But, for some strange reason, I swear they’re watching me. If they are, I have a feeling that isn’t necessarily a good thing.
Chapter Five
Zay never returns to class. I hate that I’m aware of this. Just like I hate that I’m aware of how Hunter ignores me, even when we walk out of the classroom at almost the same time.
Apparently, the warning Jax gave him Hunter was enough to make him back off his determination to become my new BFF because he doesn’t say a word to me. It’s probably for the better since, pretty soon, he’ll meet the spawn of Satan since it’s lunch break. And then she’ll inform him of the deaths I have staining my hands.
“You’re new, right?” A girl with long, brown hair and hazel eyes approaches me as I’m heading toward my locker. She’s wearing jeans and a T-shirt, along with a plaid shirt and Converse sneaker. Her casual style makes her look like someone Dixie May wouldn’t associate with, but I’m not going to completely discount the idea.
I nod, putting up my guard. “Yeah, I am.”
She walks beside me, glancing behind us and down the hallway. Then she looks back at me and leans in. “Well, here’s a little warning. That guy’s seat you were sitting in today in class, his name is Zay and, trust me, you don’t want to mess with him or his friends, Hunter and Jax, those other two guys that sat by you. They’re kind of dangerous.”
“Okay …?” I’m totally confused. “Thanks for the warning and everything, but why is it such a big deal that I sat at this Zay dude’s desk? I mean, the seats aren’t assigned.”
She wavers. “It’s kind of hard to explain to an outsider, but I’ll try to give you the quick version of the story. That way, you’ll understand and hopefully make the smart choice of staying away from The Raven Three.”
“The Raven Three?”
“Yeah, that’s what we call them. Or, well, it’s the name they gave themselves. No one’s really sure why.”
The Raven Three, huh. No wonder Hunter said it was ironic that my name was Raven. That also might explain why he knew so much about the symbolism of the bird.
I study her with suspicion. “Why are you telling me this? I mean, why are you helping me?”
“Because I was new once and had to learn the hard way.” She smiles. “I’m Katy, by the way.”
Katy. I heard Jax mention her name on that list he prattled off to Hunter. But, what happened to the girls on the list?
“I’m Raven,” I tell her with a small smile.
It’s weird smiling at school. It’s been a long time.
A long damn time.
“Raven? Huh, I really like that name.” She adjusts the handle of her backpack higher onto her shoulder. “It’s way more original than Katy.”
“I like Katy better,” I tell her as I swing around a couple making out in the middle of the hallway.
“You must be crazy then,” she jokes with a grin.
Man, if she only knew how close to the truth she was. How I briefly spent time in a psychiatric hospital right after my parents died.
“Maybe a little bit,” I agree, my chest feeling slightly pressurized.
Slut.
Freak.
Murderer.
My scars throb.
She laughs like I’m making a joke, but I’m not. “You’re funny, Raven. You should come sit with me and my friends at lunch.” Her laughter fades and seriousness takes over. “It’ll be good for you to have a group at this school, too. Someone to protect you.”
Confusion swirls inside me. “Protect me from what?”
She sneaks a quick, nervous glance around at the people flooding the hallways. “The politics in this town. Sadly, the more money and power your family has here, the more shit you can get away with at this school. It’s so bad that teachers will literally look the other way, even when someone is getting their ass kicked by some pretentious, rich, spoiled brat. And don’t even get me started on the sexual assaults that get dusted under the rug.”
Jesus, is she being serious? She sure looks like it, but …
“Doesn’t anyone report that kind of stuff to the police?” I ask. “I mean, sexual assault cases don’t really seem like they should be handled by school administrators.”
“The police are just as bad at looking the other way, because they get bought off. And if they do try to do something about all the illegal crap going on in town, they end up like old Sheriff Bethrtor, may he rest in peace.” She draws a cross over her chest. “Although, I heard a rumor that we have a new sheriff in town, so maybe that’ll change. Doubtful, though.”
Yeah, I doubt so, too, since my uncle isn’t the type of do-gooder guy who will turn down cash to do the right thing. Obviously, since he has a huge-ass stash of stolen drugs. But I’m not about to tell her that.
“Yeah, maybe,” I mumble.
