“Don’t you have to go back and get Zayn?” I ask when she swallows down another shot.
“Nah, he’s gonna make his own way home. I told him that I’m hanging with my girls. Gotta make sure lil’ Rubes is okay.” She wraps her arm around my shoulder as we start climbing the stairs.
“I’m good. You don’t need to worry about me.”
We pile into Harley’s room and Poppy and Harley immediately flop onto the bed, surrounded by the bags of chips and candy we’d swiped from downstairs. I, on the other hand, go straight for my bag and pull out a pair of panties.
The girls chat away behind me until I step into them and begin pulling them up my legs.
“Rubes, what happened to the pair you left wearing?”
“Err...”
“Oh my God,” Harley squeals. “He has them, doesn’t he?”
“I wonder if Krissy has any idea that he’s got another girl’s panties in his pocket while she goes—”
“Whoa,” I cry, not needing to hear the next words from Poppy’s mouth.
“You can’t not tell us what... went down now.” Harley flashes me a shit-eating grin as she says this.
“Yeah, yeah I can,” I mutter, stripping out of my dress and pulling on a tank and pair of sleep shorts.
“We not going to mention that the bra is gone too?” Poppy murmurs as I walk back over and take the bottle from her hand, downing at least four shots in one go.
“No, none of it needs talking about.”
“He got you off though, right? You at least got something out of that fucked-up situation?”
“No, Harley, he didn’t,” I snap. “He’s a sadomasochistic who seems to get off on torturing me and walking away.”
“But last time he...”
“Last time I passed out and have no fucking clue how it ended.” His words as he explained about having images from that night ring in my ears as if he’s saying them to me right now.
“What? What’s that look for?”
“It’s for nothing other than how much I fucking hate him. Krissy is welcome to him.”
I flop onto the bed, open a packet of chips and shove a handful into my mouth in the hope they stop asking me questions that I don’t want to answer.
“Do I look hot enough?” Harley asks, spinning in front of the mirror and looking over her outfit of choice ready to go and meet Nathan down at the beach.
“Harley,” I sigh. “You always look hot.”
“Argh... I don’t know. Am I showing enough skin, too much skin? I don’t want him to think I’m a cheer slut.”
“Then maybe don’t drag him into the nearest dark corner and offer to suck him off.” I don’t mean for the words to come out sounding quite so bitter, and I hate that they give away my true feelings for what happened last night.
Harley raises a brow at me as Poppy slips into the room. She was here when I fell into a vodka-induced coma last night, but I’m assuming she slipped out to join Zayn at some point in the night.
“Hey, what’s going on?” she asks, looking between Harley and me, clearly wondering what the sudden tension is about.
“Just trying to convince Harley that she’s hot and that prep boy will dig her outfit.”
“You are hot. He’ll love it. Now go, or he won’t get the chance to because he’ll think you’ve stood him up.”
“You gonna be okay?” She shoots me a look.
“Yes, Mom. I’ll be fine. I’ve got a ton of homework to do, so I plan on hiding in my room until practice in the morning.”
She rolls her eyes at me as she slips her feet into her sneakers and grabs her purse.
“Call me later, I want to know everything.”
“I will. Laters.”
She waves at us before disappearing out of the room and down the stairs.
“She’s so nervous. It’s cute.”
“It is. Ugh,” I groan, dropping back onto Harley’s bed.
“What’s wrong?”
“I want a nice boy who wants to date me and take me to the beach.”
“Wanna know a secret?” Poppy asks, sliding her legs under the covers and settling in beside me.
“Sure. You can tell me all your dirty ones now Harley’s gone.”
“You got it,” she says with a laugh. “First thing you need to know though...” She pauses, I’m assuming to build tension. “Bad boys do it better.”
I can’t help but snort a laugh at the seriousness of her tone.
“Because you’ve been with all the good ones to know this.”
“Don’t need to. It’s a fact.”
I laugh and it feels good just let go with my friend.
“What the hell am I going to do, Pops?”
She stills for a beat before turning to look at me. “Is he a real threat, you know, like...” She trails off, not wanting to say the prick’s name who secretly tormented her for years without any of us knowing the severity of it.
“No, this isn’t like that. He just wants to torment me. He thinks all of this is my fault or some bullshit. I mean, really, I wasn’t the one who forced Stephen to leave his mom and hook up with mine, and I certainly didn’t have anything to do with his car accident.”
“I know you didn’t but try to put yourself in his shoes. You’re the easy target. He might be an asshole to both your parents, but he can’t really do much to them. Plus, you’re hot, any hot-blooded teenage boy would want a taste given the chance.”
“He doesn’t want me, Pops. He just wants to torture me.”
“In the most delicious way.”
“This isn’t some fucked-up foreplay that’s going to lead to a hot night of sex, Pops.”
“Isn’t it?” she asks, deadly serious.
“No. I’m not sleeping with him. He’s a prick and doesn’t deserve anything from me, especially not my V-card.”
