Devious Kisses: A Bully Enemies -To-Lovers Romance (It's Just High School Book 1)

by Thandiwe Mpofu

  I pause, studying the serious look on his face. You’d never guess it by looking at his gorgeous face, but I can see the clouds of trauma in his eyes.

  “But, you’re just so… you.”

  “And you’re just so…you,” he counters, making me smile then we resume walking following Julian as ‘Star Ships’ by Nicki Minaj blasts in my ex-house.

  “Come on, you know what I mean,” I shout for him to hear me. “You’re always charming, kind, sweet and every time I see you, you’re always smirking at something. Good vibes and all.”

  “That’s because I choose to be hashtag GoodVibez4lyfe,” he jokes with one of his million-dollar, drop-your-panties smile, making me laugh. “But for real, you still run this.”

  Well, it’s time to see if that’s still true. I try my best to ignore the stares and the pointing, but I feel it. It looks like every single person from my school is here, and some. Then there’s the St. Jude crew.

  “There are a lot of people here.” I say in Cole’s ear when he leans down to hear what I have to say.

  “Liam organized this,” Cole chuckles, shaking his head. “I’m surprised there isn’t an inflatable BBQ sauce pool somewhere.”

  Just then, three girls covered from head to toe in said BBQ sauce pass us by, giggling.

  “Spoke too soon,” Cole says with a grin. Yup. “Listen, have a good time. J and I got this thing covered and Liam, well, he planned for you to have a blast.”

  “I don’t know how to have a blast.”

  “So says the girl who threw her shirt in Julian’s face and started a skinny dipping contest?” he teases and I blush.

  “Things have changed.”

  “Have they?” He questions seriously.

  And with that, he presses a kiss to my forehead, stunning the hell out of me, then he steps away and is swallowed by the crowd who love him, hollering his name. When I look up, I catch Julian watching me from the end of the room, in what was my Dad’s office. Now, the doors are wide open, and it looks like a den of sin in there.

  I have a choice to go to him, but I think I need some distance from him. Besides, I need to see how much they trashed my house. Is it strange that I still see it as my house?

  Yes bitch, it is strange since Courtney now owns it, and that’s after she strategically shattered my whole life. Now you’re fucking her son, your stepbrother.

  When I turn to head for the kitchen, I come to a stop and I tense up.

  Kristine, her bimbos of ‘friends’ and…Casey stand before me, both with malicious smiles on their faces.

  “Mia,” Casey starts, her face scrunched up in an ugly frown. “Your house is truly a whore-house after all.”

  They laugh, glancing at each other like they just dropped bombs.

  “Yup, with both of you here, it just became one,” I say with an easy smile on my face, deciding to grab the ugly bulls by their horns. “I see you both got my invite.”

  I enjoy the frowns on their faces.

  “You invited us?” Kristine says.

  “Well of course, Kristine.” I say enthusiastically as Liam saunters over to me and stops at my side.

  Silently watching my ex-bestie and Julian’s whatever side piece, I can’t help but chuckle as their faces fall when they see Liam.

  “What’s so funny, bitch?” Kristine demands and I shake my head as Liam passes me a solo red cup with something inside, making Kristine and her friends visible shake with shock.

  “You are funny to me, sweetie,” I start, then take a sip of whatever Liam brought over. It’s a strong punch, but damn, I need the liquor courage. “Why is it that every time I see you, you keep scaling to new heights of basic? Now you’re friends with Cunt Casey?”

  Liam bursts out guffawing, then covers his mouth with his hand, the long sleeve black Boss muscle shirt he’s wearing defines his muscles and I can see the lust he evokes.

  “Excuse me?” Casey gasps, looking offended.

  “You heard me.” I deadpan, looking bored.

  “Mia, you know Liam Fitz?” Kristine questions, wide eyed and excited. I can see what she wants to do, so I smile.

  “Yeah, do you want me to introduce you?” I keep my voice low and polite and she nods enthusiastically, stepping forward. Liam glances at me and I wink. Going along with it, Liam tilts his head, watching the girl who set us all up step forward, a look of awe on her face.

