by Hart, Rebel
Maybe he’d turn into a decent human being if he knew being a womanizing, abusive asshole was his future.
We got across the road and I heard Clint rev the engine of his bike. I spun around, ripping away from my two best friends as I glared hotly at him. He puckered his lips, blowing me a kiss before he wiggled his tongue around in the air. And as he slid his helmet back onto his head, I stuck my middle finger up. Just for him. For his eyes only to take in.
And as he rushed by us on his bike, I heard him laughing at me.
“Come on, let’s get you inside,” Allison said softly.
The burning sensation on the backs of my eyes made me feel weak, frustrated, incompetent. I was tired of that asshole, and I didn’t know why he wouldn't stop torturing me. I’d watched my mother bend to these men her entire life. And I knew if I simply stood up to them as they came into my life, I’d be fine. They’d go away. They’d find some other woman to torture and I’d be free of them.
But I was standing up to Clint. And he kept coming back. If I ignored Clint, he’d only come at me harder. Why couldn’t he leave me alone? Why couldn’t he go pick on someone else?
I didn't understand it anymore.
“So what color do you want your toes painted tonight?” Michael asked.
I cleared my throat. “Red sounds nice.”
Allison opened the doors. “Oh, spicy. I like it. Matches your personality.”
Michael smiled. “You know, you could rock a head full of red hair, too. I mean, with those freckles and this beautiful skin you’ve got.”
Allison gasped. “That’s it! We should dye your hair, too!”
I shook my head. “Oh, no.”
She pouted. “Oh, come on. It’ll be fun. Your hair can match your toes, and you can take some of my shirts that probably match, too.”
I grinned. “You mean you have shirts that aren’t pastel colors?”
Allison’s face fell. “Ha. Ha. Ha. Jerk.”
Michael chuckled. “Maybe just some under-the-hair highlights, then? You know, so when you wear it down, you can’t see them. But when you wear your ponytails, you can?”
I furrowed my brow. “How do you know so much about all this shit?”
He groaned. “Mom.”
Allison giggled. “Well, if you don’t want to you don’t have to. But you’d look hot with them.”
I sighed. “Why don’t we dye your hair, then?”
Allison’s eyes widened. “And deal with the wrath of my mother? Not a chance. You know how she feels about hair dye. Ever since she had that reaction a few years back, she’s been on that all-natural healthy-everything kick. If she came back to me with dyed hair, she’d probably disown me.”
Michael scoffed. “I hate to admit I even know this, but there are all-natural hair dyes out there.”
I threw my head back, laughing. “Your mom is fantastic, you know that?”
He smiled. “I was adopted by some good ones, yes.”
Allison took my hand. “So you’ll think about it?”
And as I sighed, I ended up nodding my head.
“Okay. I’ll think about it.”
8
Clinton
I swung my bike into the parking stall in front of the school. It was open, for once, and I wanted to make sure I took full advantage of it. All the best girls in this high school hung out in front. And it was those same girls that took to the back parking lot during lunch. Oh, the mischief they got into. It practically made me salivate. I felt their eyes on me as I revved my engine. I turned it off and put the kickstand down. I felt them scanning my long legs and the breadth of my shoulders as I kicked my leg over my bike. I slipped my helmet off, then slipped my sunglasses on quickly. They all watched the powerful man on campus with googly eyes, hoping to get a slice of me.
And I enjoyed putting on a show for them.
“Ladies,” I said, grinning.
The head cheerleader walked up. “Hi there, Clint.”
I licked my lips. “Hello there, beautiful.”
“Nice ride you’ve got. Been meaning to let you know. It’s much better than the one you had last year.”
“That’ll teach my father to sell it out from underneath me. Bought and paid for with my own money, too.”
She smiled. “Your own money, huh? So, uh, when you taking me out, then? With that money of yours?”
I grinned. “Whenever you let me take a peek underneath that skirt of yours. You know you can’t do that to my heart, beautiful. High-kicking those legs at practice without letting me get a close-up look.”
