A Dose of Pretty Poison: Chapter 4

Why is it that when you’re about to start closing everything up someone always decides to come through the damn door? I swear, it’s like they sit in the parking lot and wait for it to hit five minutes until closing before they come in. And I have to sit around as they finish browsing, like I’m not waiting impatiently for them to leave.

By the time I finally get out of work, it’s almost an entire hour past when I was supposed to lock up, and all they bought was a fucking sticker to put on their car.

Because you don’t have to actually be a surfer girl to look like one.

Sure, catfish. Whatever you say.

As I pull away from the surf shop, I send Cam a text letting him know I’m on my way. If he has a problem with how late I am, he can take it up with the chicks who tried to suffocate me with their perfume cloud.

My truck roars down Main Street as I drive through town. People stop to stare at me as I pass—some giving me dirty looks, while others smile because they recognize me. That’s the problem with living in a place where the population is low enough to fit everyone inside a basketball court. Everyone knows everyone, and they constantly think that your business is their own.

No fucking thank you.

I turn into the driveway my truck has spent more time in than my own and throw it in park, grabbing the box off the passenger seat and heading inside. Cam is standing in the kitchen with his phone in his hand when he looks up and sees me.

“Look who decided to show up.”

I roll my eyes and shove the box against his stomach. “Fuck off. I tried texting you.”

His brows furrow as he looks down at his phone again. “Oh yeah. Guess you did.”

“Too busy texting your mimosa chick from yesterday?”

He grunts. “Nah. Don’t get me wrong, we had fun, but I’m not interested in seeing her again.”

Now that doesn’t surprise me. “Not Mali enough for you?”

His eyes widen and he looks for Laiken, but when he notices she isn’t around, he relaxes. “No, asshole. She’s just too high maintenance for me.”

“So, you’re looking for the Toyota of women?” I quip.

He closes his eyes for a second and shakes his head. “I don’t know what’s worse—that you’re an asshole or that what you just said makes sense.”

I grab an apple from the bowl in the middle of the island and take a bite out of it. “Neither. I’m fantastic.”

Before he can spit back some smartass response, Laiken comes storming down the stairs. You can tell by the look on her face that she’s not in the best of moods. And when Cam is blocking her way to the fridge, I’m almost concerned for his wellbeing.

“Can you move?” she sneers.

He glances at her and then back at me, with an expression that says even he knows not to fuck with her right now. He steps out of her way, and she grabs a bottle of water before stomping her little ass back to her room.

Only when she’s finally out of earshot do either of us find it safe to breathe again.

“What the hell is wrong with her?” I ask.

He shrugs. “She got grounded, so now it’s Hurricane Laiken around here for the next week.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. No one is safe from her wrath.”

Cam puts the box on the island and opens it up, pulling out one of the bars of surf wax. One of the perks of being sponsored by the owner of the surf shop is he gets all the wax he wants for free. And one of the perks of being friends with me is that it gets delivered to his house. The rest of those fuckers can come pick it up at the shop.

“Perfect,” he says. “Thanks, man. Would you mind putting this in my room though? I’ve got to head out.”

For the first time since I got here, I notice he’s all dressed up—or at least as dressed up as Cam gets. “I thought you said you weren’t seeing that girl again.”

“I’m not. I have a dinner date,” he explains.

Out of all the years I’ve known Cam, he has gone on a total of maybe five dates. And that includes the year he was in a somewhat-serious relationship with Sienna.

“Okay, what the fuck is going on?” I chuckle.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you’ve been going on a lot of dates lately, and yet none of them get a second one.”

He slips his phone into his pocket and grabs his keys off the hook. “I don’t know. I can’t risk being at parties, so for the next two years I have to spend my time elsewhere.”

The corner of my mouth raises. “And the fact that they all seem to look like Mali is a total coincidence?”

Instead of answering, he heads for the door and flips me off. “Later, douchebag!”

Cracking on him about her is my favorite hobby. And honestly, I’ve never really understood why he won’t just ask her out. I’ve seen the way they glance at each other. If she were to say no, I’d be shocked. But I guess we’ll never know, since he won’t ever grow a pair when it comes to her.

I grab the box off the island and head up the stairs to put it in his room. Clothes are strewn all over his bed, suggesting he put a little more effort into this date than he wants to admit. Who knows, maybe he actually likes this one.

Or maybe he’s just avoiding the obvious.

