Boys That Read: A High School Romance (Lords of Wildwood Book 2)

by Betti Rosewood

MILO

  I couldn't get Estella off my mind, not since the party. Every thought revolved around her, reminding me what a fool I had been for the past few months. I'd done everything Miss James had demanded of me. But now Estella had been accepted into Eastvale and her future was taken care of, and I couldn't bear the thought of being without her for a second longer.

  The kiss I'd stolen from her replayed in my mind time and time again, reminding me how desperately I wanted her back in my arms. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep my distance. I wanted to be with her. I needed to be with her. And I wasn't going to postpone it a second longer. First up though, I needed to have my revenge on Miss James, the woman who'd ruined everything for me.

  I lay on my bed in my room, tossing a tennis ball above me and catching it every time it came back down when the knock came on my door.

  "Come in," I called out, and my brother appeared in the doorframe, grinning at me widely.

  "Yo," he called out. "You didn't show up at lacrosse practice today."

  "Not like anyone needs me, anyway," I muttered. "There won't be any games until next spring, right?"

  "Well, Coach was worried." Nate walked into the room, sitting down on the bed next to me. "And I'm worried, too. What happened at Estella's party, man?"

  "I finally opened my eyes and realized what a piece of shit I've been," I muttered, feeling guilty.

  "So, is this the moment where you finally figure out you need to be with her?"

  "I think so."

  "Fucking finally!" Nate high-fived me and I could barely fight the grin off my face. "You don't know how long I've been waiting for this, kid."

  "Older than you," I reminded him, like I always did. "But never mind. I might need your help with something. Think you got the time to do this with me?"

  "Sure," Natan nodded. "Anything to stop you from moping around everywhere, it's a real downer."

  Over the next twenty minutes, I told him everything from the moment Miss James made her first move on me, to the precarious situation she'd put me in with Estella. His face got paler and paler as I went on, and when I was finally done, he asked for a couple moments to gather his thoughts.

  "We can take her down," he said. "She needs to go down for what she did."

  "But she threatened to tell the staff that I made a move on her," I groaned, running a hand through my dark hair. "And I'm worried they'd believe her over me."

  "Seriously?" Nate snickered. "She's a chick from the wrong side of the town who's barely been working there for a year or two. And you're like, royalty."

  "I wouldn't say that..."

  "Dude, trust me," Nate interrupted. "You matter more than some sexdoll who's been breaking the Academy's rules since the get-go. Now it's time to take her down."

  "How are we going to do that?" I wondered aloud.

  "Well, you're not the only one keeping secrets." He smirked at me. "Let's just say I know something about Miss James she would most definitely not want leaking into the public eye."

  "Like what?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "Something that could get her in trouble?"

  "Oh, most definitely." Natan grinned wickedly. "You're not the only student she's made moves on. And I know for a fact she took it a step too far with the other guy."

  "Jesus," I muttered. "I can't believe it. Who was it?"

  He gave me a meaningful look before saying, "I'm sure you'll understand why I can't reveal that. It's just locker room talk from the other lacrosse players on the team, but the dude had proof... Let's just say I know he wasn't all talk. And we could expose her for sleeping with a student."

  "Okay..."

  "Here's the kicker, though," Nate winked at me. "The dude's not even eighteen yet."

  "Fuck," I muttered. "You're telling me Miss James committed statutory rape?"

  "In the eyes of the law, yep," Natan nodded. "Although in the guy's eyes... I'm pretty sure it was the best day of his life."

  "Not Crispin, right? I mean, he's gone this year. Did it happen last year?" I asked. "Jesus. Is it Finn?"

  "No questions," Nate interrupted me, giving me a pointed look. "If you want my help with this, you're just going to have to trust me. Now, are you ready to take this bitch down?"

  "More than ready," I said with a sigh of relief. "What's the plan, kid?"

  We were waiting in Miss James' office by the time she arrived, looking flustered and carrying a stack of textbooks.

  "Natan!" she called out, her expression changing to a smug grin when she saw me standing next to him. "Oh, and Milo, too. My two favorite brothers at Wildwood."

