Breaking Her Bad by Michelle Mankin

 

 

 

 

 

Kyle

Something had changed with Claire.

I saw it in her expression. In the way she carried herself. In the clothes she wore. She sashayed along the same sidewalk from the school parking lot alongside her best friend, but that was the only variable that was unchanged.

Claire looked holy shit hot.

She’d slashed her jeans into cutoffs. Her nerdy bird T-shirt had fallen prey to shears too, revealing a good portion of her midriff, and it wasn’t a warm day. A cool breeze lifted Claire’s loose hair, making her look like a sexy model starring in a music video.

“Dude.” Tommy grabbed my arm. Whistling appreciatively under his breath, he pointed. “You seeing what I’m seeing?”

My eyes narrowed. “Yeah.” I saw, and so did every other dude.

I considered expressing my displeasure with each one, not liking them looking and lusting after her. That might make me a neanderthal, but so be it.

Claire is mine.

Tommy nudged me. “Uh-oh. She’s coming this way.”

I noted it and my mouth went dry, my gaze homing on her tits as the wind fluttered her cropped top.

Leaving Missy behind, Claire walked over the patchy grass in her red boots and stopped in front of us. “Morning, Tommy.”

“Yeah, some morning,” he mumbled.

“What are you doing, Claire?” I said sharply under my breath, and her gaze came to me.

“Just this.” Her eyes blazing light, she latched onto my arm, went up on her toes, and kissed me.

I was furious, mad as hell at her for breaking our agreement about secrecy at school, but I couldn’t resist her. I grabbed her ass before she could even think about pulling back. Taking over, I kissed her hard, a kiss that said she was mine. In case there was any doubt left in her mind or anyone else’s.

Looking dazed, she swayed when I ended what she’d begun.

“What the hell, Claire?” I growled, noting that everyone outside was watching us.

“I’m done pretending.” She pulled her shoulders back and held her chin high. “Life’s too unpredictable to play it safe. You’re mine, and I’m yours. We’re in a band now. We have friends that have us covered. And just as importantly, I’m stronger than you think.”

“Yeah, so?” I agreed with everything she said, except I didn’t think now was the time to throw caution to the wind.

I’d seen her display strength on numerous occasions. In Lakeside, when she’d marched right through her tormentors with her chin held high, with Belinda on the first day of school, going to the shit hole to confront me, and now risking my displeasure.

“I know you’re strong, Claire. But you don’t need to parade around school half-naked and blow our relationship cover for me to acknowledge it.”

“Not doing it just for your benefit. Doing it for me.” She lowered her voice. “Doing it for us. A relationship takes two working together in conjunction to achieve common goals. I want that for us. I want everyone to know we’re a united front. I want to be with you, Kyle. Not just in secret. All the time.”

She wanted me to break free from Skellin, and I wanted that too. I wanted her all the time. But I knew I couldn’t have what I wished the way I wanted it. That was Lakeside thinking.

In Southside, reality killed hope, rivals stole your treasure, and villains ruled.

Unfortunately, Claire didn’t grasp that. Not all of it. Not yet. She was creating a critical juncture. Knowing what she meant to me, Martin would be first in line to break her in order to break me. She was forcing me to make a choice, one I didn’t want to make. Because when it came to protecting her, I would always make the decision that kept her safe.

“You made your point,” I said.

Sweeping my gaze over Claire, I also noticed that Missy had stepped off the path and moved closer. I could tell she was as surprised by what Claire had done as I was, and just as worried. The timer was ticking, counting down starting now.

Everything, all the stakes, had now been upped.

“Huh?” Claire slowly blinked behind her lenses. Maybe she remained dazed from our kiss, or she’d expected me to put up more of a fight about us going public.

Yes, I was going to fight, but for her, not against her. Though, maybe she wouldn’t see it the same way. All I could do was make sure she was secure in the time remaining.

“Can I go back to doing my job now?” I asked Claire, raising a brow. “Or do we need to make it more obvious to everyone that we’re together?”

“No, I’m good.” She slowly smiled. “For now.”

“Then get going, babe.” I placed my hands on her shoulders, then slid them down to her ass. Our relationship was out in the open, and with that ass of hers on display, who would fault me?

“Get her to class, Missy.” I nudged Claire in the right direction.

“You got it.” Missy took Claire’s hand, and off they went.

“Holy fucking shit.” Tommy shook his head in disbelief as he moved beside me.

Nothing holy about the shit I had.

“What are you gonna do?” he asked me.

“What I have to,” I said grimly.

• • •

 

Claire

“Give a best friend a heads-up before you go off script like that, yeah?” Standing beside my locker, Missy stamped her hands to her hips, her ice-blue eyes blazing.

I shrugged. “I’m not pretending anymore.”

“Why the hell not? What’s changed?”

“Me.” I thumped my chest. “I’ve changed. I’m not playing the part of a frightened duckling anymore.”