“Oh, you’re bad, Clint.”
I winked from beyond my sunglasses. “And you love it, gorgeous.”
She giggled as she turned on her heels in her pristine white tennis shoes. Her barely-there hips sauntered back over to her friends, where I knew she’d boast about talking to the bad boy on campus. They always did. The girls around here thought cozying up to me would boost their status in this school. That they could somehow unravel the mysterious bad boy that didn’t give a fuck what anyone else thought.
And I most certainly used that to my advantage.
“I see you’re already locking things down with tits over there.”
I chuckled as Roy walked up to me, his arm slung around Marina’s shoulders. She swayed those thin hips of hers in the skirt she wore, chewing on her bubblegum like her fucking life depended on it. I still didn’t know what he saw in those women. Girls with bony arms, gangly legs, and horse faces. But he didn’t understand why I enjoyed my women with a little more meat on their bones. It evened out.
Gave us more to gawk at without getting jealous, too.
I shrugged. “She’s nice enough.”
Roy quirked an eyebrow. “Nice enough? A few days ago, you were ready to get it on with her. You feelin’ okay?”
I snickered. “You might want to envision me getting it on with her, but I haven’t even started that rat race.”
Marina giggled. “And here I thought leather jacket over here was the kinky one of the group.”
Roy rolled his eyes. “What the fuck have we talked about with that mouth of yours?”
“Sorry, Roy.”
“You’re so nasty. All the time. That talk is meant for only me, when we’re alone. Got it?”
I chuckled as Roy gripped Marina’s chin. But, once they started sucking face again, I turned away. I didn’t want to watch that shit. Gross as fuck. The way they swapped that chewing gum around like it was a shared snack made my stomach turn. Roy was a nasty one, though. He enjoyed things with women I’d never indulge in a million years. Like passing them around and jerking off on their faces with other men surrounding her, too.
I mean, come on. I had some fucking standards.
And I sure as hell wasn’t jerking off in front of a crowd of dudes.
A small crowd gathered and I pushed off my bike. I hung my helmet off the handlebars of my bike, like I did every morning. We all started shooting the shit while those of us taken within the group practically dry-humped one another in front of the school. Roy pinned Marina to the front wall, kissing down her neck while she made sounds that would haunt me in my damn nightmares.
Then the main show arrived.
I saw Rae walking up with Michael and Allison. And I knew they were giving her a pep talk. She looked on the verge of tears, and it was priceless. Oh, if I made Rae cry this semester, it would be the icing on the cake. She prided herself in being tough. Strong. Different than the rest of us. But she wouldn't be so different if the big, bad Clint made her cry.
I made everyone cry.
Even my own damn mother.
“I hate to see her go, boys,” I said, chuckling.
Rae scoffed. “Do you ever know when to stop?”
Michael piped up. “Don’t pay him any mind, Rae. Keep walking.”
And as her friend Allison started rubbing her back, I found my ‘in.’
“Hey, Allison,” I called out.
She shook
her head. “Whatever it is, I don’t care about it. Come on, Rae. Let’s get to homeroom.”
The crowd parted for me. “Have you and Michael fucked yet? Or is the jury still out on whether or not he’d rather partner up with me?”
The three of them stopped and that brightly-colored twat whipped around. Allison clung to Rae as he stormed me, taking long strides with those chicken legs of his. I shot up, rolling my shoulders back as he approached me. There wasn’t a damn kid in this school that towered over me. Not when I stood at over six fucking feet tall. Michael craned his neck back to keep my eyes in view. His nostrils flared with anger as a grin spread like wildfire across my face.
“Oh look,” I said, “I poked the bear.”
Michael’s eye twitched. “You leave them out of this. You wanna pick on me? That’s fine. But, only a pussy little prick like you picks on girls.”
