I study her with suspicion. “Why would you do that? I mean, why are you helping me?”

“Because I was new once and had to learn the hard way.” She smiles. “I’m Katy, by the way.”

Katy. I heard Jax mention her name on that list he prattled off to Hunter. But, what happened to the girls on the list?

“I’m Raven,” I tell her with a small smile.

It’s weird smiling at school. It’s been a long time.

A long damn time.

“Raven? Huh, I really like that name.” She adjusts the handle of her backpack higher onto her shoulder. “It’s way more original than Katy.”

“I like Katy better,” I tell her as I swing around a couple making out in the middle of the hallway.

“You must be crazy then,” she jokes with a grin.

Man, if she only knew how close to the truth she was. How I briefly spent time in a psychiatric hospital right after my parents died.

“Maybe a little bit,” I agree, my chest feeling slightly pressurized.

Slut.

Freak.

Murderer.

My scars throb.

She laughs like I’m making a joke, but I’m not. “You’re funny, Raven. You should come sit with me and my friends at lunch.” Her laughter fades and seriousness takes over. “It’ll be good for you to have a group at this school, too. Someone to protect you.”

Confusion swirls inside me. “Protect me from what?”

She sneaks a quick, nervous glance around at the people flooding the hallways. “The politics in this town. Sadly, the more money and power your family has here, the more shit you can get away with at this school. It’s so bad that teachers will literally look the other way, even when someone is getting their ass kicked by some pretentious, rich, spoiled brat. And don’t even get me started on the sexual assaults that get dusted under the rug.”

Is she being serious? She sure looks like it, but …“Doesn’t anyone report that kind of stuff to the police?” I ask. “I mean, sexual assault cases don’t really seem like they should be handled by school administrators.”

“The police are just as bad at looking the other way, because they get bought off. And if they do try to do something about all the illegal crap going on in town, they end up like old Sheriff Bethrtor, may he rest in peace.” She draws a cross over her chest. “Although, I heard a rumor that we have a new sheriff in town, so maybe that’ll change. Doubtful, though.”

Yeah, I doubt so, too, since my uncle isn’t the type of do-gooder guy who will turn down cash to do the right thing. Obviously, since he has a huge-ass stash of stolen drugs. But I’m not about to tell her that.

“Yeah, maybe,” I mumble.

She bobs her head up and down, dazing off for a minute. “But yeah, anyway, if you want to be smart and stay off the radar from all this corrupt shit, I’d recommend staying as far away from Zay, Jax, and Hunter as you can.” She steps closer and lowers her voice. “Jax comes from one of the wealthiest families in town, and Zay is his cousin and lives with him. No one knows why he lives with him, but he’s just as spoiled as Jax. I’ve heard rumors that his dad’s straight-up crazy. And Jax’s dad is a total asshole. He owns a huge part of the town, so a lot of people have to do what he says. It’s really weird.”