  "Indeed," I replied with a smile. "Why don't you take a seat, Miss James."

  "How did you even get into my office?" she asked suspiciously.

  "We have our ways," Nate grinned. "Now sit down."

  "Kind of odd for you to give me orders in my own office," she muttered, but plopped down on the office chair nonetheless. "But I'll entertain it for now. How can I help you two?"

  "Oh, you can help us a whole lot," I said, motioning to my brother. "I just told Natan everything?"

  "Everything?" She gave me an innocent smile. "Like what?"

  "Like the fact that you're blackmailing Milo," Nate cut in, and she shifted her gaze to him. "And I decided to share some information of my own. Like your little illicit affair."

  "W-What?" she stuttered, glancing between the two of us. "What the hell are you talking about?"

  "Oh, I think you know exactly what he's talking about," I added, pulling out my phone and showing her a video clip. Nate wasn't lying when he said he had proof of her rendez-vous with a student. A raunchy clip of her played on the screen, and she paled as she watched it. "Recognize yourself there, Miss James?"

  "You don't know anything," she spat out, crossing her arms defensively. As I watched her, I briefly wondered how I could have ever found her attractive. She had nothing on my Estella.

  "Oh, but I do," I told her sweetly while she glared at Natan. "And I'm going to leak this footage unless you hand in your resignation. And I mean right now."

  "I can't do that!" she cried out. "What else am I going to do?"

  "Find another job," Nate shrugged. "We aren't going to ruin your reputation, which you should be fucking grateful for."

  "I want to," I told her sweetly.

  "But I convinced him to take it easy on you," my brother added placatingly. "All we're asking for is that you quit this job and get the hell out of Milo and Estella's lives."

  She stared at us defiantly. "You can't force me to do anything."

  "No, we can't," I replied. "But all we have to do is tell the principal you've been fucking a student - an underage student - and you'll be taken away from here in handcuffs." I got up from the uncomfortable chair in front of her desk, and Natan followed my lead. "Consider this your only warning, Miss James. I want you gone today, if you don't want this going public."

  "But I... you... they..." she struggled helplessly to find her words. Maybe I would have felt sorry for her months ago. Maybe I would still see her as the helpless, naive beauty she wanted to be portrayed as before she went all fucking loco on us. But now, all I saw was a bitch with an agenda. A bitch I was going to take down no matter what.

  "I don't want to hear it," I interrupted her. "Consider yourself lucky. See you never."

  Nate and I walked out of the room and once the door shut behind us, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. Natan clapped me on the back, reassuring me once again that our plan would work and that I'd get Estella back.

  We went our separate ways, Nate heading to his next lesson and me grabbing lunch. I couldn't stop looking around trying to spot Stells. She didn't eat lunch at the popular kids' table anymore. No, Harlem was sitting there with a bunch of cheerleaders and lacrosse players, but there was no sign of Estella anywhere. I didn't see Inca either.

  The rest of the day went by as if in slow motion. I was nervous as fuck, waiting for any kind of news that would make the tension in my shoulders dissipate. But
the news didn't come until the end of the school day.

  With my lessons over, I headed down the hallway to go home when I saw Principal Weston escorting Miss James out of her office. She was holding a box of her stuff, barely holding back tears as he walked her down the hallway. Our eyes connected for a brief moment as she made her way down the hallway, and she stopped, staring at me. I didn't move, didn't say a word. I just stared her down until she lowered her gaze in defeat to the floor.

  As I watched here walk away, a huge weight fell off my shoulders, and for the first time since I'd found out Miss James hadn't sent Estella's Eastvale application, I felt free.

  Free to do what I wanted.

  Free to have the girl of my dreams.

  Free to head toward my future with my head raised high.

  "Yo, Milo."

  I turned around to find Finn standing in the hallway. Ever the rebel, he was wearing his backpack slung low on his shoulder, replacing the blazer of the Wildwood uniform with his beat-up leather jacket. Nobody ever gave him shit for breaking the rules. I think they were too afraid.

  "Sup," I nodded at him.

