Page 107 of Cougar

“Because you’re calling from your cell when you should be in class. Are you okay?”

“Um… it’s a long story, but right now I need you to meet me at the medical center for an X-ray.”

“What!” I scream into the phone as I frantically search for my purse. “I’m on my way.”

I hang up and call out, “We gotta go, B,” over my shoulder as I head to the garage and climb into the passenger seat of his Denali.

Just as Bass slips behind the wheel and starts up the SUV, the phone rings through the Bluetooth. Bass presses the phone button on the dash. “We’re on our way, Princess. Are you okay?”

“B, my crazy mother hung up before I could tell her I’m okay, but I definitely broke a finger or two.”

I roll my eyes and open my mouth to argue that I’m not crazy, but Bass covers it with his massive hand.

“How did you manage to do that?”

“Some crazy bitch stomped on my hand. And I think Harper might need stitches.”

Bass looks over at me, and I’m sure he can see the rage in my eyes. After seeing Cam with his arms around another woman, I’m certainly itching for a fight.

“B?”

“I’m here. We’ll discuss it when I get there. Is Romeo with you?”

“Yes,” Zach replies.

“Me, too,” Cole adds.

“See you in a few minutes,” he says before he hangs up.

In that moment, something inside me breaks and I burst into tears.

Bass whips the SUV over to the side of the road. “What’s going on with you?”

Shaking my head, I swipe the tears from my cheeks. “Nothing. Just drive.”

“Not until you tell me why you’re so upset.”

I keep my gaze trained on the windshield. “Can we talk about it later? Right now, I’m worried about my kid.”

He stares at the side of my face for a moment before he shifts the truck into Drive and continues toward the medical center.

* * *

“This one is definitely broken,” my father says, pointing to Jay’s ring finger on the X-ray film before shifting to the middle of her hand. “See this here? This is a hairline fracture. You’ll need to wear a soft cast for a couple of weeks so your hand can heal.”

“Great,” Jay mumbles and rolls her eyes. “I guess it’s a good thing I beat her ass first.”

My mouth falls open. “Jayla,” I admonish. “You better be kidding.”

“She’s not,” Zach tells me as Jay stares holes in the side of his head. “You’ll probably be getting phone calls from some angry parents.”

“Not if I call them first.” I narrow my eyes at Jay.

“What? She purposely stomped on my hand, and while I was on the floor screaming in pain and trying not to pass out, she laughed about it and mouthed ‘Oops.’ She might as well have just said, ‘Fuck you.’”

“Jayla!” My eyes flick to my father, who seems completely unfazed.

“Sorry, Mac Daddy.”

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