Untouched (Bay Falls High, #1)(22)

I swallowed hard.

My instinct was to turn and run.

Go to my room and lock the door and never come out again.

There was no getting away from these guys.

Barr took the cigarette out of his mouth again.

“You look a little tense tonight, love,” he said. He was then right in front of me. Reaching for the same hand I had punched Vicky with. The same hand Pres had spit on. He put the unsmoked cigarette into the palm of my hand and closed my fingers around it. “You should have a smoke and relax a little.”

“Barrington, why did you stop playing?” Cathy’s voice called out.

“Forgive me, Mom,” he called back with his eyes locked to mine. “I got a little distracted.”

Barrington?

Mom?

He walked out of the room, leaving me completely breathless.

I looked down at my hand and frowned.

I put the cigarette into some fake plant stand and moved toward the kitchen.

That’s when I put it together.

Why Sylvester and Cathy looked familiar.

Because Barr was a perfect mix of the two.

He had Sylvester’s manly chin and honey gold eyes. Yet he had the pretty features from his mother.

And he stood between them with his hands in his pockets of his fancy shorts with his plain white t-shirt hugging his body perfectly tight.

Leaving me in complete shock.

“Do you two know each other?” Claire asked.

“We’ve been acquainted,” Barr said. “Right, Ti?”

Ti?

Now you’re going to use my nickname, you asshole?

“Ti?” Cathy asked.

“That’s Tinsley’s name,” Barr said. “Ti is short for Tinsley.”

“Oh, of course,” Cathy said. “I thought maybe you two had names for each other.”

“Oh, I could think of a name for him,” I said.

“Well, it’s a relief to know you’re meeting people at Bay Falls High,” Claire said.

“She’s in good hands,” Barr said. “Even though today was a little rough.”

“Why is that?” Sylvester asked.

“It’s fine,” Claire said. “Honestly.”

“Of course,” Barr said. “Forgive me for bringing that up. It wasn’t my place.”

“Did something happen?” Cathy asked. “I’m telling you, I do not like that Jacobson being there.”

“Easy now, my love,” Sylvester said to his wife.

Barr eyed me and grinned.

Love.

Shove it up your rich ass.

“We can gossip about school politics later,” Claire said. “Let’s sit and eat and enjoy the simplicity of life.”

“Would you mind if I went to get some air?” Barr asked.

“Sure,” Claire said. “Do you feel okay?”

“I feel sick,” I said.

“Something in the air,” Barr said with a grin.

“Barrington always clears his head after playing piano,” Cathy said. “Such a marvelous musician. Yet nothing will come of it.”

“My love, we’re guests here,” Sylvester said.

He grabbed Cathy’s hand and squeezed hard. Really hard. So hard that she looked like she was in pain but hiding it.

“Going for a smoke?” I asked Barr.

“A smoke?” Cathy asked.

“Ti was caught with cigarettes,” Barr said. “She jokes and blames me.”

“Old habits from an old life,” Claire said, covering for me for more lies. “Come on. Let’s go sit down.”

“I’ll join you shortly,” Barr said.

“Take your time,” Cathy said to her son.

“I think I might join you,” I said. “Do you mind, Barrington?”

Barr curled his lip. “Not at all.”

So now I was following the devil outside instead of locking the door to keep him away.

The second we were both outside, Barr took out a cigarette and lit it. With his head down, messy hair almost in his face, taking the first drag, not caring who saw…

“What did I do to you?”

“Who said you did anything?” he asked, smoke dancing from his lips.

“I did. You did. I mean… the three of you are messing with me. You see who I am. Why I’m here. Right?”

“Living the rich girl life even though you have nowhere to live.”

“I have an apartment.”

Barr laughed. “Right. Isn’t that where your mother gets high? Where she goes too far?”

“Fuck you,” I growled. “Fuck you for knowing anything about me. Because you really don’t.”

“Sorry, love, I know everything already. There’s no escaping it now.”

“Escaping what?” I asked. “Because I saw Pres trying to kill someone?”

Barr stepped toward me, eyes flaring. “Say that again.”

“You heard me. I was minding my own business. I didn’t mean to see anything.”

“But you saw something. And you were so quick to flap those thin, cute lips of yours to Kip.”

“He asked…”

Barr took a drag and blew smoke at me. “What do your other lips look like, love?”