In the same second, his body is gone and mine is being drug across the dirt.

I yank from the hands, and push to my feet, using the rope to guide me outside of it.

I stumble against the crowd, each body serving as leverage until I’m in the clearing, but before I fall onto my ass, a shoulder hits my side, taking my weight while another finds the other.

“When did he get here?”

“I can fucking hear you, you punk bitch.”

Bishop scoffs, shoving me into the open trunk of my SUV.

Suddenly the seats fold and my body falls flat against them.

“Fuck you here for anyway, you should be—”

“Where you should be?” he throws back. “And I was, but Captain is there, Royce, too. Think she’s fine for at least an hour.”

There goes my fucking chest again.

I lift and slam my head back. It’s pointless, there’s no pain.

“I need to go make sure everyone gets paid,” Mac says before footsteps crunch against the ground.

I peel my eyes open, finding what looks a lot like a three-headed Bass fucking Bishop.

“I can barely fucking handle one of you, asshole,” I slur, my eyes closing again.

He scoffs, then a water bottle hits me in the shoulder.

I don’t reach for it. I’ll take the fucking hangover tomorrow. Wish for it.

“She’s lookin’ thinner, paler. I’ve tried to track when she’s eating, which is close to never when she’s in sight, but maybe she is behind closed doors.”

Behind closed doors with my brother.

“I didn’t ask for a report.”

“Nah, but you need one. You’re acting like a little bitch,” he says.

I jolt up, but the Macallan in me won’t allow it and my muscles give out.

Bishop sighs, then my legs are being pushed aside and a door slams.

After a few minutes my car starts rolling, and a few minutes after that, alcohol wins out.

I stay this way, fucked up, and delirious for the rest of Spring Break.

Fuck everybody.

“Where the fuck is he?” Captain snaps when Royce steps from the SUV without Maddoc. “I thought he agreed to be here?”

“He did. And he is.” Royce gives an emotionless stare.

“Where?” Cap asks.

Royce shrugs. “Truck. Fell asleep on the way here.”

“It’s a two-minute drive,” I say.

“Yeah, well.” Royce starts walking away. “Not like he’s getting any sleep at night.”

Cap glares, shaking his head. “That’s fucked up, man.”

Royce only shrugs, though. “Lots of shit’s fucked up.”

He pushes ahead, not bothering to wait for me, so we can walk into class together like normal.

Victoria steps in behind him, giving a nod over her shoulder before disappearing, too.

Cap looks to me, but I shake my head. “Go, I’m good.”

He doesn’t believe me, but he leaves anyway, glancing back once before he turns the corner.

I close my eyes and slide my headphones in, pushing myself against the door frame. I hit the little button without looking, skipping song after song until a more fitting one comes on, then I turn it up as loud as it can go.

“Hear Me Now” by Bad Wolves blares through my ears and I soak up every word, wishing I could fall into the world of the song. Wishing the world around me could be simpler.

It’s not.

It won’t be.

Five weeks. It’s been five weeks and the toll it’s taken on me weighs like five years. My body is sore for no reason, my head a constant war zone, and my drive is nonexistent.

It’s not right for me to act—

My thoughts are cut off when a familiar warmth grows closer, causing me to squeeze my eyes shut tighter. My breathing speeds up, coming and going in choppy spurts, broken gasps.

The back of a knuckle slides up my jaw, a fire trail following, both burning and soothing all at once. When he reaches my right earbud, he tugs, forcing it to fall out.

I bite into my tongue, my hands planting themselves against the wall behind me as he grows closer. I can feel him all around me now.

His fingertips brush my collarbone as he grips the wire, and I know he’s lifted it to his own ear to listen.

As the song comes to an end, he speaks.

“No, baby.” His words fan across my face. “I can’t hear you... not anymore.”

I let my head fall, and he tugs the other earbud from my ear, pulling on the string until the entire iPod slips from my pocket.

“I can’t do this,” he rasps, the sound so broken my throat closes in on me. “I don’t want to do this.”

My body grows cold as his disappears.

I slip, not bothering to try and lessen the blow as my ass hits the floor.

I stay there until Royce finally loses his cool, poking his head out and collecting me from the floor.

He says nothing, but his hug before he drags me in is more than enough.

Snagging the glasses from his collar, he slips them over my eyes, and we shuffle into the room.

My plan is not to speak to anyone the rest of the day, and it works for a while, but then it’s lunchtime.

I step around the corner, headed toward our usual table when my lack of self-control snaps, and right back where it belongs.

The Graven girl is back. She drops into what was my seat beside Maddoc. He doesn’t even look her way, but she smiles wide and puts off a sense of belonging that irks my fucking nerves.

Captain steps up alongside me, and Maddoc’s head jerks this way, eyes covered with those damn glasses I forgot how much I hated until recently.

“What’s wrong?” Cap asks.

When I don’t respond right away, Captain’s stare slides to the table, then back to me. “He doesn’t want her, Raven.”

I can’t help it, a laugh bubbles out of me.

Man, this is some fucked up shit – my new future telling me his brother doesn’t want the girl who has taken the seat I gave up without a fight.

What choice did I have, though, really?

Donley has sent a text straight to Captain’s cell every couple days where he makes sure to mention Zoey. Sometimes it’s in a roundabout way, like how she enjoys ice cream, and then Cap will call Maria and sure enough, Zoey had a cone earlier that day.

I tried to convince him to go get her, to say fuck you to everyone around. We’re doing our part he deserves his daughter and needs to feel her safety, but Captain refuses. He says he doesn’t want to uproot her yet when she’d be forced to leave all she’s known and move into a hotel where she doesn’t even have her own space. He wants to bring her home, but when he has a home ready for her, so the transition is smooth and doesn’t confuse her.

We both know Donley is only doing this to make sure we keep up as agreed, and there’s been no true threat as far as harm or danger to her. That would be a completely different story.

Regardless, we’re doing what was asked.

Zoey is safe.

Maddoc is here, where he belongs.

“Raven,” Cap tries again.

I turn to him.

“I know things feel fucked right now, and I won’t stand here and pretend they’re not, but you were meant for this.”

“Stop doing that.” I glare.