  “That would be awesome, Mia.”

  Now I’m Mia again. I smile big, my eyes wide.

  “Liam,” I start, a cutting smile on my face.

  “Yes, cupcake?” he responds, a charming smirk on his face.

  “Please meet my good friend, Kristine.” I watch satisfied as Kristine falls for it, a grateful smile on her face just as Shane and his brother are escorted in by three huge guys, terrified looks on their face. “She’s the girl that set you up.”

  The music stops, murmurs start and Kristine’s face pales.

  “Uh, what?” she stutters, then tries to laugh it off as Julian and Cole close in, dark expressions on their faces as they stare at something behind me. I glance behind me and I see Shane and Sean with looks of dread in their faces when people part for them. Glancing at Liam who’s still eyeing Kristine, and Casey, I realize that this was their plan. They planned for this.

  “I don’t know what you’re trying to say here, Mia,” Kristine stutters.

  “You sure about that?” I question, still smiling. “You know, I always wondered what happened to my credit card that went missing a few weeks ago. But then when I checked the charges, guess what I found, bestie?”

  She visibly starts shaking, all eyes on us. Stepping back, she starts shaking her head.

  “There were charges to the Dollar store,” I start counting on my fingers. “Then there were the charges to the local planned parenthood in Las Vegas.”

  “No, Mia, I…” Kristine starts but I cut her off.

  “But that’s not what shocked me though. Everyone knows everything you do and honestly, that’s your choice to make. It’s your body, no judgement and all,” I say, stepping forward so she sees I really mean it. “What had my head spinning is that you used my credit card to purchase something else.”

  “Holy shit.”

  “What?”

  I can hear the crowd, but I can’t look away from Kristine. This is the moment of truth.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she denies with tears glistening in her eyes.

  “Aww sweetie, lying will only make things worse for you now,” I say, a twinge of betrayal zipping through me. And to think this is the girl I’ve called my best friend for years. “You had me played. You used my credit card, then you strutted your stuff over to the police and framed a compelling tale, making me out to be the bad guy.”

  “What?” she starts. “No! Mia, I…”

  “Do you hate me that much?” I blurt out, my pulse racing, the pain in my chest unbearable. “How deep is your hatred for the way I look, the way I dress, the way I am, that made you set me up like that?”

  “That’s not what happened!” she cries.

  “Don’t lie, Kristine.” I fight for calm, trying to keep the feelings bubbling in my chest at bay.

  “I swear to God, it wasn’t supposed to happen like that,” she cries.

  In other words, it happened.

  “Then what was supposed to happen? Well, let’s find out.” Liam says as he steps in with a thunderous look on his face, but he quickly transforms that into a fake smile and raises his voice as he says to the crowd, “This party is for you, ladies and fucking gentleman! We’re all gathered here today as foes, back-stabbing friends, and fuck-buddies from both schools that rock this fucking town!”

  I don’t know what happens when Liam starts speaking but the place comes alive. I can see the excitement in people’s eyes as they all zero in on us.

  “I’d ask for a round of applause for my very own bed-warmer, soon-to-be stepsister, but, y’all know she brings the th
under every time!”

  “Stepsiter?”

  “She’s his bedwarmer?”

  Oh my fuck? He did not just…

  “Liam!” I grit out and he laughs, pointing his solo cup at me.

  “Oh My God.” Someone who sounds vaguely like Char gasps. “She’s sleeping with Liam?”

  This isn’t happening.

  “Mia,” Roxy gasps in shock as she steps forward, a devastated look on her face. “You and Liam are together?”

  I want to shake my head no, but then three fundamental truths happen at the same time, stopping my heart.

  One, Roxy’s the one in love with Liam but Roxy broke his heart as savagely as is her reputation.

  Two, something serious and damaging happened between them and Kendra, because Kendra’s face pales as she steps back from the carnage I’m witnessing first hand.

  And lastly, Liam announced that shit deliberately; all with the intention to hurt Roxy, because as I look at him now, I can see the hate in his eyes as he stares Roxy down.

