Chapter Nine

Tomás

I caught sight of Dasher on the quad. That guy was a firecracker with them crutches. Moved as if he'd been with them forever. He still refused to talk about the car accident that landed him in crutches, but I kept asking anyway.

"Hey," I said, catching up to him and taking his cup of coffee from his hand as we both headed to the theatre room.

He glared at me. Dasher didn't like being helped, but I didn't care. Being his friend had its perks. It upped my game with the ladies. He was like the puppy everyone wanted to gush over and I the handsome handler. He despised it.

"Hey," he grumbled back.

I gave him my perfect smile. "Watch and learn my young, single padawan," I said as we came up on the door.

"Oh, fuck off," he mumbled.

"Cora," I said to a fine second year entering the building. She had a thick head of curls, brown eyes, and a cute heart shaped face. "You mind holding the door for us?" I gestured to my coffee and the books in my hand. Actually, it was just a notebook.

She gave us a beaming smile. "Of course," she said.

"You're pathetic," Dasher said as he slipped inside before me.

"Bro, I don't know why you don't milk this for what it's worth." I whispered behind him so only he heard. "Thank you, precious," I said to Cora, a little louder and huskier.

She giggled.

I could hear Dasher's eye roll in front of me.

"I'll see you later," she said and took off with a group of girls.

"She's cute." I nudged him with my elbow. "I haven't gotten laid in … shit. A long time. How about you?"

"What about me?"

"Girlfriend, boyfriend," I teased.

"You're ridiculous."

"I do not judge. My brother's actually gay."

Dasher narrowed his eyes at me. Oops. I'd been chipping away at the no talk about family rule with Dasher. I wasn't good at keeping secrets to begin with. Sure, I could bullshit, but lying made me itchy and I couldn't scratch until I blurted what I knew. Nick always asked me shit about stuff because he knew if I knew the answer I'd eventually tell him within a few minutes after he asked. "Yeah, I have a brother. So what? This rule about not talking about family is stupid."

"It's for our protection."

I snorted. "Did you forget that Fox wants to put a cap in my ass?"

Dasher laughed.

"And everyone needs a wingman," I added.

"And you think I'm your wingman?"

I shrugged. "Girls like helping."

"Not all of them," he muttered, "But this," he lifted his crutch, "Isn't what's going to get you laid." Dasher said and stopped to look at me. "You're living in Arcas house with The Ark Boys. A-listers. The guys are trying to figure out which top-four family you belong to, and the girls want to know how big your dick is."

I lowered my eyes to my crotch then back up at Dasher who kept laughing. "You are so clueless." He slipped into the auditorium leaving me there wondering if I had a big enough dick to make good with the girls. I followed Dasher inside.

Striving for an easy A, I signed up for theatre. Mrs. Comiskey loved me and after I gave her my rendition of I See Fire by Ed Sheeran she quickly added me as the understudy to third year student by the name of Blake T—don't omit the T—who happened to be the lead in this year's fall musical of The Greatest Showman. After I'd been given the assignment, I watched the movie with Dasher and loved it. I wanted to be Hugh Jackman. And that he also played bad-ass Wolverine gave me enough hope that acting in a musical wasn't too weird. Not that I had anything against the weirdos of theatre, but if Bake T, who took the awesome Hugh Jackman role, was any indicator of how weird the weirdos in theatre could be, then it probably was the reason why the rest of the school stayed away from it. Which was why I wanted to be there—the one place none of The Ark Boys would ever find me.

Dasher was lead designer and responsible for the patterns, fabric, design, and making of the costumes. Which was a huge job. Thankfully, he had me to carry the textiles for him. I'd also made a few friends in theatre. Though Dasher did not approve of Jack, claiming that a drug dealer would dampen my future job options. I told him jobs were for future me to worry about. The now me preferred the weed.

I gave Jack a salute in greeting and he gave me a sharp nod. I kind of felt responsible for the guy. Dasher gave me a look. Pity would get me killed, that look said.

Jack and I followed him to the costume area of the theatre, which was behind the secondary curtain on the stage. Listening to Blake T sing made my ears bleed.

"How the hell did he get lead again?" I asked as we walked from the back of the stage to the wardrobe room.

Blake had gotten lead to this year's theatre performance before I had auditioned. A fact that Mrs. Comiskey kept telling me. But she couldn't just bench the guy because he sucked. She'd already told him he had the part.

"You'll be lead before the start of the play. Mark my words," Dasher said.

The thought made me warm inside. I wanted the lead, but I wouldn't admit it. I liked music. I had participated in a musical when I'd been in third grade. Got the lead in Peter Pan. Of course, Daniel had been the only one to show up to watch me. I had felt accomplished. For a few moments, I believed I could be someone else. Not Tomás. And I'd been good at it. Finally, something that belonged to just me, not my brothers.

Daniel had given me a soft slap on the chin afterwards. "You did good, but don't go doing that shit again. Miguel will kill you."

Even at that age I knew he meant my brother would literally kill me. My dream of the stage died a quick death that day.

Jack snorted, his face contorting into something I couldn't read. I was horrible at reading people to begin with, and I couldn't put my finger on Jack. Yeah, we smoked weed together sometimes, and he seemed all right. There were times when I caught him looking at me the way Miguel looked at Nick. As if he were dissecting him while alive. But then Jack would smile at me, shake his head, and make me laugh. I got the feeling the guy thought I was someone else. Someone he wanted to drive a knife through.

I ignored the visual of a knife through my eye.

