In The Dark

Chapter 16

Dominick

The moment I heard the car pull into the driveway, I warned the boys. We all hightailed it out of the front room to the basement. We knew that something bad had happened. Hopefully Ren hadn't been the cause of it. I had gotten a text from Dean saying that Zach had gone to the school. It was like my high school days. I knew something was bad the moment I was called to the front office.

"Why are we coming down here?" Kais complained. "It stinks like blood and--"

"Shut up," I snapped. "No one wants to be in the same space as those two when Zach is mad. Or when Ren is mad. That girl...Just go in."

Kais walked in and stopped suddenly, causing me to walk into his back. If I were any shorter, I would have probably broken my nose. I looked over his shoulder and wasn't one bit surprised to see who was in the middle of the room. Cory walked around us and I could see the surprise in his body language. He hadn't known Nathan to lie, so I can see why he was surprised. I knew Nathan like the back of my hand. He lied as often as he told the truth.

"So, Nathaniel lied," I remarked. "Now, Kais, could you move? Unless you want to end up where Trixie is sitting."

He scampered out the way over to where Nathan was standing. His hands were in his pockets and he looked deep in thought. What had him so distracted? Did Trixie happen to tell him something? Like something more on Ian? I would definitely love to know.

Trixie looked up and I could see the smallest hint of a smile on her face. What? Did she think she was going to convince any of us to let her go? If Nathan said no already, I wasn't going to say yes. Unless it meant being petty. Which I'm very good at.

"So...the whole gang's here," she muttered. "What convinced you all to come visit?"

"I just thought you needed company," I retorted. "Considering the fact that in less than a week you'll probably be dead."

"A week?" She barked out a laugh. "I'll say nearly a year before you kill me."

"I never said it was going to be me. Dean really expressed how much he wanted to kill you, so we might let him do it."

Fear flashed across her face. Long enough for me to see it and laugh. Fast enough for the rest of them to not see it. Sometimes they never caught on to things.

"Did she just flinch?" Kais asked. "I think she's scared of Dean."

"Duh," Cory said. "Who wouldn't? He dared to beat up Zach."

We all sat down on the floor, too tired to actually stand. I chose to sit in front of her, taunting her to try and kick me. I'd break her ankles. Kais sat on my left and Nathan on my right. Cory thought it would be hilarious--and it was--to sit behind her and start chopping off her hair. I could see her flinch each time without knowing he was only cutting small pieces at a time. Who was going to tell her that? Not me.

Soon, we were laughing and taunting Trixie to do things she wouldn't normally do. I was just waiting for her to break and try to kick one of us. She'd wish she hadn't. Cory stopped laughing and looked to the doorway.

"Hey, bro," he called out. "Ren made you mad or something?"

"No. Grayson thought it was going to be hilarious to try and trick Ren into sleeping with him today. Either that or he was trying to figure out who was her boyfriend," Zach said.

Let me guess, you came to pick her up and he pretended to not know you and Ren defended him, claiming he was only her friend?" I asked. "Don't ask how I know that. I just know it's something that might have happened."