“You’re lying.”

Her hand freezes in her hair, eyes snapping to Maddoc.

My stomach twists at the way she studies him, a thought I can’t grip flashing through her eyes. Her tightened expression snaps from one to the next and down the line until they lead back to Maddoc and a sardonic laugh escapes her.

She opens her mouth, but Maddoc doesn’t let her speak.

“You were ready to put your hands on her before we got here. You’re lucky we stopped her when we did or you’d be in even worse shape.”

My mother’s eyes widen, and my heart starts pounding in my chest.

And then it happens, worse than her looking for a client in these three, worse than whatever revelation she had just come to a moment ago, she sees this moment for what it is.

These boys, strong and dominant, smooth and valiant, standing with me.

One on each side, the strongest, largest of the trio at my back.

In the world she and I come from, showing protectiveness for something or someone is interpreted one way - to defend is to show your cards, creating a weakness in the place of strength.

Her smirk tells me I’m right, the light laugh confirms it.

If I don’t figure this out, she’ll find a way to use them too.

I’m not positive they’d care when push comes to shove, but I’ll be damned if I become indebted to anyone on her terms.

And besides, they don’t need to be sucked into the nightmare that is Ravina Carver. She’s my problem to deal with.

Which is why I say, “Fine.”

Her eyes cut to mine, suspicion tightening her features. “Fine?”

“Yeah, fine.”

She leers, her eyes moving over the three before she reaches for the door handle. “Don’t test the timeline, I can’t stay in this place too long. I need to get back.”

She slides in the front seat, leaning out the window once the door is closed with a disappointed look in her dilated eyes. “You know how fond of you they are, a couple hours of your time could clear—”

“Go.”

She smiles, looks to the boys with a wink, and the car takes off.

A normal girl would cry, her mother willing to trade her own daughter’s body for powder. But I’m not normal.

I start across the yard.

“Raven.”

I ignore them.

“Raven!”

I’m almost to the boys’ house when a hand lands in the same spot my mother’s did and I yank free, spinning around with a glare. My emotions are boiling and bad shit happens when they get too high.

“Don’t think about telling me what to do,” I tell Maddoc.

“I don’t want to be told it’s not a big deal,” I say to Captain.

“And not a single fucking joke,” I spit at Royce.

I look between the three. “Back the fuck off.”

“We’re not gonna say—”

Royce cuts off when I level him with a scowl.

“Okay, fine, we were gonna do ... all that.” He laughs. “It’s actually kind of freaky how you know how we’d each react.”

“Why you trying to get to the boys’ house?”

I look back to Maddoc and square my shoulders.

His nostrils flare and he steps into me. “No.”

“I said no demands.”

“I don’t give a shit what you said. I said no.”

“You can’t stop me.”

“Oh, shit RaeRae, don’t say that to the man. Damn,” Royce huffs.

“Fucking watch me,” Maddoc growls.

“Why?” comes from Captain.

“Why what?”

“Why the sudden urge to fight?” He stares.

Because I need to make some quick cash and I’m not about to give her all I have.

I give a half-lie, half-truth. “Did you not just walk up here at the hilt of an adrenaline rush? I need to blow off some steam.”

His eyes narrow. All of theirs do. They’re not sure if they should believe me or not.

Maddoc licks his lips and looks off. “You’re not fighting.”

I’m so pissed I’m shaking, and maybe feeling a little on edge and helpless and disgusted in everything.

My mother lets people control her. Lets people run her body and here Maddoc stands, trying to run mine.

It’s my fists, so completely different, but it’s not his decision nonetheless. This is why I don’t make friends or grow close, because disappointing people sucks, but it’s in my nature.

So I don’t think. I do what I do and fuck shit up, purposely and out of spite.

He thinks he can govern me? I’ll show him how wrong he is and create a situation outside any of our control.

I casually turn back for the house where a few girls have pretended to have a sudden need of vitamin D.

There’s no urgency in my steps, so by the time it clicks in the boys’ pretty little heads, my fist is already slamming into the cheek of the unsuspecting, probably undeserving, Victoria.

She falls back with a scream, the others gasp and I go to jump on her, but again, arms wrap around me from behind.

I don’t let him hold on. I kick until I’m released.

“You stupid bitch!” Victoria shrieks, but Captain slides in front of her and she clamps her mouth shut.

At that same moment Maybell comes out the door.

I look to Maddoc, then the other two.

All three hold the same expression.

Shock and suspicion. Confusion. I ignore the worry that’s also clearly there.

I know what I did – purposely broke the main house rules in front of everyone, so it can’t be brushed under the rug.

I’ll be kicked out, but I don’t care.

I get sent home, and I’ll fight there, pay my mom’s debt while keeping the guys from being drug into my mess, and go back to my regular day to day.

Without them.

I ignore the ache the thought causes.

Maybell sighs and turns back inside. “Come on now, girls. Get your things and head for school. Raven, your things will be packed when you get back.”

I chance a glance at the boys.

The way their features harden, it’s clear they don’t understand my decision, not that they could.

How would they know if I didn’t clear her, they’d come for me?

Fuck my mom, fuck this place, and fuck them.

Most of all, fuck this life I was cursed into.

Vienna catches up with me once I step into the school hallway. “Why’d you do it?”

I ignore her, bypassing my locker on the way to English – no reason to pull out a book for a class I won’t be in tomorrow.

“Raven—”

I spin on my heel, leveling her with a bored stare. “Look, I get it. You want in on the gossip so you can spread it around and be the one in the know for once. Well, sorry to break it to you, there’s no juice to spread. I felt like fighting, Victoria was within range, and there you have it.” I start to spin around but turn back halfway. “Oh, and it’s Rae.”

“Wow,” she calls after me and still, for some ungodly reason, follows. “That was good, I’ll give you that. It’s all a bold faced lie, though. Maybe you forgot or didn’t care to notice, but my room faces the gap between the houses, Rae.”