Page 49 of Aussie
Now, as he walked toward his last class of the day, he tensed seeing the pair standing near an exit. Their eyes were searching the crowd of rowdy teenagers as if they were looking for someone. His pulse quickened, but he kept his gaze forward, pretending he hadn’t seen them. He should’ve known they wouldn’t let him slip by.
“Christian,” Barrett called, voice low but sharp. He gripped Christian’s shoulder. Chase smirked beside him, both guys closing in as they nudged him toward the door. Christian swallowed hard, his hands instinctively clenching. He wouldn’t fight, not here and not now, but every instinct was screaming at him to run.
“Let’s have a little talk outside,” Chase said, shoving Christian’s shoulder to steer him through the door and out into the narrow, secluded area between the school building and the gym. The sun was already dipping behind the roofline, casting a shadow over the cracked pavement.
They stopped and spun him, pressing his back hard against the rough brick wall. He could feel the tension coiling in his muscles, every instinct telling him to fight back, to push them off, to swing a fist and defend himself. But he knew better. Hewas outnumbered, and Barrett and Chase, well, it was a safe bet they were armed.
Barrett leaned in close, sneering. “So, you had enough time to think about our offer?”
Christian lifted his chin, trying to keep his voice steady. “Yeah, I have. And it’s the same as before. Gang life isn’t for me.”
Chase let out a sharp laugh, clearly unimpressed. “Not the answer we wanted, Christian.”
A sudden punch to his stomach doubled him over. The air left his lungs in a rush. Before he could recover, Chase drove another fist into his side. His ribs screamed in pain, but he forced himself not to cry out.
“Just be glad we’re at school,” Barrett hissed, his face close enough that Christian could smell the stale scent of cigarettes on his breath. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t let you leave here until you agreed to come work with us.”
Christian’s whole body was tense, but he refused to show weakness. He forced himself to breathe through the pain, not letting them see that he was in pain. He glared at both of them. “You guys done yet?”
Barrett sneered, tilting his head in mock disappointment. “No, not quite. See, since you still don’t want to cooperate with us, we’re going to have to go about this another way.”
Christian felt a cold weight settle in his gut, but he didn’t look away. “What? You’re gonna kill me?”
“Oh, no,” Chase replied, the cruel twist of his smile sending a chill down Christian’s spine. “But we know all about that pretty lady that’s taking care of you.”
Christian’s blood ran cold. “What are you talking about?”
Barrett smirked, “What’s her name? Oh, yeah. Ava Morgan. Our boss even has his eye on her. He’s got plans for her. She’ll be begging for mercy by the time he’s done with her.”
Christian’s fists clenched tight as they laughed. He could barely breathe. He felt as if his heart was being crushed inside his chest. Ava had done everything to save him from the life he’d come from. She was innocent. She was his rock, his safe place. And now, these monsters wanted to tear that apart. Every part of him wanted to lash out, to defend her, to dosomething.But he forced himself to stay still, trapped in their twisted web.
Chase pulled his arm back, fist aimed to strike again when the door behind them swung open. A teacher stepped outside, catching all three boys in the act. Christian straightened, wincing, his ribs still aching.
“What’s going on here?” the teacher asked, frowning as his gaze landed on Barrett and Chase’s hostile postures.
Chase was quick to flash a fake smile. “Nothing, sir. Just a little chat with our friend here.”
The teacher’s gaze lingered, doubtful. “Get back inside, all of you. Now.”
Barrett and Chase threw Christian one last threatening glare before slipping past the teacher and heading inside. Christian tried to school his face, hiding the pain as the teacher turned to him.
“Is everything alright, Christian?”
He hesitated, throat tight. “Yeah. Everything’s fine.”
But as he watched the teacher’s concerned expression fade, Christian knew he was lying. He couldn’t keep this to himself. He had to tell Ava. But then what? How could he drag her into this danger? He didn’t want to scare her, and the last thing he wanted was to make her a target.
Then he thought of Aussie. He might be the hope needed to keep both him and Ava safe. However, Ava and Aussie weren’t speaking. Even though Christian had to believe that he’d step up if he knew how serious this was.
He looked down at the ground and saw that his phone was shattered, thanks to Chase. The problem now was getting a hold of Aussie.
He then remembered Bayside, the restaurant where he and Ava had grabbed lunch the other day, when they ran into Jocelyn, Clover, and Gabby. He remembered Clover saying that the team hung out there. Maybe he could find someone there who’d help him get a message to Aussie.
Pulling his backpack over his shoulder, Christian gritted his teeth, gripping his side. He walked out of the school and headed toward the bus stop. He fumbled through his pocket for the few bucks he’d need for the fare.
About twenty minutes later, Christian stepped off the bus a block from Bayside. He glanced over his shoulder as he walked. His nerves were already on edge, but the uneasy feeling that Barrett and Chase might’ve followed him kept him hyper-aware of every shadow and sound. He told himself they wouldn’t be this bold. They wouldn’t try anything in broad daylight. But the threat of what they’d promised haunted him. And Ava was still at work, probably going about her day without any idea of the danger she was in. This had to be the right thing, going to Aussie, but Christian couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe he was only dragging more people into this mess.
When he reached Bayside, he stepped inside and looked around. It was a lull between lunch and dinner, with only a few customers scattered around the tables. Music played from the jukebox, and clinking dishes settled some of his nerves. He looked around, recognizing the familiar layout but somehow feeling out of place.
