Fallen Crest Public(12)

Too late. I caught the slight smugness. It mingled with her fear, but I caught it. “What was that?”
“What?” An innocent mask slipped over her.
I shook my head, pointing to her face. “That. That look you gave Logan.”
Logan’s head straightened. His interest was piqued.
“What are you talking about, Mason?” She was growing cockier now. “I’m trying to be a friend. We used to have your backs. Remember?”
One of the guys muttered, “Oh shit.”
Even Nate laughed at that. “Since when? What are you talking about, Kate?”
She turned to the rest of the guys. All of them were looking at her in disbelief. Except Logan, he was grinning widely, leaning back against his Escalade. He shook his head now. “You’re digging yourself a hole. Stop talking. It might help.”
Jasmine hissed behind her, “Don’t you talk to her like that—”
“Like what?” Ethan shot back at her.
That stopped her. All the wind she had ready to let loose fell flat. Her eyes darted to his, and she couldn’t look away.
Ethan leaned back against the car beside Logan, and shoved his hands into his front pockets. His shoulders hunched forward, but his gaze never left hers. They were dead-locked as he added, “You’re going to tell us what to do? You’re going to tell me what to do, Jaz?”
“Stop.” Her throat moved as she visibly swallowed. “Ethan—”
“No, Jaz. You picked your side. We’re not friends with you guys anymore.”
Her shoulders flinched as if he’d punched her.
He nodded in my direction. “And you know why.”
She didn’t turn and look. She only took another deep breath before her head went down, and she shuffled backwards. Natalie touched her arm softly, and then sidled beside Kate. She whispered something to the other girl, quiet enough so no one else could hear, and Kate’s only response was a heavy nod.
All the fight had left her.
I waited, watching the entire thing fold out. I didn’t take pleasure in this, but I wasn’t going to let Kate get a pass, not when I knew she was just starting. The chances were high that she already had a plan in place, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if her next move was to go inside and say something to Sam. She’d pick a public arena, let everyone know that they shouldn’t become friends with Sam, or they’d have to suffer the consequences of dealing with her.
As she jerked her head and headed inside, her friends followed behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, and met my gaze for a single heartbeat.
I saw the rage. I even understood it, but when she caught the warning from me to let it go, her rage doubled. The look only lasted a second, but it was long enough. We both knew neither of us would budge.
It was war.
Kate thought she was fighting Sam, but she wasn’t. Kate was fighting me. She just didn’t know it.
I became aware of Logan next to me. “What was the look she gave me?”
We watched the girls go inside. “She’s smug about something. I didn’t like it.”
“About me?”
“I don’t know.” I glanced at him. “Any reason she’d be like that about you?”
He frowned and shrugged. “Not that I can think of anything, but I know she thinks she can get you back.”
“I know.” I didn’t care about that. I wanted to know what she was thinking when she looked at my brother like that. Studying Logan, I knew he was telling the truth. He was clueless, but that made me wonder even more. Did she have something planned to hurt him? Hurt Logan. Hurt Sam. Hurt the ones around me?
I didn’t know. Yet.
Logan added, “She thinks that if she destroys Sam, you’ll go back to her. Doesn’t she?”