I like to say it’s because I’m Noah’s girlfriend, but Noah, Tully, and Rivers assures me it’s not. They think it’s because I’m the only chick in school who has enough balls to put bitches in their place. I’m not afraid of a fight and after years of watching me get back up every time someone knocked me down, they came to the conclusion that I’m someone worth following.
What a fucking joke, right? If only they knew the real me, they’d want to keep far enough away to avoid needing a facial reconstruction.
I don’t particularly agree with their judgment. I’m just trying to get through my day without tripping and landing face first in a pile of dog shit. The rest of the school though, they have different plans for me.
I must admit, being the queen of the school does come with its perks. After falling asleep this morning, I didn’t get a chance to grab a coffee, yet here it is, waiting, toasty warm in my hands. I have girls fawning over my every need and it’s a damn good change of pace.
The cheerleader standing before me shrinks back as I narrow my eyes on her, keeping a straight face despite the fact that I want nothing more than to laugh at the way she reacts to me. It’s funny - they want to be near me, want my protection because I seem to act first and ask questions later, but when it comes down to it, they’re all terrified of me proving once and for all that they don’t have what it takes to walk by my side.
That’s exactly why I have my pack. They’re the only people in Haven Falls with a backbone strong enough to be my people. I’m so damn happy I found them.
“Can I help you?” I ask the cheerleader, pulling out my ‘boss bitch’ tone.
“I…I just,” she stammers before falling silent.
“That’s what I thought,” I grunt. “Now, hurry along.” She hesitates a moment and I try my hardest to reign in my inner bitch, but no, she’s shining bright today.
I step into the cheerleader, crowding her into the locker. “Let me guess,” I start as she swallows back fear while the rest of the hallway watches on. “Some bitch wronged you and you want to look like king fucking shit by walking at my side, making out like you have my protection instead of growing a pair of balls and asking me directly, or better yet, dealing with your shit by yourself.”
Her eyes widen in shock as though she’s surprised that I knew what she wanted, but how could I not? All these girls are the same. They never spoke a word to me before now, but all of a sudden, they think they deserve a space at my side. Yeah fucking right. My protection is deserved, not handed out to anyone who will take it. I mean, where did all the backbones go? Tully and I couldn’t possibly be the only chicks around here with balls of steel.
“It’s just…” the cheerleader stutters.
“No, honey,” I say shaking my head. “That isn’t how this works. What did you think? That I was going to bend over backward and take care of your shit because you’re too fucking scared to do it yourself? No. No way in hell. Go and handle your own shit. You’re fucking nothing. You’re weak. Bitches like you who can’t stand up for themselves and face their own demons are nothing. You don’t deserve the protection of my pack, now shoo. Get the fuck out of here.”
“But, I…I thought we could be friends?”
Ha. Liar.
“What?” I boom out. “Friends? Are you kidding me? Tell me, why now? Why be my friend now after going to school with me for so long? All of a sudden, I’m the fucking Queen around here and now you want to be my friend. Huh, funny,” I grin down at her, resisting a scoff. “I see right through you and let me tell you, it’s freaking embarrassing.”
She starts shaking her head. “No, no. That’s not what I...”
“That’s not what you meant?” I question. “Have I got that wrong? You don’t want to be my friend? So, if you’re not looking for my protection, you don’t want to be friends, and considering you’re a cheerleader, you’re not after the popularity boost, then what is it? Oh, maybe you’re just after Noah?”
“No,” she rushes out, eyes even wider.
I step further into her, going with it despite the fact that I was right all along. She’s after my protection from some bitch who’s probably even weaker than her but screwing with her just seems a little too much fun for me to pass up on my Monday morning. “That’s it, isn’t it? You think you could worm your way into my life, maybe get close enough that I’ll even invite you over. What then? You wait until my back is turned and make your move? It won’t work, honey,” I whisper. “He’s not interested in trash like you.”
“No, I swear,” she cowers. “I don’t want him. I promise, I just…"
I let out a sigh and reach for her before pulling her into the locker where our conversation can be a little more private. “Be fucking real,” I demand, having enough of this shit. “Stop cowering and stand the fuck up for what you want. How the hell are you going to get anywhere in life if you can’t even find the strength to ask someone for help? What’s your name?”
“Stephanie.”
“Right, Stephanie. Go and grow a pair of balls and leave me the hell alone. I’m not about to fight your fight. That doesn’t solve anything except for making me look even more badass than I already am. You come out looking weak and whoever the fuck you want me to take down comes out looking like a fool. Take the fucking high road and handle your shit yourself. If not, she’s just going to keep coming back. Got it?”
Her head bobbles around and I see the relief leave her, probably because she’s narrowly escaped one hell of an ass whopping. She stands there staring at me. “Shoo, Stephanie,” I tell her, losing my patience.
As if not even realizing what she was doing, she jumps into action and scrambles away, leaving me standing by some random locker with a room full of eyes still on me. “Scram,” I tell them trying not to grin at the way they all run away.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, being the Queen around here certainly has its perks.
I hold power within the ranks here. I don’t get elbowed in the hallways and I don’t have random cheerleaders backing me into corners to put in my place. Not that they were ever able to actually put me in my place, but they certainly tried.
