Page 46 of Crooked Crows (Boys of Briar Hall 1)

The lie rolled off my tongue like butter and the VP lapped it up, looking relieved to be off the hook. “Oh, that’s great. Well, if you find you need any more support, just let us know and we can try to set something up.”

I nodded. “Sure thing. I should probably…”

“Oh, yes. Go on. Don’t want to be late.”

“Fucking counseling?” I muttered to myself as the door shut behind me, and I rushed down the vacant hallway, shaking my head.

The last time a school forced me to see a counselor I lasted a full five minutes before vowing to never subject myself to that again. I mean, Dom went to therapy and she said it helped her and that was great and all, but when people asked me prying questions, my first instincts were to either stab or run.

The counselor at Lennox high was lucky I’d decided on the latter.

The bell rang just as my hand closed around the handle of the door, and I stepped through before it finished ringing.

“Cutting it a bit close, Miss Mason?” the teacher drawled, peering at me from the corner of his eye while he sat atop his desk, hands folded over a knee.

“Sorry, sir,” I bit out. “I was—”

“Don’t care,” he said with a strained smile, and I braced myself, my blood flooding with enough adrenaline to make me shiver as I turned my attention to the class, making my way slowly to my seat.

What was this?

I caught the briefest glimpse of Corvus’ smirk before he dropped it in favor of his trademark scowl. He was fuckingpleasedto see me. The bastard. He knew I wouldn’t run. His shoulders flexed beneath the leather of his jacket, making an audible creak.

Rook stared openly from beside his adoptive brother, leaning over his desk like he might launch an attack at any given second. His dark hair shadowing his even darker eyes. His knuckles popped as he cracked them into his palm one by one, the tattooed letters spelling his name moving like a wave.

Grey slouched back in his chair, running a thumb over his lower lip as his eyes scraped down the length of me inch by inch. He had his tattoos on display today in a short sleeve V-neck that showed off a lot of muscle I hadn’t paid proper attention to before. Not to mention, the bandage still in place over the cut that was no doubt crusting over into a good scar by now.

Their interest wasn’t missed, not by anyone in the class, but least of all by motherfucking Brianna Moore.

I took a good long look at her,sitting at the other end of the classroom, before I slid into the one vacant seat, directly in front of Corvus. Like he planned it that way. For all I knew, he did.

I smiled to myself as I set down my books and settled in to listen to the drone of the teacher prattle on about some shit that he prefaced by saying wouldn’t be on a test—which basically meant I didn’t care at all what he was saying. Good, because I was too busy replaying the epic visual of Bri in my head and biting my lip to keep from laughing.

No amount of makeup could hide the two black eyes, andmandid she look absolutely ridiculous in that nose splint. I was surprised she came at all, though I had to assume it was to host her very own pity party.

But to sit all the way on the other side of the classroom? To not even give me a goodglarewhen I came in?

Had I scared her that much?

Huh.

If a little threat was all it took, then I’d have done that to start with. Avoided this whole mess of bullshit drama.

“Find what you lost?” Corvus asked in a rumbling whisper behind me, and I wriggled in my seat, not liking what the sound of his voice was doing to me.

I really needed to get laid…

“You mean, whatyoulost, jackass?”

An intake of breath from someone nearby made me smile to myself.

“You owe me a new blade,” I reminded him when he didn’t reply, and got a pointed look from the teacher that I studiously ignored. I got what I came for, he could kick me out now for all I cared.

I missed the peace of detention with Ms. Wood.

Though, I really didn’t relish the thought of having to explain myself to my aunt again. Yeah,fuck that.

“Is that so?” came Corvus’ delayed reply, and I stiffened, feeling his fingers brush against my back and curl into my hair. For a heart stopping moment, I thought he might jerk my head back right there in the classroom, punish me for daring to speak like that to him. Right in front of everyone.

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