Disorder by J.L. Weil

Chapter Eight

The rest of the week went by without incident, and I started to relax, which was the worst thing to do. When you put your guard down, that’s when shit hit, when you least expected it. Carter kept his distance. Ava ignored me. And Angie eventually stopped calling and texting me a dozen times a day. The earlier messages spanned from, Josie, I miss you. I love you so much. Come home. To, how can you do this to our family, to me? Wait until your father hears about this. I’ve called my lawyers. And other threatening random bullshit.

If she did tell my father, he didn’t call, and he would have, which made me believe everything out of her mouth was a form of manipulation.

Tomorrow was Halloween. It was also my first Saturday detention, something I wasn’t looking forward to despite it just being for two hours. But two hours in the same room with Carter equaled utter torture.

One of us might just kill the other before detention ended.

Neither Carter nor Grayson was playing in tonight’s game against the Thornlake Tornados thanks to their escapades during practice. Grayson antagonized Carter every chance he got, and getting my stepbrother riled up proved not a difficult task. By Thursday’s practice, Coach Q had enough and tossed them both out of practice, suspending them from the game.

The Elite were up to something. I sensed it.

I dragged Mads with me to the game. Somehow over the last week, football had become a part of my life. I didn’t like sports, except for swimming, but I couldn’t deny something magical happened when the Elite took the field.

And I wasn’t the only one who felt it. The entire stadium fell silent in anticipation of the announcements and went up in a deafening roar as their names blared throughout the stands.

Seeing all the Halloween makeup, masks, and costumes at the game gave me PTSD. Not to mention, the last time I attended a football game Carter had been waiting for me in the parking lot. His scare tactics went too far, and he ended up in the hospital that night.

Douchebag.

Knots formed in my belly, and my chest tightened. I thought I might be on the verge of a panic attack. My fingers pressed into my jeans; the hoodie suddenly felt like it was choking me.

Brock Taylor.His name boomed over the speaker.

My gaze connected with Brock’s as he jogged onto the field, his black helmet swinging from his fingers, and all the beads of unease and prickles of fear dissolved. That had to be unhealthy. A single shared look with Brock, and the gray-and-white world was suddenly filled with color.

Sandwiched between Grayson and Mads, I waited for all the players to make their way out of the locker room. Two names were missing from the Elmwood Gargoyle lineup. “Is it weird not being down there with them?” I asked Grayson.

“Nah. It’s kind of nice just watching,” he admitted. He wore a baseball hat backward, strands of his dark hair peeking out the back.

I rubbed my hands together, chasing away the chill that fogged the evening air. “I can’t believe you started all that shit with Carter in practice just so you could babysit me.”

Grayson shrugged in his Academy hoodie. “Sacrifices must be made. Besides, it was a win-win.”

My brow lifted as I tugged the ends of my sweater over my fingers. “How do you figure?”

A sinister, almost calculating grin passed over his lips. “It got Carter out of the game,” he remarked.

“Okay.” I failed to see how that was important.

Grayson pointed down at few rows in the bleachers. “You see that guy? He’s with Penn State. And that guy over there? He’s from Clemson University.”

Understanding dawned. “They’re scouting.”

He nodded. “Two of the best football colleges in the country.”

“I get the idea behind your plan. Carter is missing out on a huge opportunity.” And Steven Patterson would be livid. Although I was sure he’d make a few calls on his son’s behalf. “But what about you? Aren’t you missing out as well?”

His expression took on a sort of sad look. “Football isn’t my dream. It’s something the guys and I did together. But I don’t want to play pro.”

“So, what is your dream?” I asked, genuinely curious. This was information as his sister I should know. The realization that Grayson and I were still virtually strangers hit me with a pang in the chest.

Mads leaned in, invading my personal space, but I didn’t mind. “He wants to be a fireman, or was it a sharpshooter?”

Grayson rolled his eyes at his cousin. “When I was like ten. Honestly, I don’t know yet.”

“You better figure it out soon. Graduation will be here before you know it,” Mads informed.

Not soon enough for me.

The two of them stayed plastered to my side throughout the game. There was no sign of Carter or Ava for that matter, but that didn’t mean the bastard wasn’t lurking about. We stuffed our faces with hotdogs. Grayson ate three, and I all could think was how the hell did he stay so fit?

