by L. J. Woods
“You did.” He flashes me a big grin when I’m on my feet. “But you know, if you marry me, you wouldn’t have to worry about Hawthorne. Or anyone.”
My cheeks heat, a small laugh escaping me. “We can’t get married.” One, we’re way too young. Two, he’s my friend. He’s the only one who knows what it’s like to have a dad in the league.
“Why not?” He looks around before he reaches into his pocket. “Gimme your hand.”
My brows lower before I hold a hand out to him. He takes my wrist and it makes me warm all over again. Not the same kind of warm I got when I wanted to punch Jasper.
Something hits the middle of my palm and when he moves his hand, a gold ring with diamonds and a green gem sits inside. He smiles, rubbing the back of his neck. “I got it from my parents. My mom has a ton.”
I hesitate. “We’re only ten, I haven’t even had my first—”
I don’t finish my sentence before Christian presses his lips to mine. My eyes widen but it feels nice. Soft. Warmth all over my body.
When he steps back, he smiles, my fingers coming to my lips. When I don’t say anything, blinking at him, he shrugs, taking the ring. “It doesn’t have to be for real. We can pretend.”
“And the boys won’t bother me anymore?”
“Nope,” he says. “Not when you’re with me. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Christian!” His dad appears behind us. “There you are! We're all worried!”
“Sorry, dad, I—”
“Nathan Quinnfrey won," Hugo growls, grabbing his son’s arm with a hard tug. "This is what happens when you don’t keep your eyes on the prize.”
Christian looks back at me as his dad hauls him off, yelling at him for losing the race. Christian smiles, green eyes sparkling. It makes me feel better. I wave and when he turns around I hear him say, “I did keep my eye on the prize! I helped Ray!”
Thirteen
Rayne
“Make good decisions.”
“Learn from your mistakes.”
“You are power. Not prey.”
Mom’s voice is the last thing that floats through my mind before a buzz wakes me.
My head feels like someone’s playing the bongos inside and I can’t quite make out where I am until my vision clears. It’s dark, the only light coming from beyond the glass. My eyes focus on the soundboard before they land on a photo of Lionel Johnson.
Right. "Fuck," I mutter.
Something buzzes again before a snore comes from beside me. My eyes widen when I realize I’m on top of Christian. A sleeping Christian. I’m still in his jersey but my panties lay across the room.
Real nice, Ray.
His phone vibrates again. When I look at the screen it’s a name I recognize from last night.
Allie: Im srry. I luv u <3<3<3 Im just going thru a lot.
Another one of his girls I’m assuming and that only solidifies what I know.
Last night was a fucking mistake.
A big one.
It was all fun and games until Christian and I made out for hours after well … you know. My thighs clench thinking about his fingers between them. My knife between them. But I’m quiet when I pick up my phone and head towards the studio door.
Checking the time, it’s too late to head back to The Grove but I’m not wearing his jersey to class. So with a tap to Lexi who’s fallen asleep next to Isaac on the sofa in the living room, she hooks me up with an outfit. If you call a long skirt with a slit that sticks to my thighs and a crop top that shows off way too much of my rack an ‘outfit.’
Sneaking out with the rest of the stragglers is easier than getting used to her clothes. Easier than digesting what the fuck happened last night.
But instead of dealing with morning-after woes, I focus on the thing burning inside me. Something I haven’t had for a while.
Inspiration.
When I get to school, I put the guilt from last night on pause, and spend the rest of the morning in the library. Just me, my notebook and I. Christian’s fingers swirl through my head as the words pour out of me for the first time since I moved to The Grove. Questions still wave through my head. Ones that I don’t think I’ll find the answer to in my words.
Like, did Christian really not know about my mom? Or about why we left?
Does it even matter? He’s still allied with these people. He’s still one of them and I’m not.
After a morning of burying my emotions in my words, English comes sooner than I expect.
