𝐷𝐴𝑌𝐿𝐼𝐺𝐻𝑇 - 𝑇𝐻𝐼𝑅𝑇𝐸𝐸𝑁 𝑅𝐸𝐴𝑆𝑂𝑁𝑆 𝑊𝐻𝑌

22. ᴛʜᴏᴍᴀꜱ

„He's out of his fucking mind." Justin spat, looking at the floor as the group of teenagers sat in the gym. Mani was seated on the floor, leaning against Zach's legs while the boy mindlessly played with her hair.

„We played by Hannah's rules. It's not fair if the tapes get out there because Clay went postal." Courtney said with her arms crossed against her chest. Mani scoffed and shook her head, glaring at her.

„Shut the fuck up, Courtney. Ain't nobody asking for your opinion." she hissed. Zach squeezed her shoulder in warning, making her huff and look away.

„He's not gonna go public." Zach said, and Mani had to hold herself back from scoffing. She was furious about Clay's outburst the day before, and was almost sure that he would, in fact, go public.

„It feels like he might." Jess argued, turning to look at him. Mani nodded in agreement, ignoring the glare that Zach sent her way.

„He's just sad, okay? Let him be..." Alex started, but hissed in pain and grabbed at his stomach, making Mani cringe. She exchanged annoyed looks with Justin, her irritation towards the blond boy still showing after what he said to her when Monty almost hit him with his car.

„Are you getting your stomach things again, Alex?" Jessica asked with concern, making Justin's head snap in her direction. „Come sit for a second."

„What stomach things?" the Foley boy asked, his eyebrows furrowed. Mani almost laughed at his expression.

„He loved her, and she died. Okay? He's going crazy. Just give him a second." Alex carried on, and Mani felt the need to step in.

„It doesn't give him the right to treat any of us like shit, man. He's out of control." she said, earning a hum of agreement from Jess.

„I'm with Mani." Justin spoke up, making Courtney scoff.

„Surprise, surprise." she muttered, making Mani narrow her eyes.

„You want me to fuck you up?" she hissed, making Courtney roll her eyes, but look down.

„He's not sad, okay? He's getting revenge." the Asian girl said, and Mani sighed, leaning against Zach's legs again.

„It's not like we don't deserve it." Alex spoke up, shaking his head before gasping in pain once again.

„Come sit down." Jess repeated, patting the spot next to her. Justin and Mani exchanged glances once again, both of them quickly looking down to hide their smiles of amusement. Just then, the door to the gym opened and Marcus walked in, approaching the group.

„Dude, you're late." Justin scolded, all humor gone from his face as he eyed Marcus. The boy rolled his eyes and stopped next to Courtney.

„I talked to Tony." Mani's attention perked up at the name, making her look at Marcus. „He said he'll take care of it."

„Tony's a dick." Justin exclaimed, throwing his hands up. Mani turned to glare at him.

„He's not a dick." her and Zach said at the same time, making Justin stare at them.

„He's a dick, he's a prick, and he's a cock." he said slowly, making Mani roll her eyes.

„Okay, those are the same things." Zach muttered, shaking his head.

„No, they're nuances of meaning." Justin argued, desperately trying to make his point.

„You're nuances of meaning." Mani muttered, making Alex chuckle quietly and Justin glare at her.

„Look, Tony's not gonna do shit. We have to take care of this!" Justin shouted, looking between all of them. „End that little bastard once and for all."