Tainted Love Book 3

Daxon

Watching Percy do his thing up there, I count down the time until we can get the hell out of here. I like school, love the hot teachers, I’m totally into fucking on desks.

Love the wooden rulers and some chalkboard action. But high school as a whole? No, fucking thank you.

Pulling out my phone, I slouch a little more into the foldable chairs and do a quick check-in back at headquarters.

We’re in the first week of the buddy program, as I’m calling it. Not too bad.

Am I bored out of my mind? You can bet your ass on that.

That’s good, though, I remind myself. ~We don’t want action.~

We want the hell-raiders to eat shit and die, and everyone else to be safe.

We don’t want action.

I don’t want action.

Just have to wait this out.

Going over what’s on the agenda helps kill some of the time that seems to never fucking end in this place. God, school sucks.

I forgot how terrible it is when you have to be here. No wonder I dropped out. For good fucking reason.

Grave’s at the city limits and everything is still under lockdown there. No run-ups. Nothing has sparked since the other night.

I watch Percy pull his team into a huddle, trying to figure out the next answer on the scoreboard. I don’t mean to, but I space out.

The flashback from the night outside their house, and what we have to tell Dad, returns. We all agreed we couldn’t be the ones to out anything. We would take it to our deaths if that’s what it came down to.

We only let Grave in on the secret tunnel, and that has to be how the hell-raiders found us. Maybe Weston had a look through the street cams. There’s too much in the air for us to know anything for sure just yet.

A short clip goes through my head, just a reel of the better shots from the night. Damon and the clip he took to his calf. The truck exploding on impact.

We didn’t have time to plan it out, but we still should have been better off than we were.

Was it a setup?

I quickly toss the question out. It wouldn’t make any sense. Under no circumstances would that have worked.

What, Wesson knew about Dane and Tristan before we did? Before Savannah ever got her shot off on Mathias?

And just kept it tucked away in his coat pocket until we just happened to venture out that night? No way.

It doesn’t seem right, though.

It can’t be that. It’s something else for sure; it’s just not coming to us yet.

The bigger picture is still coming into focus, but we will handle it when it does.

We’ve got more on the crew now. We’re not working against the local boys anymore.

Working with the cops is new for us.

Everything is turning into a new skill set.

Sitting in the back of the gymnasium, I cheer when Percy’s team hits the buzzer.

It’s been all right, you know. Yeah, things are tough right now, but we go through spells like this.

Where it’s hard on all of us…until it’s not.

Always for something important. Always something new.

When four teachers enter the double side doors, I make sure to check them out.

For safety reasons, of course. Matching their faces to the list I keep on my phone so I know who they are, their names, where they’re coming from, and where they’re going.

I even have whatever it is they’re looking at pulled up on my phone screen. It’s a mirroring app that I also helped bring into the club, even though I never got any credit for it.

I didn’t invent the damn thing, but I still thought it looked really cool in the movies. I said it in the bar, someone heard that, and the next thing you know, we can hack people now. Coincidence? I think not.

One of the older teachers in the group gives me a look that tells me she remembers me.

Ah, Mrs. Jenkins. Math. I wave from my seat and whisper-yell, “How are you doing, Mrs. Jenkins? Nice to see you, too.

“See my brother? Getting big, am I right? Dane can finally touch the top of the refrigerator. Growing up on us. Isn’t that right, Mrs. Jenkins?”

She rolls her eyes at me and huffs. I make no effort to hide that win.

“Don’t you think you’re a little old to still be harassing teachers?” The voice comes from behind me. Not too close. The girl who was there…she speaks?

Turning around, I catch the outline of hair from the book she’s hiding behind.

“I went to school here a while ago and that tea—” The book she’s reading drops just a little as she turns the page. The white line coasting the end of her eyebrow gave her away.

She’s had that scar since the 6th grade.

I can’t believe this.

“Hey, it’s you.” Standing up, I climb over the three rows to get closer.

“I didn’t ask for company.”

Before she can finish, I’m taking the chair next to her.

“Didn’t have to. Once a study partner, always a study partner. After all, you should remember how important English was to me. How have you been?”

Wow. Talk about a blast from the past.

I haven’t seen Evin since…well, high school.

All of the city kids get sent to the same school.

The way she holds her book is on purpose to block out my face. She’s moved it so I can’t get a good look. Lifts a finger to start to turn her page. It stalls and kind of twitches when I’ve finished speaking.

“Go away, Daxon.”

“Just like old times. Me sitting beside you, wondering what you’re reading, begging for attention while you tell me to go away, only for me to not go away and us becoming lifelong friends.”

The corner of her paperback is turned down at an angle so she can finally look me in the eyes.

“Friends?”

Holy shit.

When did she become so... this?