Trouble at Brayshaw High

by Meagan Brandy

“Now, imagine what she’d do for us now that she cares.”

Family runs deeper than blood, yet it’s the ones we chose we’ll so willingly bleed for.

Our dad speaks again, “It was either him at Brayshaw ... or her at Graven.”

Don’t lose her to them, he said. I’ll lose her to no one. Raven Carver is mine whether she wants to be now or not. Period. She wants to pretend she doesn’t see me the same, I’ll force her fucking hand, in time. Problem is, I’m far from patient. Go on, play your games, baby. I’ve got more moves than you can handle.

“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.”

a seventeen-year-old girl will not break you.” Maybell’s eyes travel between us again. “Watch her when she can’t see you, force her hand when you need to. Make her think of you at every moment, every day – bet she already is. Stay in her face and get dirty if need be.” “Why?” Royce asks her, and she looks to me. My eyes bounce between hers, and I answer, “Because that’s what it’ll take.” Royce pushes to his feet and Captain walks closer. “To what?” Cap asks hesitantly. My brows furrow and Maybell tips her chin. I look to my brothers. “To break her.”

“Is that what you want to do?” Captain asks me, an angry glare he doesn’t try to hide behind his eyes. “You want to push her ‘til she falls?” “And catch her on the way down, yeah.” “And if she falls the wrong way?” Royce questions, unsure. I clench my teeth together. Not an option. “Then we’ll make sure it hurts when she hits the ground.”

She was more than that. More than we ever could have thought. More than we ever could have wanted. Everything us three cold-hearted assholes needed.

“You wanted a queen, you made one. One like nobody here has ever known. Just as strong as you, just as brave. But there’s a clear difference between her and you guys.” “Keep fucking talking,” I bark. She laughs lightly, glancing between the three of us. “You’re calculated, she’s ... reckless.”

“They fear her now, just as you wanted. She has their respect, forced from the three of you from the beginning, but earned on her own. You thought the guys wouldn’t touch her?” She laughs. “Welcome to the other side of the spectrum, Brayshaws. Your very own queen might just dethrone you.”

An incapable man is a weak man, and I’ve seen nothing straight from your hands.”

You should already know, if you’d have done what you should have and come straight to us instead of acting brave alone like you’re used to, he would have reacted the same. Maddoc is fucking fierce, Raven. He loves us. Would die for us, but we’re his brothers. He’s never loved before. This? This is what that looks like.”

He turns around to face me, the motherfucker boldly meeting my eyes and everything clicks. “She understands ... how family runs deeper than blood.”

“If you think for a fucking second, this far down the line, that you’re here for any reason other than because I fucking want you.” He lowers his voice to a whisper. “Then you haven’t been paying attention, baby. Trust me when I say, you were never part of the plan,” he whispers. “You were a solid fucking mistake.”

The opposite of what I need, yet the only thing I’ve ever craved. If I hit the ground, it’ll be in a painful crash.

“I don’t care what happens tonight, tomorrow, or next fucking year. I don’t care what anyone wants from, or of me. I decide what I want from you.”

“I heard about your little run-in with her, that’s how we knew you were still ours.” I look away with a shrug, doing my best to keep my emotions in check. “Raven.” “I said stop. It’s not a big deal.” “Oh, it is a big deal, but fine. I’ll stop.” He laughs, searching out my eyes again. A heavy exhale leaving him. “We weren’t ready for you, Raven Carver. We weren’t fucking ready.”

“You keep this up, and I might have to do something real crazy, like lock you in my room and throw away the key.” “Keep what up?” I murmur against his chest. “Fixing us. Making us better. Making us stronger.” My throat closes, and a frown pulls at my brows. He keeps going. “You recognize what we need and when, like you’ve known us all your life. You’re connected to us, and that’s not something we’ll ever be willing to let go of, Raven. Never. None of us. No matter fucking what.”

“Well, I’m pretty fuckin’ sure I love you, so I’m glad you’re on board.”

My fists couldn’t fix it, my money couldn’t help her. My name meant jack shit. In that moment, I was nothing but a scared fucking boy who thought his girl was dying right before his eyes.

“So, you’ll share your world, but not your mind?” “My mind is dark, baby.” “And?” His mouth comes down, sliding across mine before he steps back, releasing me. “And you’re afraid of the dark.”

“He likes my crazy, and I want his madness. It’s pretty fucking simple.”

“They want to keep you.” He dips his head. “They don’t want you to think you’re like the others. They’ve been trying to show you what you mean to them, the only way they know how.”

“I’m telling you there is no one like you, Raven Carver, and we all know it. We see it and feel it and that’s some powerful shit, girl.”

“What, happy?” He gets in my face. “No. I won’t stop, Raven. Everything around us is fucked up and influenced by one thing or another, one person or another. We don’t have anything for ourselves at this point, not completely anyway. But you? I want you, for me. Only fucking me. I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

“Because! It’s like you’re in my fucking head, dictating moves I used to control, fighting against my every step.” I shake my head. “You’re like weight beneath my skin, pressure against my chest, a fog inside my damn mind I can’t get rid of!”

“To love you would mean to let go of a part of me, the part that I worked damn hard to get – understanding and accepting I need no one to survive, knowing I can do this all on my own without a helping hand or dropping to my knees.” His shoulders fall. “Baby...”

“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 ...

Freedom to do as we please, it’s the worst kind of addiction. A poison that wraps around every bone. A sickness that fuels our every step.

“No, son, she is the end. She is the pawn.” Our dad speaks as if he didn’t just threaten to tear apart our fucking world. As if his words are final. As if we’re supposed to nod and accept his explanation. As if we’ll blindly let him lead us into what comes next. As if ... we won’t stand against him, our father, head of the Brayshaw name. He just fucked up, and he doesn’t even know it. He has no idea what she means to us, no fucking clue what we’ll do to protect what’s ours. And Raven. Is. Ours.