In Silence: A Dark High School Bully Romance (A Black Falls High Novel Book 2)

by K. G. Reuss

  I squeezed my eyelids tight as he pressed his lips to mine in a tender kiss, a kiss completely uncharacteristic of the man who’d just kicked me in the ribs and threatened the lives of people I knew.

  “Mm,” he sighed, pulling away. “Definitely love it when you cry. Your lips are so soft and salty from your tears. It’s the best taste in the world.”

  I shivered as he brushed his knuckles across my cheek.

  “I’ll be sure not to hurt your face. But the rest of you…” He let out a soft, dark laugh. “Is fair game. Stop making me do it.”

  I believed every word he said as he lifted me to my feet and pressed one more kiss to my lips.

  “I hate that lip gloss. Don’t wear it again. Got it?”

  I nodded numbly, my ribs aching as I tried to control my choked breathing, my body desperate to breathe normal again.

  “Get cleaned up. You look like shit.”

  And with those words, he left me standing in the bathroom realizing I had a bigger problem than the horsemen and wanting revenge. I’d enlisted the fucking devil as an ally.

  Six

  By lunch time, I was trying to find a new hiding spot to stay away from Ian and the guys. Deciding maybe the bathroom was still my best bet, I headed in that direction. I stepped inside and sighed.

  The clicking of the lock had me whirling around to see Cole standing there, an eyebrow raised at me.

  “What are you doing?” I choked out.

  “I figured you’d come back to your old stomping grounds.” He peered around. “Gotta admit, you girls have a nice place for a bathroom.”

  Determining I wasn’t going to stick around to talk to him, I started to move past him, but he stepped in front of me.

  “Un-uh-uh,” he tutted softly. “You’re not going anywhere, Rosebud.”

  “Cole, let me leave.”

  He reached out and thumbed my trembling bottom lip. “I know you’re the one who keyed my car. I know you fucked with Fox’s Jeep.

  I swallowed thickly. “Prove it.”

  He chuckled softly. “I don’t need to. We both know it. I’m not mad. Neither is Fox. Not really, anyway.”

  I stared up at him, my body quaking.

  “In fact, it only turns me on to know you went to such extreme measures to get our attention.”

  “Trust me when I say your attention is the last thing I want.”

  “Oh, babe. Don’t play me like that.” He reached out and grabbed me before whirling me around and pushing me against the wall. He leveled his body against mine. “You look fucking beautiful today.”

  I remained silent as he stared down at me, hunger burning in his baby blues.

  “Your hair. You have me mesmerized, Rosebud.” He reached out and ran his fingers through my hair, his lips parted. I swallowed thickly and stared up at the impossibly beautiful devil before me.

  “You think you’re playing us. You think this is a fucking game, don’t you, beautiful?” His warm breath caressed my face. “Did you forget who I am, babe?”

  “The fucking devil,” I whispered back.

  “I’m your devil.” He shifted, his hands finding their way beneath my shirt. I winced slightly as he touched my injured ribs. My heart slammed against my chest as he stared down at me. “And it doesn’t matter to me how hard you try to avoid me. To avoid us. You’re only playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse. It fucking makes my cock hard knowing the lengths you’re going to in order to make me jealous.”

  His hand moved to my breast where he dipped inside my bra before pulling it free. I whimpered as he rolled my nipple between his fingers, but I made no move to stop him. My brain flooded with want.

  Taking note of that, he moved his hand lower. My breathing came in short gasps as our eyes remained locked on one another’s. When he lifted my skirt, I didn’t move or try to stop him. I’d gone temporarily paralyzed.

  “Oh,” I gasped as he cupped my ass before trailing his hand to my panties. He moved my panties aside and ran his finger along my wet slit. I whimpered and flinched at his touch. I was still tender down there from Ian hurting me in his room.

  Cole crinkled his brows at me. “What did he do, Rosebud?”

  I shook my head, choking down my cry as Cole ran his finger along me again.

  “Did he hurt you?”

  I squeezed my eyes closed as Cole teased me.

  “I’ll kill him if he hurt you.” He kissed the corner of my lips before he darted his tongue out and ran it along the seam of them. I parted my lips on instinct.

