Avery (The Phoenix Club Girl Diaries #3) - Addison Jane Page 0,3

they must be that they needed people, especially girls, constantly stroking their ego, making them feel like they were in charge and bowing to their epic prowess.

This was where Holly and I differed because unfortunately for them, that girl may have been her, but that girl was not me.

“Hey, babe. You need a ride, too?” Cooper questioned. His eyes were on me with just enough of a smirk on his lips that the dimple in his cheek was popping just a little. Thankfully, Ty cruised around the corner and pulled his bike in behind me.

I stepped backward, moving toward the curb with a shrug. “Sorry, babe, my ride’s here.”

“Oh, right,” Cooper drawled, jostling his buddies with his elbow and chuckling under his breath. “You’re the biker girl.”

Pausing, I looked to Holly for a second. Her face was pinched, her eyes directed toward the ground letting me know she wouldn’t be stepping in to object anytime soon or have my back. She had a reputation to keep, but apparently, so did I.

“I’m the biker girl,” I repeated, rolling my eyes. “You must be the frat boy.”

“Holly said you’re shy. That’s the reason you never come to parties,” he continued, raising his voice even louder so not only could I hear over the rumble of Tyler’s ride, but so could anyone in the fucking parking lot. And they were all turning to take notice. “I find that hard to believe for a girl whoring herself out to criminals.”

A surprised laugh fell from my mouth before I could stop it.

You’d think those words would hurt, but they moved straight over me like water off a duck’s back. I didn’t have to be ashamed about my choices, and an asshole like Cooper wasn’t about to make me feel like I should be. I wasn’t hurting anyone, I wasn’t trying to be someone else, and I sure as hell wasn’t pretending like I had a halo hovering over my head—unlike someone else.

“Maybe you should come hang out sometime,” he offered, stepping forward with his arms out like he was welcoming me. “You wanna be a whore, that’s cool. We’ve never had one, but I don’t think the boys would object to permanent pussy in the house.”

The fucking balls on this kid.

I’d dealt with alpha males every day at the clubhouse, and this wasn’t it.

This was entitled rich boy.

And that shit didn’t fly.

“I like to fuck men,” I informed him equally as loud as he had spoken, enjoying the gasps that followed. My gaze wandered to the crotch of his expensive khakis before returning to his face with a sweet grin. “You ever become one, call me!”

The muscle in his jaw twitched as he clenched his teeth. Poor pretty boy ready to lose his shit at me, but desperately trying to keep from looking like he was affected when I basically called him a little bitch.

The motorcycle shut off behind me. “Avery,” Tyler growled. “Get on.”

Cooper didn’t miss a beat.

“Go on. Be a good little bitch and do what you’re told,” he mocked.

His friends cracking with laughter finally, offering high fives.

Fist clenched, I got two steps toward the shithead, ready to drive my knee into his baby maker, so he couldn’t reproduce before Tyler hooked me around the waist and tugged me back against his chest. It forced the air out of my lungs for a second, and I made a mental note to ask the girls at the clubhouse when the hell Tyler had grown into his muscles.

“Listen, shit for brains,” Ty threatened over my shoulder, the smug little group of bastards suddenly standing incredibly still, their eyes growing wider. “You call her a bitch again… I’m gonna go to your mom’s house and make her my bitch. Then you can call me fucking daddy.”

“Come on,” Holly urged, finally stepping in and pressing her hands to Cooper’s chest. His glare was dark and narrowed, right on me. Instead of stroking his ego, I’d effectively strangled it in front of his buddies and a handful of students who had stuck around the parking lot to witness the drama. “I’ll see you later, Ave.”

“Su—”

“Don’t count on it. You’ve been told once, Holly,” Ty snapped, slowly releasing me in case I made another run for it. Holly seemed to sink away, sliding herself into the group of boys as a disguise as they shuffled slowly away. “Come on.”

I let Tyler pull me back to the curb, where his ride was still waiting for us. “What did you mean