Trouble at Brayshaw High

by Meagan Brandy

“Respect can’t be bought or earned when blackmail is in the mix. Everyone at your feet is paid or pushed while everyone at theirs is proud to be where they are.

“The ball may be in your court but consider me the referee in this game. You didn’t gain yourself a soldier, you earned yourself a snake. Don’t get bit, Graven.”

That’s the difference between true allegiance and the need to stay at the top of the game where the strongest sit with ease – honest loyalty doesn’t need to be seen or stated. It’s just as powerful if not more so when given in silence.

“Because you can’t handle not knowing where I am, but it’s not in an aggressive way. It’s possessive and carnal and all a part of your need to protect me – even if I don’t think it’s necessary.”

“You want me safe, and you can’t think straight if you don’t know for sure that I am. It fucks with your head, which fucks with your concentration and throws off everything you’ve taught yourself to control...”

“To need someone is weak, because what happens when they leave, and you fall flat on your face? I don’t want to be weak, Big Man, not even for someone strong enough to carry us both.”

“It’s not easy to trust people when you’ve learned not to,”