  Oh my God.

  I can’t breathe right. Roxy stares at Liam, then her heated gaze shifts to me and I almost reel back when I see the resentment and anger that’s there. With one last hateful look, she sizes me from my hair down to my shoes, something like a promise or a vow in her eyes, then she turns on her heels and leaves.

  “Roxy,” I start but Liam holds me back, forcing me to watch her go. I stand there sure as day that I just made a mortal enemy that’s bigger than Casey or Kristine when I didn’t even do anything with Liam.

  “Liam,” Julian grits out in warning.

  “Oops, sorry.” Liam chuckles then turns back to everyone after watching Roxy walk away with a locked jaw. “See, our guests of honor have finally arrived!” Liam goes on, ignoring the shock in the room. “Bring ‘em here, boys!”

  I watch in trepidation as Shane and Sean are ushered closer to the ‘Circle of Truth.’

  “What the hell is this?” Sean demands, looking directly at Julian who remains calm, but I know better. I can see the thunderous look in his eyes, the twitching of his arm. “You sent your goons for me, how pathetic.”

  “Nah son, those are your daddy’s goons.” Liam says instead, making Sean stop short and glances back at the mean looking men. “Apparently your old man’s tired of the both of you. Stealing from him, vandalizing his shit while you get high on drugs tends to do that to parents.”

  “You fucking don’t know anything!” Shane grits out.

  “Trust and believe son, we know enough,” Liam says. “We know about your bitter tryst with Kristine Marks here.”

  “The fuck?” he says, his eyes widening.

  “We know about how you have her hooked on some shit right now, made her do shit for you including buying that compressed gas you planted in my car.”

  Holy shit. What?

  Shocked and speechless, I glance at Kristine but she’s really crying now, her body shaking. Shane got her hooked on drugs? How did I not see it before?

  “You have no proof,” Sean spits out, stepping closer to Julian who just stands there. “That bitch you and your church-choir boy are fucking is the one who set you up.”

  All eyes turn to me and that makes a part of me die. The fact that they easily assume that I’m the Fitz brother’s common bicycles makes me tense up. I can feel myself start to sweat.

  “What?” Sean questions. “You didn’t tell them that you…”

  “That Mia’s our soon-to-be stepsister, which makes her a Fitzgerald who you messed with?” Liam grits out, all the playfulness from earlier gone.

  And there it goes, the confirmation everyone needed.

  “What?” Casey gasps, then she almost shoulder checks me on her way to Julian, but Cole intercepts her.

  “Play dirty in your own time, Casey,” he says. “See, we also know how you contributed to this little game, which the law calls…”

  “Attempted murder,” Julian steps in and the tension in the room rises a notch. I notice Shane and his brother straightening up and I realize this was the moment everyone was waiting for. Waiting for Julian to say something.

  “What?” Sean starts nervously, trying to laugh it off. “Like I said, you’re all just grasping for straws here. You don’t have proof,”

  “Proof, huh?” Julian starts as he circles the two brothers. “You mean surveillance footage we got of your mule buying that gas with you right behind her?”

  Sean and Shane freeze, glancing at each other.

  “Or do you mean the evidence of her,” he points at Casey now, a dark, hard look in his eyes that makes me shiver. “And how you paid and fucked her to plant that bomb in my car?”

  Oh shit. I reel back as I stare at Casey. I know everything she did to me, but trying to kill someone?

  “Oh God, Julian,” Casey starts as the crowd shakes their heads, murmuring and shocked. “I didn’t know what it was. They gave me your gym bag and I just put it in your car…”

  “Save it for your defense, Cunt Casey.” Liam seethes.

  “Is that the proof you needed?” Julian grits out, eyeing them.

  “Fuck you, Fitzgerald,” Sean counters, then he drops his voice. He glances at me then says something to Julian.

  And then, all hell breaks loose.

  Julian chuckles, actually chuckles, as he steps back. Cole and Liam glance at each other with the ‘Oh, shit’ looks on their faces. It feels like I’m watching the entire thing in slow motion because when Cole starts for his best friend, it’s already too late.

