“Carlos?” She blanched. “Am I in trouble?”
“Not at all.” I tried to sound calming as I gave her a comforting grin. “But he might be. What do you do together?”
“Whatever he pays for,” she whispered, pocketing the money. “And he pays well.”
“Is he rough with you?” I demanded, and she looked away without answering. But the answer was right there in front of me, in the shape of four finger-shaped bruises on her neck. “Look, I can help you get out of here, if you ever need it. But I need you to do something for me. You need to go public about what this man’s doing to you.”
“I can’t,” she shook her head vehemently. “I’d lose my job, and I have people to take care of.”
“I’ll help you,” I reassured her. “I have the money. Give me your number.” I handed her my phone and she hesitantly added her number to my contacts. “This man is treating his wife and daughters the same way he’s treating you. And I’m not going to stand for it.”
“He’s a preacher,” she managed weakly.
“I know. And we need to stop him.” She nodded, not even fighting me on what I’d said. “Wait for my call, okay? I’ll help you through this and make sure you don’t get into any trouble.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, and I nodded, pulling away. “Hey, what’s your name?”
“You can just call me checkmate,” I grinned.
Moments after, I met up with Finn again in the front of the spa. The front counter woman eyed me again but didn’t object after I put some money on the counter, and Finn and I left the building.
“Hope that was useful,” he told me outside, grabbing his helmet and putting it on. “I heard some rumors about that prick abusing one of the girls in there. Does he do the same to Estella?”
“You don’t want to know,” I muttered.
“Jackass.” Finn sat on his bike. “Well, I helped you enough.”
“More than you know.” I raised my hand in a goodbye and watched him drive off before heading to my car again.
17
DATE: SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2019, 7 P.M.
PLACE: MISS JAMES’ HOUSE
ESTELLA
I stared through the window of Miss James' house in disbelief. This can't be happening, please don't let this be happening, please don't let it be true. But my eyes weren't lying, and the scene that was unfolding right in front of me was more than real.
I pulled out an old digital camera and snapped a bunch of pictures of Milo and Miss James in the window together. You couldn't really make out much in the photos, but I thought some proof of them rendezvous was better than none. I stuffed the camera back in my pocket, my heart hammering in my chest. Just then, my old, stand-in phone started ringing with a shrill melody, and I cursed under my breath, struggling to get out of the hedges surrounding the house and praying they hadn't heard me. I walked away, ran down the street toward Inca's beat-up old car. She was waiting with her phone pressed to her, breathing a sigh of relief when I arrived.
"I was so worried," she greeted me with a frown. "You were gone for ages! Did he go inside?"
"Yeah," I muttered, getting in the passenger seat and slamming the door, making my friend wince.
"That bad, huh?" I nodded wordlessly, and she sighed again, pulling out of the parking space on the street and driving away from Miss James' neighborhood. "You want to grab a milkshake or something?"
I glanced at the clock on my phone, nodding. I had another hour or so before my parents would be home, and I'd bribed our maid with some leftover birthday cash. I just hoped she'd stay true to her word and not blow my cover.
Inca kept driving, turning on the music when she saw I wasn't willing to talk. As we made our way to Clancy's, my mind raced with the possibilities of what Miss James and Milo were doing now. My thoughts were full of them together, every single movement I'd seen in that house replaying in my head, over and over again. The way she'd touched him... The way he'd moved away at first but didn't stop her when she advanced on him again. He wanted her. He never wanted me.
The cruel voices of doubt in my head were determined to make me feel terrible about what I'd seen. I couldn't block them out, no matter how hard I tried, and by the time we arrived in the parking lot of Clancy's, I was nervous, my hands shaking and my thoughts still swimming with the terrible idea of Miss James and Milo together.
I got out of the car, closing my eyes tightly and trying to center myself before following Inca into the building. Clancy's was almost full, but we managed to find a booth, ordered milkshakes, and sat down.
"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Inca asked softly.
