by Becca Steele
Tuning out their discussion, my head turned of its own volition, and a spark of pure lust raced through my body as I took her in. She was strolling over to the food counter, Lena right next to her. Her uniform was still the same—still ill-fitting, but it was the way she carried herself with confidence that made all the difference. Her chin was lifted, her shoulders set back, making her full tits look even bigger… My dick stirred, and I lowered my gaze to her feet instead. She was wearing low heels, instead of her normal flat shoes, making her legs look long and sexy. There was nothing else different, except her hair wasn’t in its normal ponytail. Instead, it fell down her back in long, shiny waves that I itched to run my fingers through.
This girl was messing with my head, plain and simple.
Looking closely, I noticed the telltale signs of nerves beneath the confident veneer—the way she kept licking her lips, and the apprehension in her eyes. What was her game plan?
“Is she single? I wanna tap that. The geeky girls are always grateful for it. She’s gotta be a sure thing, too, since she’s been on her knees for half the team already.” Chris was practically drooling. His words sent a shot of rage through me, and I had to grip the sides of my chair to stop myself from punching him in the face.
“Dunno, mate.” Xavier shrugged. “Ask her.”
“Yeah, think I will.” Before I could even open my mouth, Chris was sliding out of his seat, and sauntering over to the counter where she was waiting to pay. I watched, unable to look away, as he waited while she paid for her food, then fucking carried her tray for her. All the way over to a table on the opposite side of the cafeteria. He said something to her, and she replied with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
I held my breath until he returned to our table and flopped back down into his chair, all sulky. “Shot me down. She’s seeing someone else.”
My mind went straight to the event that had been stuck on repeat in my head ever since I’d found her crying on the school steps. The slap, the way she’d left me without a single backwards glance, jumping straight into Cassius Drummond’s arms like she belonged there. She’d told me that she wasn’t with him, but she’d lied to me before. I wouldn’t put it past her.
“Did you know she was seeing someone?” Xavier caught my eye.
“Why would I?” I glared at him, and he held up his hands.
“No need to bite my head off. Just thought you might know, being her neighbour and all.”
“You’re her neighbour?” Chris stared at me.
Xavier huffed out an incredulous laugh. “How do you not know this?”
“Whatever,” he muttered.
Across the table, Preston, who had been silent up until now, cleared his throat and spoke to me in a low voice while the conversation continued around us. “Can I have a quick word? In private?”
“Yeah, of course.” Glad for an excuse to get away, I immediately stood, grabbing my bag. Preston threw me a small smile before he glanced over at Kian, who gave him a reassuring nod. My curiosity piqued, I followed him outside. It was a cold day, so there were only a few other people around. He led me to an empty table in the far corner of the courtyard. Taking a seat, he looked up at me.
“Can you sit down? You’re making me nervous.”
Sliding into the seat across from him, I eyed at him expectantly. He stared everywhere but at me, his eyes bouncing around all over the place. I frowned. “Mate, spit it out. You’re making me nervous, now.”
His eyes finally met mine. “Sorry, man. I need to tell you something. I wanted to give you a heads-up, since you’re the soccer team captain.” Leaning his elbows on the table, he watched me intently. “A couple of people know already, but before rumours start spreading, I wanted to tell you myself. I’m…I’m gay. I want to tell the rest of the team. Get it out there, you know?”
I stared at him for a moment, processing his words in my brain. Preston was gay? Then I took in the way he was shifting restlessly, his eyes full of apprehension, and I realised I’d been silent for too long. I leaned forwards and placed my elbows on the table, mimicking his pose. Making sure I met his gaze so he could see that I was serious, I said, “I’ve got your back. You want me to tell the team?”
He shook his head. “I’ll tell them. Do you…” His voice lowered, worry threading through his tone. “Do you think anyone will have a problem?”
My mouth twisted. “If they have a problem, they’ll have to fucking go through me. If anyone gives you a hard time, anyone, you come straight to me, okay? And if you want me to be there when you tell them, I will.”
He shot me a small, grateful smile. “Thanks, man. My ex…he, uh. His teammates didn’t take it well when he came out to them. I’d appreciate it if you were there when I tell the others.”
“Consider it done. Most of the boys are sound, but I won’t lie and say it’ll be an easy ride. I’ll be around to deal with anyone who gives you problems, though. We’re a team.” Getting to my feet, I rounded the table and clapped him on the shoulder. “Whenever you want to tell them, I’ll be there.”