  "Heard you got Miss James fired," he said disapprovingly. I wondered again whether he was the one she'd been sleeping with. "The entire male populous of Wildwood will be pissed at you for that one."

  "Trust me, she deserved it," I muttered, and Finn laughed, revealing a hint of metal in his smile. A piercing?

  "No doubt, no doubt," he muttered. "I'm gonna take your word for it. I presume this was about your girl?"

  "You're weirdly always in the loop of things." I narrowed my eyes at him. "How do you manage to know everything that goes down around here?"

  "I have eyes everywhere," he shrugged with a smirk. "I make it my business to know what's going on around here. Someone's gotta run this school. You rich kids don't have a clue how to do it."

  "Oh yeah?" I laughed. "And some sixteen-year-old punk does?"

  "Yup." He smirked. "Anyway, congrats on getting Miss James out of here. I, for one, am pleased. She gave me googly eyes any chance she got."

  "You don't like them older?" I teased.

  "I already got a girl," he muttered. "She just doesn't know she's mine yet."

  "Cryptic." I pulled my backpack higher up on my shoulder. "See you around, kid."

  "See you, loser." Finn saluted me before sauntering down the hallway.

  I had to admit, the kid had style.

  "Any luck?" Nate asked as I got home.

  "No," I shook my head in frustration. "Her phone's dead. Her dad probably took it again."

  "What did Inca say?"

  "She didn't show up for school today," I answered. "She might be down with something. I want to go to her house now."

  "I'll drive you." I gave him a grateful slap on the back. I still hadn't gotten a replacement car since I lost my Gertie to those Silverside punks, so I'd been bumming rides from Natan for months.

  "Thanks man, I appreciate it."

  "Come on, let's go!"

  We made our way downstairs where Dads were working on another concoction in the kitchen. We called out our goodbyes and got into Nate's car. Estella's place was a twenty minute drive, and I was nervous as fuck. Was there any way she'd be able to forgive me? I'd pushed her away for so long, convincing myself she was better off without me. Maybe that was really the case... But I'd never forgive myself if I didn't try to get her back.

  "You nervous?" Nate questioned me as we drove.

  "That's the understatement of the year," I muttered.

  "Dude, you're fine." He turned a corner, giving me a quick reassuring glance. "She's gonna be more than thrilled that you've finally changed your mind. How are you planning on getting around her dad?"

  "I'm hoping he's not at home," I muttered. But truth be told, nothing was going to stop me from getting to Estella. I was ready to break down any obstacle standing in the way between my girl and me. And it was time to tell Stells the whole truth about her father, too. I wasn't going to let her stay in harm's way for much longer. That bastard belonged behind bars, and Stells belonged with me.

  I only realized I'd said the last part out loud when Natan snickered, saying, "I think nobody disagrees with you there. Hated that dude since the moment I met him."

  "He needs to go down," I nodded.

  We spent the rest of the drive in silence. Natan seemed to understand how nervous I was and left me alone with my thoughts as he drove the remaining distance to Stells' house. When we were getting close to it, we noticed the road was blocked off, and I groaned, knowing the way around would add at least another ten minutes to our travel time.

  "Fuck," I muttered to myself. "It's like the whole universe is against us."

  "Bullshit," Nate responded. "You belong together. Everyone knows that."

  I sighed and nervously fidgeted for the rest of the ride. We pulled up to the Hawthorne mansion from a side alley, and I saw the police cars before Natan did, but he spoke up first.

  "What the fuck..."

  "Stop the car," I insisted.

  "I can't just..."

  "Stop the fucking car!"

  He screeched to a halt, and I opened the passenger car of the still moving car, launching myself out and running to the scene of the crime. There was already yellow tape being put around the house, but I couldn't see any of the Hawthornes' cars in the driveway. Two police cars and a van were parked outside, and an officer stopped me when I tried to barge right past it.

  "Can't you read, kid? You can't go in there."

  "What the fuck happened?" I roared. "Where are they?"

  "Who the hell are you?" the cop demanded. "Are you with the press?"

  "No," I groaned, running my fingers though my hair as Natan jogged up behind me.

