‹ Prequel: Calm Before the Storm
You're Kind of Gangster
Ean
"Find out her name yet?" Will teases as I walk towards their circle around the fire. I ignore him and sit down in one of the empty lawn chairs. Max tosses me a beer can and I catch it with ease, popping it open.
Will scowls at me. I shrug it off and turn to Spencer. “She’s trying to get me to write a paper,” I mumble as Will and Max talk quietly on the other side of the fire. Spencer snorts. “Exactly.”
“Your precious little tutor clearly just doesn't even know.”
I roll my eyes at his sarcasm and lean my elbows on my knees, wrapping both my hands around my beer. “What was this about a paper?” Will asks, turning to face us again. I shrug, repeating what I had told Spencer a minute ago.
They all go silent after that, staring at the fire or at the beer in their hand. I lean back against the chair and I can’t help but find my thoughts wandering to my tutor.
-
The next day, I pull into the school parking lot right as the final bell rings. Students come flooding out of the front doors pretty quickly. I walk in about twenty minutes after the bell rang, wandering around the senior hallway of lockers. I start to think about my tutor and how I can get what I want. It’s not like I can just push her up against a wall and get it done with- she lives with the sheriff who’s already well aware of me. So, how could I get her to do that?
I have to make her trust me first, then she might be more willing. But a total change in attitude would throw her off and send her running; she would know something is up. What could I do? Chivalry? If I did that, Will or Max might hear, I would never live that down. All my chances with them would be out the window. Maybe not pinning her up against a wall and getting it over with could be step one. That’s the most I’m willing to do. For now.
I see a lone person at their locker, their face hidden behind the door. They slam it shut and turn in my direction. It's her. She freezes as we meet eyes and I smirk at her. Fuck it, I think, sauntering up to her as she stands still staring at me anxiously. When I get within three feet of her, her eyes begin darting around the hallway, looking for anyone except me.
"You seem surprised to see me," I note, careful not to go too far with any of this, only push her buttons a little. "Because I'm actually here, right? Not under the dock?" I step closer once again and she backs herself up against her locker. I place both my hands on either side of her head, trapping her in. "Just like Beau used to." Her head snaps from looking down the hall to meet my eyes with a glare. I feign a quiet gasp, "Lynch hasn’t told you all about what happened to little BeauBeau, has he? It’s a shame he just vanished like that. Does he even talk to you anymore?" She stays quiet, her scowl still present; I probably hit a nerve talking about her brother like that. "Come on now. Don't you want to defend your big brother?"
She squeezes her eyes shut, still staying quiet. "Why don't you fuck off, Ean?" Both of us turn to the voice and see Matt at the end of the hall. He marches down the hall towards us.
"Back the fuck up, Matt," I say, blatantly ignoring the guys' advice about befriending him to get to her. He barely comes up to my chin, topping out at 5'9" if I can remember right, compared to my 6'3" frame. I hardly spare him a glance as I speak, "This has nothing to do with you."
He doesn't back down so I turn away from her, dropping my left hand from in front of him. "What are you even doing here, Ean? Since when do you step foot on school property?"
"Last chance, Matt. Fuck off."
He stands still, crossing his arms now. I drop my other hand and she races from her spot towards Matt, then I swing my hand at Matt's face, landing on his jaw. He stumbles for a second and she gasps as she processes what just happened, then I see Matt's instincts take over as he comes for me. He throws a punch identical to the one I connected to his jaw, but with his left hand. We tussle for a minute, and somehow end up on the floor, still throwing punches. I'm not paying attention to where she is, but a minute later she comes between us, pulling Matt off of me. I see anger in her eyes, but it's directed at me. That could have gone over better.
She glances Matt over, wiping at the blood trickling from his nose with her sleeve. He pushes her arm away, shaking his head and whispering, "I'm fine, Lene." She shakes her head, then turns to me. I swipe at the blood I can feel coming from my busted lip that only worsens as I leer at them. Matt tries to drag her away, his sleeve now pressed against his nose, but she waves him away saying she’ll catch up. He gives her a nervous glance before he turns the corner of the hallway.
"See you Wednesday, Lene," I say with extra emphasis.
