Something was said.
I couldn’t hear it though.
I wasn’t close enough.
And there was no way in hell I was going to get close enough.
Tall, hot guy was… well, tall and hot… but he was crazy. Dangerous and crazy.
Which may have had some butterflies in my lower stomach that decided to keep going lower…
Tall, hot guy slammed short guy into the water.
And he held him under.
He stood there with his right hand and half his right arm in the water, holding short guy under.
I gasped and had no idea what to do.
Scream? Call for help?
I just stared.
And tall, hot guy wasn’t letting up.
I started to count in my head. I tried Mississippi. I tried alligator. I tried elephant. All those stupid ways to count seconds. But it didn’t matter. Short guy had been under the ocean water long before I started counting. I thought about Ruby. When we were younger, we’d go to the pool in the summer and try to see who could stay under water the longest. You know, before we got our boobs and boys weren’t afraid to tell us they were hard… when life was simple. Point being, Ruby always won. I couldn’t hold my breath for anything. And watching her stay under the water always scared me. I thought she was going to drown. But she never did. She always popped up.
So I waited for short guy to pop up.
But when my eyes saw the look on tall, hot guy’s face…
He was going to actually kill short guy.
* * *
I paced along the side of the pool.
I tried biting my nails but I had no nails. I never had nails. I hated nails. And I hated painting them too. Then again, if I was going to be some rich bitch, be someone else, I should probably let my nails grow. And get them done. Find some fancy place and get them done.
Act all prissy about it too.
Like demand it be perfect. Or find things wrong with my nails just to be a bigger bitch.
Ohfuckinghell Tinsley… there’s a dead body in the ocean right now!
Yeah, that was one of the thoughts I tried so hard to shove away.
But they wouldn’t shove away.
What was I supposed to do now?
Go back? Find the body? Call the police?
Tell them what?
That I watched as some guy drowned another? And I ran away when I realized just how serious it was? Wouldn’t that implicate me?
But rich people didn’t get in trouble with the law. They didn’t go to jail. They hired expensive lawyers and wrote big checks and smiled and acted like nothing happened.
Except I wasn’t rich.
Claire was rich.
I was poor. Really poor.
And Claire was doing this as a favor.
I touched my forehead as it started to hurt.
Here for, what, an hour? And things were like this…
I sucked in a deep breath.
I curled my lip.
I’m poor. I’m the poor, dirty girl. That’s what I’ve always been. And for that, I’ve always survived. Nothing bothers me. I’ve seen fights. I’ve seen my mother stick herself with needles like it was a normal thing. I just fucking found her od’ing. I’ve seen knives, guns…
Before I knew it I was walking back toward the beach.
I wasn’t sure what was right or wrong here but I needed to see. Worst case, I could twist the story however I wanted. What did it matter? I didn’t hurt anyone. I didn’t kill anyone.
I found the spot where I had been standing.
I looked to the spot where tall, hot guy had… drowned someone…
My feet slid along the sand down to the ocean. Dry sand turned into wet sand. Wet sand was swallowed up by the water. The cool water hit my toes and I shivered.
I wasn’t afraid of the ocean but I was afraid of a dead body touching me.
As I stood in the exact spot where it happened, I watched.
I wondered what the logical thing was here. Would the water throw him to shore or take him out? Would he wash up for someone to find or be swept to sea for animals to eat?
My stomach flipped and my knees started to bend.
I felt sick. Like I did back in the apartment.
One thing I knew for sure… there was no body in the ocean.
And I didn’t know what that meant.
I groaned and started to turn when a shadow crept over my shadow.
“Listen, sugar,” a rough voice whispered.
I froze.
The way the word sugar sounded…. like there was a h in there and no r… smooth, fluent, and god help me… sexy.
A hand touched my arm.
I glanced down and saw a watch.
The watch.
It was tall, hot guy.
Standing behind me.
The same way he had done to short guy before beating him up.
He had known I was watching…
My teeth started to chatter.
“If I wanted that motherfucker dead, he would be dead,” his voice smoothly whispered as his lips gently touched my ear.
My toes curled so tight they hurt.
I started to gasp for air.
His right hand moved up my arm to my neck. He pulled my hair out of the way, exposing my neck.
“I don’t know who you are, sugar, but you better catch a case of amnesia… and catch a case of being homesick. You don’t belong here. And I won’t give another warning.”
His lips brushed against my neck for a split second and he groaned.
I should have been creeped out. Freaked out. I should have thrown an elbow. I should have kicked back, wanting to nail him in the balls.
But I was frozen.
So fucking frozen.
Tall, hot guy didn’t kill short guy.
He was just sending a message.
I carefully watched as tall, hot guy’s shadow slithered away.
It should have been a relief that there wasn’t a dead body in the ocean.
But I wasn’t relieved at all.
Tall, hot guy had just sent a message to me.
And he was gone.
I finally turned and looked around the beach.
I was alone.
So fucking alone.
