"It's not going to," I called out as he walked away.
"You're building castles in the air," he smirked. "What else is going to happen?"
He left me standing there, closing the door firmly behind him. It felt like the first castle had already fallen, making me feel emptier than ever. One castle down... How many to go?
10
DATE: SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2019, 6.47 P.M.
PLACE: WILDWOOD ACADEMY
MILO
"Yo," I called out to my brother. "Where's Finn?"
"Right here." A leather-jacket-clad figure appeared from under the bleachers, stubbing out a cigarette on the lawn beneath his studded military boots.
"That's bad for the lawn," Natan groaned.
Finn gave him a look that said I don't care and lit another cigarette. I glanced around and ran a hand through my hair. "Did you guys... see anyone?"
"No," Finn shrugged. "I've been here for a while, too. No one in sight."
"Weird," I muttered.
"I found something," Natan muttered, pulling out a piece of paper. I took it out of his hands and Finn and I focused on the writing that was printed out on the page.
Pay up or else. Another 10 g's. Next week. Drop off same as last time.
"Shit," I muttered.
"Shit is right," Finn groaned. "Where the hell are we going to get another ten grand?"
"We could ask Crispin," Natan suggested.
"He's not a part of the Lords anymore." I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "Fuck. How the hell did this even happen? We're being blackmailed? Again?"
"We need to find a replacement for Crispin," Nate pondered. "Someone loaded."
"Yo, maybe you should ask Miss Homecoming Queen," Finn snickered.
"Is this somehow funny to you?" I hissed at him.
"What? She's loaded," he shrugged. "She wouldn't miss those ten g's, and it could get us out of trouble."
"We can't just keep paying this person," Nate muttered. "I mean, we're gonna be out twenty-five grand by the time we pay this round."
"Do you have a better idea?" They were both quiet, and I rolled my eyes. "Thought so."
We sat down on the bleachers and Finn rolled a joint in silence, passing it between the three of us. I took long, deep breaths of the weed, filling my lungs with smoke and praying the familiar haziness would take over as soon as possible. I didn't usually let myself do shit like this, but the letter meant we were in deep shit. The chatroom had already been compromised, but now it seemed like school wasn't safe either, since our blackmailer clearly had access to the grounds.
"Have you heard from Crispin?" I asked Nate, and he nodded. "How's he liking Eastvale?"
"He loves it," my brother nodded. "Says he's done with this high school drama. He even said we should... you know. Tell the truth about that night."
"Easy for him to say," I muttered. "He was barely involved."
"I was thinking about it," Nate admitted.
"Coming clean?" Finn raised his brows, whistling. "Count me the fuck out."
"You can't come clean without fucking over all four of us," I told Natan. "And you don't want to do that, do you?"
"Come on," my brother groaned. "How much trouble will we actually get in?"
"I don't really want to find out," I muttered, shifting my attention to Finn. "How are things going with your girl? She noticed you're stalking her yet?"
"It's not stalking." He took a drag of the joint before passing it to my brother. "It's just... making sure I'm in the same place as she is."
"Sure."
"Sure."
"Shut up, like you two are the epitome of honesty." Finn blew smoke in our faces. "Anyway. What about Estella?"
"What about her?" Nate and I answered in unison again, then exchanged glances.
"Fuck, we gotta stop doing that," I laughed.
"Estella's good," Natan answered, giving me a weird look. "You know, the usual."
I knew that was far from the truth, but I bit my tongue.
"What about this Andromeda girl?" I asked Finn. "She gonna be trouble?"
"Aside from the fact that she's Pandora's sister," he said, "I don't see a problem. She seems pretty meek now that Tins is gone."
"You still hang out with her?" Nate asked, and our friend nodded. "Sweet. She's pretty cute."
"She's hot, yeah," Finn nodded.
"The quirky chick?" They nodded. "Yeah, she's nice."
"At least we agree on one thing," Finn said, smashing the joint under his boot.
"I still don't know what you see in-" Nate started, but Finn cut him off.
"Gotta get going," he said. "See you guys later. Try to find some ways to get the money together."
