Devil

-27-

-Esla-

I was moved to a counselor's office to wait for my mother to pick me up. I could already hear through the phone that she was furious, and disappointed in me as the counselor talked to her. I rubbed my free wrists, leaning back against the smooth wall as I watched the counselor work. They had already taken my statement about both fights, and the woman had moved on to another student's case.

I wish that I could just leave here and not return to this foolish school. To start over new even if that meant no more Kiersten and no more Jashaea. I needed the break, and my family did too. But I needed to stay in Perry Island and not run away because my fam needed the cash...right?

I was antsy just sitting there in the office. I didn't want to check my phone, and I didn't want to be in here. I had to be escorted to the bathroom, I had to be escorted to the water fountain. I didn't like this life.

It wasn't Esla Lavigne. It was giving me "prison".

"I'll be right back, the principal sent an emergency email," the counselor yelled quickly, jogging out of the room. I stood up as soon as she left out and decided I'd had enough. I was gonna break my ass out of the school and leave before she could come back. I peeked my head out of the doorway and snuck out. The lobby was empty and I walked at a normal pace towards the exit. I was almost out the doorway when someone snatched my arm back.

I searched my brain for a good lie. "I'm sorry, I really had to p-

I turned around to face the person who grabbed my arm and stopped in my tracks. It was a beautiful stud- shit, I mean, she was a beautiful stud with curly hair pulled into a low bun. She was average height, but taller than me because I was super short. She had lighter skin, and sort of had muscles on her well built body. A flat, bare stomach, without abs, stuck out from under a crop top hoodie and matching sweatpants that fit her almost a little too tightly. She was everything that people seemed to want in a masculine woman, and she was...wow.

"Done?" she asked me with a smirk, her voice unexpectedly smooth and almost girly. I blushed, trying to calm down my racing heart. "Who are you? I haven't seen you before?"

I'm sure the girls here would have been all over that.

"Don't worry bout it, c'mon, I'm rescuin' yo cute ass," she smirked. She grabbed my forearm tightly and without little thought, I followed her. We went through a fire escape door, and fear coursed through me as I waited for the alarm to go off. It didn't. She ran through the school like she had this planned out, heading down the steps near the art wing to go out a side door that led to outside.

A red sedan pulled up and the stud led me towards it. Common sense seemed to hit me upside the head. I'm about to get into the car with a stranger? A hot stranger, but a stranger. After all the craziness I've been put through, did this really seem sane? But it's not like I could go back the way we came from.

I pulled back and the girl turned around, shooting me a dazzling smile. "I-

"What's going on here?" someone started coming towards us. She was a teacher with food in her hands, coming from the parking lot. For some reason my body decided to go with the stud and the waiting vehicle, hoping that I made the right choice.

I got into the backseat with the girl, and surprise surprise, the driver was another stud. I faintly thought that this must be my luck. There weren't a lot of studs in Houston, at least not that I had met.

"Who are you?"

The stud next to me started stripping out of her clothes and my eyes widened. "Uhh, we didn't plan this out? What should we tell her?" the stud driving asked. "Tell me the truth, I came wit y'all after all," I demanded.

"I'm Nico, she's Devil," the driver sighed.

My brain was trying to catch up with everything as I put on my seat belt and tried to peel my eyes off of the naked stud besides me, so it took awhile for me to register the names the girl in the driver's seat gave me.

"You're Nico," I stated incredulously.

"Seems I have a reputation."

Devil slid another pair of sweatpants over her black boxers then a hoodie over her green sports bra. "She probably knows somebody who likes your weed."

"No," I shook my head, then remembered Coco. "Well, yes, but why are you guys...kidnapping me?"

"Well, I'm assuming you know that the people who were involved in shooting your father were killed, correct?" Devil asked me, now putting on her seat belt. I tore my eyes away from her face, knowing that I'd just end up in a blushing mess if I stared any longer.

"I- Okay," I breathed out.

"Someone attacked me and I think it has to do with you and Thomkeesha Walter."

"Thomkeesha," I repeated slowly, letting my mind absorb all of this information. "Okay, but I didn't know anything about you or you being attacked," I turned to her, then slid my eyes away.

"I'm thinking this is an attack on both of our businesses," Devil shared with me. "And that Miss Walter's random show-up is worth noting."

"Who are you guys?" I asked, feeling like every main character in an action movie.

"Devil and Nicotine," the stud next to me smirked.

"No, who do you work for?"