Broken Hill High: The Broken Hill High Series (Book 1)

by Sheridan Anne

  “Ugh,” I groan, not really giving two shits about the Josh stories as I’m far too relaxed with the sun beaming down on my skin. “Jesse told me this morning that he was bragging about getting me drunk and sleeping with me.”

  “Really?” she says in distaste. “That would explain why he was so desperate to find you.”

  “Uh huh,” I groan as I silently wish I had brought my sunglasses down with me.

  “I think it’s time you dropped that one. I mean, he’s telling everyone you’re together now and it’s probably so you’re easier to get into bed.”

  “Believe me, I know,” I say. “I mean, it was fun at first when it was all about pushing Elle’s buttons, but now, he’s just an ass.”

  “Agreed,” she laughs, “But speaking of Elle…” she says with a wicked grin.

  “Was she really with Maxen last night?” I laugh.

  “That’s what the rumors are telling me,” she says as noises start coming from deep inside the house. I try to block it out but can’t when I hear the back door sliding open. “Looks like we’ve got company,” Brooke murmurs quietly beside me.

  I look over to find, not only Nate and Jesse, but their three followers as well with all of their eyes casting up and down the length of our bodies. Maxen, Parker, and Tyson all have sleazy grins on their faces as though it’s their lucky day while Nate just stares at me as though I’ve pissed him off. Jesse, though, he’s too busy giggling at his phone to even realize we’re here.

  I find it impossible to tear the scowl off my face until Nate pulls out a familiar box of cigarettes. I want to curse at him for going through my things to find it, but then watching as he opens it up and goes to grab one only to find the mess I left for him is just too good.

  Nate’s eyes narrow on me as he squeezes his fist and crumples the box in one easy go. He throws it over his shoulder and I can’t help the smug smile that sits on my lips. I mean, the one being the asshole is so much better than being on the receiving end of it.

  “Well, if it isn’t Brooke and Tora,” Maxen says as they reach us. I feel the need to cover up but from the way Brooke is smiling back at me, I get the feeling she’s wanting to show off. Maxen takes a seat at the end of my sunbed and faces Brooke. “What are you ladies doing?”

  I reach down beside me and grab my shorts off the ground before sitting up and sliding them up my legs. Parker falls down in the chair beside me while Tyson takes a seat at the end of Brooke’s. “Soaking up some sun,” she smiles. “What are you guys doing here?”

  “Just chilling,” Maxen tells her as I watch Nate walk up around the back of my chair and lean forward onto his elbows, making my nerves reach levels they’ve never quite reached before. “I haven’t been to sleep yet.”

  Brooke grins at him before shuffling over in her sunbed. “You’re more than welcome to lay here with me,” she tells him.

  “You’re on, babe,” he says before getting up and laying down beside her. Brooke sits up a bit so he can slide his arm around her and before I know it, they’re snuggled and comfortable.

  I can’t help but laugh at my friend as my nerves slowly settle back down. I can only imagine that she’d be in absolute heaven right now, especially with the way his fingertips are trailing over the skin of her toned waist. I reach up and accidentally graze my arm across Nate’s as I put my hair up in a bun and find myself cringing with how good it felt to touch him.

  That shouldn’t be happening. I should feel disgusted, not turned on, but I can’t stop thinking about what Jesse had said this morning. He had my back with Josh.

  I try to tune him out, but he’s right there. I mean, if I just look up and tilt my chin up to him, I could probably kiss him.

  Damn it, Tora. No.

  “I’m getting a drink,” Jesse says to the group with his attention still drawn to his phone. “Anyone want one?”

  “Yeah,” Nate says. “Get some for the girls.”

  Say what? Surely, I couldn’t have heard that right.

  “Girls?” Jesse says as his head snaps up and he finally pays attention. “Oh shit. I didn’t even see you guys there,” he says before he takes in the bikini tops. He winks at me with a knowing grin. “Looking good, Tora.”

  “Jess,” Nate scolds.

