You’re Mine by Penny Brooks novel Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Harper

Sadie and I are still chatting in the living room when we hear car engines pulling into the driveway. Then the slamming of car doors.

Sadie’s eyes widen and she turns toward the window that faces the front of the house. “Oh shit. Your brother’s here.” She hesitates. “And he brought Easton with him.”

My heart skips a beat. I’m both excited and angry, which is not a normal combination for me to experience. I want to see Easton, but I’m also still really mad at him for ditching me

for Ryan. I know they’re best friends but…

I jump to my feet at the same time the front door bangs open and Ryan and Easton walk

They’re angry. I can feel it radiate from the both of them, see it written all over their faces. And it’s super intimidating. They’re both so big and broad, their expressions fierce, jaws clenched, mouths grim.

Sadie remains frozen on the loveseat, as if she’s afraid to move and I stand there in front of the both of them, ready to face them down.

They don’t scare me.

Well, not really

“Where the hell were you?” I ask with way more bravado than I’m feeling, my gaze on

Easton.

Ryan takes a step toward me. “Harp, you need to sit down. We have to tell you something.”

“Blake did it,” Easton says without hesitation.

Ryan sends Easton an irritated look. “Nice. Real smooth.”

I frown, confused. “Did what?”

“The spray paint. Writing whore on the garage door. It was Blake.” Easton reaches behind him, pulling his phone out of his back pocket.

I’m shaking my head again and again, taking a step backward. Then another one, like! need the distance. “No. No way. I don’t believe it. He’s my friend, Easton. Blake would never do that to me.”

“It’s true.” Easton’s voice is grim as he thrusts the phone into my face, a shadowy photo on the screen. “We have proof.”

I squint, trying to make out what I’m seeing. “What is that?”

“Spray paint cans. All black. In the back of Blake’s car. He fucking did it, Harper. He’s responsible.”

My gaze goes to Sadie, who looks as horrified as I feel. “No, Impossible.”

“The cans were in his car. I spotted his SUV in a restaurant parking lot and I walked up to the car to make sure it was his before I went inside because I was going to chill with him, you know? But then I saw the cans.” Ryan shakes his head, disappointment in his gaze. “I called Easton.”

“That’s why I went to him. He wanted me to see the evidence,” Easton adds.

Disappointment and sadness crashes over me and my knees wobble. I can’t believe it. Blake’s my friend. He’s been nothing but nice to me. Sweet. I’m sure he was disappointed about me and Easton getting together, but Blake is a total player. He can find another girl to occupy his time. Not like he wanted anything serious from me anyway.

“He did it all” Easton continues. “The locker. The cars. The garage door. He’s responsible for all of it and I’m going to make that motherfucker pay.”

“Wait a minute.” Sadie holds up her hand as if she’s in class, and Easton goes silent. “The locker and car incidents were done with cheerleader paint.”

Ryan frowns. “Cheerleader paint? What the hell are you talking about?”

“I don’t know what you call it. It’s the paint they use for windows and whatever on game days,” Sadie explains.

“You mean washable paint?” | ask.

“Yes.” Sadie snaps her fingers. “That. The locker and the cars were painted with removable, washable paint. Yet the garage door was spray paint.”

“What are you saying? That two people are responsible for this shit?” Ryan asks.

Sadie shrugs. “Maybe? I don’t know. Whoever did the stuff at school wasn’t brave enough to make it permanent.”

“I think it has more to do with whatever’s on hand at the time. We were at school, so that washable paint shit was readily available,” Easton says. “Aisha didn’t do this. This is all because of Blake.”

“I think Sadie’s on to something,” Ryan says carefully. “Maybe it was two different people.”

“What, Harper has that many enemies? Bullshit,” Easton spits out.

My heart sinks. Do I have enemies? Two of them? Like Sadie told me earlier, I barely talked to anyone. I keep to myself. And now there are people at school who actually hate me? Enough to vandalize my locker and my brother’s car and Sadie’s car and my house?

It makes absolutely no sense.

Well. I can only think of one person who hates me that much.

“I think it’s all Aisha,” I announce. “That bitch hates my guts. She confronted me in the hallway today and said all kinds of shitty things.”

Ryan and Blake share a meaningful look but otherwise say nothing.

“What the hell was that?”

Hmm. Sadie noticed it too.

“What are you talking about?” Ryan asks as he approaches my best friend, a faint smile on his face like he’s wanting to distract her.

“That look you and Easton just shared.” Her gaze cuts to mine. “You noticed it, right?”

I nod.

“It was nothing.” This comes from Easton, who stops by my side and Slings his arm around my shoulders.

| shrug it off.

“Bullshit,” Sadie spits out. “What else is going on? What else do you guys know?”

“Nothing. We know Blake’s responsible for the garage door,” Easton says, putting his arm around my shoulders once more, his grip firm so I can’t get away from him. “And we’re going to confront him about it.”

“When?” I glance up at Easton to find him already looking at me.

“Soon,” he says, his gaze intense. “He’s going to pay for this, Harper. He can’t go around terrorizing my girl and getting away with it.”

My entire body goes warm at his casual use of the words ‘my girl, but I’m still having a hard time imagining Blake spray painting the word WHORE on our garage door because he’s mad at me.

“That fucker has messed with the wrong house,” Ryan adds. “Can’t believe my best friend would do this to me. To my family.”

Easton flinches, so faintly no one would notice.

But I did. He’s upset too. Not just because of what Blake is doing to me.

Blake is-was-Easton’s best friend as well. What he’s done is a total betrayal.

There’s no going back from a betrayal this big.

And that terrifies me.

More than I want to admit