Maddoc tosses me onto a pile of dirty ass gym towels.

I hop up, shaking the shit off, then glare at the asshole in front of me. “What the fuck?”

“What the fuck is right, what the fuck was that?” he roars.

“It’s called, standing up for myself.”

“You were about to put your hands on his junk.”

“Did you not see me knee him in the nuts?” I shriek. “It’s not like I was about to grip him and have a playdate for all the class to see. He was being a dick, so I was gonna hurt his. Still did, in fact. And why the fuck do you care?!”

“I don’t!”

I cross my arms. “Really?”

“You callin’ me a liar?” He steps closer and the hairs on my neck stand.

“If the jock strap fits.”

He slides closer, his eyes cutting to my lips before hitting mine again. “Why are you so much trouble?”

“I’m not,” I tell him, my eyes zeroed in on where his tongue sneaks out to lick the corner of his lips. “I’m silent ‘til pushed.”

“And why do I wanna push you?”

My gaze snaps back to his. He’s even closer now. “Because I push back.”

“You kiss back?”

“Try it and find out.”

He moves in, gripping me by my ribs so he can put me where he wants me, with my back against the lockers. His dark eyes study me, trying to dig beneath the surface. Not sure what he hopes to find, but there’s not much on the inside.

I’m jaded, trailer park trash with nothing to lose. My life, minus a detail or two, is in a ten-page file in a group home down the street, a file he’s read.

“You fuckin’ Bishop?”

“No.”

“Plan to?”

“I’m not one for planning. I’m not known to stay in one place long enough for that.”

“That’s not a good enough answer.”

I pop a shoulder.

“You piss me off.”

“You piss yourself off. Stop butting into my business and everything would be fine.”

He growls, his head dropping as his grip tightens, his fingertips pressing into my back.

Heat stirs in my abdomen and my chest inflates.

A light chuckle leaves him, and the sound, low and dirty, has my skin burning. But then something shifts in his eyes, like the heat and playfulness was detected by what plagues him on the inside and he switches gears, eyes now hollow and hard.

“You’re predictable, Raven.”

“Yeah.” I drop my head back. “How so?”

“You come in here without a fight, let me put my hands on you without shoving me off – like you’ve done to every other motherfucker in this school when they’ve touched you.” His lips move to my ear. “I knew you’d let me, though. Just like I know, under this silk skin you wear like armor, you pretend what others think rolls right off you, but that’s an act, isn’t it? There’s one thing that gets to you. One thing you can’t stand.”

“Yeah, big man, and what’s that?” My heart rate spikes in annoyance as he attempts to psychoanalyze me.

“Everyone thinking you’re your mother’s daughter.” Before I can respond, he spins us, so I’m falling against him, his back now on the lockers. His eyes harden, his voice now brasher. “How many times do I have to tell you, Raven? I don’t need to pay for sex, especially not when you already gave it up so easily. Proposition me again, and I’ll have your ass sent straight back where you came from. We don’t want trash in our school.”

My forehead creases but before I can say anything laughter rings in my ear.

My stare is slow to shift.

A half dozen gym students have filed into the hall.

Their laughter rebounds off the walls, hitting like a wave down the long hall only to ricochet right back.

Blood pumps fiercely against my temples, taking over my vision for a short moment before I blink long and hard, forcing it away, bringing myself back to right now.

They open when Maddoc shoves me away, and I stumble, falling back onto the pile of shit on the floor. His eyes are full of spite. “Let me catch you trying to pick up clients at our school, Snow.” He makes it a point to look at my feet, deeming me worth less than the dirty floor beneath them, a deep frown on his face as he shakes his head.

And I can’t breathe.

I start to sweat, my skin begins to itch and I can’t feel my hands. My gaze travels from person to person, finding each stare more ruling than the last.

When my eyes snap back to Maddoc, it’s not just him I find, but the other two now at his side.

The tripod.

The boys of Brayshaw High, three strong.

They felt threatened by my actions, actions that helped them more than hurt them, but regardless, were out of line as far as they were concerned.

Here, you’re not allowed to have your own moves if it messes with theirs.

They pulled me in, brought eyes on me, made sure everyone knew good and well who I was and where I came from. All so the bomb would hit that much harder when it fell.

The lead-up, all of it, was set to put me in my place, right here for the assholes around to see.

Now it’s not speculation but confirmed fact as far as they’re concerned.

Words straight from their leader’s mouth.

I’m an apple plucked from the same tree.

A whore.

It’s one thing for me to play into it, to act like the slut they see, make them think I fuck because I feel like it, but that’s on my terms. My choice.

And he took it away in two point five seconds with two dozen witnesses.

He’s right with what he said. I can’t stand everyone seeing her when they look at me.

I bite into my tongue to keep from lashing out. Chances are the rage and disgrace will blend, ending in waterworks I can’t control and they don’t deserve – that would be a nightmare.

They want my tears, but they won’t get them this easy.

I force my feet to move, block out the snide remarks and instant offers that hit my ears and shove through the door with my head held high. It’s fake, the vigor I show.

Truth is, these boys got me on my knees, where whores are most comfortable.

But I swear to shit, it’ll take a lot more than three parentless punks to keep me here.

I dab at my lip with the hydrogen peroxide one last time then set the little timer glued to the wall to keep us regulated on the hot water and step into the shower to let the dirt and grime run off the rest of me.

How I managed to sneak back into the house before Maybell woke is beyond me, but I made it with only minutes to spare, then slid into the bathroom before she could see I was a hot, bloody mess.

The timer goes off too soon, followed by a prompt bang on the other side of the door letting me know it’s someone else’s turn and time for me to get the fuck out.

I dress as quickly as possible and slip back into my room, flopping onto my assigned bed. The mattress is ancient and has a dip in the center from years of overuse, but it’s got clean sheets and a soft blanket. Beats the hell out of the drop-down sofa I slept on in the trailer living room the past ten years.

The second I let my eyes close, Maybell pops in.

“Come on now, Rae. Breakfast with the others, chores, then the rest of the day is yours.”