I circled around him. “Oh, yeah? Trying to be the big, tough guy so we don’t figure out you suck dicks with your butthole?”
He grimaced. “Could you be any more crass? I mean, really. Come on.”
I shrugged. “All I’m saying is own up to who you are and what you like. If dudes are your thing, why hide it? Only embarrasses you more.”
I blew against his ear, causing my friends to laugh when he jumped. Michael’s eyes bubbled with rage and I heard Rae calling out for me. Telling me to stop. Her friend held her back, though. Kept her from storming over. And as Michael stood toe-to-toe with me, I smiled.
“Let me guess. Her pussy’s not tight enough for you.”
Michael growled. “That’s it.”
The beast snapped, and I saw his fist coming around from the corner of my vision. I heard Rae and Allison shriek, calling out for him as I wrapped my hand around his wrist. I brought my knee into his stomach, buckling him as he gasped for air. And as the girls came charging for me, my friends closed the circle. They pumped their fists in the air. They pushed Rae and Allison away as I watched Michael gasp on his hands and knees.
“I mean, really. If you’re going to be a man’s man, at least man up a little bit. You of all people should know gay dudes don’t like pussies.”
He lunged off the concrete and wrapped his arms around me. He barreled through the crowd behind me, knocking me clear over my bike. I heard him cursing. I heard him shouting. I heard the pitter patter of footsteps as my bike went tumbling to the ground. The second I heard metal and paint scraping against the concrete, my vision dripped red. I lost all sense of time and space, of what I was doing.
Because no one fucked with my bike.
“You’re dead meat,” I grunted.
I brought my elbow down into Michael’s back and he pulled away from me. He kicked my shins, then reached down and grabbed my ankles. He flipped me clear over my fucking bike before stepping over it as a crowd of kids gathered. They chanted, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” And as I scrambled to my feet, I saw him coming for me again.
Only this time, I was ready.
I hit him with a right hook that sent him stumbling back. I heard the girls crying out, but it was no use. Their voices faded into the background. Michael’s face slowly morphed into my father’s. I hit him with a blow to his gut, taking him back down again. And as my knee came up to connect with his chin, I felt anger swelling my veins, blood rushing through my ears. I heard nothing but the sound of my own racing heart as steam came barreling out of my ears.
I had some anger to dispel. And Michael’s face always irritated the fuck out of me.
Time to make a statement.
I reached down and grabbed Michael’s shirt. I pulled him off the ground, holding him in midair before I dropped him to his feet. I threw a few punches he dodged while he tried to get his bearings. Then he came for me again. He ran straight into my stomach, taking me to the fucking ground again. But as I wrapped my legs around him, I rolled him over. I forced him to look up at the sky before my face came into view. I smiled broadly down at him as I saw my father, pinned underneath my legs.
“You’re gonna regret that move, asshole,” I glowered.
His arms came up in defense of his face as blow after blow landed on his arms. I heard sirens wailing off in the distance and I knew I had to wrap it up. But not before I broke this fucker’s nose. I felt him bucking underneath me. I felt him trying to get away. And just as I went to pry his arms away from his face like the coward he was, I felt someone tugging at my leather jacket.
“Get. The fuck. Off him!”
Rae’s voice took me back. I felt her hands wrapping into my leather jacket, pulling me away from her friend. And for a second, it stunned me. Her knuckles dragged across the nape of my neck, shooting electricity down my spine. I heard teachers calling out in the distance, rushing toward us as she pried me off her friend.
Then she tossed me to the side. Like I was a fucking rag doll.
I wiped at my mouth as Michael scrambled off the ground. His eyes bulged with anger as he tried coming at me again. Rae placed her hands against his chest, and for some reason I didn’t like that. I didn’t like her touching him like that. Fuck, I didn’t like her touching me like that.
I spat. “Get the hell out of my way.”
Rae whipped around. “Not a chance in hell, you womanizing, abusive dickwad.”
