But it wasn’t Leah. It was Alec.
“I just wanted to make sure you got to your room safely,” Alec said, and I imagined him grinning into the phone as he said it. As if he were the funniest guy around.
My lower stomach burned, and though I still had a hand between my legs, I said, “I didn’t think you’d call so quickly. A little needy, Alec.” It was kind of…hot he’d called while I was touching myself, though. Almost like it was fate. Almost like I needed to hear his voice to finish.
“Oh, well, I can hang up, if you want—”
“No,” I cut in, “talk to me.” The boy had no complaints. He talked about whatever he wanted to, and I barely contributed to the conversation, mostly because I was focusing on my hand, on how good it felt to circle and rub my clit. My skin flushed, and I kept my breathing under control.
Or, at least, I thought I did.
“What, ah, what are you up to?” Alec asked, his voice suddenly low. “Are you in bed? I’m in bed. Yep, I’m in bed, and I’m really wishing Christian hadn’t interrupted us when he did.” I couldn’t help but wonder if he was under his sheets with a hard dick, running his free hand along it as he spoke to me, too.
I could make up a story, or I could just tell the truth. Since I was already keeping most of the revenge scheme to myself, I decided to tell the truth: “I’m finishing what we couldn’t at Jessie’s.”
It took Alec a while to say, “You’re…touching yourself?” I heard his breath catch, and I knew I had his rapt attention. If his dick wasn’t hard before, it’d get hard now.
“I am,” I whispered. “I could stop, if you want—”
“No, no,” this time, Alec spoke quickly. “Don’t stop on my account. Actually, maybe I’ll hop back in my car and sneak into your room.”
I chuckled. “Nope.”
“Cruel,” he murmured, though he didn’t sound too beat-up over it. “Let me listen, at least.”
Maybe it was a mistake, but I did. I kept the phone near my face as I closed my eyes and focused on giving myself pleasure. I felt my heartbeat speed up, my hips starting to rock slowly against my hand, and I could not stop a breathy moan from escaping me.
“Fuck,” Alec whispered. “I wish I was there, watching.”
“Maybe next time,” I said, this time not bothering to hide the wispy tone from my voice. Anyone who heard me say those three words would’ve known what I was doing.
When I came, when the pressure built up inside of me, unable to be kept back, I let the orgasm wash over me, releasing me from its hold. I let out a stifled moan, not wanting to cry out loudly in fear that my dad or Diane would be walking by in the hallway at that same moment. Still riding the high of the orgasm, I whispered, “I’ll see you Monday, Alec.” I didn’t wait for his response; I hung up.
I was asleep a few minutes later.
Chapter Eleven
I’d seen a million and a half high school movies where students get revenge on each other, and during English class, as everyone separated into their groups and worked on their projects, I was struck with an idea, an idea that I quickly struck down almost as soon as it popped into my head.
Sabotaging papers, affecting grades…seemed so cliché, didn’t it? Plus, I didn’t know whether or not Christian even cared about his grades. I knew he had to do decent, otherwise the school wouldn’t let him play on the basketball team, but still. I think I’d rather break up his relationship with Jessie, first.
The classroom was a cacophony of sound, everyone seeming to talk at once. It was why Georgia felt comfortable enough to say, “So how did the party go? Did anything happen? Get any dirt?”
I grinned at her. This morning, Alec had been waiting at my locker. Again and again, between every class, he was trying to spend as much time with me as he could. I wouldn’t doubt he’d try to sit with us during lunch, which would only further enrage Christian, who currently was glaring at me like there was no tomorrow.
“It didn’t go how I expected it to,” I said, “but I think it went well.”
“I’ll say. Christian is giving you the meanest glare I’ve ever seen,” Georgia muttered. When she glanced to Christian’s group, he didn’t even bother to feign interest in something else. The jock had it out for me now. I’d taken his best friend from him; it was only a matter of time until I took Jessie, too.
I didn’t let Christian’s glaring bother me. In the realm of things, the scope of all the things he’d done to me in the past, glaring was something I could easily handle. Glaring was easy-peasy. It was nothing.
