Read Red Dawn for Free Online Page B

all it is. And that’s fine. No strings, no heartache. It’s better this way. I’m free to do what I want and so is he. Still, his interest in Jade grates. After all, they’re just friends, right?
    “She’s off playing grab ass with some douche,” Blaine snickers swirling the blood in his glass.
    I can’t help but laugh. Shaye joins in, but the look on Lexie’s face suggests she doesn’t see the humor in Blaine’s explanation.
    “That douche’s name is Trey,” she clarifies indignantly, making everyone laugh even harder.  This time even Nik joins in. How could he not? Lexie may be well intentioned, but she’s a little dim sometimes. “He’s a transfer student.”
    “At least I got the grab ass part right,” Blaine counters as he tips his chair backward, balancing it on two legs. The guy may be a tool, but he is funny on occasion.
    “That is not what I meant!” Lexie trills in a futile attempt to defend her friends honor. As if she could anyway. We all know what Jade is like when she wants something.
    “Trey?” Nik asks. “Never heard of him. What’s his deal?”
    “I don’t know a lot about him,” Lexie replies perking up. She didn’t get a reputation for being the school gossip for nothing. “But I do know that he’s a total hottie and that he got kicked out of his last school.”
    “Try his last three schools,” Blaine interjects slamming his chair back to the floor on all four feet. No one bothers asking how he knows. The answer is obvious. He’s a hacker. Most likely he pulled Trey’s academic records. “Dude’s a three time loser.”
    “Daddy must have a lot of money,” Shaye cuts in. “It’s not like Pratt to accept a last stop reject. After all, he does have to protect the Crossroads image.”
    “That would be my guess,” Blaine confirms. “His dad’s some kind of hot shot lawyer.”
    “Yeah, well, Pratt’s on the warpath so it’s probably just a matter of time until the new guy gets booted,” I say as Nik grabs my hand under the table. I glance down at our intertwined fingers and smile. This is a new development.
    “What do you mean?” Shaye asks, sliding her glass to the center of the table for the staff to collect later.
    “Oh, nothing,” I say, twisting a loose strand of hair with my free hand. “Pratt and I had a little run in earlier today.”
    “Over what?” Nik asks defensively. He looks cute when he’s concerned. Maybe I should get in trouble more often. It’s not like it takes much effort around here.
    “Pratt nailed me for flagrant disregard of the new uniform policy and, of course, his authority at Crossroads.”
    “Seriously?” Lexie asks, looking surprised. I guess she’s never been a target of Pratt’s indiscriminate wrath. Lucky girl.
    “Seriously,” I tell her, shaking my head. “Pratt busted me for a missing tie.”
    The group stares at me in disbelief, probably because they’ve all done worse.
    “It’s whatever,” I say waving it off. “Pratt hates me. He was probably just looking for a scapegoat to make his point. So if you don’t want to join me on work detail, I suggest you follow the uniform guidelines. Unless of course you want to get on Pratt’s bad side? In which case, keep calm and carry on.”
    Shaye groans. She’s probably remembering the work detail I got last year for mouthing off in class. “What’s the punishment this time?”
    “Kitchen duty,” I tell her pushing my chair back from the table. “Speaking of which, I’ve gotta run. I’m going to be late.”
    “As usual,” Nik observes, pulling me in for a quick sendoff kiss. It’s totally PG-13, but no one told the rampant hormones raging through my body.
    “Well, maybe I can be a little late.”
     

 
    Chapter Seven
     
    “Hurry up, Shaye! We’re going to be late,” I call through the bathroom door. “You’ve been in there for-ev-er !”
    She cracks the door and peeks her head out. “Go ahead without me.”
    “What? No way!” I cry.