She scowls, walking up to me and poking me hard in the chest with every sentence, "You are not my friend. You do not call me Lene. You do not call me Shailene. You don't call me anything because you don't call me at all. Got it, asshole?"
“Got it,” I sneer.
Will scowls at me. I shrug it off and turn to Spencer. “She’s trying to get me to write a paper,” I mumble as Will and Max talk quietly on the other side of the fire. Spencer snorts. “Exactly.”
“Your precious little tutor clearly just doesn't even know.”
I roll my eyes at his sarcasm and lean my elbows on my knees, wrapping both my hands around my beer. “What was this about a paper?” Will asks, turning to face us again. I shrug, repeating what I had told Spencer a minute ago.
They all go silent after that, staring at the fire or at the beer in their hand. I lean back against the chair and I can’t help but find my thoughts wandering to my tutor.
-
The next day, I pull into the school parking lot right as the final bell rings. Students come flooding out of the front doors pretty quickly. I walk in about twenty minutes after the bell rang, wandering around the senior hallway of lockers. I start to think about my tutor and how I can get what I want. It’s not like I can just push her up against a wall and get it done with- she lives with the sheriff who’s already well aware of me. So, how could I get her to do that?
I have to make her trust me first, then she might be more willing. But a total change in attitude would throw her off and send her running; she would know something is up. What could I do? Chivalry? If I did that, Will or Max might hear, I would never live that down. All my chances with them would be out the window. Maybe not pinning her up against a wall and getting it over with could be step one. That’s the most I’m willing to do. For now.
I see a lone person at their locker, their face hidden behind the door. They slam it shut and turn in my direction. It's her. She freezes as we meet eyes and I smirk at her. Fuck it, I think, sauntering up to her as she stands still staring at me anxiously. When I get within three feet of her, her eyes begin darting around the hallway, looking for anyone except me.
"You seem surprised to see me," I note, careful not to go too far with any of this, only push her buttons a little. "Because I'm actually here, right? Not under the dock?" I step closer once again and she backs herself up against her locker. I place both my hands on either side of her head, trapping her in. "Just like Beau used to." Her head snaps from looking down the hall to meet my eyes with a glare. I feign a quiet gasp, "Lynch hasn’t told you all about what happened to little BeauBeau, has he? It’s a shame he just vanished like that. Does he even talk to you anymore?" She stays quiet, her scowl still present; I probably hit a nerve talking about her brother like that. "Come on now. Don't you want to defend your big brother?"
She squeezes her eyes shut, still staying quiet. "Why don't you fuck off, Ean?" Both of us turn to the voice and see Matt at the end of the hall. He marches down the hall towards us.
"Back the fuck up, Matt," I say, blatantly ignoring the guys' advice about befriending him to get to her. He barely comes up to my chin, topping out at 5'9" if I can remember right, compared to my 6'3" frame. I hardly spare him a glance as I speak, "This has nothing to do with you."
He doesn't back down so I turn away from her, dropping my left hand from in front of him. "What are you even doing here, Ean? Since when do you step foot on school property?"
"Last chance, Matt. Fuck off."
He stands still, crossing his arms now. I drop my other hand and she races from her spot towards Matt, then I swing my hand at Matt's face, landing on his jaw. He stumbles for a second and she gasps as she processes what just happened, then I see Matt's instincts take over as he comes for me. He throws a punch identical to the one I connected to his jaw, but with his left hand. We tussle for a minute, and somehow end up on the floor, still throwing punches. I'm not paying attention to where she is, but a minute later she comes between us, pulling Matt off of me. I see anger in her eyes, but it's directed at me. That could have gone over better.
She glances Matt over, wiping at the blood trickling from his nose with her sleeve. He pushes her arm away, shaking his head and whispering, "I'm fine, Lene." She shakes her head, then turns to me. I swipe at the blood I can feel coming from my busted lip that only worsens as I leer at them. Matt tries to drag her away, his sleeve now pressed against his nose, but she waves him away saying she’ll catch up. He gives her a nervous glance before he turns the corner of the hallway.
"See you Wednesday, Lene," I say with extra emphasis.
She scowls, walking up to me and poking me hard in the chest with every sentence, "You are not my friend. You do not call me Lene. You do not call me Shailene. You don't call me anything because you don't call me at all. Got it, asshole?"
“Got it,” I sneer.