Price Check On Monogamy

"Where the hell where you?!"

I groaned and sat up in bed, eyes slit and temper flaring. It was way too early to be dealing with this bullshit.

"Caleb, get the fuck out of my room."

Caleb leaned against my door and crossed his arms, making me want to scream. Of course he was going to be a stubborn, stupid bastard about this. "Tiger, shut the hell up and tell me where you've been. You've been missing since Wednesday, and suddenly you just show up in bed one morning?"

"I don't owe you any explanations," I hissed. "Get out of my room. Now."

Caleb narrowed his eyes and turned the florescent lights in my room on, blinding me. "Tiger, does this have anything to do with that little fag, Milo? He hasn't been at school, either."

I shot up in my bed, my sight suddenly back-- oh yeah, fuck not being able to see, I was seeing red. "Get out. Get. OUT."

"It does!" Caleb slammed his hand against the door frame. "What the hell happened? Tiger, you better answer me!"

"Get the fuck out!" I shouted, throwing a book I had on my nightstand at him. It hit Caleb square in the chest with a thump. "Why the fuck do you even care? Oh, that's right, you don't. So shut the fuck up and get the fuck out!"

"If you don't answer me right now, I'm telling mom and dad that you were missing for two days," Caleb bit out through gritted teeth. "Now tell me. Where were you, and what did he do?"

"You're not my father!" I screamed. "Get the fuck out! Go! Go and tell them! Run to them like you always do! I don't fucking care, just get the fuck out!"

Caleb narrowed his eyes and backed out. "Fine. Fine, Tiger. I'll find it out, anyway."

"GET OUT!"

Caleb slammed the door and cut me off. Kicking off my covers violently, I threw my head back against my pillow. My clock read 6:04. I usually wasn't up until 7, but now I was way too revved up to get back to bed. Groaning and throwing another book at my door like it actually made any sort of difference, I got out of bed and went to go get ready.

Maybe if I got to school early, I could explain my side of the story to at least Tawny and Lexy and avoid Tandem at the same time.

- - -

"Are you serious?"

I closed my eyes again and slammed head back on the wall. I could feel Tawny wincing at the sound as she grabbed my shoulder.

"Tigger, cut that out right now," she said sternly, in the way that only Tawny could ever manage. I only managed a groan in response. We were sitting behind the school building, as far away from all our other friends as we could manage without making any of them worry. Honestly, I loved my friends. None of them knew what the hell had happened, but they'd all made sure I was okay-- the only people who I hadn't been able to get off my back, though, had been Eli and Jason.

And, since I no longer felt any sort of obligations to the bet, I told them everything.

"Tiger, you need to get out of this. Now."

I sighed gratefully, even through my wince. Eli was tight lipped and thoroughly pissed off; when I told the part about Tandem's little alley prank, we had to hold him back and calm him down, or he would have found Tandem and kicked his ass. Eli was one of my best friends, and the most overprotective of all my friends-- when I started telling the story, I knew that he'd be really pissed off. I just hadn't been able to tell if it would be directed at me for being so stupid. It was nice to know that, regardless of all the stupid shit I got myself in to, Eli would have my back without kicking me at the same time.

That little part about getting out of it, however...

"Eli, she can't. They're not only paying her, they're blackmailing her, too," Tawny caught my eye, and the look she gave me made me bite my lip. Lexy jerked her head and we both looked at her, then back to each other; all three of us knew that I couldn't back out of this one.

And, as much as I loved my friends, there were some things that I just couldn't share.

"Yeah," Lexy said slowly, "And you know they'll do it. Ouch..." Lexy winced a little, tapping Jason's arms, which were wrapped tightly around her waist. A bit too tightly, apparently. Jason freaked out and let go, apologizing fast and mumbling something else under his breath. I sighed; if there was one thing I regretted about telling Eli and Jason, it was that I hadn't told them separately. Eli, regardless of how angry he got, could handle everything, exactly the way it had happened. Jason, on the other hand... was fragile.

And I was afraid that the story might have shattered his views of me.

"Fine," Eli snorted, pushing himself off the building he was leaning on. "It looks like I'll have to beat them into leaving you alone, huh?"

Tawny grabbed at Eli's arm fast, at the exact same time I did. "Eli, control yourself. You're graduating. Just let me work myself out, okay?"

Eli yanked his arms away. He turned and looked at me for a second and, right then, I thought I was wrong; maybe he was totally pissed at me, after all. I opened my mouth to apologize but, before I could get anything out, he gripped me in a huge bear hug. "If you ever need anything, Tiger, remember that I'm here, okay?" He said quietly. "Okay?"

I hesitated before hugging him back. "Okay... thanks, Eli."

Eli nodded tightly before stalking off toward his car, apparently intent of skipping school for the day. Jason, having let go of Lexy after being afraid that he'd gripped her too hard in the first place, followed his brother's suit. Giving me an awkward hug, he walked away in the general direction of his first class.

I looked at Tawny, then at Lexy, and sighed.

Life sucks.