We waved him off, lingering in the field for a while longer.
"You really think Andie's cute?" I asked Nate.
"What?" He furrowed his brows at me. "Oh. Yeah. She is, isn't she?" A goofy smile took over his face.
"Christ. You got a crush on her or something?"
"What?" He blanched. "Of course not, don't be ridiculous. And... for fuck's sake, don't mention it to Estella. She hates that girl's guts."
"My lips are sealed," I found myself saying. I seem to be repeating that phrase a lot lately. "I've gotta get going."
"Hot date? Harlem?"
"Nah." I grinned at him. "Miss James."
"Lucky SOB," my brother groaned. "I want the full deets later. Including on what she was wearing and how her tits looked. Bra or no bra. Be on the lookout."
"Perv alert," I called out over my shoulder as I walked away, shaking my head.
Outside, the sun was setting, coloring the sky in the color of toasted almonds. I pulled up to Miss James' driveway and found her waiting on the porch of her suburban home. She was wearing a green floral dress that made her look much younger, maybe even my age, and she was barefoot. Her red hair fell down her back in waves, and she had a pair of leopard-print cat-eye sunglasses pushed on top of her head. The patterns clashed, and it made me smile.
"Thought you were bailing on me," she called out as I got out of my car.
"No way," I replied. "Just ran a little late doing something else."
She eyed me, jokingly asking, "Anything I should be worried about?" As I looked away, her expression faltered, and she cleared her throat, changing the topic. "Do you want a cold drink first? It's such a hot day."
"I'd love an iced tea," I replied, opening the trunk of my car. "I emptied this so we should have plenty of room to transport everything. Are you moving far away?"
"A couple of streets over." She carried a glass of tea to me, and I took several long, grateful gulps of the sweet liquid. "Thank you so much again for doing this, Milo. I know it's a bit... awkward."
"Not if we don't make it awkward. Now let me start grabbing your boxes." She directed me to the porch where all her stuff was lined up. It had rained a couple of days before, and I noticed some of the boxes were soaked through. "Shit, what happened here?"
She glanced at me nervously. "Nothing, I accidentally left some outside."
"They're soaked. You just forgot about them?"
"Yeah," she whispered.
"Miss James... are you okay?" My brows knitted together in worry.
"Of course. Why?"
"Well, you don't seem very okay. Have you been sleeping in this house?" I motioned to the house behind us. "Or somewhere else?"
"I'm not allowed to sleep in there," she mumbled. "I... I slept in my car for the past few days."
"Jeez," I muttered. "But you're moving into the new house today?"
She nodded. "Please don't tell anyone about this, it's so embarrassing."
"My lips are sealed." It seemed to be my newest catchprase.
I deposited box after box in the trunk of my car while wondering what kind of raging idiot her boyfriend was to let her slip through his fingers. Not to mention the whole sleeping in her car thing. What kind of jackass does that to a woman?
"Oh, I almost forgot," I called out.
"This is potentially weird, but... my Dads made you a casserole." I pulled out a dish covered in tinfoil. "Depending on the parent that made it, it's either scrumptious or inedible." I offered her an apologetic look. "Enjoy."
"That's so sweet." She laughed, but the sound was uneasy. "You told your parents you were helping me?"
"Yeah," I shrugged. "I tell them mostly everything."
We loaded up my car, and by the time we got everything in there I was getting hot, so I took off my shirt and wiped my forehead with it. I could feel drops of sweat sliding down my back, gathering in the hollows above my ass. Glancing at Miss James, I smirked when I saw her staring. Even though it hadn't been my intention, it was flattering as hell.
"Another drink?" she asked, and I nodded. She brought over another glass and I downed it in one ago.
"That was a godsend," I told her. "You make a mean iced tea, Miss James."
"Oh," she giggled nervously. "You should call me Jenny Mae."
"Jenny Mae?" I repeated. "Even at school?"
"Maybe not there." She bit her bottom lip. "Do you need a towel or something?"
"I'll just use this," I said, pulling the tea towel she had tied around the belt loop in her dress and using it to wipe my lips. She stared at me, seemingly mesmerized before she snapped out of it a moment later.