  Jesse holds up both hands and backs away with a laugh, making me wonder why the hell he’d said that. This morning he’d told me that he was full of respect from now on. The only reason would be if he was wanting to stir shit with Nate.

  The guys talk about the party last night and I find myself tuning out and grabbing my phone off the ground. I don’t know what I’m doing or why, but I open a new text and start typing to the guy behind me.

  Tora – I know why you took me to the race last night… thanks.

  Without hitting send, I silently hand my phone back to him with butterflies in my stomach and an intense dread I’ve never felt before. This is either going to be bad or really bad.

  A moment later, he hands it back.

  Nate – Don’t know what you’re talking about.

  I could go on to explain how I know that he had tried to save me being Josh’s latest conquest, but I have a feeling he would deny it and say something about just wanting to scare the shit out of me on the track.

  So, instead. I call him out.

  Tora – Liar. Jesse has a big mouth.

  I hand the phone back and a second later, he sighs. I wait a while for a response and fear that maybe he’s just stolen my phone when it finally comes back over my shoulder.

  Nate – You shouldn’t be dating a guy like Josh. He’s only interested in one thing.

  Tora – Reminds me of someone else I know! I’m not dating Josh. He made it up. I had no intentions of going to that party.

  I hand him back the phone and it’s returned a moment later with a blank screen. I feel a little disappointed that he didn’t write anything back, but then, I shouldn’t. I should be pleased that I got it out of the way. I’ve said my peace, I thanked him for watching my back, now it’s time to move on.

  Jesse comes out a moment later, juggling as many bottles as he can possibly fit in his hands and arms, hell, there’s even a few jammed into the pockets of his jeans. Parker gets up and helps while I let out a breath of relief that there’s a distraction from the brooding guy behind me.

  “I invited a few people over,” Jesse tells everyone, prompting the guys to get on their phones and start hashing out text messages.

  Nate groans from behind me. “Great. Another fucking party,” he says under his breath.

  I relax back into my chair and get comfortable as it looks like I’ll be here for a while.

  Half an hour later, the whole house and back yard is swarming with people. It’s turned into one of the biggest pool parties I’ve ever seen. I’d say my whole senior year is here along with people from the public school.

  Music is blaring, Courtney and Bec have shown up, and drinks are flowing. I usually don’t like to drink at parties as I prefer to drive, but seeing as though I’ll be staying here tonight, I take my chance to finally let loose. I can worry about all my problems tomorrow.

  Chapter 10

  I sit on my sunbed with Courtney and Bec while Brooke continues making out with Maxen on the bed beside us, just as she’s been doing for the past hour.

  I’m happy Courtney and Bec showed up when they did as I had just finished the drink that Jesse had given me earlier and they instantly replaced it. I haven’t needed to get up since.

  I’m so chill right now. I’ve got a good buzz going, Nate left me alone, I feel hella sexy in my bikini, and I’ve got my girls by my side.

  We laugh and I get so lost in our conversation that I don’t even notice the cheerleaders have arrived with the whole football team. I let out a heavy sigh. I’m not ready for the fun to be sucked out of this party.

  Josh is there by my side in an instant. I don’t miss the way his eyes travel up and down the length of my body before landing on the drink in my h
and and grinning.

  He pushes his way onto the sunbed next to me, forcing Courtney to have to move down. “Hey, babe,” he says as he grabs my waist and hoists me on top of his lap before I get a chance to pull away. He wraps his arms around me and presses a kiss to my cheek. “Where have you been? You weren’t at the party last night.”

  “Oh, yeah. Sorry,” I tell him with a cringe. “I couldn’t make it.”

  “It’s fine. You’re here now,” he says as he tries to pull me in for a kiss.

  I pull back with a cringe. “No, don’t,” I tell him, really not wanting to continue this little thing we have going here. I mean, it’s definitely run its course. I don’t know what I was thinking having a crush on him for the past year. “I’m sick,” I explain. “I’ve got the flu.”

  “Ugh,” he groans, pulling back slightly. “So, what are you doing here if you’re not well?”

  “Haven’t you heard?” I ask with a sigh. “I kind of live here now. Well, at least temporarily.”