When lunch came, I found I was right. Georgia and I were sitting by ourselves, minding our own business, when a third presence came toward us—mainly toward me—and plopped himself down on the chair beside mine.
Alec. He did choose me over Christian.
I turned to face him, aware that Georgia was watching with wide, shocked eyes. I’d told her the gist of what happened at the party, but it was just now sinking in that I really had Alec wrapped around my finger. I probably could've shown up to that party wearing a potato sack and he still would’ve chosen me over Christian.
“Sitting with us at lunch?” I questioned, lifting my eyebrows. “Bold move, Alec.”
Alec shrugged. He looked particularly good today, wearing a dark grey shirt with jeans that hugged his legs. Smelled good, too. “I figured you wouldn’t want to sit at my table, so I made the sacrifice.”
“How noble,” I said, causing Georgia to laugh. “But I don’t think Christian would let me sit at your guys’ table, anyway. He’s been glaring at me all morning.” Beside me, my friend nodded.
“I’ll have a talk with him,” Alec said.
A talk with Christian? I knew it wouldn’t go anywhere, but I still nodded along. “I think that’d be a good idea, but maybe at the end of the day, so he doesn’t feel like ripping me a new one in chemistry?” Trying to get him to talk with Christian at the end of the day, after their last periods here before they left while I had photography…it just might work.
I could snoop, be late to photography. That teacher didn’t really seem to care anyway if students walked in late.
“Okay,” Alec spoke with a smile, a smile that sent my stomach tumbling as I remembered what I did on the phone with him Saturday night after the party. I let him listen to me masturbate. I wondered if it had been on his mind all day.
Georgia was unrolling her brown bagged lunch, staring at the both of us as she asked, “So, are you two, like, dating?”
I knew Alec wanted to be dating, but I had to keep my options open. Two other men were also on my hit list, so I couldn’t get tied down to Alec. “No,” I said, noting the way Alec held back a frown, “but we are going to the game tomorrow as our first official date. Maybe if he butters me up…” I trailed off, knowing damn well I would never let myself get tied down to the boy beside me, no matter how cute he was or how soft his lips were.
“You going to ask her to the winter formal?” Georgia giggled when I shot her a look.
The winter formal. A stupid name, considering the temperature was always comfortable here. We never got snow. But Georgia’s words did cause some gears to start turning in my head. As Alec stuttered, clearly unable to tell whether I wanted to go with him or not, I was lost in my own head, coming up with a plan. The only one I wasn’t sure about yet was Xander. He didn’t seem like the type of guy who went to school dances, which was why I never put much thought to it, but if I could get all three of them to come…I could break them all in front of the whole school.
Alec stuttered, “Well, it’s, uh, it’s still like a month away.” His emerald stare lingered on me. “No pressure. I mean, we could always go as friends.” As friends. Right. Friends who listen to each other masturbate.
The winter formal was in late February, and it was supposed to be the dance where the girl asks the guy, anyway. Kind of like a Sadie Hawkins dance, but here in River High they called it Snowball. Since Georgia had brought it up, I nudged her and as
ked, “Anyone you want to bring to the dance?”
Georgia laughed. “No. I doubt I’ll go. Dances aren’t really my thing.” Just like parties, clearly.
I could see that, but a selfish part of me wanted her there, just in case my plan worked and I was able to break Christian, Xander, and Alec in front of the whole school. Would she be cheering me on? She was my friend, but she wasn’t like Leah. I wasn’t sure if she was totally in this revenge scheme of mine or not.
“If I have to go, you have to go,” I said. “We could go dress shopping. That would be fun.” Would it? I wasn’t sure. Going to the mall, trying on dresses, seemed like such a time suck, but the moment I mentioned it, Georgia’s eyes lit up. Maybe dances just weren’t her thing because no one had asked her to one before.
“If you two need a chauffeur, I’m more than happy to offer up my services,” Alec spoke with a grin.