Elmwood Academy pulled off a win in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter, keeping the fans on the edge of their seats the entire game. For someone who didn’t like football, I managed to have fun. I’d almost forgotten what fun felt like. This was what senior year should be, not running from home, being harassed by my dickless stepbrother, or sucked into a teenage war far beyond my years.

In Elmwood fashion, a victory after-party was being held at someone’s house, but honestly, it was no different than any other Friday or Saturday night. Someone was always having a party. Usually one of the Elite. But not tonight.

Mads left as soon as the game was over. I hung out with Grayson, waiting for Fynn, Brock, and Micah to change and get cleaned up after the game. Grayson, Fynn, and Micah hopped into Grayson’s Jeep, while Brock and I followed in his Rover. We pulled out of the school parking lot. “Are you sure you don’t want to skip the party?” Brock asked, his gaze focused on the dark road in front of us.

I pulled the visor down and checked my face out in the mirror in an attempt to distract myself from jumping across the seat and attacking him with my mouth. There was something damn irresistible about Brock after he showered. The scent of his freshly shampooed hair and earthy soap filled the car, driving me wild. “Is that even allowed? Brock Taylor not showing up to a victory party? Seems criminal.”

The corners of his mouth lifted in a small smug grin. “It is if I say it is.”

I made a sound of indignation and rolled my eyes. “Nice.”

Brock turned into the gas station, Grayson’s Jeep trailing behind. As Brock stopped the car beside the pump, a girl in the next lane caught my eye. She sat on the hood of her car, cell phone in hand. “Is that Mads?” I asked, looking closer. The girl angled her head toward us, a cigarette pressed against her lips, and she was wearing the same sweatshirt and jeans.

His amusement slipped, eyes narrowing. “Looks like it.”

I got out of the car with Brock, leaving him to fill the gas tank, and walked over to Mads. “Hey. I thought you were going home.”

A smile pulled at the corner of her lips around the cigarette. “I am,” she retorted, releasing a puff of smoke with the word. I doubted a lecture on smoking at a gas station was what she was after. “I stopped to fill up and my car won’t start.”

I glanced over the fairly new white BMW. “No shit.”

Jumping off the hood, she bent down and snuffed out the smoke. “I just had the damn thing in for maintenance too. Makes no sense.”

“Little does to me when it comes to cars. I just drive them, and even that’s questionable. Did you call someone? We can give you a ride home, if you want,” I offered.

“If Brock doesn’t mind the detour. My dad called AAA or some shit.” She spotted Grayson’s Jeep beside Brock’s SUV. “I can always get Gray to drive me.”

“I’m sure it will be cool,” I assured as a gust of wind blew through my hair. It was getting colder by the minute.

A familiar Escalade came zipping into the gas station, coming to a screeching halt. My stepbrother even drove like an ass. He and two of his football buddies jumped out of the car. Carter’s eyes zoned in on me, followed by an arrogant smirk.

Mads’s eyes narrowed. “What is he doing here?”

I folded my arms, prickles of unease running down my skin. “Starting trouble.”

Leave it to my fucking stepbrother to ruin a perfectly good night.

“Oh, shit,” Micah said, catching sight of Carter.

Brock stiffened, jamming the gas nozzle back into the pump, and came to stand beside me. His lips turned down into a frown. “Get in the car. Both of you.” Brock’s tone turned cold. The ice dripping from his command wasn’t directed at me, I knew that, but I hated being ordered about.

But this was one time I might actually listen.

A knot formed in my gut, and I told my legs to move.

“Shit,” Mads cursed under breath, reaching for my hand. “I’ve got her,” she assured Brock.

I would have gone willingly with her if Carter hadn’t opened the back door. If a girl hadn’t stumbled out. If the girl didn’t have familiar rainbow hair woven into two braids.

Son of a bitch!

It couldn’t be.

She would never.

Would she?

But the facts were: Ainsley Fisher liked to party. Carter Patterson liked to slip drugs into girls’ drinks. And Carter was on a desperate mission to ruin the Elite and using my best friend wasn’t beneath him.

I froze. My heart jerked in my chest, ice freezing in my veins. I got the message. If I didn’t comply, didn’t help him get what he wanted, Carter would hurt those I loved.