  “What?” he questions as his eyes darken. “With Nate and Jesse?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So, you have a bedroom upstairs then?”

  I let out a frustrated groan as I try to push myself off him. “It’s not happening, Josh. Not now, not ever,” I tell him. “I know you’re just trying to get me in bed, and quite honestly, I’m not interested.”

  I finally get myself off him and he scoffs as he gets to his feet. “Whatever,” he says with a laugh. “You’re too much work anyway. You would have been a dead root.”

  My eyes follow him as he leaves only to find a different pair of dark eyes already cast on mine. I should have expected it, yet every time, he catches me off guard. Nate would have just seen that whole thing between me and Josh and from the way he’s not glaring at me, I’d dare say he’s pleased I just got rid of him.

  Feeling good, me and the girls get ourselves up and start making our way around the party. We say hi to all our friends and dance amongst the other bodies. The whole time, I feel Nate’s eyes on me, but not specifically on my eyes, they’re roaming all over my body, making me feel extremely exposed.

  I go back and check on Brooke a few times but she’s absolutely fine messing around with Maxen.

  I walk into the kitchen to pour myself another drink when I find Nate with Ashley up against the wall. Her legs are wrapped around his waist and his hands are firmly on her ass as they make out.

  A fierce jealousy cuts through me and has me choking on my own breath. Where the hell did that come from? “Woah, babe,” Jesse says from beside me as he claps a hand on my back to stop me from choking. “You all good?”

  His question has Nate breaking away from Ashley to find out what’s going on, and I hate that he sees me right now. “Yeah,” I say, looking at the table and focusing on pouring a drink so I can avoid meeting Nate’s eyes. “I’m good.”

  I pour my drink before his voice draws my attention away. “Don’t you think you’ve had enough?”

  I look up to find him staring straight at me with a very disgruntled Ashley in his arms. “Don’t you think you should find a room?” I snap.

  An ‘oooh’ sounds around us and it takes me a moment to realize what I’ve just done. Nobody challenges Nate Ryder, especially in front of a crowd like this. That’s a lesson I’ve learned the hard way. I mean, over the last few days it’s been fine when it’s just me and him, but in front of people, that’s a big no-no.

  He steps away from Ashley as his eyes narrow on me and comes right up in front of me. The butterflies in my stomach take flight and I find myself looking up into his eyes, meeting his challenge.

  I don’t know what it is. Maybe I’ve had a few too many drinks or maybe I’ve just gotten used to screaming at him over the last few days. Either way, I’m not backing down and he sees that clear in my eyes.

  Nate’s so close to me that with the slightest movement, I’d be touching him. He reaches out his hand and takes the bottle from my fingers while searching my eyes. “Don’t make me do it,” he begs for only me to hear.

  I’ve been in this situation many times before to know that this is not how it goes. This is usually where he’d call me out and put me down. He’d say something to make everyone laugh or try to make me feel small but never has he asked me to back down.

  I see it clear as day. He doesn’t want to hurt me. He has no problem kidnapping me, scaring me or yelling at me, but hurting me… that’s different.

  Things are changing.

  A part of me wants to know what he’s going to do if I don’t back down, but then, another part is screaming at me to let him off the hook.

  “Alright, boys and girls,” Jesse says situating himself between us and pushing Nate back a step and trying to put out the fire. “We all need to get along if we plan on living together for the foreseeable future.”

  Nate allows Ashley to pull him back and I let out a breath.

  Situation resolved. Both Nate and I got away from that one without having to back down. Points all around. I think that deserves another drink. I grab the discarded bottle off the table and finish pouring my drink. I bolt out of there with my drink in hand before Nate has a chance to light another fire under my ass.

  By the time I get back outside, the party seems to have doubled. The sun has gone down and the music is turned right up.

  As I make my way back over to Courtney and Bec, I get stopped by a tiny little cheerleader in a string bikini. She grins up at me with her hands on her hips. I try to step around her but she blocks me again. “Heard you were getting around last night.”

  “Excuse me?” I grunt.