Just when I’m about to leave, I hear singing coming from the second set of stairs. Laiken’s voice carries throughout the house as she belts out the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s All Too Well. It’s never been a secret that she can sing. She’s performed the National Anthem at our hockey games more times than I can count. But there’s something different about the way she hits all the right notes when she’s alone versus when she has an audience. It’s like she’s willing to push herself a little further when she’s in her own little world.

I take the stairs two at a time until I’m standing in the doorway to Laiken’s bedroom. It’s funny because I’ve always teased her about having a room in the attic, but as I stand here, watching her dance around with her eyes closed and earbuds firmly in place—I can’t help but be a little jealous. The moon shines through the skylight, making me wonder what it would be like to fall asleep while staring up at the stars.

Leaning against the doorway, a smirk appears on my face as I watch Laiken and listen to her sing. Her hair is curled, her makeup done, and the loose shit with a plunging neckline is definitely not the T-shirt and sweatpants she had on a few minutes ago. But before I can figure out what she’s up to for myself, she opens her eyes and sees my reflection in the mirror.

“Jesus Christ!” she shouts. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Enjoying the show,” I answer simply.

Cocking a brow at me, she takes out the earbuds and puts them back into their case. “How long have you been there?”

“Long enough to hear you belt out the lyrics like Taylor Swift’s breakups are your own.”

She scoffs. “Those breakups are my own. Don’t burn my girl and you won’t get a song written about you. Plain and simple.”

My grin widens. “Spoken like a true Swiftie.”

“The fact that you even know what a Swiftie is…”

“Hey,” I say defensively, “I have a sister.”

Her arms cross over her chest as she looks me up and down. “Mm-hm. I’m sure you blast “I Knew You Were Trouble” in your truck on the way home from work.”

“It’s a good song!”

Honestly, I don’t even know which song that is. I’m sure I’ve heard it at one point in time or another, but seeing the way she giggles at my lame joke almost makes me want to listen to it.

Almost.

She walks over to her bed and sits down before slipping her feet into a pair of heels. What I thought was just her being bored and playing dress up to entertain herself is definitely something else.

“What are you doing?” I question hesitantly.

The last thing I want is for her to bite my head off the same way she almost did Cam’s.

Laiken looks at me like I’ve grown a second head. “Going to a party.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be grounded?” The fact that I sound like a parent isn’t lost on me, but I’m not sure I want her going anywhere looking like that.

She grunts amusedly. “Okay, first of all, the fact that they even have the ability to ground me when I’m a legal adult is bullshit.”

I can’t exactly argue with her there, but she isn’t done as she continues while walking over and opening her skylight.

“And second, if they didn’t want me to sneak out, they shouldn’t have given me such easy access. Besides, there’s something I need to take care of.”

The way she climbs out onto the roof shows that this isn’t something new for her. She’s too comfortable—not even a bit worried that heels and roofing shingles don’t go well together. But me, I don’t like the way her shirt reveals a little too much when she moves a certain way.

“I really don’t think you should do that,” I try telling her when her foot slips.

“Are you going to stop me?”

The question sounds more like a challenge, but if I know anything about this girl, it’s that doing so would only push her even more.

My shoulders sag in defeat. “Like I even could.”

The corners of her mouth raise as she looks me up and down. “I guess you know me better than I thought.”

Before I can even begin to try to unpack that statement, she closes the skylight and the sound of her heels scraping across the roof echoes through the room. I open it back up and stick my head through just in time to see her shimmy down a pole. A few seconds later, she’s on the ground and walking down the driveway.

Fucking hell.

I PUT THE KEY in the ignition and turn it, hearing as my truck roars to life. As I left Laiken’s room, I closed the door and locked it in hopes that it will keep her from getting caught. Does it surprise me that she snuck out? Not even a little. We’ve all done it, especially while our parents forbid us from going out. And she had a point—she’s a legal adult. However, I don’t think her parents will see it that way if they find out.

Pulling out of the driveway, I start heading home when I pass Laiken walking down the side of the road. I thought for sure Mali or another one of her friends would be right around the corner to pick her up, but I guess I was wrong.

My foot hovers over the brake, and I know it’s a bad idea. The only thing I should be doing right now is going home to shower and study the new plays for hockey practice tomorrow. And yet, I find myself pulling over to the side of the road and rolling down the window as I wait for Laiken to get up to my truck.

“Get in,” I all but demand.

She looks a little confused. “So you can take me home or to the party?”

Ugh.

“The party,” I specify, relieved when she opens the door and climbs inside. “Where is it?”

“Heather Fredrick’s house.”