  “My favorite lip gloss,” he murmured, running his finger faster over the slit between my legs. “I can still taste it on your lips.” He’d nearly snaked between my folds, coming dangerously close to my clit.

  “Say yes,” he whispered against my lips.

  I shook as he continued to touch me.

  “Say it, and I’ll make all your dreams come true.”

  As much as I wanted to say it, I held back. I’d never give him the satisfaction. Not after what he’d done to hurt me. It didn’t matter how much I ached for his touch. I wouldn’t give in.

  “Say it, Rosalie,” he commanded, his voice a low growl. “Fucking tell me you want it. Tell me you want me.”

  I remained silent, eyes locked on his. A muscle popped along his jaw.

  “Fucking say it!” he shouted, his eyes becoming wild. His voice echoed. He removed his hand from between my legs and wrapped his fingers around my throat.

  I quivered beneath his hold but didn’t look away.

  “Stop fucking playing with me, Rosalie.” His hold on my throat tightened. “You’re going to unleash the ugly side of me. I don’t want that to happen because I don’t think I can control myself once it’s fucking free.”

  I stared back at him, noting the darkness lurking behind his pretty blue eyes. I knew Cole hid his true self from the world. With the exception of me and the horsemen, people knew him as the blue-eyed, blond-haired heartthrob. But Cole Scott could give the devil a run for his money.

  “This isn’t over, Rosebud. The next time you’re alone with me, I’m going to fuck you so hard you won’t remember that piece of shit’s name you’re with.” His lips crashed against mine.

  I didn’t kiss him back. It took everything I had not to. He pressed his lips harder to mine, his hand tightening around my throat as he tried to force the kiss from my mouth.

  When he realized it wasn’t going to happen, he broke it off and rested his forehead against mine, his breathing heavy.

  “This isn’t over,” he repeated, his voice shaking. “I’ll kill that piece of shit before I let him take you from me.” He pressed a fierce kiss to my forehead. “Don’t go anywhere alone, Rosebud. Because I’ll find you and lay claim to what’s mine.”

  He stepped away from me, his distance leaving a wake of cold behind. He turned, sauntered to the door, and unlocked it, pausing as he opened it and looked back at me.

  I still leaned against the wall, trembling from his intensity.

  “I got you something,” he called out softly. “It’s in the bag on the sink.” With those words, he left me alone, the door banging shut behind him. It took me a moment to compose myself. On shaking legs, I went to the brown paper bag on the sink and opened it to find a sandwich inside, a bottle of water, and a note written in Cole’s scrawl.

  Eat. You’re going to need your strength for the next time. XO-Cole

  I stared down at the note. He knew I’d deny him, and yet, he tried anyway.

  But I’d gotten to him. I counted that as a victory. It was my concern of how he’d gotten to me that scared me.

  When I was first formulating my plan, I figured I’d forego trying out for the musical to focus on disrupting the lives of the horsemen. It wasn’t like it was some Broadway musical. It was something a former drama teacher had written before he’d retired. He’d had mild success in the theater world, so the school liked to perform some of the plays and musicals he’d written.

  I’d be
en back and forth on the idea for too long. Mostly, I wanted to avoid getting screamed at by my father. And I desperately wanted to go to Mayfair. But after my encounter with Cole, I decided I needed the play as a means to take my mind off everything and to keep me busy and away from them as I tried to figure out what to do next.

  It was also a way to escape Ian. The past week with him had been practically unbearable with his shitty attitude and demands for sex.

  Another week down. Another week safe. Being part of the play would mean less time around him too. At least that was what I’d told myself.

  A week later, I stood in the auditorium, a pop song memorized. I vowed to never sing the song I’d worked on with Fox and Enzo again.

  “Rosalie Bishop!” Mr. Dennison called out my name, making me jump. I’d been so absorbed in thinking about how the hell to avoid my new nightmare that I’d spaced out on my current reality.

  Shuffling to my feet, I made my way to the stage.

  “What are you singing for us today?” Mr. Dennison asked.

  I took in the small panel before me. Mr. Dennison, the director and current drama club teacher, Mrs. Adams, the vocal teacher, and a handful of students working on the show for extra credit.

  And Jamie. She averted her eyes from me and stared down at her clipboard.