And more than that…
I was already in serious trouble.
four
Bay Falls High.
Bay fuckin’ Falls High.
Claire gave me the choice on how I wanted to do it. She offered to drive me right up to the curb. Have the driver get out and open my door. Or I could have been dropped off through the back entrance and escorted to my first class. Whatever I wanted to do to give the appearance of whatever I wanted. I mean, that all sounded kind of fun. Right? Fancy new clothes. Giant black sunglasses. Attitude that could last until Christmas. Strut through the doors and the halls like I owned the place, complete with security to make sure none of these rotten bitches or douchebag boys came near me.
But as I stared at my own reflection in the mirror that morning, I reminded myself I was the daughter of a junkie. I was there out of luck. And if I wanted to be someone else, that was one thing. I could fake my past. I could throw shade. I could throw a punch. But I was still going to be the new girl no matter what. And part of me just wanted to hide from it all. Or maybe not show up at all.
The thing was… I was this close to being done with it all. So the plan was to nestle up to the mansion life that Claire had and finish school.
For breakfast, there wasn’t some off brand crap cereal and milk that was a day too old. There was a woman in the kitchen, whistling and racing around, making what looked like a breakfast to feed a hundred men. The spread of food made my jaw drop. Right down to the fresh fruit at the end of the counter. Glistening from being freshly washed.
I told Claire I was just going to drive myself to Bay Falls High.
Claire threw me the key fob to one of her SUVs.
“You can take somet
hing faster if you want,” she said. “But test this out. It’s big and private.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Yeah. Just don’t ever drink and drive it.”
“I would never do that, Claire,” I said.
“Everyone says that.”
“Everyone?”
She grinned. “I was young once too.”
“Young and rich?”
“Young and dirt poor,” she said. “Maybe a taste of this life will keep you hungrier than you were back at that apartment.”
I looked at the key fob in my hand and then had to go track down which vehicle it belonged to.
That wasn’t hard though because there was a man standing at the luxury SUV. He offered to drive me and I declined.
I tossed my bag across the giant front seat and looked at myself in the mirror.
No makeup. Hair cheaply pulled back. But my hair was washed with super expensive shampoo and smelled like real honey. I had the nicest clothes I owned from my poor life on, which was nothing but comfort for me.
And with that, I was off.
I had to show up to Bay Falls High and go straight to the office.
Claire made it very clear to go to West. That’s what she called it.
West.
Because apparently there were two buildings. And they were far apart in distance and far apart in who went there. I laughed when she told me but she didn’t laugh back.
So what did that mean… there was a war between two schools?
A bunch of rich kids going at each other?
Over what?
Such stupid questions to ask myself considering what happened on the beach.
Which haunted me at night.
The smell of him. The feel of his touch. The sound of his voice. The fierceness of his words. A warning that made me shiver, yet I didn’t listen, did I? I didn’t have amnesia… and I wasn’t homesick…
I was moving from the ocean water into the raging fire.
* * *
The building had an old feel to it yet it was updated throughout the inside. Everything was new but felt like it was two hundred years old. It smelled clean. Perfect. It was like the building was untouched yet it was full. The entire place a contradiction. But maybe that was how the rich kids went to school. To give that feeling that they were old fashioned and worked hard and struggled like the rest of the world.
I stood in the office where it was super bright.
A woman sat behind the desk who ordered me to just stay put. She moved her chair from the desk to another desk, to a computer, to a printer, then back to the desk. Almost robotic. Wearing diamond earrings, a diamond necklace, fancy glasses, fancier clothes. Even the secretary was rich, huh?
There was a tall, old looking door with frosted glass and the word PRINCIPAL on it.
When the door opened, a girl walked out, dabbing the corners of her eyes with a tissue.
“I’m really sorry for what happened,” she said, blubbering.
Her eyes met mine and I could tell right away she was full of crap.
“It’s okay, Beth.”
The man behind her was tall, skinny, bald, with the kind of glasses that were made to look so clear like they weren’t really glasses. Like they were supposed to be invisible. But they weren’t. He almost looked like some CEO of a tech company. Not the principal of Bay Falls High.
“It’s the hormones, Mr. Jacobson,” Beth said.
“Even still,” he said in a stern voice, “I don’t take kindly to someone telling Miss Berthwood that she’s going to have a spork stuck somewhere private.”
Beth nodded. “I’ll go apologize to her. In person. Is she in the cafeteria?”
“Why don’t we just hold off on that,” Mr. Jacobson said. “I’ll speak to her and let her know that it, uh, was, uh, a bad time of the month for you…”
“You can say it. I have my period. And I have a doctor’s note to explain how hard it is for me. I should have just stayed home. But I value this place so much.”
“Okay, Beth,” Mr. Jacobson said. “Let’s just get this day started and move forward.”
She nodded. “Thank you.”
Beth stepped forward and dabbed her eyes again.
She moved by me with a side eye glance and a quick wink.
