Chapter 18.
Raven
"Are you fucking with me right now?" I demand as I follow AJ and Connor down the hallway.
The noise level has risen quickly since we all dispersed, the other kids talking animatedly about what just happened, and what's going to happen. No doubt this news will spread before first period ends.
"AJ," I say firmly, grabbing his arm and pulling him to face me. "What the fuck were you thinking?"
"That prick needs to be taught a lesson." AJ narrows his eyes.
"And this fight?" I lower my voice. "Tell me you're not going to do it at the ring."
"Where else could he go?" Connor chimes in. "It's the best place for it."
I glare at him, then look back at my brother. "I thought you were done with that place. Has dad's situation taught you nothing?"
AJ tenses. "Don't bring him into this."
"Why not?" I snap. "He got carried away, and you're following in his footsteps."
The bell for class rings again, sending any remaining students in the hall scampering to their class.
Connor swears before saying, "I gotta get to class, I don't want another detention with Montoya. Catch you later!" He throws over his shoulder.
AJ and I continue to stare each other down. He may be a bit taller than me, and he may be my older brother, but he's still an idiot.
"You can't do this, AJ."
"Why do you keep defending this kid?" He demands, eyes narrowed at me.
"I'm not defending him, I'm trying to stop you from doing something stupid!"
He shakes his head, "no, you're defending him. You've been defending him since day one, ever since he bumped into you outside Myers' office."
"Well excuse me for trying to stop my moron brother from causing a fight outside the principle's office." I retort, anger boiling my blood. "Next time, I'll let you do it."
"This fight is happening, Raven, whether you like it or not."
I take a few seconds before answering, taking a step back from AJ. "Fine, just don't expect me to be there."
I turn on my heel and walk away from him. If he wants to be a stubborn ass, so will I.
By the time I walk into my literature class, it's already begun, and all heads turn to me when I walk through the door.
"Miss Mitchell." Mr Graham gives me a disapproving look from the front of the room, a book in his hand. "How nice of you to join us, I'm assuming you have a pass for being late?"
"As always your assumptions are wrong." I say blandly as I walk over to my desk beside Rissa and sit down, crossing my legs. I see her raise an eyebrow at me from the corner of my eye.
"Well then, it's a good thing I'm not going to assume you'll attend detention tonight, since you have no choice." He writes out a detention slip and places it on my desk before continuing with the lesson.
I glance over at Rissa and give a small shake of my head, silently telling her I'll talk to her later.
Once Graham finished reading an extract from the book and assigning a practice essay question for us to answer, I turn to Rissa as I flick open a new page of my notebook.
"Connor and Gray got into a fight." I whisper.
"What?" She leans closer to me. "When?"
"Before class."
"Let me guess, Connor started it?"
I nod at her. "And AJ finished it."
Her eyes widen, "Is the kid still walking?"
I sigh, "for now. I managed to stop AJ fighting him here, so instead he proposed an actual fight. Somewhere else."
Rissa's left eyebrow raises. "Holy shit, are you serious?"
I nod, just as Graham announces this is to be a silent assignment, halting the hushed whispers throughout the classroom.
When class ends and we walk over to calculus, I fill Rissa in on the rest of what happened with AJ.
"Damn." She says once I've finished. "I get he needs some way of getting his anger out, and he hates Gray...but going back to the ring?" She shakes his head.
"I know." I say, sitting at my desk and watching AJ and Connor walk in.
AJ takes his usual seat next to me and takes out his books, but doesn't say anything. I can faintly hear Connor and Rissa whispering behind us.
I look over at AJ as he replies to a text, "You need to pick the boys up today."
He snaps his head up to look at me, and furrows his brow. "What? Why?"
"Because Graham gave me detention." I reply with the same look.
He breathes out a frustrated breath, "fine."
"Fine?" I repeat. "I tell you I got detention, because you made me late to class, and that's all you can say?"
"I didn't make you late to class, you made yourself late by butting into my business."
"Axel and Raven," the teacher calls out to us, eyebrow raised. "Is there a problem, or can we start the lesson?" She asks.