Dammit, Ainsley.

The sleaze put his arm around Ainsley, helping her stay on her feet. “Whoa, there.”

His hands were on my best friend! I stopped thinking, my legs carrying me away from Brock’s car, but I didn’t get very far. Firm arms wrapped twined around my waist.

“No fucking way, Firefly,” a voice hissed close to my ear.

“Let me go,” I gritted. “That’s my best friend.”

“We’ll handle this.” He jerked his head at Grayson, Fynn, and Micah. In a few seconds, I had a human wall of Elite in front of me. Frustration bubbled up. My friend needed me. She was in trouble. If anything happened to her because of me, I’d never forgive myself. I had to do something before Carter hurt her, like really hurt her.

Then it happened.

Brock stepped forward. Murder gleamed in his eyes as he glared at Carter. “I thought I told you to stay away from Josie.”

Carter had an excuse for everything. Now was no different. “It’s a gas station. How the hell was I supposed to know she’d be here?”

Micah let out a swift curse. “You see our cars. First clue.”

“I don’t know how much clearer we can make this. Stay. The. Fuck. Away from her,” Grayson rumbled, the veins in his neck throbbing.

“That includes her friends, you asshole,” Fynn added lethally, his voice deep and dark.

“You want her. Here,” Carter shoved Ainsley across the gas station parking lot. “She’s all yours. I’m done with her now.” My stepbrother’s blue eyes flashed to mine with the satisfaction of a serial killer who just got away with another murder.

Shawn and Porter chuckled as Ainsley stumbled and fell to the ground.

“How pathetic.” Porter spat on the blacktop at Ainsley’s feet.

Fynn scooped her up, his scowl flat and cruel. “Funny, I was thinking the same thing about the three of you. I can’t believe I ever considered you teammates. That’s what really gets me. You’re nothing to us, on or off the field.”

“Look at the lights,” Ainsley said as her head fell back, gazing at the floodlights surrounding the gas station. She was drugged out of her mind.

I pushed forward, somehow managing to wedge myself between Brock and Micah. I shot Carter a look of pure venom as I rushed to Ainsley in Fynn’s arms. No one stopped me this time. “What the fuck did you do to her?” I hurled at Carter.

The bastard grinned. “Nothing she didn’t want to do.”

Carter Patterson’s famous last words. “Bullshit! If you touched her, I’ll kill you.” Ainsley might like to party, but she had a strict policy against drugs.

Carter jiggled the phone in his hand. “Better watch what you say, sis. You’re on camera.”

I didn’t give two shits.

Grayson cracked his knuckles. “She’s not your sister.”

Carter must be glutton for punishment. “What? It’s okay for you guys to pass her around as your whore? But I can’t have a little fun with her best friend?”

“Your kind of fun ends with you behind bars. I’d be careful not to drop the soap though. I heard things get a bit slippery in the showers,” Micah sneered.

“Don’t fuck with me. When I’m done with you, Carter, you’re going to wish my mom never married your dad.” The threats just flew out of my mouth. I had no real ammunition to back it up, and yet, somehow having the Elite stand alongside me gave me too much courage.

It was dangerous.

I was relying on them, using them as a safeguard. I had to stop before I got hurt. Not by Carter. But by one of them.

Brock, Fynn, Micah, and Grayson all had the power to hurt me now. They had become important to me. I didn’t even know how or when it happened. They didn’t deserve it after lying to me, but I also understood why they had. In this world, the four of them could only trust each other.

Now they had me.

And I had them.

The Elite stared Carter down, silently begging him for a fight. They might just get their wish.

“Get her in the car,” Brock ordered Mads with full authority, his tone so low.

Mads didn’t hesitate. She took my arm by the elbow, leading me away from whatever would happen next. Fynn followed behind with Ainsley, loading her safely into the back seat of Brock’s car. I climbed in beside her.

I didn’t care what happened to Carter, Porter, or Shawn. My only concern was for Ainsley.

“Josie?” she moaned. “I don’t feel so good.” Her head landed on my lap as Mads opened the front passenger door and got in.

“I know. It’s okay now,” I assured Ainsley, stroking her hair, praying it would be. I rolled down the window slightly for two purposes. One, to let in some fresh air for Ainsley, and the other, so I could hear what was going outside.

