Free Hate Me Today (Save Me #3) by Katheryn Kiden Page A

something to eat before the last show before our week break.
    The entire ride we argue over something completely ridiculous and I’m not even sure I know what we’re fighting about. Jack randomly yells out the word penis and we all burst out laughing, even Jason.
    We decide on some hole in the wall place, ordering from some tiny little brunette named Rachel.  As she’s taking our order, she flirts openly with Jason which pisses me off for some reason. Why can’t she hit on Jack? He is, after all, our resident horn dog. Jason at least usually keeps it off the bus but we’re constantly having to kick chicks out of Jack’s bunk.
    Rachel drops our food off and winks at Jason before leaving. I know in my gut what’s going to happen before it even does. He stands up a few seconds after she walks away, making some excuse about having to take a piss and follows through the same way she just went.
    “That’s disgusting,” I murmur, dipping my fry into some ranch dressing.
    “What? The fact that you’re jealous over Jason fucking some waitress instead of you. Or the fact that you really wish he’d come back and crawl under the table and bury his face between your thighs.”
    I squeeze my thighs together, trying to tell myself that neither one of the reasons Jack just spouted off are true even though they are. They shouldn’t be; neither would be a good idea. I don’t answer him other than flipping him off because I know that if I say anything else he’ll just turn that around too.
    It’s a good twenty minutes before Jason comes back. We’ve all finished eating and I was telling Mandi that I was going to visit my brother Vincent when we got back home.
    “Hurry the hell up we’re burning time. Maybe if you hadn’t just gone and screwed the town welcome wagon-”
    “Hey,” Jason interrupts me. The look on his face is not the sad look he had on the bus, but one filled with the hate he has for me. “I’m not the one that gets strangled by my boyfriend but two days later has another one lined up for when I get home. I bet Vincent will just love the marks on your neck. Maybe he’ll add a few to them.”
    Everyone at the table goes silent, staring at him like he had three heads. I feel the tears burning my eyes and I know I need to get out of here right now before I freak out. I stand from the table, my chair sticking to the carpet so it flips over when I try to back it up. I don’t say anything; I don’t need to. I know Mandi will take care of it and I hear her rip into him as soon as I’m away from the table. Before I hit the door Tyrone is right by my side, wrapping his arm over my shoulder and pulling me against him.
    “You good , girl?”
    “Nope,” my voice cracks, “I’m not good at all. Let’s just get back so we can do this show so I can go home.

Jason
    “You are by far the biggest fucking asshole I have ever met. How dare you walk into a conversation that’s half over and just assume you know that the hell you are talking about.” Mandi rounds the table, her palms pressing against the top as she leans into me, barely even breathing between words. “Not only did you completely just wreck whatever the hell nice streak you had going but you missed the fact that Vincent is Vanessa’s older brother. Her brother that’s been in a psychiatric hospital for a few years because he’s schizophrenic and her parents didn’t want to deal with him. Do you think she’s OK with the fact that she got hurt the other night? No! But you know what’s bugging her even more is the fact that it was you that saved her and she’s just been waiting for you to use it against her. I guess you just did though didn’t you.”
    She leaves me stunned and speechless when she turns abruptly and rushes out the door. Devon looks at me and shakes his head sadly before standing and following Mandi out.
    “Man, I knew you were an asshole but that took the cake ,” Jack talks without looking at me. “I thought I was a