What I say matters now and I have to admit, it’s a weird feeling to get used to. I’m so used to being the black sheep around here. I’m the girl who got picked on, joked about, and taunted with every step I took, but not anymore. It’s crazy being the girl that everyone else wants to either be or be with. It’s the kind of attention other girls fight for, but not me. I want nothing more than to get rid of it, but it’s simply not happening.
I’d like to be one of those girls who makes a difference. You know, use this newfound popularity for good instead of evil, but it’s hard. When everyone is suddenly wanting to be your friend for their own selfish reasons and every person you talk to is either terrified of you or being fake, it’s hard to remember who the fuck you are.
“What the hell was that about?” Tully questions ripping me out of my inner thoughts as she comes to join me by my locker.
My eyes search the long hallway for Noah, finding him at the opposite end, jamming shit into his locker with Rivers leaning up against the one beside him, completely oblivious to the cranky girl standing behind him, needing to use it before the bell rings.
“Nothing,” I grumble, opening my locker and jamming my bag and jacket inside with a little more force than necessary. “Just another person trying to use me to get herself ahead.”
Tully sighs and gives me a tight-lipped smile. “You’ll get used to it,” she says. I desperately want to believe her, after all, she’s been in my position ever since she could walk. She’s always been the popular girl and being Noah’s twin sister, it’s like being the popular girl on steroids. Their popularity astounds me. It’s seriously ridiculous. I don’t know how they put up with it.
“I seriously doubt that,” I tell her with a groan. “I mean, why can’t girls just do shit for themselves? Surely they know that trying to get me to fight their
battles is a lost cause.”
“You’d think,” she laughs. “Girls are bitches and they always have an ulterior motive. The trick is figuring out what it is before they get the best of you.”
“Or you can do what I do,” I tell her, “and shut it down before they even have a chance to worm their way in.”
“True,” she says with a roll of her eyes after having seen me do just that many times over the past few weeks. I’ve certainly gotten good at it. “Not all girls can be like me.”
“You mean horny with fucked up priorities?”
A grin rips across her face. “Exactly.”
I shake my head and get the things I need for my first few classes out of my locker, knowing the bell is bound to go off any moment now. As I shut my locker, both mine and Tully’s eyes instinctively trail to the opposite end of the hallway, taking in the other half of our pack.
My eyes rake over Noah and the way he carelessly leans against his locker, talking to Rivers with his hands shoved deep into his pockets has me desperate to run my hands over him. He’s so fucking hot. I simply can’t get over it.
His green eyes. The sharp jaw covered in a light, hot as hell stubble. His tall, wide frame. The strong muscles I know I’ll find beneath his clothes. His shoulders. His smirk. His tight waist. And fuck me, the tattoos. He’s simply delicious and I’m lucky as hell that I get to be the girl crawling into his bed at night.
We’ve been together for just over four months and every single day I find something new about him that seems to drive me a little more wild. Yesterday, I discovered that he pronounces the word slobbery wrong. He says sloppery instead of slobbery and despite the fact that I howled with laughter, I found it absolutely adorable.
I can’t wait to find out what I learn about him today.
Tully though, she couldn’t give a shit about her brother right now. Her eyes are all for Rivers and I’m not going to lie, watching her fight over whether to give him dreamy eyes or a scowl is pretty amusing. The fact that he hurt her wasn’t too amusing though.
I hate that he hurt her and no doubt, he hates it too. They’re so damn perfect together that it grates on my nerves because they’re not. She’s head over heels in love with the guy and I know he loves her too. But they’re both complete idiots. I mean, how freaking hard can it be? If I could work it out with Noah then surely, they can too.
Rivers is convinced he’s not good enough for her and I guess she’d understand that more if Rivers was willing to share a little more about himself. We don’t know anything. We don’t know his parents. Where he lives. What the hell he does when he’s not with us. He’s a closed book and he hasn’t got even the slightest intention of letting any of us in.
They slept together a few weeks ago and while Tully was busy drooling about his…ahem, piercing, Rivers was busy trying to figure out the best way to tell her it was a mistake. Seeing the pain on her face absolutely gutted me. I remember how devastating it felt when Noah told me that he was going to be with Monica and that was before I’d fallen in love with him. Tully is head over freaking heels so I can only imagine how deep it cut.
At least she’s finally pulled back on her whoring around. Right after he hurt her, she did everything in her power to make him jealous, and damn, it worked like a freaking charm. That was until she took it too far and actually slept with someone else. It just had to be Spencer Jones, only the biggest douchebag in Haven Falls.
Damn it, maybe I’m being a little mean. The guy certainly has a few redeeming qualities. He’s a nice guy, but he always happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Tully dated him last summer, I used him to forget about Noah and almost ended up taking it too far, he was the guy who offered us the joint which nearly put us in a very bad situation, and now this. I can only imagine what would happen if Noah found out about it. He’s already given the guy a broken jaw and I bet he’s desperate to do it again.
But…if he found out about Rivers and Tully. Damn. I don’t even want to imagine what would happen there.
Blood will be spilled, hearts will shatter, and trust will be broken.