Micah disappeared from my sight as Brock, Fynn, and Grayson moved toward Carter, Shawn, and Porter. The gas station had cleared out, leaving just four cars in the lot. Carter’s, Mads’s, Brock’s, and Grayson’s. “We’ve warned you what happens when you step out of line,” Brock snapped.

Carter snorted. “What are you going to do?” My stepbrother puffed out his chest, feeling pretty freaking cocky. Idiot. It made me wonder what he was up to. He wouldn’t confront Brock like this, not unless he had a reason the Elite wouldn’t hurt him. Perhaps it was because we were in a public place with cameras. Something told me the Elite didn’t care. They had Carter on camera, dumping my best friend who was clearly out of her mind, despite it not being enough to prove that he gave her the drugs. And they had power to erase footage, to make it look like nothing happened after this point.

That kind of pull frightened me.

In the distance, the first sound of police sirens went off.

Shit.

“You love this car, don’t you?” Brock said, running a finger along the hood of Carter’s SUV.

“Love” was an understatement. Carter worshiped his Escalade.

“You like to have fun, right?” I heard Micah say. I still couldn’t see him, but the look on Carter’s face… it was priceless.

Smash.

The windshield on the Escalade shattered. Smash. Smash. Out went the passenger side front and back windows. Micah grinned, a baseball bat in his hand. He didn’t stop, putting dents in the side panels of Carter’s car.

I didn’t even want to know why Grayson drove around with a bat. I assumed it was for situations such as this.

“What the fuck, man!” Carter shrieked.

Porter and Shawn both backed away a step or two, eyeing Micah uneasily. “Calm down. We’re not looking for a fight,” Porter said, no longer grinning like a shithead.

“Really?” Micah’s lopsided grin turned lethal as he thumped the end of the bat against his palm. “Because it kind of feels like that’s exactly what you were hoping for.”

“We’re always down for a good fight,” Grayson said.

Brock gave a jerk of his head toward Fynn. “I warned you.”

Fynn took off toward the gas station building, I assumed to get the camera footage.

Micah came around the front of Carter’s SUV, bat propped up on one shoulder. It was three against three. Fynn was inside talking to the attendant. “Get in your car and get the fuck out of here,” Micah ordered.

Enraged, Carter’s face turned red. There was shattered glass littered on the ground around the Escalade. And for a moment, I thought Carter would charge Brock. “This isn’t over, Taylor. We’re just getting started.”

“Doesn’t matter. I will always end it,” Brock replied.

Carter, Shawn, and Porter climbed into the SUV, sweeping fragments off the seats. The engine roared, Carter giving it gas before he put it into drive and squealed out of the gas station. A long moment of silence stretched where I did nothing but stare out the window at Brock. Stunned.

“Holy shit,” Mads gasped. “I can’t believe that just happened.”

The world came rushing back around me, all the sounds with it.

I sank into the seat, glancing down at Ainsley. She had fallen asleep. I didn’t know if that was a good thing or not, but I was still taking her to the hospital to be safe. Hopefully, it was nothing serious and she could sleep off whatever cocktail Carter had slipped her. “I’m going to kill him,” I hissed through my teeth as the car door opened.

“Get in line,” Brock mumbled, sliding into the front seat. His eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. “Are you okay?” A brief glimmer of concern crossed his expression, so quick, I wondered if I imagined it.

I nodded. “Yeah. This is only going to get worse, isn’t it?”

“Probably.” No denial or lies came from his response. Just flat acceptance.

* * *

It was late when Brock finally dropped Mads off at her house. I hugged her quickly and promised to text her.

He and Mads had both stayed with me at the hospital while the doctor checked out Ainsley and tested her for drugs. It was important for the police to know what type of drugs were in her system. The doctor assured the affects would wear off in a few hours. I stayed in the room with Ainsley. It would be a week or more before the results from the rape kit test were concluded.

The extent of the Elite’s influence reached to the hospital and to the police. All I could do was stare at him as he informed the officer and hospital staff that Ainsley would be coming home with us and there was no need to notify her parents. He also advised that bills be sent to him and he would take care of it. Again, no questions asked.

A few blocks after he dropped off my cousin, Brock pulled the Land Rover up to his house and helped me get Ainsley inside. As I covered her with a blanket, I thought back to that day in the bathroom when Mads came up with the idea for me to be one of the Elite. The idea seemed preposterous then.

