Forever Golden: Dark High School Bully Romance (Kings of Cypress Prep Book 3) by Rachel Jonas (books like beach read txt) 📗

I add, realizing this is the first time I’ve been the one to speak those words. Usually, it’s West.

Maybe he’s wearing off on me, or maybe it’s just what I want to believe.

Either way, we’re all clued in on the truth now. Whatever happens next, whatever way this whole thing goes, we’re in it together.

Chapter 15

WEST

“Where the hell have you been all my life?” The question leaves my mouth in a plume of smoke, speaking to the joint pinched between my fingers.

I pass it to Dane, and I swear it’s been a lifetime since any of us took a hit. We have until early summer to get our fill before we’re in the gym for our first college football season. But getting high tonight feels necessary, because life’s so incredibly fucked up at the moment.

I glance down at my phone, checking the app linked to Southside’s security system. The moment I lay eyes on the thing, it switches from ‘disarmed’ to ‘armed’. It seems like a weird coincidence since she’d already turned it on when Scar’s party ended a little more than an hour ago.

West: Everything okay? Just noticed the alarm was off.

Southside: All good. Ricky stopped by and I gave him the phone. On my way to bed.

I smile and can’t resist the chance to get under her skin a little.

West: On your way to bed alone, right? Or is Ruiz still there?

Southside: Ha-ha. Such a fucking comedian.

Despite the sarcastic response, I know she’s laughing.

West: I’d hate to have to kill anyone tonight.

Southside: Not tonight, but if you keep talking…

West: I’ve got it on good authority your ass isn’t going any-damn-where.

Southside: Oh, yeah? That’s what you heard?

West: True shit. Rumor is, you stick around for the good sex.

Southside: OMG whatever.

West: It’s like that?

Southside:…

West: Fine. Night. Love you.

She takes her sweet-ass time responding, which I know is one-hundred percent intentional.

Southside: Love you back ;) Also, Jules is stuck here in the city for Christmas, so if you want to buy the plane tickets, it’s just me and Scar.

“Get off the damn phone. You’re messing up the rotation,” Sterling complains, shaking the joint at me.

I take another hit, then hand it off to Dane. Right after, I open the app where I’ve had our plane tickets sitting in the cart and pull the trigger on them before I forget.

“You dickheads owe me for your tickets. Joss’s too. No such thing as a free ride,” I announce, letting my head drop back to the mattress.

“Fuck you,” Dane chokes out, making me laugh as he tries to hold in the smoke he just inhaled.

Mentioning Joss’s name with the joke has me thinking about her now, wondering how she’s dealing with the shitstorm X brought into her life last night. With what’s been revealed about her dad, things are kind of a mess over there.

The last twenty-four-hours under her roof have been nothing but chaos—lots of fighting and crying. Most of which Joss has been able to avoid, but of course she’s not completely exempt. We offered to let her chill here for a few days, as a means of escape, but she insisted on being at home. Apparently, she doesn’t trust her folks to be forthcoming with the details, so she’s sticking around to hear it all firsthand.

With all the underhanded shit going on lately, I honestly don’t blame her.

I thought the shift in circumstances might change her mind about coming to Louisiana in a week, but it’s actually had the opposite effect. Her original plan was to sneak out and leave her parents a note explaining where she’d gone, but now she wants to just be straight up with them. Apparently, she doesn’t give a fuck what they think about her leaving with us.

Or more specifically, leaving with Dane.

The room’s quiet and the weed has me reflecting on other things now.

“As far as fifteen-year-old girls birthday parties go, I’d say that was a success.”

Sterling nods, agreeing with me. “She seems like a good kid. Southside’s done a good job with her.”

It’s strange at first hearing him say it that way, but he isn’t wrong—she raised Scar on her own. Even when it wasn’t just the two of them.

“Parents fucking suck,” Dane chokes out.

The incredibly general statement has me laughing, but probably only because I’m high as hell right now.

“Speaking of parents that suck, Joss doing okay?” Sterling asks.

Dane shrugs and inhales deep, holding his breath before answering. “She will be.”

As if Pandora’s prying ass wasn’t bad enough, we’re stuck with X until she regains control of her account. Turns out, she wasn’t as heartless as we all thought, having held back all the gems X has graced us with lately. Some are pretty heavy hitters, the kind of shit that can tear families apart. While Joss may be the latest victim, who the fuck knows who’s next.

I glance at the time and in rushes an impulsive thought.

“We should go upstairs,” I suggest. “Let’s rummage through Vin’s shit and see what we find.”

Both my brothers look at me like I’ve lost my fucking mind, but it’s the perfect night. Mom and Vin are at the same charity event they attend every year right before Christmas. And I’m not sure what goes on there, but they’ve never made it back in for the night before three a.m.

“We’ve got a couple hours at least,” I say with a groan, pulling myself up off the bed, still dressed in what I wore over to Southside’s.

“What exactly are we looking for?” Dane asks.

“Hell if I know. Just anything,” I reason with a shrug. “We’ll know when we find it.”

Honestly, it’s the weed talking and I have no fucking idea what I’m saying, but I’m convinced this is what we need to do with the rest of our night.

“Sterling, take the lobby. Dane, I need you on elevator watch.”

They look at each other like I’m crazy, and they might be right, but there’s no stopping me. I’m already out of my room, down the hall, and pressing