I clench my jaw and turn away from AJ, he does the same. The teacher looks between us and nods.
"Alright, class..."
I tune out when my phone buzzes in my jacket pocket. I take it out and glance down at the screen, scowling at the words and who they're from.
Without raising suspicion I zip my phone back into my pocket and get on with class, ignoring the faint buzz every so often.
When we walk out of the classroom an hour later, my phone buzzes again and I read the other texts I received during class.
"Catch you later," I say to the others as they walk in the other direction.
I turn and watch them walk away before heading towards the main doors, and out into the parking lot behind school.
I try to keep my face passive as I approach the tall figure leaning against his motorbike, which he conveniently parked next to mine.
He smirks when he sees me walking towards him, his dark brown eyes roaming my body. "Damn girl, you're looking good."
There was a time he would look at me like that and I would shiver, now, I feel nothing. Or at least, I'm trying not to feel anything.
"What do you want, Jax?" I say to him.
He unfolds his arms and stands up straight, taking a step towards me and placing his hands on my waist. "I wanted to say hi."
"Hi," I reply back in a monotone voice, moving his hands off me.
Jax laughs, "Come on, Remy. You tryna say you haven't missed me? I've been out here all morning."
"I'm not trying to say anything," I reply, "I will say it. I haven't missed you."
"Ouch," he feigns hurt, but smiles. It's the kind of smile that made me fall for him in the first place, the kind of smile that makes a lot of girls fall for him. Something I realised a little too late.
He puts his tattooed hands inside the pockets of his leather jacket, then turns to look at my bike. "How's she riding?"
I fold my arms across my chest and nod. "Fine."
He lightly kicks the back wheel, "Rubber could do with a change."
"They're fine." I look down at the wheels.
"You been racing?"
"Not in a while."
Jax nods, "yeah, I heard about your dad. Tough time."
My fists clench and grip my jacket. "What do you want, Jax?"
He turns back to face me. "Just to say hi. I'm back in town for a bit."
"Why? Did California disappoint you?"
Jax leans against his bike again and looks up at the school building. "Grams is sick. Kylie needed help."
Remorse falls onto my face. Jax and his sister were raised by their Grandma, the sweetest woman I've ever known.
"How sick?" I ask quietly.
He shrugs, not looking at me. "Doctor's can't tell what it is. Just age I guess." He shrugs again.
"I'm sorry," I nod. "But she's a tough woman."
"Yeah," he laughs lightly. "She wants to see you. She always loved you."
I tense a little, but nod. "Sure."
Jax looks over at me, scanning my face. "You really do look great. Especially in my old jacket."
I suddenly feel small, it's true this was his old leather jacket, he filled out too much for it so he gave it to me. It was slightly on the larger side for me, but with autumn approaching I could still wear a sweater underneath it.
He smiles and tilts his head. "Let's get out of here."
Slightly taken aback, I shake mine. "I have class."
"Shouldn't you be in class now?" He retorts with a smirk.
"Gym." I shrug off.
Jax stands up again. "Come on, Remy." He gestures to his bike. "Just like the old times."
I look over at his bike, temptation filling me. As good as it feels driving, it feels better being a passenger, feeling the wind and exhilaration without the stress of focusing on the road, it's what made me fall in love with bikes.
I look back up at Jax. It's also what made me fall in love with him.
"You can't just come back here and expect me to fall for you again, Jax. It doesn't work like that."
"Who said I'm tryna do that?"
I raise an eyebrow at him. "Complimenting me? Offering me rides? It's exactly how we started."
"Come on—"
"No." I cut him off, eyebrows furrowed. "You made your choice about us, you don't get to try and make up for it now. It's too late." I turn to leave, but Jax grabs my wrist.
"I'm racing this weekend, come see me."
"I thought only the best get weekend slots?" I counter, remembering a time he was trying to impress me.
He smirks, "I am the best."
"Goodbye, Jax." I say, pulling my arm free and leaving him alone in the parking lot.