  "He's the daughter's boyfriend," Natan spoke up. "Estella Hawthorne. That's his girl. Where is everyone? At the station?"

  "I wish I knew," the cop shrugged. "We had a warrant to search the premises and arrest Ricardo Hawthorne, but by the time we got here, everybody was gone."

  "Gone?" I repeated, my eyes widening. "What the fuck do you mean, gone?"

  "Watch your mouth, kid," the cop snarled at me.

  "Just tell us where they are, please," Natan begged on my behalf. "Can't you see how distraught he is? For fuck's sake man, give us some information!"

  "Would if I could," the cop muttered, giving me a look that said he still didn't like me, but at least he felt sorry for me. "All I know is, they're gone. The neighbors haven't seen them all day. We're searching the house now."

  "Fuck," I whispered, pacing the pavement. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."

  "It's going to be okay, Milo," Nate muttered in an effort to help, but I could tell he was feeling more than a little hopeless as well. "They're going to find them."

  I couldn't respond. I couldn't do anything but bury my face with the hands.

  I'd let that man get away with my girl. And I'd be damned if I wasn't going to get her the fuck back.

  26

  DATE: DECEMBER 17TH, 2019, 9 A.M.

  PLACE: GAS STATION, UNKNOWN

  ESTELLA

  "You need to tell us what's going on, Ricardo! The girls are terrified."

  "I need to pee," Romilly groaned. "Please, at least stop at a gas station. Everyone's hungry and thirsty!"

  "Stop whining," papa ground out, his eyes laser-focused on the road ahead. "No distractions. We need to keep driving."

  "Driving where?" Romilly whined. "We don't even know where we're going! You dragged us out of bed for no goddamn reason!"

  "Language," papa roared to life. "Do not take the Lord's name in vain!"

  "Just stop," mama begged. "Look, there's a gas station before the next exit off the highway. Can you please make a short stop so we can buy some food, some drinks, and go to the bathroom?"

  "Fine," papa said icily. "You have five minutes, so I suggest you come up with a strategy to get all those things done."

  I sat glued to the spot in the backse
at. Romi groaned and stared at me, waiting for a reaction from me. Normally I'd be the first one complaining about everything, but truth be told, I was terrified. I'd been frozen to the spot by fear since papa had woken us up four hours ago, practically in the middle of the night, and forced us to get in the car. We hadn't made a single stop since then; we'd just kept on driving. And I was fucking scared. I knew mama and Romi were terrified too, but none of us were brave enough to stop papa. It was as if he'd been possessed by a demon. He ignored our complaints. He ignored mama sobbing in the front seat for the first hour of the drive. He just kept going.

  "Here we go," he muttered as he pulled into the parking lot of a small gas station. "I'm going to load up the car, you do what you have to. Make sure nobody sees you. Here, wear these." He thrust a pair of sunglasses at mama, one of his Ray Ban aviators. Confused, mama took them from him and put them on while he turned around in his seat to glare at my sister and me. "Do not talk to anyone, do you understand?"

  "Yes," we nodded in unison, too scared to argue with him.

  The three of us got out of the car. Mama and Romi went to the bathroom while I entered the gas station to grab us some food. Papa had given me a wrinkled hundred-dollar bill, and my hands trembled as I grabbed some food off the shelves, barely looking at what I was getting.

  I arrived at the till and dropped all the snacks I'd grabbed on the counter. I eyed the pizzas they made wistfully, but there was no time to wait around for the thing to be made.

  The cashier gave me an odd look, adding up my purchases. "Will that be all?"

  I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. There was a small TV screen behind the till, and I focused my attention on the TV so I wouldn't have to chat to the middle-aged woman who was still giving me odd glances.

  "Everything okay, sweetheart?" Her voice was kind, worried. For a moment, I was scared I'd just break down in tears, tell her everything. That papa had forced us out of our own home four hours ago, barking at all of us to get our asses in the car. He didn't elaborate on where we were going, and when mama asked if she needed to pack some stuff, he demanded she leave everything where it was. I was terrified. My hands were trembling so badly I was scared I'd drop the cans of soda I'd gotten on the floor. I was sweating all over.