I shrugged. I wanted to tell her, but my pride wouldn't let me. It meant admitting what I'd seen had hurt me. Telling her I had feelings for Milo, the boy who was probably hooking up with our admissions' officer as we sat there, waiting for our order. "I wish we hadn't even gone there."
"Just tell me," Inca begged. "Come on. I came all the way here, snuck you out of your house, and drove you to that neighborhood. And I want to help."
"I don't think you can," I muttered. "I don't think anyone can." The only thing that can mend a broken heart is time, my mother's words echoed in my head from when Crispin and I broke up. I'd been such a mess then, convinced it was the worst moment of my life. Oh, if only I had known what still lay in store for me.
"Was he there?" Inca went on, her voice kind and gentle. "Did you see Milo there?"
I nodded wordlessly, and she reached over, putting her palm over my hand. "I'm not going to judge you, and I'm not going to tell anyone what happened. This stays between us, okay, Stells?"
"Yeah," I croaked, clearing my throat. "His car was parked in the driveway." "And he was in the house?" Inca inquired, and I nodded. "With her?"
"Yes." The word came out in a broken whisper. "They were together."
"Doing what?"
"I don't want to say."
"Stells." She squeezed my hand. "I just want to help you. But I can't do that if you don't tell me what happened."
"What happened is, that bitch is trying to steal my man," I ground out, feeling the anger rise deep within me. "She was making moves on him, trying to seduce him." Inca covered her mouth with her free hand. "Are you serious? She could totally lose her job for that."
"Not if we don't tell anyone," I muttered miserably. "And not if Milo was willing to let her do it, which he definitely was."
"Were they..." Inca looked around before going on. "Kissing?"
"I guess," I shrugged, unable to help but giggle at her shocked face. "Why are you so shocked? You didn't think this kind of stuff happened at Wildwood?"
"No, I don't think I did," she said, letting out a chuckle herself. "And I definitely didn't peg Milo as the type to hook up with a teacher, or a member of the staff."
"Neither did I," I admitted miserably. "Inca, what am I going to do?"
"I don't know." We moved our hands off the table as the bored-looking waitress arrived with our order. As she put the milkshakes down on the table, she spilled some over the edge, not even bothering to apologize or clean it up. I pulled my milkshake toward me, taking off the maraschino cherry and devouring it. Inca sipped her shake in silence, her eyebrows knitting together in worry. "This is stupid."
"What is?" She looked at me over the rim of her glass. "This," I motioned around myself in a circle. "Me acting like this is the end of the world. I've been broken up with before. It shouldn't matter as much as it does right now."
"Well, did you think that maybe this time..." She bit her bottom lip nervously. "Maybe this time, you actually have real feelings for the guy?"
"Are you saying I didn't have real feelings for Crispin, or Natan?" I narrowed my eyes at her.
"I can't answer that. Only you know the truth."
I pondered my friend's words, knowing deep down that she couldn't have been more right. This was my first official heartbreak, the first time I found myself falling in love with a boy. And it was so bitte
rsweet, because as amazing as it felt to have those feelings budding deep inside me, it also meant the pain of being rejected was that much worse.
"God," I groaned. "When did I become this pathetic?"
"You're not pathetic." Inca grinned at me. "This is totally normal. Everyone goes through heartbreak in high school. I'd be more worried if you hadn't."
"What about you?" I gave her a curious look. "Have you been hurt like that before?"
"No," she admitted. "I can't say that I have."
"No boys on the horizon for you?" I teased her.
"There's no one I'm interested in," she shrugged, but a traitorous blush colored her cheeks bright red.
"Little liar!"
"Am not," she insisted, but the blush only deepened.
"Sure," I laughed out loud. "You don't have to tell me now, but when you're ready, I'll be waiting."
"Thanks, Stells." Her voice was filled with relief and she smiled wide at me. "One problem at a time. Let's deal with the Milo situation first, okay?"
