CREW PRINCESS (Crew #2)

Chapter Two

With Cross just two inches beneath him, Jordan was the tallest guy in our school. The only one who could’ve competed was our last principal, but he was gone.

Someone got him fired…

Cross came down the last few steps, moving his sister out of the way with a gentle hand, then stepped down so he was right behind me. His voice came over my shoulder, his breath caressing me. “We are?”

Jordan drew closer, some Normals behind him. The one lounger guy had tripled so there were three of them now.

I looked, but no Z. Where was Z? A few girls had come instead.

Sunday. Monica. There was another girl too. Lilac? She had a thing for Cross. I wasn’t a fan. And I was pretty sure she loathed me. I didn’t blame her. I’d feel the same.

See. More evidence of just how far I’d come.

I was all understanding now, not straight-going-for-the-knife Bren anymore.

Work in progress. That was me.

“Yeah. Why not?” He shrugged. “Fallen Crest and Frisco switched things around. Might be fun. That Quickie’s place burned down. I heard they have a new place there instead of that one gas station. Wait. Is that where they put the new police station?”

One of the guys cursed. “Where’s the bonfire going to be then?”

More than a couple phones came out, but Cross touched the back of my elbow. “Come on.” He motioned to Jordan as well, so the three of us moved outside.

Cross walked to the street before stopping.

“Look,” Jordan started, his hands in the air.

“I’m fine with it.”

My eyebrows shot up.

Last semester, we would’ve been holding back for me. I was the one who always did my own thing, with Cross coming to find me later. But since his dad had moved out, since Cross had officially moved into my bedroom, he and I had switched roles.

Well, I was still one to do my own thing, but usually Cross was more vocal about how none of us needed to do all the parties. His being okay with this bonfire in Fallen Crest—especially there—wasn’t… Then I got it.

“Your dad’s new girlfriend is there, isn’t she?”

Yeah. Another thing that had happened. His dad moved fast.

Cross had mentioned his dad having a new girlfriend. He’d mentioned she worked in Fallen Crest. I knew his dad had moved elsewhere, but Cross hadn’t told me where. I was surprised Cross knew as much as he did.

The way all the cheating came out had been weird.

Usually, or maybe I was assuming wrong, but when someone cheated, there was a period where one spouse was upset. The other asked for forgiveness. The other didn’t give it to them. The cheating spouse doubled-down, begging more, pleading more. And then there was a time when they tried to work it out? Counseling maybe?

But not with this divorce.

It came out that she cheated. Boom.

It came out that he had cheated, again.

The again part had been new because apparently he’d cheated a loooong time ago, before they even had Taz and Cross.

But then, I wasn’t sure how the years of the marriage had been after his first affair (because it’d been a full-blown affair and not a single discretion, and yes, that mattered) until boom. He cheated again. And then apparently their mom had enough because she did her own thing.

Now they were divorcing. Final drop-the-mic moment here.

But back to Cross’ dad. Cross said he’d been in the local motel at first, but this was the only thing that made sense.

“Damn,” Jordan breathed.

We were all playing catch-up here. All that I did know I’d gotten from the first night when Cross came over and said he was moving in with me. And Cross not sharing with me didn’t bode well. He should’ve told me this.

Cross’ face tightened. “She works at Kade Enterprises, in HR.” He cursed, low and savage. “He moved in with her last week. My mom—” He flung his hand toward the house. “—has some guy coming over and sleeping here.”

“What’s Taz say?”

His jaw clenched. “She doesn’t know.”

“The f**k?” Jordan muttered.

“Yeah.” Cross’ shoulders seemed to become even more tense than before. His voice dipped low. “I found a pile of his clothes in her room. She was hiding them, in a f*****g laundry bag.”

“Maybe they’re your dad’s?”

“His clothes are folded under hers in the drawers.”

Well, there you go. That’s a whole new level of hiding.

Jordan winced.

A loud cheer came from inside the house, and the volume suddenly got even louder as the front door shoved open.

“What the f**k?” Zellman saw us and came jogging down the sidewalk.

The door slammed shut behind him again, but then cracked back open.

Tabatha was there, her head poking out. “Are you all doing a crew thingy?”

