efore my dad left, he told me two things: look after your little brother and don't end up in jail. The latter I failed the same day he left, the former is why I'm sitting in a place I swore I'd never step foot in: The Palisades.

Kino looks at me from over his milkshake, which he's been drinking for the last fifteen minutes. "Oh, come on," he says, grinning. "It's not that bad here. It's kinda fancy, actually. You should see the inside of the school, Max. Looks like a hotel."

I shake my head and play with my fries. There are several choice words I can think of right now, and not that bad isn't one of them. He's right about the fancy part, though. This isn't one of those rundown diners that cops like to visit in between their stakeouts for crack dealers. This is an upscale replica of an old fifties diner, complete with a shiny red corvette and an old-style jukebox. I might think it nice if I weren't so disgusted by the price of these milkshakes.

"How was school today?" I ask, stretching out my legs. "No one's giving you a hard time, are they?"

He shrugs and focuses on his milkshake. "We're different. The kids here don't exactly like different."

I furrow my eyebrows and lean across the table. "Kino, if someone's messing with you, you need to tell me."

He sighs and looks up. "Do you know how pathetic I'd look if I had my big brother fight my battles? The best thing to do is just wait until the novelty wears off. They'll forget about me soon enough."

I'm not convinced, and if this scholarship wasn't such a good opportunity for him, I'd be driving him as far from here as possible. My life might be screwed, but I'll be damned if I let his life get screwed, too.

The diner door swings open, and a group of kids take their seats across two booths. I recognize Goldilocks and her friend from the club, who smile at the waitress as she hurries to take their orders.

I'm about to turn to Kino when the door opens again, and the guy I fought last night walks in. He crosses the diner, slipping into the space beside Goldilocks, but she doesn't look too happy to see him. I'm not exactly surprised, his pretty-boy face is a purple, bruised mess thanks to my right hooks last night. I can't help but smirk.

I'm about to look away when Goldilocks looks up. Her dark eyes meet mine, holding my gaze for a second or two before she quickly looks away. Sensing a shift, Pretty Boy looks up from his menu.

Kino follows my gaze over to the table. When he turns back around, he's as pale as a sheet. "We should go," he says quietly, pushing away his milkshake. "C'mon, Max."

I don't move a muscle. "I paid ten dollars for that milkshake. We're not going anywhere."

Kino lowers his head to the table like he's afraid to be noticed. Then, as if on cue, Pretty Boy gets up from his table, along with his friends, and walks toward us.

I instantly straighten, and Kino shakes his head like I'm about to cause a scene. "Problem?" I ask.

Behind him, I catch Goldilocks looking at me. Her usual confidence is gone, and her easy expression is replaced with concern. "Yeah, there's a problem," he says, folding his arms. "Gangbangers aren't allowed in here. Go back to where you came from."

I rise to my feet until I'm towering over him. "What did you say to me?"

He falters for a second and looks at his friends, who nod and urge him on. "You heard me," he says. "We don't want your kind here."

I fold my arms and stare down at him. "And what kind is that?"

He glances at the tattoos on my arms, and I watch his Adam's apple bob. I have to give him credit, because despite the fact his face is still marred from the last time I punched him, he's not backing down. This kid is either stupidly brave or bravely stupid.

"Broke-ass bitches." He looks at Kino as he says it, who's hiding behind a menu, and that's all it takes.

I grab this kid by the front of his designer tee and shove him down on the booth by his neck. I learned the hard way growing up that if you call someone a bitch, you better be ready to fight.

Pretty Boy isn't ready. His eyes grow wide like he's surprised by my reaction, and no doubt he is. These rich kids like to settle disputes with words and money, but where I'm from, we settle them with fists.

"Considering you think I'm in a gang," I say, "do you think it's wise to piss me off?"

His eyes widen, and he grabs my hand in a bid to get me off him, but I don't move an inch. Someone behind me goes to grab my other arm, but I shove him off. "Let go of me," Pretty Boy hisses, and Goldilocks jumps up from where she's sitting in her booth before hurrying over.

"Hey," she says, resting a hand on my forearm. Her eyes lock on the scorpion tattoo on my left bicep, tracing its ink-black body with her gaze. I glance down at the contact, surprised by the warmth of her fingers. "He deserves it," she continues, her voice like silk, "believe me, but there are kids in here. Come on."

I hesitate before looking around. She's right, there are several families watching in horror, so I reluctantly let go of his neck. A frantic waitress takes it as her cue to hurry over, her phone in her hand like she's one step away from calling the cops.

"Please, just go," the waitress says, sounding panicked. "Stop causing trouble."

I glance at her name badge, which reads Evette. Then I look back at Pretty Boy, who is rubbing his neck like I've snapped his spinal cord. To them, I'm the bad guy, the problem here.

I always am.

"C'mon, Kino. Let's go." I turn around and catch sight of Goldilocks, who's still watching me carefully. Kino trails after me as we head to my truck, where I speed out of the parking lot.

"Man, why'd you have to do that, Max?" Kino says. "Do you know what the kids are going to do to me tomorrow? I'm dead." He runs a hand down his face like he can't quite believe it. "I might as well write my own will right now."

I smirk a little as I make a left turn. "Yeah? What exactly are you leaving behind? You aint got shit."

He folds his arms. "Well, yeah, not now. You've signed my death sentence before I had time to make something of myself. "

I roll my eyes. "You've become a lot more dramatic since switching schools. You're not turning soft on me, are you?"

He sighs and turns his gaze to the window, refusing to look at me. "I'm not joking, Max. They're going to eat me alive tomorrow."

"Only if you let them." I glance at him now, and he finally looks at me. "What have I always told you? If they pick on you, fight back. You know what to do, Kino. I've shown you how to throw a punch enough times. If you don't, they'll think you're a target."

He glares at me through his lashes. "My plan of slipping under the radar would have been more effective," he mutters as I pull up to the house.

I ignore him and climb out, slamming shut the door before walking toward the house. "Nothing is more effective than a punch to the face."

He gets out his keys and opens the door, but not before looking at me. "You know, you sound more and more like dad every day."

It's not a compliment.

❤️