Kissing him goodbye, I said, “Be careful.” Necessary or not, I didn’t like the idea of Caleb fighting. Even after everything he’d done, I didn’t want Josh beaten up either. But I’d like to be able to walk down the hallways at school without worrying about him attacking me.
I was going to be a nervous wreck until Caleb came home. My feelings for him were getting stronger every day, which scared me, because he now had the power to really do me damage.
CALEB
I only had to wait thirty minutes for the rest of the guys to show up in the school parking lot.
Dante strolled up to me wearing a shit-eating grin. “So, you have a girlfriend?”
I should’ve seen this coming. “Yeah, yeah, I’ve already heard it from everyone else I know. I’m a player. I’ll only hurt her, blah, blah, blah.”
Dante held up his hands in surrender. “Hey, man! I was just saying. You aren’t exactly the boyfriend type.”
“I agree,” Jared butt in. “You should just stop wasting your time and let me have her now.”
“Gianna isn’t a possession. Even if I wanted to, which I don’t, I couldn’t just hand her over to you. Besides, she chose me, so stop wasting your time.”
“I never said she was a possession. And don’t act like you know her better than me, Caleb. Gigi and I go way back,” Jared reminded me.
I mimicked him in a girly voice, “Gigi and I go way back!” His face twisted in annoyance at my mocking. “Well, Gianna and I go forward together from here on out.”
Taye stepped between us with a hand on each of our chests. “Hey, we’re here to beat up the guy who’s been messing with her, not fight amongst ourselves.”
“You don’t want her too, do you?” I asked Taye. Jared was making me suspicious of all Gianna’s guy friends.
He laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, Gigi is beautiful, I just like a different flavor. I’m only here to hurt the guy who’s been hurting my friend.”
Dante pounded me on the back. “I’m just here to back up my boy, Caleb. Plus, maybe Gianna will put in a good word for me with that hot friend of hers, Cece.”
“Ugh, man! That’s my sister!” Jared exclaimed in disgust.
Dante grinned, nodding his chin at Jared. “You want to put in a good word for me with your sister?”
“Are you sure, Dante?” I teased him. “That girl talks up a storm.”
“Again, I say, that’s my sister! Just stop all conversation having to do with her!” We ignored him.
“She’s a good kisser,” Taye put in.
“When the fuck did you kiss my sister, Taye? Never mind, just don’t do it again. And shut the fuck up about her, all of you!” Jared yelled. This was too much fun, irritating Jared.
The fun stopped when over Jared’s shoulder I recognized some of the guys on the football team coming out to the parking lot. Josh wasn’t amongst them. “Hey guys, football practice is over. Josh should be coming out soon. Let’s go wait by his truck.”
They followed me to the truck and a few minutes later Josh showed up with Seth. Seth looked confused, but by the expression on Josh’s face, he knew exactly what was up.
Seth spoke first, asking, “What’s going on, Caleb?”
“You can take off, Seth. We just need to speak with Josh,” I told him.
“You had to bring backup, Caleb?” Josh taunted me.
“I’ve already kicked your punk-ass twice, Josh, all on my own. I think it’s been established backup isn’t required,” I belittled him. “Obviously you aren’t getting the message, so I brought a few friends of Gianna’s and mine to help get it through your brain to leave her alone.”
Seth tried to play mediator. “Okay, I think Josh gets the point.”
I turned my attention to Seth, wanting him to just go away. “That’s the problem. He’s not getting the point. He attacked Gianna again yesterday.” By this time a few more guys from the team had gathered around.
Seth spun on Josh in disbelief. “You attacked her again?”
Josh narrowed his eyes at Seth. “What do you mean again? How’d you hear about any first time? Not that there was a first time,” he quickly and unconvincingly added.
“Uh, I didn’t,” Seth evaded. If Seth wanted to be a wimp and hide the fact he took his friend’s ex-girlfriend out on a date, then fine. I could’ve cared less.
“Yeah, the first time he tried to force himself on her. The second time, he decided to slam her against a wall. And the third time, which was yesterday during second period, he managed to knock her unconscious in the process.” My voice was loud enough for all the guys from his team to hear. Any decent guy would have a problem with violence committed on women and I figured most of them would be appalled by Josh’s actions.