  Julian draws back and then punches Sean so hard, a few of his teeth come flying out of his mouth as he drops to the floor.

  Girls scream and boys curse. Next thing I know, Julian is raining down punches on Sean’s bloody face. Cole and Liam try to pull him off, as Shane is held back but he doesn’t let up. He keeps going.

  He’s going to kill him. Oh God.

  Next thing, the sound of police sirens can be heard. People start fleeing, running through the house as some of St. Jude’s football team work to pull Julian.

  “Oh my god.” Char screams as she grabs my arm. “We have to go, Mia1”

  Go where and leave him like that? Instead, I shake her off me and rush to the chaos.

  “Stay back, Mia!” Liam growls. Mia, not cupcake.

  “Julian!” I scream, but he isn’t stopping, and I think Sean has since passed out. With the small glimpses I get, I can see blood on the floor. Shane is howling bloody murder, but Julian hardly grunts when he’s pulled away.

  I can see the police cars from the window but when I glance back at Julian, with five guys holding him back, his holds my gaze.

  I die right there.

  I can see the fury in his eyes. The darkness in them and for a moment I’m sure he wasn’t even there.

  My stomach drops, everything in me churns as I stare up at him because as our gazes are locked in the pandemonium, I finally notice the brazen darkness that’s eating him up inside and it shakes me to my core, I feel sick.

  I want to hurl but then, the police rush into the house. Next thing I know, Liam is screaming in my face to run.

  I can’t look away from Julian who watches me. I know he’s also saying something to me, but I can’t hear him.

  I should’ve run. I should’ve left, but instead, I stand there frozen as my wrists are brought behind my back and cold handcuffs are cuffed there.

  I just got arrested. And I just realized how fucked up Julian is, and me for that matter.

  35

  I can’t get the fear I saw in her eyes out of my head.

  I don’t regret beating the shit out of Sean Matthews for what he fucking said about Aiden and Mia. I regret doing in right in front of her. Hell, I’m so fucking mad for putting her in a position where she got arrested.

  I fucked up last night, fucked up big time, but I just couldn’t let it slide.

  And now, Dad’s bailing Mia and Liam out right now, when both of them aren’t even supposed to be in
this fucking hellhole

  Cole’s silent beside me. He’s been like that for hours, not even looking at me and that’s how I know he’s mad at me but also giving me space at the same time.

  Liam was here with us in this cell, but he didn’t say a word too, just kept asking the cops about Mia.

  “Fuck!” I grit out, standing up for the first time since they threw us in here. My knuckles are swollen and busted. I think it’s around three am, which means today’s graduation. I have no idea what happened to fucking Matthews. If h’e sea, that’s cool with me at this point.

  “On the bright side of this shit, they didn’t book us.” Cole starts, his voice hoarse. “Which means Big John worked his fucking magic.”

  Fuck. I know what would happen if we were actually booked. It’d fuck with everything. College. Football. Graduation. College Football. Everything.

  “Bro, I…” I start but he cuts me off, staring at the wall opposite me.

  “I’ve always known that you were angry,” he starts. “And when Aiden got leukemia, your anger turned into rage.”

  I close my eyes. I don’t want to think about Aiden. Not right now. I don’t want to think about how disappointed he must be with me.

  “He’s not,” Cole mutters behind me and I realize I spoke out loud. “But I do think he’s offended that you haven’t grieved for him with the honor and dignity he deserves.”

  The fuck? I spin around and look at him. He’s standing up and was waiting for me to turn around. I guess it’s go time.

  “I let him go!” I growl and he bitterly laughs. “I grieved.”

  “No, you fucking didn’t!” he counters. “Not once have you talked about him. Not once have you tried to face that he’s gone.”

  “Careful, Cole.”

  “Fuck that shit!” he seethes. “As your best friend, I’m going to tell you the shit you don’t want to hear. I’m going to tell you that you absorb shit in, and it’s made your soul so dark and bleak, you’re nothing but a dead body walking! I’m going to tell you that you’re an angry mess and you let shit brew for a fucking long time, now here we are!”