“Stay the hell away from my sister,” Jase spat out, red droplets flying from his lips.

Alex ignored him to look down to where I was frozen on the ground. “Scout, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Sure, I was going to have a bruise on my shoulder, and there were a few scrapes on my palms, but I could hardly complain with Jase spouting blood.

“Don’t talk to her!” Jase looked ready to get even. I found myself worrying about Alex. Obviously, he could throw a good punch when he wanted to, but Jase was strong. And surrounded by friends. And seriously pissed off.

“Go home, Alex,” I said, picking myself up off the ground.

“Scout--”

I was curious as to what sort of explanation he could have given for the fisticuffs, but I refused to let him finish that thought. “Please, just go home. You’ve done enough.” I pulled some tissues out of my purse and attempted to wipe some of the blood from Jase’s face.

After one final look in my direction, he walked away. Jase and I rode home in complete silence.

“That was incredibly stupid,” Charlie said, bringing my thoughts back to the present. “Do you have any idea what could have happened? What could still happen?”

The room was still and silent as an unspoken exchange occurred between them. Despite my feelings about my brother’s behavior, I automatically defended him.

“It’s no big deal. There were no teachers around, and no one is going to rat out Mr. Basketball himself. There’s no way this will affect his position on the team or scholarships. It’s all good.”

“Good to know I don’t have to worry then,” Charlie said, never relaxing or taking his eyes off of Jase. For the first time it occurred to me that Charlie may have been in on whatever scheme Toby had conned Jase into.

Charlie repositioned himself so that he was turned towards me. My shoulders felt naked without his arm covering them.

“So, what’s the deal with you and this new guy? Do you like him?”

Like the typical teenager I am, I rolled my eyes. “No, I don’t like him. Good grief. He’s on the newspaper staff, and we have a couple of other classes together. We were just talking. Quite frankly, I think he’s arrogant and rude.”

Charlie chewed this over for a minute. “But he has the hots for you?”

“No, he doesn’t,” Jase interjected. “It’s Scout, for Pete’s sake. He’s obviously playing her to get to me.”

I recoiled as if I had been slapped. It’s not like I actually thought Alex liked me. Guys that looked like him only asked girls like me out to win some sort of stupid bet, and that only happened in cheesy teeny-bopper movies. I knew all those dazzling smiles weren’t really meant for me. And I didn’t care. I didn’t want Alex Cole to like me, but to hear my brother dismiss me like that hurt. A lot. I felt tears welling up.

“Scout, he didn’t mean it like that.” Charlie reached towards me, but the last thing I wanted was pity.

“Get out of my room.” I closed my eyes to keep the tears trapped.

“I’m sorry—”

“Please just leave me alone for a minute,” I managed to get out without my voice breaking.

Charlie, as always, came to my rescue. “Let’s go, man. C’mon.”

As soon as I managed to get the waterworks under control I stomped into the bathroom that connected Jase’s room to mine and began digging through the medicine cabinet. I was being overly emotional and moody. A double dose of Midol was definitely in order.

I must have been making a lot of noise, because there was a tap at the door, and then Charlie’s voice asked, “Can I come in?”

Instead of answering, I reached over and turned the knob. Charlie was leaning against the door frame, looking more tempting than anyone standing two feet from a toilet had a right to.

“Your brother feels like shit.”

“Yeah, well I wouldn’t be surprised if his nose was actually broken.”

“That’s not what I meant, Smarty Pants.”

I closed the medicine cabinet and caught my reflection on the mirrored door. There were big red blotches creating a striking contrast to my fair skin. My eyes were puffy and gave off an eerie glow. There was even a little bit of snot along the edge of my nose.

Nice.

How could I blame Jase for pointing out the truth?

“I’m not mad at him,” I said, getting a tissue for my nose. “It’s okay. No big.”

I hadn’t seen Charlie move from the doorway, so I was startled when I felt his arms pulling me into an embrace. I instantly regretted not being one of those tiny little girls who can snuggle into a guy’s chest when they need to be comforted. Instead, I had to make do with leaning my forehead against his.

Actually, that was pretty awesome too.

“If you want my personal opinion, Jase is wrong.” Charlie’s breath smelled like cinnamon. “I’ll bet you batted those long lashes, gave a rare Scout giggle, and the boy turned to mush.”

Yet another ridiculous tear made the short trek from the corner of my eye to my chin. Charlie pulled back and wiped it from my cheek. It was a very tender and sweet thing to do, which was why I was completely unprepared for what he said next.

“That means it’s even more important for you to stay away from him. He can’t be trusted. It’s not a question of if but when he hurts you. We just want to keep you safe. So, please, don’t encourage him. Okay?”

I stepped back, moving to the other end of the tiny room. “I’m not some mindless ditz that tries to hook up with every cute guy that notices she exists —”

“Scout…”

“And I don’t take orders from you or Jase —”

“We’re not —”

“And I don’t like being the only one in the dark here. Tell me what’s going on, Charlie.”

He scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do. What’s up between you guys and the Coles? I feel like we’ve suddenly stepped into the middle of The Outsiders.”

“It’s complicated.”

I crossed my arms and cocked my head to assume what Jase and Charlie had always called my teacher stance. “Well, Charles, I believe history has proven that of the three of us, I’m the smart one. So, why don’t you go ahead and tell me what is going on. Maybe I can uncomplicate it for you.”