  “Uh, I’m going to do ‘Dangerous Woman’.” My voice wasn’t nearly as loud or as strong as I’d intended. A few chuckles sounded out around me. I shielded my eyes from stage lights and peered out at the crowd. I sucked in a sharp breath. Fox and the guys were settling into seats near the middle, and Ian had taken up one near the front.

  Fuck my life. I couldn’t get away from shit. Ever.

  “Excellent. And for your monologue?” Mr. Dennison lifted a dark brow at me.

  I cleared my throat. “Um, I’ll be doing a monologue of Helena’s from A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

  He gave me a nod.

  The track for “Dangerous Woman” started playing. Fear seized me as I stared at the guys. Fox locked eyes on mine. He leaned forward. Cole narrowed his eyes. Enzo gave me a thumbs up. And Ethan…just a smile.

  Shit. They played this game better than me.

  “Miss Bishop?” Mr. Dennison called out to me.

  “S-Sorry. C-Can I restart?”

  He let out a sigh and nodded. The music started again. This time I saw Jamie. Her brows crinkled as she stared back at me. It was her worried look. I swallowed hard. My gaze shifted to Ian who snapped a photo of me and winked. It would probably end up in the school paper with the headline Rosalie Bishop Chokes Again. . . This Time, Not on Cock.

  I missed my que again. Laughter echoed around me from other students scattered throughout the auditorium.

  “Miss Bishop, if you aren’t prepared—” Mr. Dennison started.

  “I-I am. I’m sorry.” I shook my head and drew in a deep breath.

  “Come on, Rosebud!” Cole shouted.

  “Yeah. You’ve got this, Sunshine!” Enzo joined in.

  Mr. Dennison turned around and shook his head.

  My face heated at their cheers, anger coursing through me. Who the hell did they think they were coming in and ruining more of my shit?

  “Thank you, Mr. Scott and Mr. De Luca,” Mr. Dennison called out, shaking his head, a tiny smirk on his lips. Mr. Dennison spun back to face me. Fox had disappeared at some point. But I couldn’t focus on that.

  Once more, the music started. And once again, I failed.

  Shit.

  My palms were sweaty. My pulse thundered in my ears. I shielded my eyes from the bright lights, everything sounding like a dull roar around me.

  “Miss Bishop, how about you come back when you’re actually ready to perform for us—”

  “She’s ready.” A warm hand pressed against the small of my back. Fox was at my side, his guitar in hand. “We’re going to do a different song though. It’s called ‘All of Me’. It’s an original Rosalie wrote.”

  Mr. Dennison sighed and gestured for us to continue.

  “What are you doing?” I squeaked out softly.

  “Helping you, Rosie. Just sing, OK? Like we practiced. Close your eyes. It’s only us.”

  I gawked out helplessly at everyone waiting on me. I knew if I shoved Fox off stage, I’d follow since all my chances were used up. I nodded.

  Fox gave me an encouraging smile and strummed the intro to my song. So much for never singing that damn song again. I hauled in a deep breath and closed my eyes, the words falling from my mouth as I sang my heart out. When we reached the chorus, Fox joined in, his voice perfectly pitched with mine. I opened my eyes and locked them on him as we sang together.

  I wasn’t sure how I managed to get through it, but I did. Our final note hung in the air.

  Stunned silence greeted us. I tore my gaze from Fox’s and peered out at Mr. Dennison and Mrs. Adams.

  Mrs. Adams sat forward, a glint in her eyes.

  “Rosalie, why aren’t you in any of our vocal classes? Choir? Glee?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I-My dad doesn’t like me to sing,” I finally mumbled. “I only got to be in it freshman year.”

  “That’s a damn shame.” She sat back in her seat, shaking her head. I glanced at Jamie, but she was focused on her clipboard again.

  “And Fox Evans.” A smile curved Mrs. Adams’s lips up. “Let me guess? You aren’t in my vocal classes because of football?”

  Fox chuckled. “You’re correct, but I could make an exception.”

  She shook her head, still smiling at his flirtatious comeback, and looked to Mr. Dennison.

  “Mr. Evans, can I safely assume you’re available for a part in this production and that your song with Miss Bishop can be considered a dual tryout?”