The rest of lunch passed quickly. Much too quickly. Soon enough, I broke away from Georgia and Alec to go to my locker, grabbing my chemistry book. Even though Alec was in the same class, I wasn’t feeling it. Mainly because Christian was also in it, and Jessie. I had no idea whether or not she’d want to talk to me after I walked out of her party. Hell, I had no idea if there was any gossip about it, but from what it looked like at lunch, Jessie didn’t let Christian put his arm around her.
Dating problems, maybe, because of me. The seed was planted. Thanks to what Alec had said, she probably thought Christian had a thing for me. As much as I didn’t want to hurt her, I had to water this specific seed, foster it and watch it grow.
I went to the chemistry room, averting my eyes from Christian as he glared at me from his table. Alec was beside him, pointedly ignoring him, though he did perk up at my presence, which only further angered his friend. Jessie was already sitting at our table, and she barely met my eyes when I sat beside her. The bell had yet to ring, and Sarah was nowhere to be seen.
Believe it or not, I actually felt a bit awkward, sitting there beside Jessie. I liked Jessie. I didn’t want to do this to her, but at this point, it was what it was. There was no turning back now.
“Jessie,” I started, but a look from her hushed me.
“Just…stop. I don’t want to talk about it.” Jessie’s lips curled into a frown, and the bell rang. Sarah still wasn’t here, and for the next forty minutes, we were forced to work with each other in terrible silence. While the other tables talked and laughed as they figured out the formulas and equations the teacher put on the board, she and I were like mutes.
This time, when the bell rang, I was the first out of the classroom. Who knew I couldn’t handle awkwardness? I should’ve been ready for it, given what I set out to do here. I was at my locker, putting in my combination when a girl moved beside me. The same girl I’d just spent an entire period with, not talking to.
Jessie held her books to her chest, her blonde hair drawn up in a high ponytail. She wasn’t wearing makeup today, but even so, she looked pretty. She had a natural kind of beauty that I was jealous of. “I don’t want things to be awkward between us.”
A little late for that, but I found myself nodding along.
“I just…you said there was nothing going on between you and Christian,” she said.
“There’s not,” I stated.
“Then why—why did he freak out so much when he caught you and Alec together? Why did Alec call him jealous?”
I met her stare. “I think that’s something you should ask Christian yourself.”
“I’ve tried, but he won’t tell me. He won’t tell me anything. He’s got everyone on his side. When I bring up your name to anyone, they shut down. No one will talk about you. Why?”
I knew Jessie meant well, but I also knew she had no idea what shit she was digging into. Christian still was able to influence everyone, evidently. By the time I was done with him, no one would be on his side, unless they wanted to face my wrath, too.
When I remained quiet, Jessie added, “What happened between you and Christian?”
“It’s complicated,” I told her before grabbing what I needed from my locker and walking away.
Complicated. Everything was complicated.
That afternoon, before I rushed to photography, I hung back near the hall by Christian’s locker. Their last names weren’t too far apart, so their lockers were in the same hall. I reached for my phone, having it ready, and as the crowds of kids walked by me, I eavesdropped.
Oh, yes. Jessie had no idea how complicated everything truly was. Soon enough, I’d shed light on it. This conversation, this argument between Alec and Christian—it was only the tip of the iceberg. Only the beginning.
Chapter Twelve
The next day in photography, Xander and I headed outside. It was a nice, breezy day. The sun was out, and even though I knew what I had to do tonight, I was trying my best not to let it weigh on me. Even though Xander was part of my plan, I still wanted to enjoy photography.
Each and every day, it seemed like Xander was opening up more. The longer I spent with him, the more he talked to me, the less closed-off he seemed. I had no idea if he was letting his guard down around me, or if he didn’t care anymore. Being so closed-off made for extremely long class periods.
Xander wore dark pants that weren’t exactly jeans. They looked like they were made of a bunch of patches, stitched together, hugging his legs and his ass—which I might’ve glanced at—nicely. His black hair had a kink to it, and he mainly watched me flounder.
