Waiting On You (Blue Heron #3)(17)

Colleen bit down on a smile. Jake was indeed blond and blue-eyed.

“You’re gonna be sorry you said that, idiot,” Jake said.

“Oh, come on,” Colleen said. “He’s drunk, Jake. And you do look like Cameron Diaz, right, Crabbe? Right, Goyle?” She smiled at Jase and Chris, who, uncertain of how to respond, glanced at Jake.

“Bryce, let’s get going,” she said, starting toward him. He answered with a crooked smile.

“Hold on,” Jake said, and then put his hand on Bryce’s chest and shoved, almost gently.

“Dude,” Bryce murmured. His legs buckled, and Colleen realized that at some point, Bryce had gone from sloppy to shit-faced. This was confirmed when he lay back on the dock. “I don’t feel so good,” he muttered.

“I don’t feel so good,” Jake echoed in a high-pitched voice. “I bet you don’t, pu**y.” His minions laughed, and Jake gave a tentative kick to Bryce’s ribs.

“Knock it off!” Colleen said.

“Hey,” Bryce said faintly, sounding more surprised than hurt.

She took a step toward them, stopping as Jake turned and looked at her, a speculative expression drifting over his face.

The cold lance of fear that slid through her stomach was almost alarming.

Jake was in front of her. Jase and Chris were behind her.

Oh, shit.

That was the thing about life in a small town. Once, they’d all been friends, more or less—all forty-nine kids in the senior class, back in the day of Halloween parties and field trips to the local cemetery. But somewhere in high school, things changed. Cliques formed, circles closed, and before you knew it, you could lose track of a person.

And Colleen had definitely lost track of Jake. She’d rebuffed him a few times, starting in seventh grade, not liking his rich-boy superiority, his casual dismissal of the girls who liked him. Chris and Jase, too, had never been her favorites. Chris wasn’t that bad, just kind of a jerk. But Jase had a mean streak, too.

Suddenly, they seemed...dangerous.

Without looking away from her, Jake gave Bryce another oddly gentle kick, as if trying to see if he enjoyed it. Bryce appeared to have passed out.

“You think he’d drown if we rolled him in the lake?” Jake asked.

The minions snickered

This night was heading south. Fast.

“Okay, that’s enough, boys,” she said briskly. “Help me get him to the car.” Yes. Give them the chance to be on her side, to change the dynamic.

Chris and Jase didn’t move, waiting for instructions from their leader.

“You think you’re better than everyone, don’t you, Colleen?” Jake said softly, looking her up and down.

And all of a sudden, Colleen was—there was no more denying it—genuinely scared. Her knees buzzed, and her heart kicked in her chest.

“Jake, come on,” she said, and she hated the fact that her voice shook. “Let’s call it a night.”

“I don’t think so. This prom sucked, and I want some fun.” Another kick to Bryce, resulting in a soft grunt and nothing else.

“Don’t hurt him,” she said, her voice breaking.

“What will you do for us if we don’t?” Jake asked.

Colleen swallowed.

There was no cell service down here.

Tanya was sleeping on the shore.

And no one else was around.

If only Connor had come, because she always felt stronger and smarter when her twin was around. Connor would die before letting anyone hurt her. If only Jeremy was here, because he was tall and strong and honorable. Or Levi Cooper, who was badass and had a protective streak. Or Big Frankie, or any number of nicer, more decent boys.

But they hadn’t. She was on her own.

“I’m glad you came down here, O’Rourke,” Jake said. “Guys, aren’t you glad? Coll, so nice of you to come! Yeah, I think we can all use a little fun, sure. And everyone knows how much fun you are.” His eyes drifted down her body, then up again, stopping on her br**sts.

Jesus God in Heaven.

You read about stuff like this. Saw those awful reports on CNN. Stuff like this happened all the time, and it was beyond belief. But Jake wouldn’t—and Jase and Chris, they wouldn’t—

She could run...except Jase and Chris were blocking the way. Even if she managed to get past them, which was unlikely, she’d have to leave Bryce to their mercy. She could jump in the lake and swim, but the water would be cold, maybe cold enough to stop her from thinking clearly. What if she drowned, and even if she didn’t, where would she swim? How far? Could she make it somewhere safe? What if they just waited for her wherever she came to shore?

This wasn’t really happening. She knew these boys. She’d gone to kindergarten with them. They wouldn’t actually—

Jake took off his tuxedo jacket.

Oh, God.

The word she hadn’t wanted to think now reared up in searing color.

Raped. She could end up raped. The image throbbed in her brain like a tumor, blotting out everything else. Three against one.

She turned around to face the minions. Jase weighed upward of two hundred and fifty pounds; he’d been a tackle on the football team. The regional division championship football team. Chris was smaller, but still had a good forty or fifty pounds on her. “Chris, remember that field trip to the glass museum? When we sat together?” For a second, he looked uncertain.