She bobs her head up and down, dazing off for a minute. “But yeah, anyway, if you want to be smart and stay off the radar of all this corrupt shit, I’d recommend staying as far away from Zay, Jax, and Hunter as you can.” She steps closer to me and lowers her voice. “Jax comes from one of the wealthiest families in town, and Zay is his cousin and lives with him. No one knows why he lives with him, but he’s just as spoiled as Jax. But I’ve heard rumors that his dad’s straight up crazy. And Jax’s dad is a total asshole. He owns a huge part of the town, so a lot of people have to do what he says. It’s really weird.”
I attempt to process the information she just gave me but, holy crap, this is weird. “Well, what about Hunter?”
She goes all doe-eyed for a moment before hastily blinking away the look. “Hunter lives with Jax and Zay, too. His dad works for Jax’s dad as his”—she makes air quotes—“ ‘business consultant.’ But everyone around here is pretty sure he basically makes sure anything ugly that could potentially tarnish the Capperellie name gets wiped clean.”
That sounds … sketchy. “Wiped clean how?”
“I’m not sure, but there’re a few theories. One being …” She drags her finger across her throat. “So, yeah, if I were you, I’d stay away from them. Especially Hunter.”
Does she really believe that? That Hunter’s dad kills people? Or does she just like to spread rumors?
“Really? Because Zay seems scarier.”
“Oh, Zay is completely fucking scary,” she assures me. “He’s also into some really weird shit.”
I adjust the books in my hand as we near my locker. “What kind of weird shit?”
She lifts a brow. “What sort of weird stuff do you think I’m talking about?”
I shrug. “I don’t know.”
She gives me a look like I’m an idiot. “Sexual shit.”
“Oh.” Now this is a topic of conversation I’m a bit unfamiliar with, being a virgin and all. Not that I’m some sort of prude who’s going to blush over this or something. And it’s not like I’m saving myself for marriage or anything like that. I’ve just never had the opportunity to have sex. I’ve never even been out on a date. I did get kissed once, but it was a stolen kiss that I refuse to ever think about.
“I’m not positive how true the rumors are since I haven’t, and never will, go near Zay,” Katy continues, “but I’ve heard he’s into some really twisted stuff. And he never kisses anyone on the mouth and rarely touches anyone when he’s messing around with them. And I’ve heard he likes it rough.”
Okay, I may be a little naïve when it comes to sexual stuff, but that seems a bit weird to me.
“Why’s he like that?” I wonder, telling myself I’m only curious, not interested. But it might be a little bit of both.
She shrugs. “Who the hell knows? I’ve heard, like, a ton of rumors about it, but the only people who really know the truth are Zay, Hunter, and Jax.”
“They’re, like, best friends, right?” I stop in front of my locker and start to spin the combination.
“No. They’re more than that,” she tells me. When she notices the confusion on my face, she adds, “It’s kind of hard to explain, but the three of them are like some sort of freaky, human wolf pack or something. When I first moved here, I thought they were brothers, but I quickly learned their relationship is tighter than that. They aren’t friends with anyone else, they never bring in outsiders, and they make no effort to associate with anyone, yet they always get invited to every party. It’s partially out of fear and partially because I think a lot of people are hoping they’ll be the lucky asshole who gets brought into their group.” She shakes her head with a disgusted look on her face. “I don’t know why they consider it lucky, though. They’re jerks. And crazy. And just …” She shakes her head again.
“Sounds like you got a beef with them,” I say as I pull open my locker.
She chews on her bottom lip. “Well, I hooked up with Hunter once. It was the biggest mistake of my life, something I realized right after, when he told me to take care and left me lying in bed naked. He didn't even wait for me to get dressed before ditching me. And we were at his house, and he just took off, and …” She clears her throat. “But anyway, I should’ve known better, because that’s what Hunter does. He uses girls and everyone knows this, yet I somehow convinced myself that I’d be the one to change him.”
“I’m sorry … I can kind of see how you fell for him, though. He seems really …” I waver for the right word. “Charming.”
“You’ve talked to him?” she asks, and for the strangest second, I detect a hint of jealousy in her eyes.
I nod, my guard going up even more. If she is jealous, then that means she’s not over him, and I don’t need any jealous girl drama on top of the drama Dixie May is going to cause for me.
“Yeah, he was in the main office this morning when I picked up my schedule.” I choose my words carefully. “He just said hi, but I wasn’t really that interested in him.”