Good Boy by Megan Lowe
Chapter 18
When school gets out, Thomas is waiting for me, leaning against my car.
“You’re the last person I’d expect to find waiting for me,” I tell him.
He raises an eyebrow. “You’d expect Cav before me?”
I shrug. “I wouldn’t put it past him to have another go, without you stopping him this time.”
He runs a hand through his blond hair. It flops right back in his eyes, and I try to ignore how attractive that move is. “Look, I—”
I hold up a hand. “You don’t need to apologize for him. If, and that’s a big fucking if, he wants to, he can do it himself. He doesn’t need you cleaning up his messes.”
“I don’t clean up his messes.”
It’s my turn to raise an eyebrow. “No?” I’m tired, I’m sore, and I’m sick of all of this shit.
“Not all the time,” he concedes.
“Just most of the time?”
He shrugs. “He’s my best friend. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do for them?”
“Not if they’re an ass and you spend most of your time saying ‘he didn’t mean it’ or ‘he’s not as bad as he seems.’”
He leans fully against my car. “Real talk?” he asks.
I throw my hands up, well, as much as I can with screaming ribs. “Why not.”
“Cav’s an ass.”
I snort. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
He looks at the blood drops on my shirt, the stiff way I’m holding myself. “Yeah, okay.” He scratches the stubble on his cheek. “Look, for some reason, and I don’t know what or why, Cav has a problem with you.”
“You think?”
“Okay, I guess you knew that.”
“Something gave it away.”
“So yeah, Cav’s an ass. And there’s something about you that gets to him. I don’t think that’s fair.”
“Oh, we’re talking fairness now?” I ask. “I don’t think fairness ever came into this.”
“Fair point.”
I give him a look.
He cringes. “Sorry. Anyway, as I was saying, I don’t like the way he’s treating you.”
I tilt my head. “Why?”
“Huh?”
“You’re his best friend, right? Why are you saying this to me?”
“Like I said, it’s not fair. Cav isn’t fair. To anyone. But least of all to you. Or to me.”
“Ah, I get it. It’s not so much about how he’s treating me, but because you’re looking to use this situation to your advantage.”
He shrugs.
I sigh and lean on the car next to him. “What do you want, Thomas?”
“I’ve never seen Cav like this, like ever. You’re like his kryptonite. And it’s fascinating to me. Why you? You’re no one. Sure, you drive a nice car, but Cav’s is nicer. Better. Probably faster.”
“Well…” I say, not willing to concede that point.
He laughs. “A good businessman takes whatever advantage is presented to him. You’re my advantage. I want to be even with Cav. I want to be better than Cav. I want all the attention to be on me. I want to be the big man on campus. I want to rule the school. And you’re going to help me do it.”
“So I’m just a pawn in your quest for power and attention.”
He gives me a smirk and shrugs. “Is that so bad?”
“Why would I even go along with something like this? You’re best friends with Cavanaugh McLaughlin, you’ve seen and heard it all and have gone along with it all these years.”
“Okay, yeah, I have. But I promise I won’t do to you what he’s done to you.”
“And what’s in it for me?”
“Is Cav off your back not enough?”
“Not if it’s going to cause me more problems.”
He pats my shoulder. Hard. I try to hide my wince but fail miserably. “Sorry. Look, just leave it with me. We’ll be friends, it’ll be fine. You’ll be free of your Cav problem and me, well, I get to have some fun of my own.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know about this.”
“Come on, trust me. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I bite my lip. After a while, I nod.
A smile splits Thomas’s face. “Excellent.” He pats me again, gentler this time. “I’ll be in touch.”
He turns, then turns back again. “I almost forgot, some of my friends, they race and shit. I could get you in if you wanted.”
“I’ve already said I’m in this… scheme of yours, no need to bribe me.”
“Who says this is a bribe?”
“It’s not?”
“Call it a… perk.”
“And this perk will get me into a super secret illegal street race?”
He laughs. “C’mon, I know you have to be dying to test that R-SPEC out, see what she can do.”
“Maybe.”
“Like fuck you’re not. Here.” He hands me his phone. “Gimme your number, and I’ll let you know when the next meet is.”
I put my number in and hand it back. A few seconds later, my phone buzzes in my pocket. The vibration feels like the nail in my coffin.
He pockets his phone and starts to walk away. “I’ll see ’ya round,” he calls over his shoulder.
“What was that about?” Jase asks, coming over to me.
“Truthfully? I have no fucking idea.”