Cartel Princess // Marcus Arguello

Chapter 26

Oh Sh*t

Over the next few days after the party and sex in the car with Santiago and me almost moaning Marcus...things were a little off in kings. Santiago was a lot more...clingy to say the least, he'd make sure I was around him most of the day, he stared down any guy who talked to me, he was a lot more touchy, and a lot more jealous; I even had people asking if we were together since he was going around referring to me as "his girl". When I confronted him about it, reminding him we were just friends he brushed me off saying "I'm not acting any new way". A part of me was annoyed by it, I wished he'd stop making it look like we were something, wished he'd realize it was just a fuck. The other part of me liked it in a way; him holding me whenever he could, touching me in the most innocent and not so innocent ways, being protective and jealous it was...hot?

I missed someone being like that with me.

Along side that, Marcus had been moping around school. Petra did mention something about the party and how it wasn't a good night for him but other then what she mentioned I never asked. I didn't really see him with Maria all that much lately, unless they were with their group it was like the two were strangers again, I figured they got in a petty argument and were both being pissy about it. I did notice when ever Santiago was around Marcus looked a lot more annoyed, he stared at us a lot more then before; but he never tried talking to me. When they passed us in the halls, Maria looked like she was about to explode and Marcus looked like he wanted to cry, but also beat the shit out of someone.

Through whispers by the students, I heard someone was talking about me. I didn't fully care mostly because there was hardly ever a day now when I wasn't being talked about. It wasn't until one of the girls from the gang said they heard people talking about my family, how my brothers asked to be killed, to get away from me. I knew it had to be people talking out of their asses because barley any one in kings knew about my brothers; then it clicked on who was. Around the time this was going around the school, Maria had been eyeing me like I was in the way of something she wanted. She mumbled things under her breath when I passed her, Petra said she was always talking about me after school, and she was always trying to shoulder check me in the halls but Santiago always managed to pull me away just in time.

I honestly truly didn't get it. It had been a while since I'd done really anything to Maria and the rats. Sure I poked fun at them every once in a while but it wasn't like they weren't doing it back. If I joked about Lexs excessive use of bicycle chains for jewelry he was shooting back with the amount of guys I was hanging out with. If I teased Billy on his lack of game with girls he was joking about my lack of ability to go longer then a week without killing somebody. I teased Marcus on how depressed he looked lately and he'd shoot back a sarcastic smile while rolling his eyes and mumbling something under his breath. And with Maria, i usually just pointed out messed up makeup or poorly tucked shirts.

I get it, I'm the bitch in the school. They want me to seem weak even if they have to make things up to do so, but I never hit anyone with personal blows, unless they truly deserved it. So when I connected the dots to find Maria was spreading the lie about my brothers-I'll admit-I was shocked. I didn't know what I did to her, besides the teasing I hadn't done anything major; in a way I was backing off, I wasn't caring for her anymore.

Everywhere I turned in kings, someone was talking about what Maria said. I couldn't go a day without hearing about it. A few weeks into Maria's petty rumor, I learned she found some new friends; rich girls who lived and thrived off drama and from what Petra had told me they were giving Maria the biggest ego.

It's a Tuesday afternoon, I'm walking to lunch with Santiago and Juan when I see Maria and her new friends down the hall just outside the cafeteria. I see them giggling and pointing from the other side but brush it off and ignor them. As we get closer I hear a few "ask her-ask her" being whispered in the group followed by giggles then when me and the boys take a step into the cafeteria, Maria opens her mouth. "So, how does it feel?" She says, her friends still giggling behind their hands, her voice coming off as calm. I stop walking and turn around confused "you're talking to me?" I ask. She rolled her eyes like I asked her the stupidest question on planet earth "obviously" she hisses. I look from Santiago to Juan, they both shrug and I finally ask.