Page 30 of Casualties

“She won’t talk to me, bro.I don’t know what I did to piss her off, but she's barely given me the time of day since she's been back.I think the big brother shit needs to come from you, her big brother.”Here I go lying again, but it’s not a total lie.She isn’t giving me the time of day now.He nods his agreement.

I hear a faint giggle from a few tables ahead of us.I would know that laugh anywhere.It’s her, the girl hell-bent on ignoring my presence.I try to see her, but a tall frame is blocking her from my view.

A fucking guy.What the fuck?

Morgan notices me glaring, and looks over to where I am staring daggers in the direction of the dickhead’s back.He looks lost until realization dawns on him.

“Is that Ains?”All I can do is nod slowly.I refuse to take my eyes off of the table she's sitting at with a man we may or may not know.As I’m staring, the fuckwad turns his head to the side, and I see his profile.

“Yeah, it is, and she's with—” I growl out, but he cuts me off.

“Jackson Davis.”I don’t miss the snarl in his voice.

Jackson likes to play it off to everyone, especially the girls at school, that he's this sensitive wet dream of a dude, but he isn’t.I've heard the disrespectful way he talks about his hookups to teammates at parties.Anything from how good or bad they were in bed to the shape and color of their pussy.He really should take up acting, for the amount of bullshit he spews.Morgan gets up first, and I follow close behind him.

“Hey sis, why aren’t you in class?”he asks, only making eye contact with her.She shudders under his gaze.

“I—um—well…Jackson texted me, asking if I wanted to hang.We were both hungry, and he said this place has the best burgers in town.I got out of my last class at two today, and Cass had plans with that coffee guy,” she explains nervously to her brother.

Jackson looks up at us with that stupid cocky grin on his face.Arrogant son of a bitch.I see Morgan tense when Cassie gets brought up, but he shakes it off and quickly shifts back into brother mode.

“Dude, you never told me how funny and smart your sister is.Where have you been hiding her?”Jackson butts in.This cheesy motherfucker knows what he's doing.He purposefully chose to compliment everything but her appearance to show her he's really into what’s on the inside.I know his fucking game, and Morgan is on to him, too.He's goading us, and dangling her in front of me.

“I didn’t tell you, because we aren’t friends.Why would I talk up my sister to someone like you?”Morgan is going to flip his shit in a minute, I see it coming.A decent friend would stop this from escalating, but fuck that.I’m just as pissed as—if not more than—he is.We can’t stand Jackson.He’s too full of himself, and treats the girls of this school like they are a dime a dozen.I may fuck random women at the club, but those women know what they are getting.Jackson talks girls up, pretending to listen to what they have to say, giving them false hope of something more than a one-time fuck.It’s all bullshit.He hooks up, ghosts them, then talks about how good or bad it was to all of his friends.He's the worst kind of douchebag, and he seems to be laying it on pretty thick if he has Ainsley fooled.

I walk around Morgan where he stands over Ainsley.She's been looking at Jackson, silently mouthing apologies on behalf of us.Her face finally turns to me, reciprocating my glare.What started out as nerves when Morgan approached their table, quickly turns to rage.What comes out of her mouth shouldn’t surprise me, but I’m still taken aback.

“I don’t know what you plan to say, but save it.I am eighteen years old and not a child.I understand this behavior from Morgan, but you are not my brother.”ObviouslyI’m not her brother—that would have made the other morning disgusting.

I'm full-on fucking raging inside at this point.I refuse for her to entertain a possible friendship with Jackson.Grabbing her arm, I yank her out of the booth.Morgan looks surprised, but he doesn't say anything.Understandable—not even five minutes ago I was telling him to handle his sister, and now I'm jumping in.

“I need to talk to you, now.”My voice is a low growl that makes her shiver.

“Maddox!What the fuck?”Jackson tries to stand up, but Morgan puts his hand on his shoulder, pressing him back down in the booth.

I have no doubt that Jackson could handle himself in a fight with one of us, but with Morgan standing above him, he has the upper hand.

“Dammit Ace, you fucking caveman!”she yells at me in the middle of the restaurant, and now everyone is watching the scene we're causing.I drag her out, passing the booth where we left Scott.

“Ace, you good man?”The concern on his face is evident.He's new to our small group, so his shock is understandable.

“Fine.”I mutter, pulling Ainsley to follow me outside.Morgan stays inside to handle Jackson, which is for the best.He doesn't need to hear the words I have for his sister.

We walk to my car—I'm thankfuI I parked in the back of the lot.“What the fuck do you think you are doing?I told you to stay away from him.Do you not fucking listen?He's a bad guy.He uses girls to sleep with them, then bails.Do you know what his nickname around school is?Number One and Done.”I’m hoping telling her all of this will convince her to stay away from him.

“That doesn’t matter, Ace.I’m not going to judge someone based on rumors and your opinion.He likes me.Why can’t I hang out with someone who wants to spend time with me?”She is out of her mind.

“He gets the benefit of the doubt?You're done with me, someone you've known half your life, over something you refuse to talk about.But you’re okay hanging out with a total stranger, ignoring all the red flags.What the hell, Ains?”I’m trying my hardest to get through to her, but it’s falling on deaf ears.

“You've probably fucked just as many women as he has, if not more.What makes you any different?You are such a hypocrite.”After throwing her arms around in frustration, she places them on her hips.

A year ago, she would have listened to me—she probably wouldn’t have gone out with him in the first place.Ainsley used to care about my opinion.Now she acts like I’m a waste of space.It's exhausting trying to figure out what was our downfall.I soften my voice, because yelling at her has gotten me nowhere.

“Listen Ains, stay the fuck away from Jackson or—” She cuts me off, lowering her eyebrows in challenge.

“Or what?”Her voice is low and thunderous.When I hesitate to answer, she rolls her eyes.

Oh, princess, you have no idea who you are messing with.

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