"Okay." I stirred my milkshake with the metal straw. "What do you think I should do?"
"About Miss James?" I nodded, and she sighed. "I really think you need to speak to Milo before you draw any conclusions. I'm sure there's an explanation for everything you saw in there."
Yeah, like he's in love with our admissions officer and doesn't want me anymore.
"I can see where your mind went." Inca patted my hand again. "Don't do that to yourself, Estella. Just try to text him and see if he'll have anything to say about this."
"I don't want to." I crossed my arms stubbornly in front of my body. "Why do I have to be the one to make contact after what I've seen?"
"God." Inca rolled her eyes. "Fine, wait for him to get in touch then. Do you think..."
"What?" "Do you think Milo knows Miss James didn't send out your application?"
I bit my bottom lip nervously. The thought gave me heart palpitations and made me question everything. Was it possible they were in on this, together? That Milo had cheated me out of my spot at Eastvale with her help, just so he could offer to give up his place and earn my trust? Surely he wouldn't do that. Surely he wouldn't lie like that to me.
"I don't know," I finally whispered. "I just don't know anymore."
18
DATE: SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2019, 9.30 P.M.
PLACE: ESTELLA’S HOUSE
MILO
I parked a street away from Estella's house and walked to her place, making sure to stay half-hidden in the shadows so nobody would notice me. The driveway leading to her house was deserted, and I was momentarily relieved, but just as I scaled the fence and walked toward the garden, I heard a car pulling into the lot, and hid behind a tree. Voices floated in from far away, and I waited until they faded into the background before going to the back of the house and looking up at Estella's window. There was an old oak tree in front of the house, and I used its gnarly branches to swing myself up. From my vantage point, I could see directly into Stells' princess pink bedroom.
She was sitting on her bed, absent-mindedly brushing her hair and staring into her reflection in the pink mirror on her wall. She wasn't wearing any makeup, and she was in leggings and a simple crop top. My heart ached as I watched her, finally leaning forward and tapping my finger on her window.
Her eyes shot up, and an unreadable expression crossed her face as she got up, walking to the window. She opened it, and I climbed into her bedroom, trying to make minimal noise.
"Hi, Princess."
"Hi." Was I imagining it or was she a little hesitant? It didn't matter, because I was about to give her some good news, for once. "What are you doing here? You got something to tell me?”
"Straight to business, huh?" I raised my brows to her. "Okay, we can play like that. Yes, I wanted to talk to you about something..."
She sat back down on her bed and continued brushing her hair while I took her desk chair, silently watching her.
"Well?" she asked, glancing at me nervously. "Spit it out already."
She was acting different. I couldn't quite put my finger on the reason, but she wasn't my usual happy, bubbly Estella. There was something on her mind, but I knew I'd have to fight to get that information out of her, she wasn't just going to tell me.
"I think I figured out a way how to get you away from your Dad." I let the words linger in the air between us, waiting for a reaction from her, but she just stared at me blankly. "Don't you want to know what it is?"
"I guess," she muttered, setting down her brush and pushing her hair to her back. I followed her movements, drinking her in. I couldn't get enough, and her reluctance only made me more eager to ask for more. "Didn't you have something else to tell me?"
"Like what?" I gave her a questioning look, my mind blanking.
"I thought you might have something else to tell me," she said, making a face at me. "Like something involving a certain Miss James."
"You... I..." I struggled for words, scratching the back of my head. "Well, fuck."
"Fuck indeed." She got up, narrowing her eyes at me and walking to the closet. She pulled out her nightgown and stepped behind a pink room separator. Knowing that she was changing in the same room was driving me wild, and I was pretty sure she knew just how crazy she was making me. She changed quickly, and I watched her clothes get thrown over the separator before she reappeared, her hair smooth and her body wrapped in a thick, fleecy nightgown. "So, you got anything to say about that?"
"Well..." I struggled to find the right words. "Maybe it would be easier if you told me what you think you know."