Suddenly her tears were dried and the tissue was in the trash.
She stopped at the desk. “Excuse me, Laura? Can you write me a pass so I don’t take hell for missing my first class?”
I tried to take in what was happening, even though it wasn’t my business.
My attention moved to Mr. Jacobson as he spoke my name very clearly.
“Tinsley Ditkiss.”
I cringed.
My face turned red.
“Call me Ti,” I said.
“Right,” he said. “Why don’t we step into my office and chat?”
“Whatever,” I said.
I hooked my thumbs to the straps of my bag and looked over my shoulder.
Beth stared at me.
Say or think one word about my last name, bitch, and I will make you bleed worse than what was happening between your legs.
* * *
I studied my locker and wondered if it was worth the time or effort to do anything to it. And if so, what? Put up a picture of me and Ruby? Or me and Amelia? Or a picture of Mom? That one made me snort with laughter to myself. Hell, maybe I could just keep up the mysterious new girl act for the entire time I was at Bay Falls High. Keep the realest of truths close to my chest, spill what I wanted, and see where that took me.
I shut my locker just as there was an explosion next to me.
I jumped and gasped and watched as Beth hit the locker next to me.
Before I could say anything, a hand touched her cheek and a mouth came crashing down to hers. She and some guy were in a full blown make out session and I had a front row seat to it. Watching his tongue slithering against her tongue and mouth. I looked around and nobody else in the hallway gave a damn.
As fast as the kiss started, Beth pushed at the guy’s chest, getting him away from her.
She scoffed and pretended to spit on the floor.
“Don’t do that again,” she said.
The guy moved at her and she was quick to throw a punch.
She hit him in the jaw, not exactly hard, but hard enough to send a message.
The guy grabbed her face with both hands and kissed her again.
She clawed at his shirt for a couple seconds and then pushed him away again.
He turned his head and looked at me. “Your turn?”
“What?” I asked.
“Leave her alone, Denny,” Beth said.
“New girl needs a kiss.”
“No, I don’t,” I said.
“Wanna bet?” he asked inching toward me.
I reached into my bag and pulled out a pen. I flicked the cap off with one finger and held it up to him.
“Ah, she’s sweet and proper,” he said. “Going to give me her number before my tongue makes her forget her name.”
“No,” I said. “I’m going to stab you in the neck with this and watch you bleed out on the floor.”
“Perfect,” Beth said. “I’ll pay to watch that.”
He turned his head and looked at Beth. “Amazing how you’re such a bitch today, huh? But last night you were all about being cute and cuddly. I rode the red river for you, just to help ease your pain.”
“Oh, fuck off, Denny,” Beth said. “You got laid. Doesn’t matter what river it is.”
I kept the pen in the air, just in case.
Denny looked at me again and showed his hands. “Fair enough. So what’s up, new girl?”
“Tinsley,” Beth said.
“Ti,” I said. “My name is Ti.”
“Ti,” Denny said. “Ti with the V that I want to see…”
I looked at Beth. “I’m not lying about stabbing him.”
She smiled. “I’m not lying about paying to watch it.”
“Jesus, you two are vicious,” Denny said.
Beth snapped her fingers and waved her hand. “Run along, boy. If I need you again, I’ll text you.”
“I’m sure you’ll need me again,” Denny said. He glanced at me. “Or you, Ti. I’m always ready. You’re going to need some release to survive this place. And you don’t want to fool around with the wrong person, do you?”
“I’d rather fool around with this pen than go near you,” I said.
“Kinky,” Denny said. “Shoot me a text later, Ti. We’ll meet up. Bring the pen.”
Denny jumped into the moving crowd.
Disgust washed over my face.
“Ignore him,” Beth said. “He’s only good for one thing.”
“You slept with him?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Quick and easy. He lingers the next day but usually goes away.”
I swallowed hard.
The idea of casual fucking around… I didn’t quite get that.
Then again… my track record…
“Tinsley,” Beth said. “Who likes to be called Ti.”
“Problem?”
“Nope. I’m Elizabeth who likes to be called Beth.”
“It’s my first day here,” I said.
“No shit,” Beth said. “How’s it going so far?”
“I’m still alive.”
“For now,” Beth said.
“Please,” I said. “Every school has their image. The cliques. The stories. The bullshit.”
“You’re not like the rest,” Beth said. “Something is way different about you.”
“Nope. I’m just like everyone else.”
“We’ll see.”
“I guess we will,” I said. “Later.”
I took two steps before someone slammed into my shoulder. It sent me stumbling back.
“Ew. New girl germs.”
I stepped forward toward a tall, skinny, so pretty looking girl that she looked like she stepped out of one of those teenage boy jerk off magazines or whatever. She cocked her head to one side and pursed her lips, not worried about me at all. Bright green eyes and pouty lips.
A hand smacked me across the face, sending me backwards again, this time right into my own locker. I touched my burning cheek in shock.
UNtouched: a bay falls high novel Page 3