The minute I arrive in class, my stomach twists, memories of last night flooding back to my still pounding head. Christian sits in his seat, the one next to mine. His leg lays on the table and when he sees me, a grin spreads across his face like he’s found a pot of gold.
Great.
Henry slides a paper in front of him. “You passed. Looks like you’re not as daft as I thought.”
When I plop into the seat next to Perez, the smell of spice twists my insides, my eyes landing on his fingers tapping against the desk.
“Loca.”
His groans float around my head before Henry slams a paper in front of me.
“You hardly passed,” he states, loud enough for the settling class to hear. Loud enough to make me flinch.
Looking up at his face, he avoids my eye contact as I narrow my glare into his head. Christian had the same answers, so this is a clear retaliation from Henderson. One that could ruin my chances. And something tells me this is thanks to Perez’s little show.
“It would’ve been a failing grade,” Henry says. “That’s if I didn’t know you were more competent than this. But I’m disappointed in you, Ray.”
My stomach sinks. Not that I care about doing well at this stupid school but it'll disappoint my dad if he finds out. What I want doesn't matter when my family is hanging on by their last box of Kernel Flakes.
“Sorry, Henry,” Christian pipes up, his arm coming around me. “I take the blame for her distraction.”
“Yes, it’s clear she’s been too distracted to keep up with her studies.” He slams his laptop closed and I watch my opportunity close with it before he stands.
“Wait, is there anything I can do?” I ask, my grip tight on the paper. “Extra credit? A re-do?”
Henry finally locks eyes with mine, stroking his chin. “Perhaps we can talk after classes. This evening. We can come up with something that’ll be worth your time.”
“No can do, Professor Weinstein," Christian pipes up again. I whip my head to him, eyes narrow. He’s only gonna make this worse. “We’ve got an away-game tomorrow.”
My eyes fall to his ankle, the one I told him to stay off. “How’re you gonna play in your state?”
“Nurse says it’s just a sprain,” he winks. “But I appreciate your concern, baby.” Leaning in, he kisses me on my head and I hate that it leaves a trail of tingles.
Henry leans against his desk. “Seeing as Rayne’s not on the team, what’s this got to do with her?”
Christian leans in, looking around like he has a big secret. But that smirk on his face tells me whatever it is, he’s about to use it to his advantage. “The girls always come up to cheer us on. You know, wish us good luck with a good fuck. Don’t tell Coach.” His phone vibrates against the table. Allie’s name lights up the screen again and I almost rip the paper in two. “I gotta take this, then we gotta get going.” He rises from his seat. “See you at Lake Montauk, Loca.”
That name strikes me like a bolt of lightning. “Lake Montauk?” I ask. “Isn’t that where we …”
“Sure is.” A wide grin spreads across Christian’s face, a hint of red in his cheeks and it’s hard to ignore how cute he looks right now. But when he glances at Henry, his demeanour changes, that smile fading. He tilts his head towards the door. “Weinstein, can I have a word?”
“I’m trying to teach a class, Perez.”
“This won’t take long. Believe me, you’ll want to hear this.” Christian doesn’t wait for them both to get to
the door before he leans into Henderson’s ear. I can’t hear what they’re saying but whatever it is makes Henry tense, a glare coming my way. Christian pats him on the shoulder before he leaves, hopping on that ankle.
Henry gets straight into class after that. But he ignores me when I try to answer questions or ask to make up for the horrible mark on my test. Planning to speak with him after class proves no good because he’s out of here like the White Rabbit.
Whatever Christian said, it couldn’t have been good but I try not to think about it all the way back to The Grove.
Taking the train takes longer than if I’d asked my dad. I’m avoiding a lecture. But a text from who I can only assume is Jack doesn’t make this day from hell any better.
Chain-smoking a few cigarettes on the walk home with Metallica blaring in my headphones helps to calm my nerves. But it all comes rolling back when I get to our street.
There’s a car in the driveway. Not my dad’s. Not one I recognize. No one we know drives a Lexus that fancy. No one we know on this side of town anyway.