Cross turned away, cursing.

Z and Jordan shared a grin, and Jordan hollered back, “Give us a bit, hon.”

Hon.

As in honey.

Jordan noticed my grin and narrowed his eyes. “What?”

“You guys are nickname official now.” I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from giving him too much crap. “Are you giving her a promise ring next weekend?”

Cross let out a brief laugh.

Z began snickering.

Jordan clapped Zellman on the chest with the back of his hand. “Keep chortling, asshole. You sound like a parakeet.”

Z only snickered louder.

Jordan shook his head, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “You all are dipshits. And yeah.” He shot me a look. “We’re doing nicknames now. Is that normal? I just slipped one night while I was in her. Baby. God, I hate nicknames. I’ve always hated them. My dad calls my mom sweetheart, and she calls him cupcake. I never wanted to do nicknames, but s**t—we’re here.” He groaned. “How do we get out of here?”

Z frowned, as if really pondering his dilemma. “Break up with her?”

“What?!” Jordan rounded on him, hitting him again. “What the f**k kind of suggestion is that?”

Zellman seemed undisturbed, just shrugging. “An honest one? I don’t think you can go no-nicknames once you’re there.”

Cross snorted. “Especially when your d**k is inside of her.” He was speaking to Jordan, but his eyes were on me.

I knew where he was going with that one.

We’d been at “I love you” for a long while. The moment had come earlier than maybe it should’ve, but what do you do when your best friend/lover takes a gun to commit murder and you’re trying to stop him? The L word had come out, and it wasn’t one that could go back inside. And while we weren’t public nicknamers, we were private ones. Like when he’d called me baby last night, and I’d gasped his name, driving my hips back against his. My nickname for him might’ve been along the lines of “Jesus, finish me, for God’s sake.”

“I hate you guys,” Jordan announced.

Zellman was beaming. He clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m kinda proud of you. Look at us.” He scanned the group. “I got a f**k-mate. Jordan’s wifed up, and you and Cross, you’re just you guys.” He nodded to himself, growing serious. “We’re all growing up. Holy shit.” His face cleared, like a lightbulb switching on. “We graduate in a month. What the f**k are we all going to do?”

Annnnnd…now the pin could be heard dropping.

We all fell silent.

This.

Right here.

This conversation.

This was the elephant in the room.

Or maybe it was my elephant in the room.

Graduation meant change. Growth. We were done. We were moving. We were staying. We were—I didn’t know what we were doing, and that was the problem.

Most crews disbanded after school, with only one still lasting, but even that one—and I’m talking about my brother’s crew—had branched off somewhat with their normal leader, Channing aka my brother, no longer official, but still there. It was a gray area.

But back to us and the conversation we weren’t having.

On cue, Jordan coughed. “So. We’re going to the bonfire tonight?”

Z broke out in a wide smile. “Yeah?”

Cross nodded to Jordan, moving next to me. He brushed his arm against mine. “Yeah. I want to scope out this lady my dad’s with, see what she’s like.”

“Got it. We can do that. A drive-by or are you thinking something else?” Jordan’s gaze moved from Cross to me and back again.

Cross glanced at me too.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. “What are you really thinking?”

“Kade Enterprises is hosting an event tonight at their country club. I know about it because Race asked me if I was going. Both his parents are going. He was wondering if I could stop in since they’re forcing him to go before the bonfire thing.”

“Wait.” Zellman held his hand up. “I thought they were getting a divorce too?”

“They are, but they’re both still going.”

“Race’s mom moved there, and his dad is rich,” Jordan added. “He’s going to want to mingle with the Fallen Crusties for business.”

“s**t. That’s a good idea.”

Then both Jordan and Cross looked at me again.

A stone thudded to the bottom of my stomach. I was fairly certain what he was going to ask, but I rasped out, “You gotta say the words. I can’t do anything if you don’t ask me.”

Cross didn’t hesitate. “I want to break into her house, scope it out as much as possible.”

“Score,” Zellman breathed, already nodding.

This was what we did, our crew.

One of us needed something, and we were there.

Only problem was me.

I was still on probation.

But I nodded. “When do we go?”