All thoughts of Tully and Noah are gone when a girl in the shortest skirt I’ve ever seen strides up to my guy. Her ass cheeks hang out the bottom and eyes from everywhere fall upon her creamy cheeks. Not mine though, they’re focused on the manicured hand she places on Noah’s chest.
It’s like my eyes zone in on them like weapons of mass destruction. Does she not know what a dangerous game she’s playing?
I watch as Noah glances down at the hand with amusement on his handsome face. The girl must mistake it for interest as she throws her head back and laughs at whatever he must have said.
She steps in a little closer and I cock an eyebrow. Waiting. Watching.
Noah’s eyes lift to mine as the girl presses her tits into his hard chest and smiles up at him. Noah grins at me, knowing exactly how this is going to play out and heat flames within me as he winks. How can I not be used to that yet? This shit never gets old. Not with Noah.
The girl looks up at him, probably wondering why the fuck his arm hasn’t circled around her waist like she’s used to guys doing when she realizes his eyes aren’t on her.
She looks back over her shoulder, more than ready to shoot a glare at whatever is holding his attention, but upon seeing who that glare is aimed at, she quickly falters.
Her gasp is nearly heard all the way down the opposite end of the hallway before she rips her hand away from his chest and practically launches herself across the hallway until her back is slamming into the lockers on the other side.
Her eyes never leave mine once, and to be honest, keeping a straight face that long is damn hard.
“Fuck,” Tully laughs beside me, having caught every moment of that little entertaining show. “These girls really fear you. You and him, you’re like Beyoncé and Jay Z. Un-fucking-touchable.”
“Damn straight,” I tell her as the bell sounds loudly through the school. A devilish grin settles on my face as we start heading towards homeroom. “I’ll fuck up a bitch who dares to take what belongs to me.”
She rolls her eyes knowing I’m being slightly dramatic. I mean, girls have tried every day since the very first day and it’s never stuck because Noah is mine just as much as I am his. He’s not interested in fucking around and letting random chicks hang off him like he used to, and most of them have figured it out, but naturally, there are a few who are a little late to the party.
We walk towards the boys as they start walking toward us, both of their homerooms at the other end of the school. Noah stops just as we’re about to pass, his arm shooting out and circling my waist before pulling me in hard against his chest. “You enjoyed that way too much,” he tells me.
My chin raises to his and my lips hover just in front of his. “Is that a bad thing?”
“Fuck no, babe,” he murmurs before gently pressing his lips to mine. “I love having a girlfriend who’s a natural chick repellent.”
“Same could be said for you,” I tell him. I mean, guys won’t even approach me out of sheer respect for Noah.
“That’s got nothing to do with me, Spitfire,” he chuckles. “You scare them away all on your own.”
“Ha, ha. You’re so funny, Noah.”
“You know it,” he grins, proud of his stupid joke before kissing me once again. “Try not to get yourself in detention today. I plan on taking advantage of you in the broom closet at lunch.”
“Have I ever told you how romantic you are?”
He winks and with that, he heads off to homeroom, leaving me looking back over my shoulder, staring at that perfect ass of his.
Chapter 4
It’s been a long ass day and I’m desperate to get home, but I have one more class left. My only saving grace is that it’s Advanced Biology and while everyone else seems to hate it, I absolutely love it.
I don’t know what it is about Biology class and all things science, but every time I walk into this room, m
y world brightens just a little. There’s always something exciting to learn and has my mind whirling with endless possibilities.
If I could do anything with my life, I’d choose to work in one of those fancy labs, studying genetic genealogy. Don’t ask me why, but there’s something so fascinating about DNA. It draws me in and I find myself getting completely lost in it.
Over the Christmas break last year I’d saved up all my pennies and bought myself a genealogy textbook and was finished with it in days. Between then and now, I think I’ve read and reread it at least a dozen times.
I drop down into my seat beside Tully and look up at the whiteboard to see which page of our textbooks Mr. Carver wants us looking at today. Eighty-nine. I flip it open and smile down at the textbook.
Looks like we’re diving into biochemistry today.
“What are you so happy about?” Tully grunts beside me, pulling out her things before lounging back in her chair.
“Nothing,” I say, sliding the textbook towards the top of my desk until Mr. Carver is ready to get started. Though, knowing the kids in this class, he better hurry up or they would have dozed off by the time he even turns around.
“Bullshit,” she laughs. “Your eyes lit up like Christmas when you opened the book,” she says, reaching for my textbook. “Is there something in here? Did Noah leave you a dirty note?”
“No,” I laugh as she scans over the page giving a detailed introduction of Biochemistry. “I just really like this stuff.”
Tully’s head slowly rotates my way as she gapes at me. “You’re shitting me, right?” she questions, double checking the pages for anything that doesn’t belong. “This is boring as batshit.”
“It is not,” I defend. “It’s fascinating.”
Tully puts a hand to my forehead. “Are you ok? Do you need to see the nurse?”
I swat her away as a chuckle is pulled from my throat. “Shut up,” I say, rolling my eyes. “So, I might be a closet nerd.”
Untameable: Haven Falls (Book 3) Page 3