"Hey," Dasher snapped me out of my thoughts. I felt my shield go up in the form of a smile. "You okay?"

Jack gave me that same look. I felt dissected.

"Yeah," I lied taking that opportunity to plop down on a chair and spin so they couldn't see the word liar stamped on my forehead. The room spun, making the colors bleed together. "So," I said, my brain already tackling what I knew I shouldn't. "Don't get mad." Dasher stopped what he was doing and turned to give me a look. "I was thinking."

"Uh, huh, never a good thing," Dasher muttered.

I ignored him. "We should sign up for capture the flag."

Dasher coughed out a laugh and started moving around the room away from me as if my ideas might infect him. I pushed my chair closer to him just to annoy him.

"We'd never win. They always win," Dasher said.

No surprise there. "They're psychopaths," Jack added.

Dasher lifted his eyes from the fabric he was measuring. "You're not wrong there," he said with little interest in the topic.

"I want to do it. I think we have a real shot."

"I agree," Ashton said, walking into the room, followed by Charity and Micah. "We could do this."

Ashton, a second-year student, was your typical all-American looking white dude. Blond hair, blue eyes, built like a linebacker but not much there. I met him after I met Ashlee, his sister. We both wanted to bring down Kieran a notch. Charity was an actress in the theatre department who currently had the role of Charity Barnum which was perfect for her. Micah was also a second-year student. He'd been the first one Fox killed during class. Micah didn't talk much. Ashton convinced him to come and listen to my plan.

Dasher glared at me. I felt a tad guilty for not warning him about the ambush, but the thought of winning threw guilt out the window. I wanted to see Kieran lose so damn bad.

The trio moved around us, Ashton leaning against a sewing table, while Charity picked at a plume on the desk. Micah sat down on Dasher's throne. Dasher hit him with his crutch. "Off." Micah looked like he wanted to argue but got up and Dasher sat down. His leg was giving him more problems than usual, but he hid the pain well. "We?" A tiny bit of interest sparked in his voice.

Dasher had struggled with getting out of Fox's watchful protection. I wasn't sure what the deal was between them, but even I got pissed at how Fox treated Dasher. As if Dasher were made of glass. I, on the other hand, had ulterior motives for treating Dasher that way. I'd never make him feel less-than. Not on purpose. Not like Fox.

"We need you, Dasher," I said, giving him my most pathetic look.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Did you forget that they dominate in this game? In any game that involves guns and knives and killing people, actually."

If this were my previous high school, we'd be sitting in detention for thinking about killing people. And people died in our school all the time.

"And they have skills we do not," Dasher added.

"Tomás has a plan," Ashton said. I'd never seen the guy smile. Didn't even know if he had teeth. But he smiled at me. Made me blush and turn away.

I got to my feet, my brain buzzing with how we could obliterate Kieran. "We can use their weaknesses against them."

"If you get Fox and Kieran out of play, you might have a shot. The other two are morons and the little one is always near the flag," Jack said.

Ashton and Micah nodded their agreement.

We all knew Fox's weakness—Dasher—but we didn't say it out loud.

"Ugh, did you guys forget I'm a bit challenged?" Dasher lifted his crutch.

"Don't sell yourself short, dude. I know loads of disabled people back home. They're mostly crackheads with disability checks, but you're better than that."

"I know for a fact we can at least get Wren off the game board," Ashton said, wrapping an arm around Charity. "Wren is a man-whore who's addicted to pus—pretty." He'd meant to say pussy, but an elbow from Charity had him change his word.

Charity gave a curtsy.

Dasher shook his head. "You don't need me with her under your sleeve."

"You're our secret weapon. Without you this won't work. Come on, this is your chance to show everyone your sneaky abilities." Meaning you can show Fox you don't need his damn overbearing protection or stalking. Whatever you want to call it, I projected, hoping he'd get my sentiment.

I arched a brow watching the beauty of convincing someone of my fucked-up plans. I hadn't done that in a while. I wasn't sure this would even work, but for the first time since I got there, a thrill shot down my spine.

"Fine," Dasher said. "I hope you all know what you're doing."

"I'm out," Jack said. "Not risking the wrath of The Ark Boys." Jack pointed a finger at me. "And you shouldn't either. Kieran already has the shits for you."

I shrugged. "I'm not scared of them," I said.

"You should be." Jack walked out.

"Pussy," Ashton mumbled.

I didn't like Ashton very much.

Micah pushed himself off the desk he'd been leaning on. "I'm in." He gave Ashton a manly handshake and fist bump before he walked out.

"I'm not getting shot," Charity said.

Ashton drew her into a hug and kissed her cheek. "Baby, I'll protect you." Charity laughed and pushed him away. "If this works, drinks on me," Ashton said.

"If it doesn't, we'll be dead," Dasher shot back.

"Have faith in your BFF there, little man," Ashton said back, winked at me, and walked out with Charity.

Once they were gone, Dasher rounded on me. "I hate you. And who says you're my BFF?"

Ouch. That hurt a little bit too much. But I pushed it back. "This will work. I feel it in my soul."

Dasher shook his head. "They'll stab you in the back if this goes wrong."

"Why do you care? I'm not your BFF," I shot back and winked at him.

He smirked, then realized he was smirking and shook his head. "I hope you know what you're doing."

Nope. But I didn't tell him that.

The next day, the Underdog team registered for the games. Since we were the last team to register, we were the last to face off with The Ark Boys.

The plan was so simple it seemed wrong. All I had to do was come up with a strategy to eliminate Kieran from the game and survive the aftermath.