  “Is it not enough for you to break the rules with Josh? You had to take Nate and Jesse too,” Elle sneers.

  “First off. I couldn’t give a shit about Josh. He’s a loser and I was only messing with him to get under your skin, and apparently, it worked. I was never dating him. Second. I haven’t taken Nate and Jesse. I couldn’t be any less interested.”

  “Whatever,” she scoffs. “I knew you were a slut and now you’ve proven it. I’m curious though,” she says with a grin. “How do you make it work? Do you alternate beds each night or do they just come to you?”

  I step into her, letting her see the fire within me. “What’s wrong Elle? Are you jealous that I have all these boys pining for my attention? I mean, I had the quarterback all over me when everyone knows he’s supposed to want you, yet it’s obvious he won’t go anywhere near you. And as for Nate and Jesse? Well, it’s pretty clear you couldn’t get your claws in there. You had to scoop the bottom of the barrel and open your legs for Maxen instead. You know Nate and Jesse don’t share right? You’ve just shot down your chances with them.”

  Her whole face turns bright red and within the blink of an eye, she throws her cherry red drink all over me. I gasp as a hundred people around me gasp as well.

  I have two options here. I can either run away and cry about it, or I can own it.

  I choose option two.

  I’ve never been a violent person so when my hand slaps across the side of her petite face, I think I’m even more shocked than she is, though I don’t show it.

  She gasps and covers a hand over her stinging face before being the one to run away in tears. “Fuck, that was hot,” Jesse says as he laughs and throws his arm over my shoulder.

  I roll my eyes and step out from under him as I take another sip of my drink. I step towards the pool and hand him my drink. “I think it’s time to cool off,” I smile before launching myself into the freezing water and letting the red sticky drink wash off my skin.

  “Hell, yeah,” Jesse cheers before throwing my drink over his shoulder and running full bolt towards the pool. I squeal as he launches himself into the air and over the top of me before bombing into the water and splashing all the hoity-toity girls around us.

  Within two seconds, the pool is packed with bodies and I find myself on Jesse’s shoulders wresting Brooke who sits upon Maxen’s.

&nb
sp; I’ve never had so much fun at a party in my life. I mean this is ridiculous. I’m even brave enough to say that maybe Jesse is becoming a friend, just like we used to be when we were kids. I’ve missed his friendship and I guess after all these years all I had to do was let him know he’s an idiot. Nate though, that’s going to need a lot of mending before we can get the same friendship we used to have, in fact, that bridge might be well and truly burned.

  It’s well past midnight when Maxen stands and takes Brooke’s hand before disappearing upstairs. She looks back at me with a wink and I can’t help but laugh. I also can’t help but wonder which of the three rooms upstairs they’ll be taking and I hope to god it’s not mine.

  Some people have disappeared from the party but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s still ridiculously huge. Pizzas were ordered so I guess we can still tell the boys’ parents that we ate pizza for dinner without actually lying, but as for the rest… I don’t know.

  I’m standing by the pool with Courtney, laughing as Bec twerks and grinds her ass into some guy we don’t know with a major smile on her face. “I’m going to be hearing about this all day tomorrow,” Courtney tells me with a laugh.

  “I know,” I agree with a laugh as I spy Jesse just behind them, taking a girl by the hand and leading her away. “You better watch her closely or she’ll end up going home with him.”

  Courtney rolls her eyes as chasing around after Bec when she’s had too much to drink has become the norm for these two. It’s a routine Courtney knows all too well, though, Bec does it just as much for her too.

  I lift my cup to my mouth and notice a guy sitting across the pool watching me and Courtney, and honestly, even though it’s dark, I can tell from a mile away that he’s hot. I don’t know him though so he must be from the public school.

  With the liquor going through my body, I find myself smiling at him. He grins and rises out of his chair before making his way around the pool. “Wowza,” Courtney says from beside me.

  “Oh yeah,” I agree.

  The guy comes over and stops beside me. “Hey,” he says, offering me his hand. “I’m Jackson. I don’t think I’ve met you before.”