“So why have you held on to it this long? You’ve had most of the team wrapped around your little finger for months, you could have given it up to any of them, yet you haven’t. You’re waiting for someone, Ruby, and I think deep down it’s him.”
“Do you know what I think?”
“Hit me with it.”
“I think that’s Zayn’s given you one too many orgasms and you’ve lost your freaking mind.”
“Do you know, if that’s true then I don’t even care.”
I laugh with her. “I’m so happy for you, Pops,” I admit after a few minutes.
“Miracles do happen, right?”
“To some people, for sure. Right now, I just need to focus on cheer, on nationals and surviving Ash.”
“You do what you need to do, but promise me something.”
“Sure.”
“Make sure you really make him work for it.”
“Pops, I’ve already said I’m not—”
“Want to go to Aces? We can see if we can spy on the happy couple,” she interrupts.
“Yes,” I hiss excitedly. “Let me shower and we’ll go. But then I really have to go home,” I say sadly.
“You’ve got this, Rubes. You’re stronger than you think.”
We spend the rest of the morning hanging out at Aces. I was half expecting the team to show up at some point but they never did, and aside from a few others from school at another table, we were left alone to catch up or should I say mostly talk about Zayn. With Harley gone, Poppy was able to talk a little more openly about her new relationship.
The pair of them are so sweet it’s sickening, but I’m incredibly happy for both of them. Hearing her talk about the future as if she actually has a shot at one is everything.
But as the time ticks on, my anxiety about having to go home grows more and more and by the time I drop Poppy off at the Hunter’s, the ball of dread filling my stomach is the only thing I can think about.
When I pull up outside my house, I find Mom’s car in the driveway but Stephen’s is gone, telling me they’re not back yet, and beside it is Ashton’s bike.
“Fuck,” I b
reathe. Any hope I had that he might not be here is shattered.
Mustering up as much courage as I can, I pull my bags from the trunk and hold my head high as I open the front door and walk inside. This is my home. I refuse to allow his presence to ruin that for me.
I only make it four steps at the most when he emerges from the kitchen, a can of soda in hand and just a pair of low-hanging sweats on his insanely ripped body.
I roll my eyes at myself.
Why couldn’t he have at least been ugly?
He startles when he sees me, obviously he didn’t hear my arrival. It takes me a few seconds, but I soon realize he’s wearing a pair of AirPods.
His eyes drop from mine in favor of my body and one side of his lips curl up in a smirk as he stares at me as if I’m as naked as I was before him last night.
Tension crackles between us as I will my body to move but I’m frozen under his stare.
My heart pounds and my chest heaves. I hate that he can probably read every one of my reactions to him. I need to be better at covering this shit up.
As he closes the space between us, he sucks all the air out of the small space. By the time he’s right in front of me, his fresh, manly scent filling my nose, I’ve totally stopped breathing.
His eyes hold mine for a beat before they drop to my lips. His tongue sneaks out and licks across his full bottom one, but just as I think he’s going to do something, he spins on his heels and starts running up the stairs without saying a fucking word.
The second he’s out of sight, I suck in a huge steadying breath and drop my bags to the floor.
Walking through to the kitchen, I grab enough drinks and snacks so that I don’t have to leave my room for the rest of the afternoon before heading up to my bedroom.
As I pass his door, the first boom of his music fills the house. Decided against the AirPods now then? Of course you have.
I slam my door with as much force as I can muster. It rattles the house but with the volume of his music, I doubt he even realized I did it.
Fucking asshole.
The music continues all afternoon and no matter how loud I make mine, the offensive beat of his shitty rap always overrules mine.
I try to get my homework done but every few minutes my mind wanders. I think back over the night before, over our brief but intense exchange downstairs earlier, but mostly I wonder what he’s doing just on the other side of the wall.
He knows no one here—aside from Krissy—he has no schoolwork or anything to do. What is he doing?
My need to know almost has me off my bed and walking to his door to find out more than once, but I know it would be stupid of me to put myself inside the lion’s den again.
I just need to keep my head down, stay out of his way, and hope he finds something else to distract himself with. Once again, the image I’ve conjured up of Krissy on her knees before him pops into my head and I shake it away. Nothing good can come from picturing them together. I don’t even know why I’m thinking about it. It’s not like I really care.
The sun is just about set when my bedroom door flies open. Ripping my eyes from the paper I was working on—finally able to find some focus—I expect to find him standing there having come up with some new way to torture me but instead when my eyes land on the doorway, I find my mom standing there with her arms crossed over her chest and her face red like she’s about to explode.
“Mom?”
“You’ve got some explaining to do, young lady,” she snaps, her eyes narrowing in my direction.
I turn my music down and I swear, Ashton’s also gets quieter at the same time.
“I’m sorry, I’m not sure—”
“Have a good night last night, did you?”
“Um... yeah, I guess. Why?” I ask, wracking my brain for what the hell I’ve done to piss her off to the point I can see a vein pulsating at her temple. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen that before.
“Like you don’t know,” she says with an unamused laugh.
“Uh... I really don’t.”
“Care to come and explain this then.” She disappears from my sight before I have a chance to ask her what the hell is going on.