"Milo, I hate to ask this..." She was biting her bottom lip. "But I have to give back my keys to my ex and I'm really nervous. Can you wait with me?"
"Sure," I agreed. The situation was beyond awkward, but I couldn't just say no.
She looked over my shoulder and swallowed thickly. "Shit. That's him now. Looks like he's early."
A fleshy Benz pulled into the driveway, a sharp contrast both to my beat-up ride and the house behind us. Whoever Miss James' boyfriend was, he cared more about his car than where he lived. For some people, it really was all about appearances.
The car pulled up, and a guy with reflective pink sunglasses got out from the driver's seat. Once I got a better look at him, my jaw dropped. "Mr. Cabot?"
"Milo Earnshaw?" He pushed his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose, confirming that he was indeed the English AP professor from Wildwood. "Well, I'll be damned. What, we're involving students now, Jenny?"
"Shut up, Trevor," Miss James - Jenny Mae - muttered. "He's helping me move my stuff. Here’s your keys back.”
"Wow, nice," he smirked, pulling the keys out of her fingers. He turned to me, winking as he nudged me. "Hey, what's it take for you to do this, kid? Quick blowjob? Or does she let you go all the way?"
"Trevor!" Jenny Mae hissed.
"Just wondering," Mr. Cabot winked at me. "Now get the fuck off my lawn, both of you." Jenny Mae's bottom lip trembled as she made her way over the grass to stand by my side. "Yo, whore. You forgot your slut heels."
I looked up to find Mr. Cabot throwing a pair of strappy heels at us. They hit Jenny Mae in the shoulder, and she winced. An image of Estella's beautiful, bruised face crossed my mind, and I saw red. In several footsteps, I reached Mr. Cabot and grabbed him by the collar.
"You apologize to her right now," I snarled at him.
"Calm down, kid," he hissed. "Jesus, get the hell off me."
"Milo, please," Jenny Mae begged. "He isn't worth it."
I let go, glaring at my teacher. "Yeah," he smirked. "Not that you could take me, anyway."
I was never the fighting type, but this guy had pushed all the right buttons. My fist came smashing into the side of his face, sending him flying until he hit his own crumbling house.
"Let's go," I growled at Jenny Mae, and she wordlessly followed me to my car. I didn't wait for Mr. Cabot to get up, I just reversed out of the driveway and drove to her new place while she gave me the address in a shaky, shell-shocked voice.
Once we reached her home, she invited me in for dinner, and I accepted. I wasn't even sure if I was just doing it to be polite. I liked looking at Jenny Mae too. Especially in that green sundress.
She served us the casserole my dads had made and luckily, it was delicious. Jenny Mae had a glass of wine with dinner, but I stuck to iced tea. Her new house was a bit older, but nicer than Mr. Cabot's place, and I told her as much.
"Thank you," she said with a beaming smile. "I'm so glad to be out of that terrible place. I never felt at home there."
"I don't blame you," I admitted. "And if Mr. Cabot ever bothers you at school, you tell me or my brother."
"Natan?" She laughed, shaking her head. "No, I don't trust him like you, Milo."
"You trust me?"
She nodded. "Why wouldn't I? You've been nothing but nice to me."
"Some might say it's a bit naive to trust a stranger," I grinned.
"That's what got me in trouble with Trevor, to be fair." She grimaced.
"Well, I promise I'm nothing like that guy." Once again, the memory of Estella's face made me look away, worry creasing my forehead.
"Everything okay?" Jenny Mae asked.
"Yeah," I muttered. "Just worried about a friend. She's been having some problems."
"What kind?"
"The abusive Dad kind," I muttered, and she furrowed her brows.
"That's terrible, Milo. Anything I can do to help?"
"Not yet," I admitted. "But I'll keep it in mind. Thank you. Means a lot."
"You're welcome." She reached over the table to touch my hand, and I felt a spark ignite between us. We locked glances, and she bit her bottom lip again. "Sorry... I really shouldn't."
"You can." My voice was soft, gentle. "You should."
