard. The group had grown silent and everyone heard it. Another crack sounded.
Logan's voice was so quiet now, going in for the kill. He bent his head forward and his eyes were narrowed. "What about your friend Casssandra there?"
She whipped her head around. Fear was evident as she started to shake.
"What are you talking about…" She stammered out, "I..id…Idnever…" She bent forward and took some shuddering breaths. Miranda scurried away from her with a look of terror on her own face. Peter held her hand in his now and he lifted it to his chest.
Adam was white around the corner of his mouth. He turned his head slowly, so slowly. My heart pounded in my ears. My hands started to tremble and I knew my knees were quaking against each other.
He asked in a soft voice, "Is it true?"
Cassandra's mouth hung open. Her eyes bulged out as she looked from Logan's confident smirk to Adam's tightly controlled face. "I…I…"
"Is it true?" Adam asked again.
The tenderness in his voice sent chills down my back. I hugged myself and tried to ward off the promise of violence in the air.
"I can't believe you." He seemed so calm, but his eyes were too dark. "You know how much I hate them."
Logan and Mason glanced at each other and both wore a small grin.
Cassandra's voice was hoarse. "I didn't—it was stupid of me, but… Oh gawd.
I'm so sorry, Adam."
Emily started laughing by the bar. She saluted her martini glass in the air.
"Way to go, Cassie. Way to start the New Year by being honest."
Cassandra hissed at her, "Shut up, Emily. Like you haven't done the same thing. Logan's probably slept with all of us, Miranda included."
Miranda's eyes got wide and Peter jolted away from her like he'd been burned.
She turned to him and pressed her hands to her mouth. "I haven't, baby. I haven't. I swear."
He studied her with narrowed eyes. "You've always wanted Logan to be in the group. You've talked about it for years."
Her hand shot out and she pointed at them. Her foot stomped down. "Only because they should've been in our group. They were supposed to pick our school. We have the better school. Just because they have a better football team, that's the only reason they picked public. They were supposed to be in our group, but instead everyone wants to go to the public parties. Everyone thinks Fallen Crest Public High is so great, all because of them! They were supposed to be at our school. Fallen Crest Academy is the better school. That other school is beneath us, it should be beneath us. They should be kissing our feet. That's the only reason why I've talked about them. I swear, baby!"
Logan bent over laughing. He slapped a hand on his leg. "Man, you guys are so easy. It's been, what? Ten minutes?" He continued laughing as he shook his head. "My job here is done. Have a great night, ya'll."
Adam frowned. "What are you saying? You didn't sleep with Cassandra?"
"Oh no. I did, at the party actually. I was just with Tanya later. Emily was one time and I think," He frowned at Amelia who stood beside Mark. "…Halloween last year?"
She gaped at him, but jerked her head in a nod.
"He's joking," Mark burst out, but he turned sharply on her.
She closed her mouth and slowly turned her head from side to side.
"Amelia!"
Her shoulders lifted up and she held her palms outward. "You didn't want exclusivity, Mark. What do you expect? He's hot."
"You're a slut."
Everyone turned to Miranda who was glaring at Logan. Her hands held her glass tightly. Her arms were still shaking, but not from fear this time. She repeated, "You're a slut."
Logan smirked and glanced at Peter. "I don't hide it."
Her eyes went wide again and she whirled to her boyfriend, who looked away at the same time.
Emily exclaimed, "This was a great idea, Miranda. We should invite Strattan every time."
At this, all eyes went to me. I realized that it looked like I was cowering behind Mason and Logan so I shouldered past them and straightened my back.
My chin rose and I stared Miranda down. "You sent me text after text tonight and you called me. You were begging me to come. So I came. If you want to blame me for this, fine. I told you to stay away from Mason and Logan, but you didn't."
"I didn't invite them."
I rolled my eyes. "We all know you wanted them here so here they are. You got what you wanted. I bet you don't want it anymore. You can't control them and you can't control me."
Her eyes narrowed. "Who said I wanted to control you?"
"You've been trying since you warned me Cassandra was jealous of me."
Cassandra gasped. "Miranda!"
Miranda moved back against Peter, who raised a hand to her shoulder. He started to rub up and down her arm in a soothing motion. She sent me a withering look. "You can leave, Samantha. Good luck at school tomorrow."
"Sam," Adam spoke up.
I met his gaze and saw the loathing there. "Don't bother, Adam." I tugged on Logan's arm. "Let's go." And both of us started for the door, but when we realized Mason wasn't following, we turned back.
He watched us with lidded eyes.
Logan frowned. "What are you doing?"
Mason gave him a tight grin. It didn't reach to his eyes. "We have a problem now." He turned towards the group. "She's one of ours and you declared open season on her."
"I didn't." Miranda seemed to melt back into Peter's arms.
He gave her a hard look. "You did."
Logan went to his side. His mouth curved upwards, mocking them. "I did this for sport tonight. You really want me to go after you, pissed if you've done something to Sam?"
Mason shot him a look. "Because it's all you, right?"
Logan grinned at him. "I told you. My fun first."
He rolled his eyes and walked to me. As he drew abreast, he took my arm, and tugged me behind him. "Logan, they got the message."
"I hope they do." Logan's eyes held a much deeper message as he scanned the group.
My legs were shaking so much. As we drew closer to Mason's Escalade, he swept me in his arms and I hung on. I wouldn't have made it otherwise. He deposited me in the seat and went to his own. Logan paused in his open door.
He frowned over at me. "Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine, just shaken up."
All amusement had vanished. Both of them watched me with grave eyes. Then Logan sighed. "What do we do?"
Mason continued to watch me as he spoke to him, "We wait and see what happens."
"And if they do something to her? We can't be there during school hours. This is why we didn't go to their school. We didn't want to deal with them."
"I know."
I swallowed as my eyes held Mason's. A promise passed through him to me and my body warmed to it. I wanted it, even now, I wanted him.
"Mason, hell. I think I opened a bigger can of worms than I thought." Logan slapped his hand on the Escalade's door. "I'm sorry, Samantha."
I tried to shrug against the seat. My shoulder lifted halfway. "I've dealt with worse."
"They're vengeful bitches. And they don't forget."
My eyes held onto Mason's. "I told you I was going to piss off some people this week."
He grinned back at me. His hand touched my knee and I clasped onto it.