“No one thinks you’re a coward, Claire.” She pursed her lips. “But one lesson with Tommy does not make you a warrior.”

“It’s not just that.” I closed my locker.

“What then?” She tilted her head, her long black hair sliding over one shoulder.

“It’s Kyle and me,” I said. What we started in Lakeside and continued here. “It’s being his. It’s my friendship with you.”

Her gaze softened. Encouraged, I continued.

“It’s Tommy and Chad too, though to a lesser degree. It’s being onstage with Kyle. It’s the conversation I had with my mom last night that I told you about this morning. It’s losing Kyle, then finding him again.”

“I get that, Claire bear.” Missy took my hand. “I’m honored to be included on that list.”

“I want to build on what we started, make it better, plan for the future. One we can all share.” I squeezed her hand. “But to have it, we must write it the way we want it to be, don’t you see?”

“I do see.” Her eyes brightened with understanding. “But there are elements, significant ones, who have the power to torch the paper before you write it down.”

I nodded. “Skellin. Belinda. La Rasa. I know. Back in the ABCR days, they had their obstacles too.”

And according to Barry, Skellin was a common one. I needed to talk to him soon and get more information. It seemed important.

“They had relationships and friendships,” I said, “that were important to them like we do, but they let things that don’t really matter get in the way. We can’t do that.”

Missy didn’t say anything. I had a few more things to say, so I kept going.

“The world can’t be the place you want it to be if you just accept it the way it is.” My arms straight at my sides, I lifted my chin. “I’m not going to pretend anymore. I’m not going to downplay the way I feel. I’m going to stand up for the people I care about, and the life I want to have.”

“Okay, tigress,” Missy said, but a voice I was beginning to anticipate and hate in equal measure interrupted.

“Hey, puta.”

I spun around to face Belinda, letting my backpack strap slide into my hand. Heavy with books, it could be used as a weapon if necessary. My heart raced, but I remembered one of the things Tommy had taught me. Hopefully, I could remember the rest.

Belinda’s brown eyes narrowed as she advanced. “So, you and the drug dealer, ese?”

“Kyle and Claire.” I corrected her, glancing over to take in her companion.

Noting Yolanda, Missy shifted closer.

“Don’t like you,” Belinda said, stopping a couple of inches away. “Don’t like you tattling to your man and then Jorge hassling me.”

I didn’t correct her about my non-role in that tattling. “Then maybe you should leave me alone.” My hands curled into fists.

“I would’ve. Maybe.” Her lips pulled back, revealing a perfect set of sharp-looking white teeth. “But you’re offensive to me. You and him together. Especially when your man got mine dead.”

“What?” I staggered back a step.

Kyle has never killed anyone. Has he?

Belinda’s mouth flattened. “Neto Escobera.”

“Who?” I didn’t understand.

“Your guy tangled with mine over that stupido bracelet of yours.”

“Oh.” My eyes rounded.

Missy glared at her. “Neto pulled a blade on Kyle. If he got punished by a higher-up on account of breaking the rules, that’s on him, not Kyle or Claire.”

Belinda apparently didn’t agree. Reaching in her pocket, she withdrew her blade. “Every action has a consequence. Someone’s gotta pay.”

Not today.

Shifting my weight forward onto the balls of my feet, I was ready and swung my backpack full of books at her. Belinda spun, and her blade flew from her grip. The Complete Works of Shakespeare in one volume packed a hell of a punch.

I didn’t give Belinda a chance to get her bearings, nor did I waste time looking to see where her blade went. I pounced like a tigress, taking Belinda down, all the way to the floor.

Taking the initiative. Another part of Tommy’s valuable lesson that I recalled.

Straddling Belinda, I pinned her and grabbed her wrists, vaguely aware of the crowd that gathered around us. “I’m tired of you picking on me.”

I slammed Belinda’s wrists down onto the unforgiving linoleum. The movement hurt my sore hand, but it hurt her more. She cried out, yet I didn’t feel bad. Right now, it seemed appropriate.

Releasing her wrists, I brought my arm back and curled my fingers into a fist. Her eyes widened. I was just about to punch her when suddenly someone scooped me up from behind, lifting me off her.

“Let go of me,” I snarled, fighting like crazy against the hands that gripped me.

“No,” Kyle whispered. “Settle down, wildcat.”

I shivered from the warmth of his breath in my ear.

“This isn’t you.” His strong arms banded around me in an unbreakable hold.

I stopped struggling to protest. “But I’m not through with her.”

“You’re through,” Mr. Garrett boomed. “You’re both through.”

Turning my head, I watched him step through the crowd. A big football coach accompanied him.

“Get to class!” The coach blew his whistle, and the crowd scattered.

Kyle took my hand, pulling me backward.

“Not you, Miss Walsh.” Mr. Garrett gave me a disappointed look. “I want you in my office. Mr. Murphy and Miss Mariposa, you’re coming along too. We’re all going to have a nice long chat.”