I was not exactly an Elite, but I had their protection, which was supposed to make me untouchable.

So far, that had not been the case. If anything, the closer I got to the Elite, the more dangerous my life became.

I brushed a strand of hair off the side of Ainsley’s cheek as she slept on the couch. Tingles radiated at my neck, signaling Brock was near. I turned around, finding him darkening the doorway. Only a small lamp provided light in the spacious room.

“Thanks for letting her crash here. I know this isn’t how you thought to spend your night.”

Brock crossed one ankle over the other as he leaned against the frame. “It’s not the first time someone sobered up on that couch.”

“Still, I appreciate it. She’s family.” I knew he would understand the importance. Sometimes people with no blood relation could be more family than those with whom you shared DNA with. Brock and I both had that. Me with Ainsley. And him with the Elite.

He forked a hand through his hair. “I get it.”

“Are you sure this fine?” I couldn’t help but pick up a ribbon of unease or agitation from him, like he was living a bad memory.

His mouth tightened. “It’s not your friend I’m worried about. You’re in danger, Firefly,” he stated.

My shoulders relaxed as I exhaled. “You don’t have to tell me.”

The look on his face was born from years of pent-up anger toward my stepbrother. “Don’t discard Carter’s threats. He is desperate, which makes him unpredictable. I don’t know when he will strike next.”

I scowled inwardly, understanding seeping into my already overtired brain. “I’m the easy target.”

His features grew more serious if even possible. “Yeah, but we put that target there.”

Walking around the coffee table, I closed some of the distance between us, not wanting to disturb Ainsley. That’s what I told myself. It had nothing to do with this irrational need to be near him. Not. At. All. Chewing on the inside of my lip, I hesitated over telling Brock about Carter blackmailing me. If I was going to trust him and I wanted him to trust me, then I needed to tell him.

Fuck it. No more secrets.

“I think Carter knows why you’re protecting me.” My voice came out just over a whisper.

In the dimly lit room, his brows drew together. “What are you saying? That he knows who you really are?”

I tugged the sleeve of my hoodie over my hand. “He’s implied that he knows.”

He made a low growl. “Firefly.”

“Look, I was going to tell you,” I snapped back. “Don’t get your boxers in a wad.”

“Tell me what exactly?” he prompted, his patience growing thin.

I huffed, wishing I had chosen to sit in one of the chairs rather than stand. It had been a long-ass night, and my legs weren’t thrilled about supporting my weight. “When I went home last weekend, he commented that if I didn’t help him get the thumb drive, he would tell my little secret.”

Brock swore. “You should have told me.”

“I was working on it.”

The light from the table lamp reflected off the center of his eyes. “Trust doesn’t come easy for either of us.” Brock shoved off the wall, his gaze flickering to Ainsley. “We aren’t the only ones with secrets to protect. I bet Carter’s father wouldn’t be too thrilled with his son’s after-school occupation.”

It was known around the Academy that if you were looking from some extracurricular activities, Carter Patterson had the hookup. I just assumed he knew someone. But was it more than that. Did Carter sell the stuff, mostly pills, more than just frequently? “That’s assuming Steven doesn’t already know,” I replied. “He is very well versed in covering his son’s tracks. I get the feeling he’s been doing it all of Carter’s life. Without his father’s protection, Carter would be up shit creek.”

Tension lines his body. “Then we need to find a way to shatter that shield of fatherly protection.”

I shook my head, unable to believe the turn of events. This was not how my evening was supposed to turn out. “I don’t know what she was thinking. She knows better than to mess with Carter. She knows what he is capable of.”

A frown marred his lips. “She most likely didn’t even know he was there. Remember, he’s been at this a lot longer than you have.”

That didn’t make me feel better. “Will she be okay?” I cast a worried glance at Ainsley. What had Carter done to her? Physically the doctor assured Ainsley would be fine. It was her mental state that concerned me—the trauma. She hadn’t said much in the hospital, still too high, but I was scared of what she might remember or might not remember.

“I don’t know,” he admitted after a long moment of silence. “She’ll sleep it off. We’ll see tomorrow.”

Tomorrow. Shit. I had detention in the morning.

With Carter.