By the time we drive into town, Casper's mood has considerably improved. I know this because he turns on the radio to a pop song and murmurs along while I sit stiffly, watching the countryside transition into buildings, vehicles, and the vibrant flow of people.
Moondust Peaks is the first ugly sign I see.
What a stupid name for a town.
Then again, what am I expecting from a buttfuck nowhere place?
Casper parks in a small parking lot and kills the engine.
I turn to him with a confused look.
"I'm meeting up with a few friends at a bar. After that, I'll show you around," he says without leaving any room for argument.
But I argue anyway because the whole quarrel earlier leaves me not feeling too excited about following him anywhere. "I don't want to see some bar. Jean should've taken me."
"Well, you're stuck with me. So…out."
"I can go by myself," I suggest as I hop out of the truck. My mother usually let me explore alone so she could get high in peace.
Casper scowls at me. "I'm not letting you wander off in a place you don't know."
I sigh and follow him out of the lot, struggling to match his long strides. We walk into the warm air of the street. And pretty quickly, I realize being the resident handsome big city fighter makes Casper a celebrity. We don't walk two steps when people begin stopping him, shaking his hand, and asking for pictures.
I'm immediately shuffled to the back and forgotten about as Casper smiles and laughs with them, talking proudly about his previous fights and signing autographs on printed photos of his face.
The whole affair feels very ridiculous, leaving me irritable and itchy to get out of the afternoon sun.
That is, until I hear a laugh that catches my attention. My gaze swings to a nearby ice cream truck and a curly-haired boy standing inside and attending to a little girl, laughing at whatever she's saying.
As if feeling my gaze on him, the boy glances over and gives me a little wave. I wave back when a hand clamps down on my wrist, and I find Casper's furious eyes on me.
"Let's go."
He doesn't wait for me to respond before dragging me away. When I wince from his tight grip, he loosens it but doesn't let go.
'There are people in this town you should avoid," Casper says, his voice sounding tight and angry. "And that fucker is one of them."
"Why?"
Casper ignores me and pushes us into a bar, finally dropping my hand, and I miss the feeling of being held almost immediately.
The bar is empty when we enter. Only a few people are seated at a table. They face us and break into varying degrees of smiles.
"Well, if it isn't Casper The Wall!" One of the men shouts, standing up, but his words are barely out when a loud squeal breaks the air and a beautiful girl bounces up from her seat and runs to him.
She throws herself into him, and Casper catches her with one swift arm, their mouths locking in a kiss.
I avert my gaze while someone whistles.
So Casper has a girlfriend. I don't know why this information makes me disappointed.
Am I expecting such a sexy man to be single?
And even if he were, am I crazy and delusional to think he would even look at me that way?
The other people in the group join us at the door, and Casper slowly breaks the kiss, setting the woman down on her pointy boots. Her incredibly flattering ass and boobs pop in her fitted clothes, and her makeup remains flawless. And I suddenly feel out of place in my baggy clothes and plain face.
She gazes longingly into his eyes for a second before blinking and finally noticing me standing beside them like a wet cat.
"And who is this? I didn't think Diana had grown so big." She smiles at me sweetly, and it rubs me the wrong way.
Casper wraps an arm around her waist and addresses everyone else. "That's not Diana. She's the new foster child my parents are housing."
The way he says it makes me frown.
"Oh…how cute…" Her voice changes slightly. "It's a girl this time. What's your name, sweetie?"
I open my mouth, but Casper talks over me. "She's Arielle Layton,and she's seventeen, so don't go giving her those looks, Dave."
The man who had shouted earlier raises his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I'm just appreciating beauty."
"I'll be eighteen in two weeks," I say tightly, hating how everyone is hell bent on treating me like a child.
"See?"Dave says, grinning at me with teeth that look sharpened. "She won't be a child for long."
"Ignore Dave, he's a fool," another man adds quickly, and his smile is much more welcoming on his chubby, bearded face. "Nice to meet you, Arielle. I'm Hugo, and this is our friend group. We have the sweethearts Casper and Jasmine, Dave, and me."
I nod and shake his outstretched hand. "Thanks."
"So what will you be drinking?"
"She's not drinking." Casper steps in with his commanding tone. And I feel my irritation flare.
"I drink," I say pointedly, matching his frown with my own.
Hugo looks between us and laughs nervously. "Maybe a soda."
"The bar is no place for fighting, Cas," Jasmine teases and the group laughs, dispelling some of the tension.
"So what's your story?" Dave asks after we've seated and ordered drinks. His eyes seem to bore into me as he waits for an answer.
But I don't get a chance when Casper speaks. "She's an orphan. She'll be staying with us. That's all you need to know."
My irritation grows.
"Crazy how your parents don't see anything wrong with living with kids you're not related to at all," Jasmine shakes her head as if the thought blows her mind.
"I'm not a kid," I correct her. I've been taking care of myself since I was twelve, so the insult isn't welcome, but Jasmine simply stares like I'm proving her point.
Hugo sighs. "It doesn't matter, Jaz. So will you be going to college, Arielle?"
"She just finished high school. She doesn't know what she wants to do yet." Again, Casper answers for me. Like he wants to draw a line between me and his friends. So why bring me here?
"Babe, she can speak for herself," Jasmine says, her tone forced, touching his arm.
"I didn't bring her here so you guys will interrogate her. She's normal, and I don't want her exposed to your madness."
"You're the one who brought me," I grit out, earning an amused grin from Casper, who sips his drink.
"I need to use the bathroom," Jasmine declares suddenly and stands up. "Arielle, come on."
I blink in surprise, but she grabs my hand and forces me up. I cast Casper a glance, but his face is uninterested.
"We won't be long." Jasmine sings out sweetly and pulls me along. Her sweet demeanour could've fooled them, but I know a bully when I see one, and it leaves me anxious.
Once the door closes, Jasmine whirls on me and starts sniffing. I recoil away from her.
"What the—"
"You're just ordinary. So why's he being protective of you?" She stands back, folding her arms expectantly for an answer.
"I… don't… know…?" She crowds me into the door, a crazy look flashing in her eyes, and for the second time today, I feel like I'm in danger.
"Listen here, tiny. Casper is mine. We're going to be mates and maybe you didn't get the memo, but I won't let anything get between us, especially not you."
Mates? Is that what they call it around here? And he has been nothing but cold and rude to me, so what is she talking about?
He sees me as a child to be pushed around. What happened last night was an accident that will never repeat itself.
My voice is small but steady as I meet her eyes. "I didn't want to come to this place, and when I turn eighteen, I'll be leaving. So you have nothing to worry about."
Which sounds stupid coming from me, because why would a gorgeous woman be threatened by me?
I'm nothing compared to her.
Jasmine seems satisfied by my words but raises her hand to cup my jaw, hissing in my face. "Good. Because I'll rip your face off if you ever try anything."
For a moment, her teeth seem to look sharper and her painted nails rake across my skin like razor blades. My chest tightens.
"You don't know what you've gotten yourself into, have you?" Jasmine smiles wickedly. "If you get the chance, you'd better run. The Garren boys are predators, Arielle, and they break pretty little things like you."