A laugh comes from the garage and when I peek around the car my jaw tightens.
Lexi.
She’s sitting next to my brother on their shitty sofa, a leg thrown over his. August's boys are watching her like they're all about to share Sunday dinner.
Dropping my backpack on the ground with a thud gets them both to stop giggling at each other and look my way. Lexi’s cheeks redden before she hops up in strappy platforms, my brother’s eyes on her ass. I glare into him until he gets the picture.
He grins. “New friend?”
I ignore it, asking Lexi a question of my own. “What’re you doing here?” Owl and Gull have made themselves at home in the garage that has more trashy furniture in it every day. This time they’ve added a battered fridge that can only be holding the copious amounts of beer they drink.
Lexi brushes off her skintight mini, straps holding the thing together. “Chrisitan says you need a ride to Lake Montauk, so, here I am!” She strikes a pose, a fresh set of colourful neon nails on her fingers.
“Perez?” August asks, wrench in his hand as he moves over to his bike. “And what the fuck are you wearing?”
“Isn’t it cute?” Lexi smiles approvingly, admiring me like a piece of art. “I only wish I had legs like yours.”
If I’m being honest, I thought I’d be riding with Christian and while this gives me a chance to back out, that text from Jack doesn’t make things here very comfy.
There’s also so much more Christian and I need to talk about. Especially considering that I can’t get the feel of his fingers between my legs out of my mind.
“Yup,” I say, tossing my bag in the passenger seat of her car. Driving to Lake Montauk in Lexi's Lexus only brings back the memories from eons ago. But since we’re digging up old dirt, I guess it’s only fitting. “See you Monday.”
August grunts, eyeing my outfit before I close the door. “See ya. Traitor.”
Not having thought this through, I’m stuck in Lexi’s outfit for the foreseeable future.
While she thinks it’s cute, she also refuses to let me wear the same thing the entire weekend. So with a shake of Isaac’s credit card, we stop off at the boutiques in downtown Eden before heading on our way.
Refusing to let her buy me thousand-dollar dresses, I let her have her fun, dressing me up in outfits that make me scrunch my nose. She stops, champagne in hand, her eyes scanning the racks that are way too small for a boutique this big and shiny.
“Wait, I’ve got the thing for you, Rayne Rose.” Grabbing a couple of items off an all-black rack, she pushes me back into the changeroom and doesn’t let me out until I have everything on.
I’ll admit she’s on to something.
I’m not fond of the red lip pattern on this black spaghetti strap dress but it does make me look more shapely than frumpy. The oversized Saint Laurent leather jacket on my shoulders isn’t half bad. If it wasn’t for the hefty price tag that is. It’s hard to remember ever affording this lifestyle.
“Perfect,” she says with a firm nod, dusting my bangs. “You look like you’re straight out of a vintage Chanel ad circa 2015.”
Looking in the mirror, my tits look like they’re ready for a Saturday night. “Wouldn’t hiking boots and cargo shorts be more appropriate?”
Lexi stares at me, blinking with glittery lashes before she just laughs.
Lake Montauk is a two and half hour drive from Eden Gardens and The Grove. It’s as scenic and relaxing as I remember but it’s hard to relax when Lexi’s friends won’t shut up about my relationship. Fake relationship.
“You’re so fuckin’ lucky,” Iris says, sitting up from the back, her breath already full of vodka. She studies psychology but she doesn’t need to. Not when her mom is a celebrity therapist with her own television show. “I’ve been trying to date Perez since we hooked up in New York on Saint Pat’s. He’s got good … aim, am I right?” She holds up her hand for a high-five, the sun setting around us. I don’t return it, raising the volume on the radio.
The Weeknd plays and they all squeal. They sound like dying cats but it gets them to shut up, singing along to the song instead. Still, my jaw clenches. How many girls in Eden has Christian hooked up with? One won’t stop calling, another wants to murder me.
