Fight - Nicole Dykes Page 0,2

nose crinkles at that. “Fuck you, I’m perfect.”

He laughs, his hand resting on her hip as he holds her to him. I sandwich her between us, both of us trying to keep her warm even if she doesn’t realize it.

And we don’t want her to. She’d kick our asses if she knew we were taking care of her.

“You are that, Shaw, but you’re going to be eighteen in three days. It all goes downhill from there.”

I laugh at that as I push open the main door to the school. She jabs him in the side with her pointy elbow and he grunts, but the fucker is laughing. We each file through the metal detector before joining up again.

We walk to Shaw’s locker and she opens it, shoving some books inside. “I don’t want dinner for my birthday. I’d rather have a paycheck.”

I lean against the locker that’s next to hers. “What about after? We’ll pick you up.”

She groans, slipping her coat off, showing the oversized concert tee she’s wearing that I think she stole from my closet. She tugs out the scrunchie that was keeping her hair up, letting her long hair tumble down. “I don’t get off work until eleven.”

“Perfect,” Dane says with a smirk. “We’ll be there.”

She rolls her eyes and slams her locker closed.

Because she knows we will be.

“Welcome to adulthood.” Carter’s deep voice rumbles in the dark night. I look at the flames coming from the rusty old trash barrel in front of us. I’m huddled between Carter and Dean, sipping from a whiskey bottle, leaning up against the brick wall of an old, abandoned building.

I think it was a factory at one time. Someone has their car radio turned up loud and their door open. There are a lot of people from our neighborhood here. Some still in high school like us, some have long graduated or quit.

It doesn’t really matter. Everyone pretty much knows each other around here.

Even though Kansas City is pretty large, our little ‘hood is tight knit.

I lean my head on Carter’s large shoulder. Man, he’s gotten big over the years. It’s surprising considering he doesn’t always know when his next meal will be. Still, he uses the school’s dreadfully ill equipped gym to work out his frustrations and has developed insane muscles from doing so.

He wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to his warmth. It’s so cold out here. Snow has fallen throughout the day, but no one seems to mind. Everyone is too busy getting lost in the alcohol and whatever other substances they could get their hands on.

Trying like hell to go numb and ignore reality.

I didn’t want to celebrate my birthday, but of course Carter and Dane couldn’t let it go. They were there at the diner I work at from ten till eleven, ready to walk me out. Neither one of them are thrilled about me working so late, but I’m not their dainty little princess they have to take care of.

I carry mace and a knife, knowing damn well how to use both. Not to mention Carter and Dane have schooled me on self-defense since I can remember. I know how to throw a punch, gouge eyes, kick and scream.

I’ll never go down without a fight.

Still, it’s nice that they care about me.

“Yeah, great. Can I go home now? I’m tired.” I take a sip of the whiskey, letting it burn my throat all the way down.

“Jesus fuck, grandma.” Dane takes the bottle from my hand, bringing it to his pink lips that are almost too full and puffy for a guy. Pillow lips. He hates when I point that out. “You’re eighteen, not fucking eighty.”

I groan and Carter chuckles, tugging me closer. “She did go to school today and then work an eight hour shift.”

“You baby her.” Dane hands Carter the bottle. I watch his throat bob as he swallows the liquor. They’re both beautiful men.

Almost painfully so. Almost like they don’t belong here.

Dane has sandy blond hair, cut fairly short. High cheekbones and brown eyes. His body cut and even larger than Carter’s, having used the same gym. It’s like they both think they have to be larger than the life we were handed to protect us all from it.

Carter’s hair is dark, like mine, and longer than Dane’s, tousled in a ‘fuck it’ way. His lips are full, but masculine and a dark natural red. His nose has been broken a few times from stupid fucking fights he can’t