I nod, not needing any more information, and I’m sure she knows why. Heather has an older sister, Cassie. And let’s just say Cass and I aren’t exactly strangers. I’ve been to that house enough to know how to get there.

“You were going to walk that far?”

She shrugs and looks out the window. “I told you. There’s something I need to take care of.”

Vague, but okay. “And Mali isn’t coming with you?”

“She’s at work,” is the only explanation she offers.

It goes quiet again for a bit, until I let my curiosity get the better of me.

“So, what did you manage to get grounded for anyway?”

She hums, pulling her attention away from the window and over to me. “My dad found out I haven’t been getting my oil changed and now my engine is fucked.”

That’ll do it. “Doesn’t he give you the money to get it done?”

“Yes, but no self-respecting woman wants to sit there while a bunch of mechanics stare at our cleavage and offer us things we don’t actually need.”

I chuckle, having no comeback for that. If I’m honest, I don’t want some fucker ogling her while she waits for her car either, but that’s just because she’s Cam’s little sister. She deserves more respect than that shit.

“You could have Cam come with you to get it done,” I suggest. “Bet they won’t ever do that shit again.”

She snorts. “Yeah, well, contrary to popular belief, I don’t actually enjoy him being as intrusive as he is. He still treats me like I’m twelve.”

My jaw drops in mock disbelief. “You mean, you’re not? I should’ve let you walk then.”

Using the back of her hand, she smacks my arm. “Shut up.”

But I don’t miss the way her smile reflects in the window as she turns her attention back to the passing houses.

WE PULL UP TO find the house packed to the brim. It must be some kind of back-for-the-summer party, because there’s people on the lawn that I know for a fact left for college in September. Don’t they know it’s better if they just stay there? Who would want to come back to this shitty town anyway?

“Thanks for the ride,” Laiken tells me as she unbuckles her seatbelt, but she stops as soon as I shut off the truck. “What are you doing?”

I shrug. “I’m already here. Figure I may as well go in and say hi to a few people.”

Judging by the look on her face, she’d rather I do anything but that—which is exactly why I’m doing it anyway. There haven’t been many times I’ve seen Laiken so determined to go to a party, and especially not without Mali. Which means the thing she needs to take care of is important enough for her to come alone. If I left her here and something happened to her, Cam would never forgive me for it.

I’ll just hang out, socialize a little, and keep a subtle eye on her.

No harm, no foul.

The two of us walk into the party, and I don’t even get so much as a goodbye before she leaves me to go over to a few friends. But that’s okay. It only takes a second before I spot Cassie and a few of the guys hanging out in the kitchen.

“Now there’s a face I haven’t seen in a while,” she says with a smile.

I push my hair out of my face. “What’s up, Cass?”

“Not much. Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Yeah, well. I was in the area.”

It’s a blatant lie. Even she knows that. But she’s not about to call me out on it, especially because she knows I’ve never just shown up here for her. I was always invited first, and even then, sometimes she had to convince me to come.

I say hello to some of the guys while Cassie goes over to get a beer from the keg. When she gets back, she hands it to me and leans against the counter.

“So, how’ve you been?” she questions.

As I take a sip, she waits for my answer. “Can’t complain. How’s university?”

“It’s amazing.” Her face lights up like it’s her favorite thing to talk about. “My roommates are great, and I’m dating this guy. His name is Drew. He was my lab partner.”

I smile, even though I genuinely couldn’t care less. “That’s great. I’m really happy for you.”

She runs her fingers through her hair. “Thanks. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish he was you sometimes, though.”

And there it is. The reason I never took her seriously or ever even considered a relationship with her. I’ve never really done relationships with anyone, but if I was going to, it certainly wouldn’t be with her. That girl doesn’t have a loyal bone in her body. She always tried to preach that I was that one guy for her. The one she’s had a crush on for years and can’t really find anyone that compares. But I don’t buy it.

She just wants to be the girl who can change me.

Not going to happen.

“And on that note,” I say, tipping my cup toward her. “I’m going to go see who else is around.”

Her smile falls as she realizes whatever she was hoping for isn’t going to happen. But I’m not the cheat on your boyfriend with kind of guy. I wonder if lab-partner-Drew has any idea she came home with full intentions of hooking up with an old fling if given the chance.

After making rounds and not seeing anyone worth staying for, I’m almost considering leaving. I’m exhausted, and all Laiken seems to be doing is hanging out with a few friends. Nothing out of the usual. But that idea goes right out of my mind when I spot Craig across the room.