I was finding the idea of photography nice and fun, but the actual taking pictures part? Not so much. I’d decided on making my portfolio one dealing with nature, but that didn’t really narrow down anything. Xander was some kissass to the teacher, because his portfolio was already done, even though we still had months until the end of the year.
“Photography is hard,” I whined, leaning against one of the trees lining the parking lot. Most of the spaces were empty, for all the seniors had gone home. “I thought it would be easy. Find cool things, take pictures of them.” I shrugged.
Xander chuckled, and I found myself drawn to the sound. For someone who looked so, well, emo, he had such a bright, dazzling smile. “That’s what everyone thinks photography is,” he said. “But to get the shots that make people stop and stare, it’s not easy. It’s a lot harder than you think.”
He moved beside me, pointing to the parking lot. “You could take a picture of the half-empty parking lot.”
“But I chose nature.”
“Yes, but this space is nature,” Xander went on. “Everything around here is nature, even if it’s man-made.”
I started to understand what he was saying. “The nature of high school,” I mused, grinning.
“Exactly,” he said. “See? You got this.”
Still grinning, I met his eyes. A dark chocolaty color, warm and pure in the sun. Outside, you could really see the flecks of amber in his otherwise black stare. My smart-alecky remark died in the back of my throat, and instead I said something I probably shouldn’t have, “Your eyes are so pretty, Xander.” A truth I never realized until this exact moment.
“I…” Xander looked away, trying to hide the blush that crept up his cheeks. He was, I also realized, strangely adorable, even with the punk look and the piercings on his face. This was not the Xander I knew six years ago. What happened to him?
We started to wander the parking lot, and I let it be for a while. If he wasn’t comfortable thanking me for the compliment, I supposed I should stop from giving him anymore. Still—now that I noticed how beautiful his eyes were in the sunlight, I couldn’t stop staring at him. As crazy as it was, I wanted to take pictures of him.
Somehow I knew our teacher wouldn’t particularly enjoy a portfolio full of Xander.
I took a few shots, different angles. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but,” I started, pausing as I met his dark stare. Just one look from those pretty eyes made my gut warm. “You’re so different than you were.” When his expressi
on became wary, I added, “Not that I mind. I like this Xander a lot better.”
He shrugged. “It’s been six years,” Xander broke his silence, stuffing his hands in his pockets. I wasn’t even sure how he could fit his hands in them, seeing as how tight the pants were on his body. “Time changes everyone.”
“Why aren’t you friends with Christian anymore?” Was that question too direct? Probably, but I was dying to know. Alec wouldn’t say anything about it, so I figured I’d have to get Xander’s take on it.
“You’ve met Christian” was his response, to which I could only nod in agreement. No one in their right mind would want to be friends with that dick.
Holding the camera in one hand, I swept my other through my hair. I’d straightened my brown locks today. “Yes, I have. I just…I never thought the three of you would break up. You were the Dick Squad.” Still were, technically, as far as my plans went.
Xander let out a laugh. A real, genuine laugh that stopped me in my tracks. “The Dick Squad?” he echoed, practically grinning ear to ear. It was so out of character for him that I was stunned speechless. When his laughter quieted, he was serious once again. “We were pretty big dicks to you.”
Yes, you were. Why was I starting to hate him less? His laugh, his pretty eyes—I shouldn’t let anything get to me. I was here on a mission. Leah would be disappointed in me if she knew the thoughts I’d been having.
I moved to his side, playfully brushing my elbow against his arm. “Well, it’s a good thing I’m here so you can make it up to me.”
“And how would I do that?”
I wasn’t expecting his answer to come so fluidly, so quickly. I expected him to remain quiet, to act shy, almost embarrassed, like he did before. This time it was me who fumbled with her words, “You could…you could show me your photography portfolio.” Something near and dear to him, something that might help me figure out just how to handle him.
“I keep it at home,” Xander spoke, nibbling on his lip ring.
Spite: A Bully Reverse Harem Page 9