  Fox didn’t look at me as he answered, “Yes, sir.”

  I gaped at him, my mouth falling open. Fox didn’t do drama, at least this kind. What the hell was he thinking? He had to keep up grades for football and his scholarship to Mayfair.

  “Very well. Miss Bishop, let’s hear that monologue,” Mr. Dennison said, clearing his throat.

  When my attention shifted from Fox, all I could see was Cole and Enzo grinning at me from their seats. Ethan simply stared back at me like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

  Wanting nothing more than to get the hell out of there, I launched into my monologue, putting everything I had into my performance.

  “Nicely done, Rosalie. Nicely done.” Mr. Dennison nodded. “We’ll have everything posted sometime next week. Try to enjoy your weekend. As for you, Fox, what monologue are you going to do?”

  I didn’t stop to listen to Fox’s answer. I rushed off the stage, my body trembling.

  Ian greeted me at the bottom of the steps.

  “Good job, babe.” He wrapped his arm around me, his voice gruff. “Didn’t know you could sing like that.”

  “Thanks,” I mumbled. The feelings I expected to feel weren’t there. I thought I’d be giddy and excited. Instead, I felt hollow. Empty. Lonely. I thought Ian might say something about Fox, but he didn’t.

  “Let’s celebrate.”

  “Celebrate what?”

  “You’re going to get the lead.”

  We strolled to my locker where I gathered my books for the weekend.

  “Ian, I’d really rather just go home—”

  “Not happening.”

  “Please?” I didn’t want to whine, but I needed to be alone with my thoughts.

  “No. Come suck my dick, and I’ll let you go home early.”

  “You’re such a piece of shit,” I seethed at him.

  He smirked. “You wanted this.”

  “I never wanted this—”

  “Rosalie! Hey!”

  I spun to see Jamie coming toward me. My heart leaped into my throat, my body tensing. If she wanted to fight, I wasn’t in the mood.

  “You were really great.” She stopped a few feet from us.

  I frowned, wondering what the hell alterna
te universe I’d stumbled into.

  “Thanks?” It was more of a question than anything else. Ian wound his arm more tightly around my waist. Jamie flinched slightly but kept a smile fixed on her face.

  “For what it’s worth, I think you got it.”

  “Thanks, Jamie. Rosalie was worried.” Ian smiled down at me and pressed a kiss to my cheek.

  “We’re going to get going. Rosalie and I have plans in my bedroom.” Ian tugged me, but I pushed him away.

  “Jamie—”

  “It’s fine. Go do…whatever.” The pain in her voice was clear.

  “It’s not like that, Jamie—”

  “Rosalie,” Ian snapped. Both Jamie and I flinched at his tone. “Now.”

  “I-I gotta go. Text me?” I called out hopefully as Ian dragged me away. Jamie’s eyes flickered from Ian to me, a frown on her face.

  I never got to hear her answer because Ian had me out the door before she could speak. I snatched my arm away from him, but he grabbed it again, this time harder, and tugged me to the car.

  “Stop it. Ian, stop! You’re hurting me!” I finally got my arm away from him, but it was a bad idea. He shoved me against my car, his eyes flashing with anger.

  “You will not talk to her. Do you understand me?”

  “What?”

  “You fucking heard me, Rosalie. You and Jamie are not friends. She hates you. And quite frankly, I don’t want to have to see the bitch.”

  “I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but you aren’t going to tell me who I can and cannot be friends with,” my voice rang out.

  Ian clamped his hand over my mouth, making me bite my tongue.

  “I’m the guy in charge. That’s who the hell I am. You belong to me. No one else. I swear to god, Rosalie, if I catch you even looking at anyone but me, I’ll make you the sorriest you’ve ever been. If Evans makes it into that play, you’ll quit. Or I swear to fuck, you’ll regret it. Get me?” He moved his hand away from my mouth and gave me a stern look.

  “You can’t do this, Ian. If I make that play, it’s all I have—”

  “Baby, I can do anything I want. I make the rules. Not you. I have the power here. I have the videos. It’s by my will alone I don’t spread them around like wildfire. Plus, you’ll have me. All of me if you’ll just fucking fall in line.”