Everyone cheered as the three of them scampered off. But her words cut deep. I watched them rush off as someone tugged at my arm, trying to get me inside the school. Girls kept looking on, smiling and cheering my victory. I shook myself away from whoever the hell had a grip on my elbow before I scurried into school. The last fucking thing I needed to be caught doing after seeing my father yesterday was fighting. Because I knew damn good and well that selfish asshole would toss me out on my ass the second he got the chance. The second he found any reason to deem me a threat to his new wife, or to him, or to that bullshit prison I called home.
But I couldn't shake the way Rae handled herself. The way she handled me. It was reminiscent of her putting me into that damn stairwell wall.
And for a split second, I wondered where she learned how to handle herself like that.
9
Raelynn
The second I heard Clint’s words, I saw Michael snap. I saw it in his eyes, and his fist flew like wildfire. I didn’t even know Michael knew how to throw a punch like that. But when I saw Clint wrap his hand around Michael’s wrist, I knew he was in trouble.
I shrieked. “Michael, no!”
Allison kept screaming as the fight continued. Clint’s fucking goonies closed in the fight, and I struggled to get through the crowd. I heard them tussling around, punches being landed and grunts filling the air. Someone gasped and I heard something drop to the ground. And as Roy physically shoved me back, I jammed the heel of my hand directly into his ballsack.
Marina gawked. “What the fuck?”
I shook my hand out as I stepped around Roy. He could die, as far as I was concerned. I started charging Clint, with Allison hot on my heels before the sea of people closed again. I leapt into the air, feeling them catch me and hold me back. And that was when I realized Michael was the one gasping for air.
Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit.
“I mean, really. If you’re going to be a man’s man, at least man up a little bit. You of all people should know gay dudes don’t like pussies.”
Clint’s words fired me up like nothing I’d ever experienced before. And I found a renewed sense of vigor to tear through that damn crowd. I saw Michael practically toss him over his bike and I heard Allison cheering him on from behind me. I scrapped with a few people in front of me, trying to get them out of my way. And the more people I tossed to the side, the more adrenaline I felt rushing through my system. My vision bounced between Clint and Michael and D.J. and my mother. It was hard to focus. Hard to see straight. Hard to keep things in line as faces morphed and changed right before my eyes.
Then Allison’s voice pierced my hazy thoughts.
“No! Stop it! You’re going to ki
ll him!”
I looked up, only to see Clint hoisting Michael in the air. I gawked at the scene as kids cheered and clapped, chanting for Clint to slam him into the ground. Michael had his hands around Clint’s forearm, and fear gripped my chest. And the second Michael went plummeting to the ground, I knew I had to get to him.
Otherwise, we’d be in a hospital later.
Everything happened so quickly after that. First, Michael was in the air. Then he was punching Clint. Then Clint was somehow on top of him on the ground. I took one last charge through the crowd, physically shoving girls and guys alike to the concrete. Sirens wailed in the distance as teachers rushed over to see what was going on. The last thing Michael needed was to get caught fighting, and the last thing any of us needed was to be seen as cohorts in the matter.
“Get. The fuck. Off him!”
My hands came down on to Clint’s leather jacket and I tugged. I wrapped my hands up in the worn material and felt something akin to a god take over my body. I tugged at him once. Twice. Three times, before I felt his body move. I tightened my grip into his jacket so tightly I felt my knuckles dragging across his skin. I gnashed my teeth together as Allison rushed around us. I growled out like a wild animal as I felt his body budge. I pried him off Michael, watching as Allison helped the poor boy to his feet.
Then I tossed Clint to the side.
Like some discarded paper plate of useless food.
I rushed to Michael, who was foaming at the mouth with anger. His eyes bulged and his nose was bleeding, but overall, he looked good for going a few rounds with Clint Clarke. Which was always a bad idea, given how massive Clint was in the first place. I placed my hands against his chest while Allison tugged at his wrist, trying to pull him away from the fight as I tapped my hands against him.