She shook her head but didn't move her hand. "I really don’t think it’s a good idea…”
"It’s not a good idea, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t feel good.” I could hear my heart pounding in my chest. My thoughts were swimming with Estella. Am I just doing all of this to hurt her?
"We shouldn't be doing this.”
"Then walk away. We can stop right now. Pretend nothing happened.”
"I... don't want to.” Her eyes sparkled in the semi-darkness. “You want me to touch you?" she whispered.
Pink bedroom. Homecoming crown. Those hurt, beautiful eyes above a bruising cheek. The fragments of thoughts filled my mind, and I blinked to get the thoughts out.
"Maybe," I admitted. "Try and see what happens."
An understanding passed between us then, and I knew she was going to go for it. She pulled her chair closer, and her fingers followed my arm, over my shoulder, down my chest.
"Lower," I groaned. Her fingers were trembling as they climbed over my chest. "Lower."
"Where, Milo?"
"You know where." I closed my eyes, put my hands behind my back and leaned back. "You know exactly where."
She kept going, painfully slowly. Finally, her fingertips reached the wristband of my jeans and she toyed with my belt buckle. She kept moving, and a moment later, she wrapped her palm around my hardening cock. "Here?"
"Right there," I groaned. "That's it, Miss James. Don't stop..."
11
DATE: SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2019, 11 P.M.
LOCATION: ESTELLA'S HOUSE
ESTELLA
"Pssst, Stells. Wake up. Come on, I don't have all day." I groaned, tossing and turning in my bed until my eyes finally opened. Romilly was sitting on the edge of my bed, grinning wide. "Ugh, what do you want?" I groaned. "It's the middle of the night."
"It's eleven p.m.," she told me. "What, are you going to bed early all of a sudden? Get up."
"Why?" I yawned. "Did you forget I'm grounded?"
"Nope." She grinned wickedly. "But what papa doesn't know won't hurt him. Come on. I have an influencer party to go to."
I sat up in bed, rubbing my bleary eyes. "How am I even going to get in? I'm nowhere near twenty-one."
"You'll get in because you're with me," Romilly assured me. "And I think you deserve a treat after the way papa's treated you. Now come on. I got you an outfit and everything." She pulled the duvet off me, and I yawned again before getting up.<
br />
"Shoes, dress," she said, nodding to the pile. "And I'll do your makeup. Now hurry." I couldn't help the shiver of excitement that raced down my spine. I stripped in front of my sister, examining the blood red dress she'd bought me. It was a short, ruffly number that was tight in all the right spots, and I slipped into the silky fabric with ease. "Don't put the shoes on yet, we still have to climb down from your window."
I giggled and nodded in agreement. "Seems like you've worked out the whole plan."
She sat me down in front of my pink makeup mirror and went to work on my face. It only took ten minutes, but when I looked at myself, I could see she'd practically transformed me. I looked pretty despite the fading bruise on my cheek, which was barely noticeable beneath the layers of concealer my sister had drowned it in. She colored my lips with a glossy cherry-red lipstick and added thick black liner and mascara to my eyes. I looked older. More experienced.
"Come on," she motioned, grabbing our shoes with one hand. "We need to leave, pronto." I followed her to the window, skeptically eyeing the oak tree's branches right outside my room. She slid over the railing with no problem, holding out her hand for me. "Come on, scaredy cat. I've got you."
Excitement flooded my stomach, and I realized I wanted to do this. For once, I wanted to forget about my miserable life and just enjoy myself. I reached over for her hand and let her pull me onto the branches of the old tree. We were giggling softly as we climbed down the ladder the previous family who lived here had put on the tree for their kids. In moments, we were on the ground, running around the corner to where Romilly's Land Rover was parked. We got in the car, and before I'd even managed to shut the driver's door, she was already driving off.
"Where's this party, anyway?" quizzed her on the way over.
"Downtown. You're going to love it." She smiled at me apologetically. "Just a way to make up for what papa did. I wish I could have stopped him."
"I don't think anyone could have," I admitted.
Boys That Read: A High School Romance (Lords of Wildwood Book 2) Page 9