I don’t allow myself to shrink into the seat, not with his eyes continually flicking to mine in the mirror.

I keep mine trained on his until we’re pulling into the school parking lot. Thankfully my sister answered my call and was close, so when we pull in, Tanner is already blocking the entrance. The door opens and my sister is waiting beside him.

Thank god lunch is over and the area is a dead zone.

The man frowns when I swiftly push the door open before he has a chance to climb out and do his job.

I don’t know if he watches as I walk straight for my sister, but I sure as hell don’t look back to find out.

I hold my head high, keep my face blank, and my spine straight, even when Monti’s hands fly to her mouth as she lays eyes on me.

She quickly moves out of the way, and I climb right in.

We’re on the road in seconds.

I don’t speak and she doesn’t push and only when her hand latches over mine, do I realize we’ve pulled into the garage.

“I’m fine.” I look to her, finding tears in her eyes.

Monti pulls her lips in and nods, because what else can she do?

Absolutely fucking nothing.

It’s a little after four when I have Monti take me to get my car, and I regret it the second the school is in view as there are only two cars left in the senior parking lot.

Mine and the black Camaro parked by it, blocking it in from behind.

Ransom leans against the passenger side door with his arms crossed, his eyes pointed at the ground, while Arsen lays along my hood, his arms folded behind his head. The legs sticking out slightly over the side panel near the back seat can only belong to Beretta.

Tanner slows, spotting them just as I have, and hardly allows the car to roll forward.

My sister snaps out of her own little world as we cross into the parking lot.

She shoots up in the seat, her hands on the window frame like a child pulling into the Disneyland parking lot and opens her mouth to speak.

“Don’t,” I stop her.

In my peripheral, her head yanks my way, but I don’t look away from the three we creep closer to.

They heard the crunch of the tires against the asphalt as we pulled in. Beretta grips the headrest, yanking himself up for a clearer shot, while the other two remain unmoving, watching. Waiting to see who is inside.

That is until we’ve stopped a few feet away.

All at once, they jolt.

Beretta hops from the back, Ransom pushes off the side, and Arsen shoots into a sitting position, his right foot planting firmly on the ground.