"What I think I know?" she scoffed at me. "I have eyes, Milo. I know what I saw."
"Me and Miss James?" I managed to get out, and her lips tightened into a thin line before she nodded. "There's nothing going on there, Stells."
"Oh yeah?" She narrowed her eyes at me. "Is that why you were at her house today?"
"How..." I cleared my throat. "How do you know about that, anyway?"
"I knew it." She glared, obviously upset. "I knew there was something going on between the two of you. Just tell me the truth, Milo. I don't want to listen to any more lies."
"What lies?" I stared her down, a need to unwrap her out of that gown awakening deep within me. I wanted to see her bare, with nothing hiding her from my eyes. No more privacy. Not when I was around, because I wanted to see her very core, bared for me.
"There's something you're hiding from me," she accused me. "And I know what it is."
"Oh yeah?" I narrowed my eyes at her. "Please, enlighten me. What am I hiding from you?"
"You're with her," she spat out, tightening the knot around her waist. "With Miss James. You're together."
"Of course not."
"Then why were you there?"
"Were you following me or something?" I questioned, and she folded her arms in front of her body in a defensive stance.
"So what if I was? I'm glad I was, actually. Otherwise I would've never found out."
"I'm not with her," I told her, sighing. "She made a move on me. And I turned her down."
"Every single time?" she questioned.
"She... She almost got to me," I admitted. "But I didn't go through with it. I didn't sleep with her."
"Why?" Estella asked. "Why would you do that?"
"Because," I ground out. "You were too busy dating my brother to notice me."
"I could leak this if I wanted to, you know," she reminded me, and I smirked at her.
"Leak what, Princess?"
"You and Miss James." She gave me a self-satisfied smirk. "I took some pictures of the two of you together."
"Why would you do that?"
"Because I hate her," she ground out. "Because she's trying to steal the boy I like, and I don't like that very much."
"I bet you don't," I grinned. "So, got any other questions for me regarding Miss James?"
"What were you doing at her house?" she demanded.
"Getting her panties," I a
nswered smoothly, watching her eyes widen in shock.
"Her... her panties?"
"Not for me," I answered. "For Natan. He wanted me to get him those. He said if I did, he’d forgive me from stealing you from him."
"All I want to know is... are you together with her?" she asked.
"No." I stared right into her eyes. "And I have zero desire to be with her. It's over, whatever 'it' even was."
"Good." Her eyes were shooting daggers at me and I couldn't help grinning.
"I thought you liked her," she said softly. "It's very clear she's into you."
"I don't. I like you." I took a step closer, putting my hands on her hips and grinning at her. "Can't you see that?"
"I like hearing it," she shrugged, making me laugh out loud.
"Anyone ever tell you how spoiled you are, Stells?"
"I'm not!" She pursed her lips, but she could barely fight off the smile threatening to pull the corners of her mouth up.
"Sure, Princess." I came closer to her, letting my fingertips linger over her exposed hipbone. "So, what are you going to do about those pictures?"
"Keep them," she said, sounding distracted as she let out a hiss of air. My fingers touched her bare skin, and her eyes found mine, silently begging me to keep going. "Use them when I get a chance."
"You think that's a good idea?" I muttered, stepping just a little bit closer until I could feel her soft breath against my skin. "To blackmail me like that?"
"It's for your own good," she purred just as I wrapped my fingers around her chin and pulled her in for a kiss. I groaned when I tasted her sweetness. "That evil woman is using you, and I don't like it one bit."
"A little protective of me, aren't we?" I winked at her. "Think I'm yours now, do you? Is that why you're getting so possessive?"
"I..." She stared me down. “I’m not yours.”
“You don’t want to be?” Once again, she couldn’t come up with an answer, and I chuckled at her. “Stells. You need to stop fighting this. I know you’re a good person underneath this façade. Just because your father hurt you doesn’t mean everyone else will as well.”
Boys That Read: A High School Romance (Lords of Wildwood Book 2) Page 15