Page 105 of The Devils They Are

I pass Soph at the bottom of the stairs, her arms full of snacks while she balances her Kindle on top of them.

"See you at school tomorrow," I grin, letting out a meek sound of surprise as Tai's bedroom door bounces off the wall behind us, signaling their incoming presence. "Gotta go!"

"Uh—" She freezes, unsure of what she's witnessing.

"Bexley! Get back here!" Rylan's voice floats down the stairs, getting louder. But I'm already out the door, jumping into my truck.

The whole cab rattles as I start the engine and I hit the gas, the two men appearing in my rearview mirror as I venture down the gravel driveway.

I can't help but laugh at their wide-eyed, stunned faces and I give a littlebeep beepon the horn as I pull out onto the street, still cackling when I finally exit the community gates.

Chapter thirty-eight

Bexley

Usually,I'dlovetosay that I was right. But not this time.

I guess cheerleaders have some weird pull over the staff because those requests for volunteers to set up the dance soon turned to mandatory requirements. It was not in my mid-week plans to be balancing on a ladder, hanging black and red streamers from the large glass windowpanes in the auditorium. Not to mention their sexist attire means I'm trying not to flash anyone that walks past.

At least it's not just me suffering. There's a mixture of Willowbrook and Cedar Heights students in here, all dragging decorations and muttering curses.

Dean Lannister lingers by the door, a pleased sneer on his face as he watches us work. Ah yes, the thrill of free labor. The only thing that gets rich people off besides more money… is saving money.

"This sucks," Arch grumbles from the next window. "Did you notice that there's no cheerleaders in here?"

My eyes scan the room. "I'm not surprised. They probably blew the dean under his desk for this."

As I focus my attention on him, I spot Soph skipping through the doorway. She pauses, doing some weird curtsy to him while holding a stack of floating red balloons.

The ladder shakes as I double over, holding in a laugh. Dean Lannister smiles fondly at her, obviously not recognizing that she's mocking him. The vision that one of his own is taunting him is a safety hazard.

"Jesus, Bex! Chill," Arch hastily whispers.

I grab the window, taking a deep breath. "It's fine. I'm all good. But hey—if I fall, maybe I'll get a payout?"

"No broken bones. Your bruises are only just starting to fade from last Friday. As if we need any more injuries."

Climbing down the ladder, I intercept Soph, plucking a strand of black ribbon.

"I'll give you five dollars to pop it and suck the helium," I dare.

She snorts. "And risk a video of me floating around social media? I plan to stun everyone on Friday, not torment them."

"I do both," I shrug with a grin. "It works well when you mix them together."

We walk together to the other side of the room, passing the balloons to one of the footballers. I can't help but notice that he body scans Soph, clearly interested in more than just her latex presents.

I throw her an amused expression, and when her nose crinkles at him, I swing my arm around her shoulder. "Come on, baby girl. I need you in my bed soon."

His mouth pops open as Soph leans into me, the two of us walking away from the horny, drooling jock who looks like he wants nothing more than to follow.

Back at the ladder, Soph makes a gagging sound. "Argh. Did you see him staring at my chest? Why do they think we like that?"

"They don't. They couldn't care less what we think. We're just bodies to idiots like that."

She nods. "He's not my type anyway."

Her head turns, gazing at someone across the room. I follow her line of vision, doing a double take when I realize who she's looking at.

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