He’s standing with a bunch of the guys from the football team, both former and current, but every few minutes, he glances in Laiken’s direction. And after what happened at breakfast yesterday, you couldn’t pay me to leave now.

I’M NOT A CREEP. Or at least that’s what I keep telling myself as I pretend to socialize with the sole intention of keeping an eye on Laiken and her douchebag of an ex. Thankfully, other than longing for her attention like a stray puppy, Craig hasn’t done anything. I finally convince myself that the two of them can exist in the same room without him being a threat to her, and give myself permission to go to the bathroom.

Big mistake.

I couldn’t have been gone any more than five minutes, and yet, when I come back, Craig isn’t where he was when I left. Instead, he’s standing by the door with Laiken, about fifty feet closer than either of us would like him to be. Her nose scrunches in disgust as he takes a step closer, and she puts a hand on his chest to keep some distance between them. It isn’t until he grabs her wrist to keep her from walking away and starts yelling at her that I get involved.

“Hey,” I interrupt them, ignoring the way Laiken rolls her eyes. “Everything okay over here?”

Craig grins smugly. “We’re fine, Wilder. Isn’t that right, Lai?”

She tries to tug her wrist free once more, but fails. Her eyes meet mine, and the message is clear. She may not want to ask for help—she’s far too stubborn for that—but she needs it.

“Get your hand off the girl, Craig,” I growl.

“Come on, man. I thought we were cool.”

Taking a step closer, I nod toward where he’s gripping her tightly. “Don’t make me say it again.”

He lets go and raises his hands in surrender. “All right. Relax.”

The second she’s free, Laiken storms away, and I don’t hesitate to follow her. I put my hand on her shoulder and she flinches, but then exhales when she notices it’s just me.

“What’s going on?”

She shakes her head and runs her fingers through her hair. “It’s nothing.”

Yeah, no. “It’s not nothing. This is the second time I’ve seen you arguing with him. So either you tell me, or I’m going to get Cam down here. Regardless, I’m not leaving here until I get to the bottom of this.”

Pinching the bridge of her nose, I can tell she’s uncomfortable. I wait patiently as she takes a couple breaths and then her shoulders sag as she looks up at me.

“He’s mad that I don’t want to get back with him, so he’s holding some pictures I sent him while we were together over my head like a goddamn guillotine.”

She slips her phone out from her back pocket and hands it to me, letting me see all the texts he’s been sending her over the past couple days.

Now I get it—why she was so quick to cave when I mentioned getting Cam down here. If he knew about this shit, he’d be on the next bus to Neuse Correctional with murder charges pending. Hell, I’m contemplating doing it myself right now.

I don’t know what pisses me off more, that he’s trying to blackmail her into being with him, or that he’s insinuating that he’s her only option. As if she should run back to him after everything he did simply because he thinks he’s hot shit.

Fucking prick.

“And you don’t want to get back with him?” I ask sarcastically as I hand her phone back.

She huffs, a hint of a smile showing through. “It’s a wonder, right? He’s a real prince charming.”

The two of us glance over to see him standing back with his friends. When he notices he has Laiken’s attention, he smiles and winks at her, like he’s not dangerously close to having my fist embedded into his face.

Yeah, this isn’t happening.

I’m not going to sit here and make her feel less than. This is most likely a horrible idea, even worse than offering to pick her up from the mechanic, or drive her to the party, but the rage running through me blurs my judgment. I place a gentle hand on Laiken’s face. Her attention immediately switches from him to me as a mix of fear and confusion fills her eyes.

“I’m going to do something, and I need you to trust me, okay?”

She takes her bottom lip between her teeth and nods. “Okay.”

I don’t let myself hesitate for a single second as I pull her in and cover her mouth with my own. It’s supposed to be quick—soft and simple—but when she wraps her arms around my neck and arches up on her tiptoes to get closer, I can’t help myself. The hand that isn’t on her cheek moves to her lower back and holds her close as we both deepen the kiss.

The second her tongue tangles with my own, the taste of strawberries and vanilla is all I can focus on. In this moment, we’re not in the middle of a party, she’s not my best friend’s little sister, and I’m not kissing her for the sole purpose of making her ex eat his words.

No.

In this moment, she’s mine.

Wait, shit.

The realization of what just went through my mind pours over me like a bucket of ice water, and I force myself to break the kiss. I rest my forehead against hers as the two of us catch our breath, and when I open my eyes, I see Laiken staring back at me.