“And we’re here!” Lexi pulls into a home that has me floored. All glass walls and wood. It’s three-stories right on the lake, a rocky border around it like they’ve built it into the side of a mountain. “You can take the room on the bottom floor, near the pool.”
The silver lining.
The thought of having my own room outside of that broken-down apartment makes a weight left off my chest. Then that weight hits me like a truck.
Traitor.
“Where are the boys?” I ask, following the girls through large wooden doors.
Inside, streamers and balloons decorate the wood-panelled walls and wooden floors. Stone features bring it all together. And not that cheap shit either. Everything is shiny and polished, including the framed photos of Iris and her family.
“‘Sup ladies!” Isaac’s voice bellows through the halls as if he heard my question. “Birthday boy is here!”
Setting the rest of the bags we bought on the shiny wooden island, I turn around to see Isaac strutting in with shades on his face.
“It’s your birthday?” I ask.
“Nope,” Christian’s voice comes from around the corner. When he enters the kitchen, he’s already in his swim trunks and I can see the bulge of his cock from here.
Fuck, he looks good. My grip tightens on the island and when he smiles that charming smile, my grip tightens some more.
His eyes rake over my outfit, green and bright before he says the words that makes my nail break. “It’s mine.”
Fourteen
Rayne
“It’s your birthday?”
Why didn’t he tell me? Did he expect me to remember after all this time? Is he planning something?
More humiliation? Embarrassment?
“You didn’t know?” Lexi asks, pulling a litre of vodka out of one of the brown bags on the stone counter.
“Yeah, you didn’t know?” Christian leans against the wall at the entrance to the kitchen, posing like he’s in a motherfucking ad.
“Right, September twentieth,” I mutter.
“Why do you think we got you that outfit, girl?” She blinks in disbelief before she shakes her head with a smile. Picking out glasses from one of the cupboards above, she laughs, like a lightbulb went off. “Guess it’s hard to talk about the important stuff when you guys are busy getting it on.”
My cheeks heat.
There’s a lot we haven’t talked about but it’s not because we’re “getting it on.” It’s not even like he even fingered me. My knife did.
“Looking good, Ray,” Christian says, his dazzling greens roaming around my outfit. “Can’t wait to see that on my bedroom floor.”
Before I can tug him aside and ask him why he didn’t tell me about this event, someone calls his name from the front door. A deep, rolling voice.
“Perez! Come help me out with your surprise you old fuck.”
Christian’s face lights up, the only thing that seems to be able to pull his gaze from my outfit.
Isaac smiles, wider than I’ve ever seen it. “That’s the sound of more Eden royalty arriving.” He takes one of the bottles off the counter before he pulls out a baggie of white powder from his navy blazer. “Let’s get this party started, baby.”
A tall boy with dark hair, a strand over his striking grey eyes enters the room. His demeanour is as dark as his outfit, commanding the attention in the room with as little effort as his bored drawl. “Happy birthday, Perez.” He has a long black rope dangling from his hand. Like one of those bondage ropes from the sex shop.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” Christian glances over at me and it’s like instant goosebumps on my arms. Is he thinking about using that on me?
“You’ll see,” Grey Eyes says, hands in his slacks with the confidence of a—
“King. Already at it with the secrets,” Isaac reaches over to give him one of those bro-hugs which isn’t a hug at all. “Sure you don’t want to come back with us to Eden?”
Damien King.
I wondered where the third of their little trio was, though they’re not little anymore. Not at all. King is even taller than Christian, his attire less sporty in a plain black tee that’s definitely designer. It matches his black denim and black boots. Considering who King is, I’m surprised he left Eden at all.
His eyes wander the room, stopping on me with a cocked brow, a cold stare. That’s when I’m reminded that he’s always been the oddball with the multi-colored eyes that’ll make any girl whip their panties off. One blue. One grey.
“We’re not moving back to Eden.” A pretty girl with curly hair and a side-shave comes out of nowhere to wrap her arms around Christian’s broad shoulders. She kisses him on the cheek and Christian squeezes her in a way that makes my jaw clench.