GabrielThere was no hesitation. She walked into my arms and I pulled her firmly against me. I rested my forehead against her chest. She released a long breath and sank further against me.“Tell me what happened.”“I don’t want you getting into trouble over Armando,” she said softly.I pulled back, lifted my chin, and locked eyes with her.“I will deal with Armando and nothing you say will stop that. I need to know what happened.”Her head dropped and she remained quiet for too long. I had no idea what she was thinking.“I will deal with Isabella,” she finally said.That was not happening. I didn’t want Rosa anywhere near my future bride and it was not to protect Isabella.“She is my problem,” I said decisively.Rosa’s lips set in a stubborn line. She tried to pull back, but I didn’t release her.“You think she’s your problem, but she isn’t,” she said. “She is not a child. Using Armando for her dirty work was malicious. I can’t challenge Armando and he wouldn’t accept if I did. I will

RosaWe weren’t waiting. The payback needed to be unexpected. My sister gave me clothes and I changed. I would shower when this was done. We gathered what we needed and walked as a group to my dorm. I unlocked the door and stepped through first. Isabella’s entire crew was sleeping on the floor and couch. I walked to her room and saw her on the bed with another of her crew sleeping beside her. I lifted a chair from the four-person dining table and set it in the middle of the living room.Donya would help me with Isabella and the remainder of her crew would handle the girls in the living room. I took the side of the bed Isabella was on and jerked her head up by the hair. I had a solid chunk in my fist and she would lose it if she fought me.She screamed first which didn’t surprise me, and then she tried to twist away which had to hurt. I wasn’t letting go. My sister took control of the girl beside Isabella but she didn’t fight. I pulled Isabella out of bed.“What are you doing?” she scr

RosaI woke up excited. I’d crashed on my sister’s couch and wore her clothes again but I didn’t care. I would request a new dorm the following morning. The school could give it to me or I would throw an Isabella-sized tantrum. This was my senior year too. I wasn’t a princess but I could whine like one if it was called for.My sister had leftovers from our dinner together so I packed them, grabbed a bottle of wine, and placed it all in my backpack. I added some cinnamon rolls that were individually packed in a box. I grabbed four so we could have them with our coffee. The morning was chilly, but the sun was out and it would be a nice day for this time of year if we got lucky. I was feeling lucky.The library was empty when I entered. I loved the sound of my shoes on the wooden floor. My steps echoed and I smiled. I got to the roof first and set things up. Ten minutes later, Gabriel walked outside.“There was a line,” he said, holding up two large coffees.I smiled. “I have cinnamon ro

GabrielI couldn’t remember a day since I first saw her on campus that I hadn’t thought about her. Those thoughts were dirty and wicked. Now that I had her in my arms, I could also say that I knew I loved her. I’d had sex with so many girls. Sex didn’t mean much besides gratification to me. It wasn’t that way with Rosa.My feelings for her made it different.We stayed on the roof all day, and then she came back to my dorm with me.“Move in,” I said after we were stretched out in my bed, my back propped up on the pillows, her warm in my arms.“The school doesn’t allow that,” she said with a nervous laugh.“I don’t think they give a shit,” I told her. “Brando won’t care and this way, you won’t run into Isabella unless you want to.” I smiled wickedly. “The side benefit is getting your brains fucked out.”“That sounds pretty severe. I should probably try it first and then decide.” Her eyes had lit up but she kept her expression blank while she considered what I said.“You are a brat.”“I

RosaI made him study with me and he always had excuses to keep from doing it. He was doing better in school though and his Ds were now Cs. We did our homework together too, though I did most of his. I also didn’t notice him cheating off my tests as much. Gabriel’s biggest problem in school was inattention and disinterest. He was a tough guy and would use his fists to get by in his family. I understood that but I also suspected he never felt smart. He just needed to apply himself.I used sex and food to bribe him. It worked. I got up, pulled the sweater over my ass, and retrieved my school bag.“You know I have a challenge tonight, right?”“Won’t get you out of studying. If it did, you would arrange a fight every night.”His lips twisted but he didn’t argue. I got an hour of schoolwork in before his roaming hands gave me other things to think about.****A large crowd had gathered for the fight. This was Rochester’s entertainment and betting was half the fun. Brando handled the money