He needs the job

Mallory

The next day at school, I was in no mood for anything. First period dragged, and maths—which was already unbearable—felt even worse with my mind stuck on last night's argument.

I barely heard a word our teacher was saying, my thoughts circling back to the fact that my dad had actually gone through with hiring Kian. Kian Holland, of all people. The one guy who had no business being anywhere near my family, let alone working in my dad's garage like he belonged there.

The rest of us didn't trust him. I didn't trust him. And yet, my dad had still decided to take him in, like he was some charity case.

I sighed, tapping my pencil against my notebook. Beside me, Serena gave me a knowing look.

"You okay?" she whispered.

"Just tired," I muttered, though that was far from the truth.

"About your da?"

I nodded.

Serena leaned in, lowering her voice. "Look, I get why you're pissed. But your dad's always been like this. He sees the good in people, even when no one else does."

I scoffed. "Yeah, well, this time he's wrong."

Serena didn't argue, just sighed and leaned back in her seat. Eden would probably have something to say about it, but she went to Tommen, not BCS. She wasn't here to talk sense into me. Not that it would have helped.

I wasn't going to pretend Kian was some poor misunderstood soul. He was trouble—real trouble. And no matter what my dad thought, you couldn't fix people like him.

Double English felt like an eternity. It was bad enough that we had a sub who didn't seem to care if we stayed on task, but all I could think about was my dad and Kian.

I barely even noticed when the bell rang again, signaling the end of school for the day. My head was heavy, my thoughts racing.

"Mallory!"

I turned to find Kian, standing a few feet away from me, leaning casually against the doorframe.

"What do you want?" I asked, trying to sound indifferent.

He raised an eyebrow. "Nothing. Just wanted to see if you were up for grabbing a coffee or something?"

I blinked, not entirely sure how to respond. Kian Holland, asking me to hang out? Not in a million years.

"Why would I do that?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

Kian smirked, clearly amused by my reaction. "I figured we could chat. You know, get to know each other. You might find out I'm not so bad."

I couldn't help but let out a sharp laugh. "Not so bad? You're a Holland. And I'm not interested in chatting, thanks."

Kian didn't seem fazed by my harsh tone. He just gave me a shrug and turned to walk away, but not before he shot me one last look.

"Alright, then. Your loss, Lynch."

I watched him walk down the hall and out the doors, and for a brief second, I felt something I couldn't quite place.

It was like I was watching my dad make the same mistakes he always did—helping people who didn't deserve it, trying to fix things that didn't need fixing. But this time, it felt different. This time, it felt like something was about to blow up in all our faces.

And I wasn't sure any of us would be ready for it.

Kian

I didn't go straight home after school. I couldn't. Not with everything weighing on my mind—the home visit, my dad, and now this new job at Joey Lynch's garage.

I knew his family didn't want me there. Didn't trust me. That much was clear from the looks I got the second I walked in yesterday.

Didn't matter.

I needed the job. Something solid. Something that wasn't dealing or doing my dad's dirty work. If Joey wanted to give me a chance, I'd take it. Even if the rest of the Lynches wanted nothing to do with me.

I walked through town, hands stuffed in my pockets, trying to clear my head. I didn't even realize I'd ended up near Lynch's Auto Repairs until I saw the familiar sign hanging above the garage doors.

The place was busy, workers moving between cars, the hum of machinery filling the air. I spotted Joey talking to a customer near the front, his easy smile making it look like he hadn't just caused a riot in his own house by hiring me.

I hesitated before stepping inside. The last thing I needed was to run into any of the others.

"Oi, Holland."

I turned at the sound of the voice, already knowing who it was before I even looked.

AJ.

Leaning against the counter, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

"Didn't think you'd show," he said, pushing off the counter and walking towards me.

I shrugged. "Told your da I'd be here."

AJ didn't say anything for a second, just looked me up and down like he was still trying to figure out what my angle was.

Finally, he spoke. "Look, I don't know what bullshit story you spun to get my dad to trust you, but I'm watching you. You mess up, you're out. You so much as breathe the wrong way around my family, I'll make sure you regret it."

I let out a short laugh. "Relax, Lynch. I'm here to work, not to rob the place."

His jaw clenched. "We'll see."

Before I could respond, Joey called my name from across the garage, waving me over. I glanced back at AJ once before walking off.

It didn't take a genius to see how this was going to go.

I could show up every day, do everything right, and it still wouldn't matter. They'd never trust me.

But that was fine. I didn't need their trust.

I just needed the job.