Page 22 of Fight for You

Mariah whispers something to her before darting off in the opposite direction.

I stomp toward her and Corey, annoyed he hasn't taken the hint and moved along.

"Hi, Cade," she whispers when I step up beside her to glare at Corey.

He frowns at me and draws himself up to his full height. He's tall, but I'm already six-two. I lift weights and run track. He's not even a match for me, but he's too stupid to get the point. Guess he doesn't know who I am yet. He will soon. I'll make sure of that.

"You ready to go, baby girl?" I ask her, holding his gaze as I step closer to her and sling my arm over her shoulder, making it clear she's off limits.

Corey's eyes narrow on me, but he doesn't say anything.

"I…yeah, I'm ready." January glances between the two of us and frowns like she's only just noticing the tension rippling through the air. "Bye, Corey."

"See you later, January," he mutters and then turns and storms off.

I drop my arm from around her and stomp away, pissed even though I don't have any right to be. She isn't mine. She's never been mine. I wish she was though.

When we were younger, it was different. I didn't understand what I felt toward her until Halloween. I thought I just wanted to keep her safe. But it's not like that now. I mean, I still want to keep her safe and take care of her. But she's also the only girl I've ever thought about kissing.

"Cade?" she says from behind me, her voice worried. "Can you slow down a little?"

Shit. She's practically running to keep up with me. I slow down immediately and give her a chance to catch up. Her bag bounces on her back as we walk. I take it from her and slide it onto my shoulder with mine like I usually do. She doesn't say anything as we weave our way out of the building and then through the parking lot to the sidewalk. I think she's mad at me.

"Do you want to go to the dance with him?" I blurt as we turn in the direction of our block. Like it, this part of the neighborhood is run down and depressing. The sidewalks and road are cracked and pitted. Most of the houses are falling apart. This is home though, the only one I remember clearly.

January shrugs a shoulder and tilts her head down so her long hair hides her face. "I don't know," she whispers.

"Do you like him?"

She shrugs again, stepping around a large crack in the cement at her feet. "Not really, but he's the only one who asked me to go. It was nice of him."

Well…shit. She used to get picked on a lot because she's so short and has always been a little curvy. Most people leave her alone now, but thanks to Mandy and some of the older girls, she doesn't have many friends. Mandy's a jealous bitch. She hates that I've never paid her any attention and always preferred to hang out with January, so she makes life as miserable for my girl as she can. I hate that January doesn't have many friends because of it, but I still don't want her going anywhere with Corey.

"You shouldn't go with him," I say before I can stop myself. "You're too young to be thinking about boys and dating and all that shit. You're still just a kid."

She stops walking and gapes at me. Her eyes narrow on me and her cheeks flush pink.

Crap. Now she's pissed.

Her mouth opens and then closes a few times. I expect her to yell at me like she does at Titan. They love each other like crazy, but they fight like cats and dogs sometimes too. He usually gives her whatever she wants, but occasionally, he puts up a fight. She's like a little soldier marching into battle when he gets her wound up. She stomps her feet and growls at him. It's cute as hell. I'm pretty sure he only does it because he thinks it's funny to watch, but I'd never dare tell her that.

I expect her to let me have it like she does him, but she doesn't. She stares at me for a second and then she shakes her head like she's disappointed in me and mutters something under her breath before stomping away. I'm pretty sure she just called me the most clueless boy on the planet, but I don't know what she's talking about.

I stare after her for a second, not sure what to make of her reaction, and then I have to jog to catch up with her. She may have short legs, but she moves fast when she's pissed.

"January, wait." I grab her arm when she ignores me.

She stops walking and spins to face me. Tears shimmer in her eyes, stealing my breath.

I made her cry.

I instantly feel like the biggest asshole. I hate when she cries. Seeing tears in her eyes breaks my heart every damn time.

"I'm sorry, little mon–"

She leans up on her tiptoes and presses her lips to mine, silencing me.

Her lips are so soft and taste like peppermint and sugary candy. I like the way they feel on mine. I like the way her breath blows sweetly across my face too. Her little body nestles into mine. I've thought about kissing her a thousand times, but this is so much better than I thought it would be.