Queen of the track

XIII

"Nah, man. That's a lustful gaze."

I cringe and look down at Ryan. "Are you serious right now? A lustful gaze?"

He clenches his jaw. "Look, I get it, she's hot and she's feisty and when you really know her, she's an amazing person ... but Raven has some serious baggage, okay? Trust me when I say, that you don't want to get involved." After a moment of silence between us, Ryan starts to laugh. "Man, look at us. We want the two people we can't have, and who sure as hell don't want us."

"And they're twins." I add.

"And they're twins." Ryan nods.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

Both Ryan and I startle, turning to our right to see Alex—who, in her three-inch heels, just barely reaches Ryan's height—glaring at us both. When she looks at me, she seems to remember the night before, where she stood on my doorstep handing me a pizza, and her eyes widen in ... fear?

"Uh ..." Ryan begins, earning her attention.

"And you brought him?" She jabs her thumb in my direction, and suddenly my eyes are narrowing on their own accord. "Seriously, do you two have a death wish?"

"Look, Ali, I just want to—"

"Don't, Ryan." Alex shakes her head and puts her hand up. "They're really mad at you."

"I know, but I—"

"And if they find you here, AJ isn't the one you need to worry about, it's Remy."

"I just need to explain—"

"Explain what?" She cries, throwing her hands in the air. "You ruined their lives, Ryan."

"What's going on?" Rissa appears by Alex's side, her face hardening at the sight of Ryan and I. "Are you shitting me? What the fuck is this?"

"Babe, it's fine."

"Did they hurt you?" Rissa quickly turns Alex to face her. "Did they say something?"

"What's the big deal?" I frown, glaring between the two of them.

"No!" Alex shakes her head at Rissa. "It's okay, they're leaving."

"Well you got that right."

My body freezes like it usually does on the rare occasion that Raven manages to sneak up on me, and I look to my left to see her standing with her hands resting on her waist. Up close, I can fully appreciate what she's wearing—or lack thereof, since she's in booty shorts and a mesh top, but she looks really good. Even with that hard glare on her face, she still looks hot.

Since I've now seen what she's capable of in the gym, it wouldn't surprise me if she could actually put up a fight, though she wouldn't get a chance if it was against me.

"The boys are downstairs." Raven says, her eyes resting on Ryan. "I suggest you leave before they find out you're here. And take your new pet with you."

"The fuck did you just say?" I step towards her without realising, pushing Ryan out of the way so that I tower over her. Hot or not, she's still a Class-A bitch.

"Gray, don't." I hear Ryan say.

Amusement seems to light in Raven's eyes as she looks up at me. She's tall, but not tall enough to be intimating to me, and clearly she doesn't find me intimating at all. I'm not sure whether that impresses me or annoys me—much like Raven in general, I suppose.

When I concentrate on her eyes, they seem hazy and slightly blood-shot, as if she's high or drunk, or maybe even both.

"I said that Ryan needs to get the fuck out of here." She hisses lowly, the mixed smell of vodka and weed on her breath fanning over me. "And you," she jabs a dark, manicured finger into my chest, "his mangy little guard dog, needs to go too."

"Look sweetheart," I drawl, causing her to glare at me, "I don't know what the fuck your problem is—" I start to growl at her, but she cuts me off with narrowed eyes.

"You are my problem. Stop putting your nose in where it doesn't belong."

"I just want to talk." Ryan pleads, trying to step in between us.

Raven moves her eyes from me to him, and Ryan instantly falters. He may have known her for a long time, but that doesn't mean he's used to her death glare being aimed at him.

"Talk? To who, exactly? More police? A judge? No, you've talked enough." She says to him, her voice is both calm and angry at the same time, like she's internally torn about what to do and feel. "Get out before I change my mind, Ryan, and before AJ sees you."

"Too late for that."

My fists clench at my sides and I look over Raven's shoulder to see AJ, Jonah and a blond guy, Connor, coming up behind her. All three of them wear the same unimpressed look, but AJ is the only one who also looks murderous.

"AJ..." Raven starts—suddenly cautious—but he stands beside her, looking down at Ryan.

"We need to talk." Ryan says to him, his voice is so quiet I can barely hear him over the pounding music. "Please, AJ."

AJ seems to have an internal debate with himself for a minute, the party carrying on around us. If anyone here notices anything about this group standing intensely in the corner of the room, they don't question it as they continue to dance and drink and laugh.

Eventually, AJ looks away from Ryan. "Get out." He turns on his heel and disappears in the crowd, which makes Raven take a step forward.

"You heard him, Ryan."

"All right." Ryan snaps. Hurt is evident on his face as he looks longingly in the direction AJ walked in. "All right," he says quietly.

I don't move until Ryan does, and I avoid looking at Raven as I pass her. Jonah however, decides his shoulder needs to bump mine as we cross paths. I barely even stumble at the impact, but in the blink of an eye, I've turned and my fist collides with his face.

Someone yells, another person gasps in shock, followed by a string of curses and squeal, and someone else puts their hands on my chest, attempting to push me back. My steel grey eyes lock with Raven's crystal blues, and as if she had shocked me, I quickly step away from her. She glares at me but says nothing before quickly putting a hand on Connor's chest and stepping in between us as he advances towards me with a murderous look.

"Don't." She tells him firmly.

From the floor, Jonah groans, clutching his hands to his jaw as Alex shakily holds a bloody cloth to his mouth and Rissa talks to him, telling him to breathe evenly and stay still.

Still holding back Connor, Raven turns to me and says with hard eyes and pure venom laced in her words, "Get. Out."

"Come on." I feel Ryan hastily tug on the sleeve of my jacket, dragging me out of the room.