Knox nervously glances up at the guys behind me before meeting my stare and making me briefly wonder why the hell he isn’t wasting away in a hospital bed. Considering that a hospital is going to do nothing but draw attention, I’m assuming that neither the boys or Knox’s uncle would be comfortable with him there.
“I came to apologize,” he says, his gaze jumping around to the other students that hover closer as they notice what’s going on, all of them hoping for something new to paste all over YouTube.
“Do you honestly think some piss-poor apology is going to make up for the fact that you paraded me around in front of your uncle in the hopes that he decided I was worth enough to sell to one of his clients as a sex-slave? Fuck you, Knox. Tell me, how many girls have you personally been responsible for trading to your uncle? No, no. You know what I really want to know? Tell me about the payout you get for bringing girls to his doorstep. Is it worth it? Do you sleep well at night under your piles of dirty cash knowing that you’re responsible for those young girls being raped day-in and day-out?”
“No,” he spits, wobbling against his crutch. “I never wanted to do it. He … he made me. Do you have any idea how horrible it is growing up with him as my uncle?”
I can’t help but laugh. “Are you serious? You really want to compare war stories about growing up in a shitty situation because I can guarantee that I’ll win. So, how about this? Be a fucking man and tell him no. You’re almost out of high school and can’t stand on your own two feet. Do you have any idea how pathetic you’ve made yourself look?”
Knox clenches his jaw and takes a step forward, which prompts the line of muscle behind me to do the same, instantly sending Knox flailing back three steps until he’s at a comfortable position. He seeks out my stare and gives me puppy dog eyes that make me want to hurl. “Please, Winter. You have to believe me. I never intended to hurt you; I was just doing my job. Please, don’t tell anybody about this. You’re going to destroy any chance I had of getting into an Ivy League college, and my parents … if they knew about this, they’d fucking hate me.”
I resist laughing, unable to fathom how he can’t understand just how serious this shit is. Does he not get how he’s destroying these young girls that he’s trading to his uncle? Does he not understand what happens to them once they are sold into the hands of these monsters? Fuck me.
I shake my head. “Do yourself a favor—turn around and walk away. You and me; we’re never going to be cool. You’re a piece of shit, and just know that if someone comes asking questions, yours will be the first name I give. You’re dead to me, and I cannot wait to watch you and your uncle crash and burn. Take my word for it, both of you are going to end up in prison or dead, and I want absolutely nothing to do with you. Don’t come near me, don’t come near Ember, and for the sake of your life, don’t go near any other girl, otherwise I will fucking end you, and that’s a promise. Got it?”
Knox’s eyes widen, and as he holds my stare, I don’t doubt that he can see just how serious I am, but he knows just as well as I do that I have absolutely no credibility. Not a damn person is going to believe my story over his. I’m just a nobody from a shitty foster home who’s going to have to scream a shitload louder than everybody else just to be heard. Destroying Knox and his uncle will be a fucking marathon, but I’m down for the challenge.
Seeing me as a threat to his bullshit side-hustle, he finally starts to back away, and this time, I think he gets the point. He won’t be coming back to fuck with me, but unfortunately for his pea-sized brain, I don’t think he understands just how wrong what he’s been doing is. Though, perhaps he does understand but just doesn’t care.
Once he’s finally out of sight, I let out a breath and spin on my heel to find the four boys staring right at me. “Do you guys seriously think that I can’t handle myself?” I ask, focusing my stare on Carver before shifting down the line. “Fuck you all. I’m not a damsel in distress.”
A smile pulls at the corner of Carver’s lips, and for the first time since first meeting him over a week ago, he looks at me as though he sees some kind of potential, but all it makes me want to do is slam my knee up into his junk and call it a day.