Page 21 of Arm Candy Warrior

“Actually…I think he will. He told me he wants to make me happy.”

Both Brawler and Oscar glare at me. I’m trying to hide the odd feelings I have for Johnny, but I’m afraid they’re written all over the surface.

A jovial male voice perks up behind us. “Hey, Bat. What’s up?” I look around Oscar to find the asshole who manhandled me the first day in school taking a seat next to him. I glower at him, and he just nods at me.

Before the guys can even tell him to get up, I do. “Get the fuck out of here.”

He laughs like I’m joking, but I’m far from fucking playing with this asshole. This guy is a piece of trash. A bully.

I cross my arms. “Did I stutter?”

He looks between Brawler and Oscar, but they’re content letting me play this one out.

I stand, leaning over Oscar to tower over him. “You think it’s funny to manhandle women.” The back of my neck heats remembering his rough touch. The way he wanted me to call Oscar master. I don’t care if he is Heights Crew,thatshit needs to stop. “You’re a coward.”

“Oh, come on,” the guy says, laughter still playing over his lips, but his eyes are searching for a way out of this. “You were no one then. Give me a break. We were told to fuck with you.”

“Well, good.” I smirk as I move around Oscar and come up behind him. “I’ve been told I can do whatever the fuck I want now, so…” I grab the side of his face and smash it against the table in front of us, pinning him there. He doesn’t try to stop me. His face turns a furious shade of red, and he breathes out his nose like a caged bull. I must be deranged because I find the whole thing funny. “New rule. You don’t get to fucking talk in my presence. If you do, I get to kick your fucking ass. You are no longer Oscar’s little bitch. You’re not friends. You don’t speak. If you see me coming in the hallway, walk the other fucking way. If you don’t, I’m calling you out in the fights, and then the whole school can watch when I destroy your bitch ass. Do you understand?”

He groans as I press harder. “Yes,” he chokes, the one word coming out strangled.

I let him up and step back, allowing him room to retreat. He does so, swiping his hands down his face and straightening his shirt. Everyone’s looking at us. The cafeteria has quieted because what’s happening in this corner is much more interesting than anything else. He does his walk of shame away from our table, and I take a seat where I belong.

Oscar grins. “Why did that just turn me the fuck on?”

Brawler flicks his gaze toward the guy walking away. “You just ruined his life.”

My breath leaves me. I stick my chin in the air. The guy’s an asshole. He doesn’t deserve the Crew.

But at the same time, Brawler’s right. I have a hell of a lot more power than I think I do. If I told Johnny that guy—or anyone for that matter—fucked with me, he’d have them killed. Disposed of. Taken away without a second thought.

Power is awesome, but it’s also scary as fuck.

I’ll have to remember that next time I want to get revenge on someone who’s just a fucking scumbag and not a murderer.

9

Ispend the last period of the day texting Johnny, telling him Brawler’s at school and that he had my phone. He writes back that getting me a new phone was on his to-do list, so he’s glad I have my old one back.

The fact that he would even be thinking about my cell phone amidst everything else is just extraordinary. In any other dimension, Johnny would’ve been the nicest guy. Behavior is learned, right? Not inherent. I’ve never been a science or psych type of person, but that’s what I think. Imagine if decent human beings had brought up Johnny. He’d probably be a disciple of Mother Theresa.

When I ask Johnny if Brawler and I can train after school, his response is slow. I imagine him fighting against his own initial reactions. Like he’s trying to do better for me. But the reality is, he might just be in another meeting and can’t write me back right away. Either way, when the response does come, he says yes.

I slip my phone to Oscar whose eyebrows rise into his hairline. He turns toward me, not giving a fuck that the teacher in front of the class is lecturing about something pertaining to biology. To be fair, the teacher doesn’t care either because he’s just reading from the textbook, which we could all do ourselves, anyway. Leaning toward me, Oscar whispers, “I didn’t know he was capable of it, but if I didn’t know any better, I’d say he’s in love with you, Princess.”

I press my lips together and grab my phone back. His words ricochet through my head. Is someone like Johnny even capable of love? Like, real love. Not what someone like him might think love is, but bone-deep, Earth-shattering, raw-to-the-core love.

I don’t know if I’ll ever find out.

School ends. On a scale of one to ten, I’d give it a seven for getting me out of the tower instead of hanging out by myself all day. While walking down the hallway, Oscar and I run into Brawler. “I hear I’m taking you training?” he questions. “And if you get hurt on my watch, I’m dead.”

I shrug. “Is it wrong if I say, ‘sounds reasonable to me’?” I laugh nervously because Johnny doesn’t make idle threats.

Brawler steps up to me, clearly not finding Johnny’s remarks humorous at all. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you becauseIdon’t want anything to happen to you. Not because he ordered it.”

I can’t wait to kiss him. I can’t wait to throw my arms around him and lose myself in him. He must see it in my face because his jaw tenses. Once, Brawler told me that a lesser man wouldn’t walk away if I gave him that look. What will it mean if he doesn’t walk away? I mean, right now, we would get ourselves killed, but I’m talking about when there aren’t a bunch of prying eyes.

“I’ve got practice,” Oscar says, glancing away from the moment Brawler and I are sharing.

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