Taking my keys out of my pocket, I put them in her hand. “Go outside and wait for me at my truck.”

She takes a deep breath before nodding and doing as I say. I watch her as she walks right out the front door, and then I turn to Craig. His attention is already on me with his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed.

“So, tell me,” he starts as we meet in the middle of the room. “How are my sloppy seconds?”

I put my tongue in my cheek and chuckle dryly before grabbing him by his jacket and slamming him into the railing of the stairs. Some people gasp while the majority just stop and stare.

“Jesus Christ,” Craig says. “Chill the fuck out, bro.”

Not your fucking bro. “Hand over your phone, shithead, or this is only going to get worse for you.”

“All right, all right,” he mutters and takes out his phone.

I rip it out of his hand and instead of going to photos, I go straight into settings. It’s bad enough that he’s letting his friends get ahold of pictures that were always meant to stay private. I absolutely refuse to betray her by seeing them too, even if it’s just to delete them.

Within thirty seconds, his phone is in the process of being factory reset, knowing he hasn’t used the cloud since the day he almost got expelled for being caught with the answers to one of his final exams.

“The fuck did you do that for?” he whines, snatching his phone back. “I had shit on there I needed.”

“Should’ve thought about that before you threatened someone I care about,” I sneer. “Any other copies of those get out, I’ll smash your phone and feed you the pieces. Got it?”

He scoffs, shoving me off him and fixing his jacket. “Whatever, man. She’s psychotic anyway. You should see what that bitch did to my fucking car.”

I can’t help but smirk. Laiken doesn’t really do anything small, and I’m sure this is no different. Refusing to dignify him with an answer, I push my way through the shocked party and find Laiken standing by the front door. She looks just as surprised as everyone else, except with a glint of admiration in her eyes that should probably set off alarms in my brain, but I don’t miss a beat.

Already gave myself something to explain to Cam, because there’s no chance he won’t hear about this. I may as well really drive the point home.

Throwing an arm around her, the two of us walk right out the front door and leave everyone behind to question what the fuck just happened.

We both stay quiet as we walk toward my truck, until I see Craig’s 1970 Chevelle. The paint is absolutely destroyed across most of the car, and Laiken looks at it like it’s her life’s work.

“I take it that’s your artwork?” I ask.

She smiles in a way that’s entirely too innocent for the last ten minutes. “I gave it a makeover. He should be thanking me. It has character now.”

I laugh, knowing he deserved it. “You’re insane.”

Her one shoulder raises in a half shrug as she reaches the passenger side of my truck. “I wanted to set it on fire, but Mali said that was a little too much, even for me.”

For the love of fuck. “Remind me to thank her.”

THE WHOLE WAY BACK to Laiken’s house is dead silent. Not even the radio can ease the tension between us. My hand grips the steering wheel tight enough to turn my knuckles white while the other holds a cigarette that is meant to calm me down and failing miserably.

I shouldn’t have kissed her. I know that. It was a selfish move on my part, especially knowing how she feels about me. And if Craig’s smug attitude hadn’t pissed me off, I would’ve realized that long before it was too late. But in the moment, I wanted nothing more than to wipe that grin off his face—and I did.

And now Cam is going to rip my head straight from my shoulders. At least it will be quick. I might not even feel it.

Not wanting her parents to hear my truck and notice Laiken ever left her room in the first place, I pull over on the side of the road down the street from her house. I can see her turn to face me out of the corner of my eye, but I keep my gaze laser focused on the dashboard.

“I reset his phone,” I tell her. “The pictures are gone, and if he has them anywhere else, he knows better than to keep them.”

She nods, unbuckling her seatbelt. “Thank you. Seriously.”

Her hand rests on my arm, and I hate the way her touch threatens to burn through my skin.

“I really appreciate it.”

“We need to talk about tonight,” I say before she gets out. “I shouldn’t have kissed you. That was wrong of me. I just—”

“H,” she interrupts me with a warm smile. “You don’t… I know what that kiss was. You were just doing me a favor. It’s not like I’m suddenly in love with you or anything.”

Except, I can tell by the way she says those words—she is. It’s just not suddenly. God, I’m going to hell.

“Still. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she tells me honestly. “I’m not.”

With one more grin that does things to me I refuse to acknowledge, she climbs out of the truck and walks the rest of the way home.

T minus twelve hours until hockey practice, where Cam will inevitably use my head as a puck.

