Playing with Matches

Chapter 5

Hello, hello. I know this is late, but I wrote a bunch and then decided I didn't like it, so I deleted it all and started over. Sorry about that. Anyway, here's a bit more. I don't know when I"ll be posting again, but I'll try and get some up next week if I can. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!

               I do my best not to get annoyed when Ryan throws himself at me, hanging off my shoulders like he isn’t taller than me by a good half foot. He’s like a little kid as he gloms on, pouting when I elbow him in the ribs viciously.

                “Get off of me, you big oaf.” He groans as he lets go, allowing Ricky a chance to see me. Ricky’s looking a little suspicious, which isn’t good. He always knows when something is up with me and I don’t really want to tell them about Cruz. They’ll make a big deal about it, especially the fact that I helped him. Being generous isn’t exactly a strong suit in our family and I’m the only one with that gene, no matter what the boys say. They think that, just because they’re nice to me, that makes them generous. They’re wrong. I’m family, and I know, without a doubt, that, if I wasn’t, they wouldn’t be so nice.

                “You never told us about your class that you had alone.” Ricky observes, which is true. No shit I wouldn’t tell them. I suck at lying to my boys and it would be a little awkward to get caught in the middle of a lie to those two. They get angry, sure, but then they get revenge, which is scarier than you’d think.

                “It was uneventful.” I shrug, still walking with them towards the cafeteria. Ricky is watching me closely, while Ryan winks at some poor girl we pass. She practically faints and I can’t wait until they get in their first fight and break the angelic image. This part of moving to a new school is the most annoying.

                “Then why do you have blood on your jeans?” Ricky asks, which almost gets a reaction of panic from me before I remember that they like to play tricks on me when they think I’m keeping something from them.

                “I don’t.” I seriously don’t know if I do or not. There’s a chance I might, which wouldn’t be good because then I’d have to give them a story and I can’t keep a secret from them to save my life, which means I’ll have to bring up Cruz. Oh, this is going to suck.

                “You do, right there.” Ricky motions to my jeans and I allow myself to look down, holding in a wince when I see a drop of blood no bigger than a dime. Son of a bitch.

                “I don’t know.” I lie, fighting the urge to gnaw on my bottom lip until he leaves me alone. God, I didn’t sign up for this. I was just helping another fighter, which is against the triplet code. I’m only supposed to help the pre-approved fighters that my brothers monitor carefully with their engagement with me. As long as no one makes a move or tries to grope me, they’re cool and considered fair game. And, to be completely honest, Cruz hadn’t ever tried to grope me, so he should be alright.

                Yeah, right. Because my brothers would let me hang out with someone who was an enemy of brother number one.

                Suddenly, I’m shoved back against a locker, one boy holding each arm, their expressions turning hard as they realize, not for the first time, that I’m keeping something from them.

                Shit.

                “Now, now, little sister, what makes you think we’ll let you lie to us?” Ryan smirks, his expression darkening. I gulp down a frantic squeak, forcing myself to take my punishment like a man. It can’t be that bad, they’re still my brothers, they won’t hurt me. But that leaves an array of other options that I really don’t want to think about.