Scrambling off my bed, I follow her down the hall, my brows pinching when I find her standing in her own bedroom doorway at the other end of the house with her hands on her hips.
“Mom, what the... oh,” I breathe, taking in the sight before me.
“You had sex in our bed,” Mom squeals like a woman possessed.
“What? No, no, I didn’t.”
“Well, that’s not what this looks like.”
My eyes take in the scene before me, and I can’t deny that it really does look like I had sex in here. The bedsheets are a mess and half on the floor, there are condom wrappers and—ew—even a condom on the floor. In the middle of the bed is my underwear from last night.
“No, no, no. I didn’t even sleep here last night. I left first thing yesterday morning and—”
“I don’t want to hear your excuses. I expected more from you, Ruby. I thought you had some respect for us.” Disappointment drips from her words and despite the fact I know I didn’t do this, tears burn my eyes. I hate disappointing her, even when I haven’t.
“Mom, I didn’t. Jesus, I’m a virgin for Christ’s sake.” I have no idea if she hears me as she thunders down the stairs, but I don’t think it really matters. She’s pegged me as guilty already.
A tingle of awareness runs down my spine, telling me that although Mom might not have just heard my parting words, someone else didn’t miss them.
“Virgin, huh?”
His deep voice rumbles through me and my teeth grind as I try to refrain from flying at him and gouging his eyes out.
“You think this is f-funny?” I shout, turning to look at him. I want to appear strong but the second my eyes land on inches of toned naked skin once again my words falter a little.
Fucking hell, Ruby, get it together. You are better than this asshole.
A wicked smile pulls at his lips. “Yeah, actually. It is kinda funny, even more so now I know the truth. Am I the only one who’s gotten between your legs, little one?” His brow rises as his smirk grows.
“I’m not having this conversation with you.”
“No? Too busy tidying up your mess.”
“It’s not my mess,” I seethe.
“Funny, because it looks like your underwear in their bed.”
“Yeah, that you stole from me.”
“That I stripped from you,” he corrects me, pushing from the doorframe and stalking toward me. “That I stripped from you when you were begging me to touch you.”
I don’t move, refusing to be bullied into submission by this asshole. Instead, all I do is lift my chin so I can keep eye contact with him as he crowds my small body with his huge one.
“I never begged for anything,” I spit.
“Hmm... maybe I was imagining that part. I do, however, know that you were fucking soaked for me, little one. One touch, and you were like putty in my hands.”
“I was drunk,” I argue.
“Are you drunk now?” His hand wraps around my throat and my back collides with our parents’ doorframe.
“No, and all I want you to do is leave me alone.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Fucking positive.” My eyes narrow at him but all he does is laugh.
“You’re such a shit liar, Ruby.”
“I fucking hate you,” I seethe.
“Doesn’t stop you wanting me though, does it?” He takes a step back from me. “Now, tidy up your mess. It makes you look like a slut.”
“Says the one who had Krissy between his legs last night,” I mutter, but when his eyes light up with amusement and his smile widens, I know I made a mistake.
He cups his junk as he continues walking backward to his room.
“Yeah, and she fucking loved it.”
He nods his chin at me once in dismissal before he disappea
rs into his room, slams the door, and cranks his music up once more.
“You’re a fucking asshole, Ashton Fury.”
11
Ruby
Once I’ve tidied up Mom and Stephen’s bedroom, complete with changing the sheets—despite the fact it’s totally unnecessary—I lock myself in my bedroom and don’t leave again.
Mom must be really pissed because she doesn’t even come to offer me any dinner, despite the fact I smell it cooking. I have no idea if Ashton goes down to eat and I tell myself over and over that I don’t care.
I get all my homework done before having a two-hour-long video chat with Harley where she tells me how amazing her date with Nathan was and I refrain from telling her anything that’s happened over the past few hours. I don’t want to think about it, let alone talk about it. I just want to focus on school and cheer and forget that anything else exists right now. He’ll be heading back to Seattle in a few days and I’ll get a little reprieve. Hopefully, that’ll be the time he needs to get his head on straight and come back ready to start school, and more importantly, leave me alone. He needs his own life that doesn’t revolve around tormenting me. As much as I hate the thought of him starting at Rosewood High and potentially trying out for the team, at least it should distract him.
I’m ready to go at the crack of dawn Monday morning, my need to get away from him and out of the house means I almost jump out of bed when my alarm goes off.
I throw myself into practice and then school, forgetting about the fact I’m going to have to face the music at some point. Mom can’t exactly avoid me forever.
Her car is already in the drive when I pull up after our afternoon practice, something that doesn’t happen very often.
“Hey,” I say, somewhat awkwardly as I step into the kitchen.
“Good day?” she asks like normal, but there’s a harshness to her tone that’s not usually there. A huge part of me wants to plead my innocence, but that’s going to lead to explaining why Ashton had my underwear in the first place and I am not going there. The less I say, the less Mom and Stephen will need to have a look closer at Ash’s and my relationship, the better.
FURY: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Rosewood High Book 6) Page 8