ALL MORNING, I FIND myself mindlessly playing with my bottom lip. I can still feel the softness of her mouth pressed against mine. It’s as if kissing her short circuited my brain. It was only meant to be for revenge. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to see the prick’s always cocky attitude falter a bit. And it worked.

Case closed.

Mission accomplished.

But if it served its purpose, why the fuck can’t I stop thinking about it?

“Dude,” Cam says as he snaps in front of my face. “Did you even hear a word I said?”

I look down at the playbook in his hands. “Sorry, didn’t sleep well last night. One more time?”

He starts to go over the play again, but my subconscious keeps repeating tell him like a mantra in my head. The problem is, I don’t know how.

Hey, I made out with your sister last night.

Shoved my tongue down your sister’s throat, but don’t worry because it was for revenge against her ex.

Any idea how to get the taste of your little sister off my tongue?

Who am I kidding? No matter how I say it, the outcome will still be the same. He already has to deal with most of his friends hitting on her. Finding out I kissed her the way I did last night…that puts me at the top of his hit list.

Better to rip the bandage off.

“Actually, I have to talk to you about something,” I tell him, but before I can say anything else, Isaac comes storming out of the locker room.

“Wilder!” he roars as he steps onto the ice. “What the fuck makes you think you have the right to threaten my brother?”

Cam’s brows raise. “You threatened Craig?”

I square my shoulders and direct my attention to Isaac. “If he wasn’t being such a piece of shit, I wouldn’t have had to. Maybe someone in your family should teach him how to treat a girl.”

“Oh, you mean like you know how?” The devious grin on his face tells me I’m fucked. “Yeah, Craig told me all about that kiss. Does Cam know you’ve been screwing Baby Blanchard?”

“Uh, what?” Cam’s jaw ticks as he looks between us, but my attention stays on Isaac.

“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

“Sure, I do,” he replies. “Tell me, how good is she?”

Cam’s head whips toward Isaac. “You’ll shut your mouth right now if you know what’s good for you.”

But his efforts are futile as he smirks. “Come on. I’ve seen her legs in that leotard. I bet she knows how to ride it just right.”

I’m sure I’ll add this to the list of bad choices I’ve made in the last twenty-four hours, but nothing can hold me back as I lunge toward him and bury my fist in his face.

THE BLEACHERS ARE COLD, which is why the ice pack Cam brings me is almost comical. Why Coach sent us to opposite sides of the place after breaking up the fight is beyond me. He should’ve just had us lay on the ice to mend our wounds.

“You should get that cut on your lip looked at,” Cam tells me as I hiss.

I can already feel it starting to fatten, but at least I’m not thinking about kissing Laiken anymore.

Fuck—scratch that.

“I’ll have my mom check it out when I get home,” I answer.

I’m almost hopeful he’ll walk away, go let off steam or something first after the way he found out about last night, but instead, he sits down beside me.

“So, you kissed my sister?”

Going straight for the kill, I guess. “It’s not what you think. I swear, I was just helping her. Craig was being a douchebag, and she needed someone to come to her rescue.”

He chuckles. “Clearly you didn’t tell her that. If you had, you wouldn’t be standing there.”

Okay, so maybe he has a point. Laiken has never been the kind to need a knight in shining armor. But he didn’t see the look on her face last night or the way her ex has the ability to take her mood from sky high to rock bottom in seconds flat.

“Yeah, don’t tell her I said that. I’ve already taken one fist to the face today. I don’t need another.”

He hums. “Ballsy of you to assume I’m not going to hit you, too.”

“I’d deserve it,” I answer honestly. “I crossed a line, but just know it was only a kiss. One kiss to get Craig to leave her the hell alone.”

“Is that why you hit Isaac?”

The way he’s looking at me tells me my next answer will decide where either of us go from here. Luckily for me, I’m used to needing to lie on the spot—the result of trauma from my father leaving and needing to convince everyone I was okay for years.

“What he said was fucked up,” I begin. “But if I hadn’t punched him, you would’ve. Your fist was already clenched at your side. Can’t have you violating probation on a scumbag like him.”

He pulls his gaze away from me and onto the ice, and after the longest second of my life, he nods slowly. “Fair enough.”

“So, we’re good?”

“Yeah,” he confirms. “We’re good, but you should know that Coach is pissed.”

That’s fine. I can handle a pissed-off coach and a few hard practices. Besides, decking Isaac was well worth it. And if I refuse to listen to my conscience when it tells me everything that I just told Cam was a lie, that’s worth it, too.

It was just a revenge kiss.

That’s all.