Page 8 of Hate Game

Red sees where I’m looking. “Don’t give him the time of day, Rue. He’s a prick.”

His words surprise me. My sister is indecisive and has a bleeding heart, but I would never admit she can be a pain in the butt. “Hey, what happened to family and loyalty?”

“It went out the door when you demanded I not speak his name.”

“Aw, you’re such a great friend.” I hug Red.

There’s a growl from my right.

Malice yanks me out of Red’s arms. “Don’t do this. Trust me, there will be hell to pay if you do.”

Trust him? If I do, I’ll have to forgive him for hurting me, and I’m not ready to do that. Not until he seesmefor me. I tug my arm out of Malice’s hold, flip him the peace sign, and change out of my clothes into the fiery red bikini as my friends form a human shield.

I stuff my clothes inside the backpack, walk to the rope swing with my head held high and my shoulders pulled back, and hope to God keeping my word doesn’t cost me my life.

Please don’t let me die tonight. I have so much left to do on this earth.

Anyways, I haven’t had a boyfriend and would like to have at least one before graduation.

4

MALICE

Rue walks to the tree with her head held high, shoulders pulled back, and hips swaying. She is the queen bee commanding her hive of soldier bees, the cat that ate the canary, and the annoying pebble in my shoe.

Growling under my breath, I ball my hands at my sides and rein in the urge to cover her sexiness with my jacket and block the spectators’ view of her with my body.

The guys look at her with hunger in their eyes while the girls wonder what her appeal is. I see it in how they look her body up and down with their hands on their hips. What a bunch of snobs.

Rue is smoking hot with her long black hair, tiny waist, and cute ass cheeks peeking out from beneath her bikini bottom. My cock agrees. I tell my dick to calm the fuck down. I am not in the mood to indulge him right now. I need to be ready to hurl myself off that cliff at any sign that Rue is in trouble.

Her effect on me is the reason I avoid her. Tonight is worse. I’m here alone while her boyfriend and their crew surround her. Out of the picture are our friends in common, Seven and Leigh. Had Leigh been here, she would have talked sense into Rue. Had Seven and Trace been here, they would have reminded me of my hard-on for Rue’s sister, Riley.

Instead, Leigh and Seven are off doing boyfriend-girlfriend shit, and Trace is keeping his family’s newest houseguest, Sorrow, company while his parents are away on a business trip.

Talk about poor timing.

I need my boys here, goddammit. Otherwise, I’m at risk of succumbing to the Rue effect.

What is the Rue effect? Let me explain. Her couldn’t-care-less attitude gets under my skin. She’s the only girl that gets under my skin to the point Itouchher. Had it been a different girl looking to jump, I would say go for it.

Except, wait a fucking minute.

A sensible girl would, one, not make a bet with Red. Two, a girl in her right mind wouldn’t dare jump into a lake in November when temperatures are ball-shriveling. And three, a sane girl would strap on a life jacket just in case something bad happens.

Her attitude is one of two pieces of the Rue effect. The second piece is her body’s effect on me. My blood either boils or courses through my veins in thiswhoosh,whoosh,whooshwhen she’s nearby. My cock stands at full mast when she’s near enough I catch a whiff of her scent. She smells sweet, like a warm cinnamon roll straight out of the oven. What gets rid of the Rue effect is a cold shower or a hand job under a stream of hot water.

“You gonna jump in after her? Demand she listen to your sorry ass?” Red baits me. I don’t take the bait, already knowing what will happen. Rue will jump, and Red will follow.

That’s how it’s been since she ditched me for him. The three of us were friends until I made the mistake of overstepping a line that few Sterlings have ever overstepped. We don’t poach on another Sterling’s girl. Red laid claim to Rue first, and I should’ve known better than to rob Red of what was rightfully his.

I turn my back on Red and Rue. What right do I have to interfere? She made her choice, and I’m not it. I march back to my ride. A throng of girls follow me. The guys hang back. They want to confirm the rumor that Rue is as crazy as her MIA mother.

Not only is Gina Lee crazy and MIA, but according to the nosey townsfolk—who should mind their goddamn business—she’s a loser, having never held down a paying job. Instead, she sold her body in exchange for money and drugs. That’s the rumor.

Rue’s older sister, Riley, was able to distance herself from the stigma of her mother’s past. She graduated with top honors and was accepted into Dumas University, a private college an hour from Cambridge. Rue? Rue is trekking down the same path as her mom.

With her reputation for getting into trouble and hanging with the wrong crowd, no one is willing to hire her, though an old lady took a chance on Rue with her dog. The last I heard, Rue lost that gig when she lost her grip on the dog’s leash. The little guy was almost run over in a roundabout.

---