After giving me a quick nod, he climbed to his feet, and we headed back inside. “Thanks for being cool with it,” he told me just before we reached the others, then immediately changed the subject. “Speaking of thanks, I never said thanks for organising the party.”
Kian had come to me with this idea of a mass celebration to mark the eighteenth birthdays of three of the football team members—him, Preston, and Ben. Even though his and Preston’s birthdays had already passed, all of us were up for an excuse to party. This one would be right after a football game, too, so either way, we’d have another excuse to celebrate or commiserate. With me and Kian organising, it was going to be the party of the year. “You’re welcome.” Before I could add anything else, the bell rang to indicate the end of our lunch hour.
Everyone split off to go to their respective classes, and I headed down the hallway to English Lit. I’d had to hand in my essay first thing in the morning, and now I’d see if I got to keep my spot as team captain. My stomach rolled. Fuck.
Instead of sliding into my usual seat at the back of the classroom, I found myself sitting next to the window, with an empty chair next to me.
“Um…excuse me. You’re in my seat.” I looked up to see Pete, the guy whose seat I’d taken. Not like we had assigned seats, but he’d been sitting in this exact spot every class so far.
“There’s a free seat at the back.” I lazily threw up my thumb in the direction of my usual table, and he scurried off to the back of the room.
I felt her enter the room before I saw her. I was aware of everything—her soft intake of breath as she saw who was in the seat next to her, the thump of her books as she slammed them down on the table, and the scent of caramel apples as she reluctantly sat next to me.
“Why are you here?” Her voice was annoyed, and it made me smile.
Turning my head, I finally met her eyes. “What’s with the new look?”
“I don’t…what? I don’t have a new look.”
My gaze raked over her, and her breathing quickened.
Reaching out, I threaded a strand of her silky hair through my fingers. “Okay, not a new look. But there’s something different.” I tugged gently at her hair before releasing it, not missing her shiver.
“Why are you here?” she hissed, all fired up despite her body’s reaction to me. “Last night you told me you didn’t want me, and you were—never mind.”
“I was what?” I leaned closer to her. “Angry? Because you falsely accused me of stealing?”
She sucked in a harsh breath. Turning her head, I saw the anger disappear as her eyes met mine, wide and unsure. “If it wasn’t you, then who was it?”
Before I could say anything else, Prof. Patel was in front of us, handing us our essays.
“Looks like I have Raine to thank for this.” He looked between us, his eyes narrowed.
I glanced down at my paper. B. Fuck, yes!
“No
thing to do with me,” Raine said softly. I glanced over at her paper—A, of course. I couldn’t even be mad, though. With her help, I’d somehow managed to bullshit my way to a B. My sense of relief was immediate—my place on the football team was safe for now.
“Today, we’re going to continue watching our recording of Macbeth,” Prof. Patel announced, returning to the front of the room and flicking on the projector. “This will cover the entirety of Act 2, and we will follow up with a discussion.” He dimmed the lights, and I settled back in my seat, my legs stretched out in front of me. Raine shuffled in her seat next to me, then did the same, kicking her legs out in front of her. My eyes were drawn to her smooth thighs, covered in sheer tights, and I had a sudden urge to touch her.
After looking around to check no one was paying attention, I lifted my arm and rested it casually along the back of her seat. I smiled at her sharp intake of breath as I leaned closer to her and spoke low in her ear. “Tell me what I’m supposed to have done to get you kicked out of drama club.”
She sat in silence for a moment, then turned her head slightly, still facing the screen but angled towards me, her mouth close to my ear. “Someone took the money from the cash box that we use to buy stuff for the costume department, and I’m the only student who knows the combination.” Her voice wobbled. “Mrs. Whittall blamed me, of course. I can’t even blame her for that—it’s the obvious conclusion.”
My fingers curled around her shoulder. “Maybe she made a mistake?”
Raine shook her head almost violently. “No, there was four hundred and twenty pounds missing. And now—and now I’ve been kicked out of the drama club unless I pay the money back. Where am I going to get that kind of money from? You know the situation with my uncle.” Her body was trembling, letting me know how much the news had affected her.
“Four hundred and—what the fuck, Raine?” My grip on her shoulder tightened, before I realised what I was doing. Moving my hand to her hair, I started sliding my fingers through it, soothing her. “It wasn’t me. Fuck, Raine. You drive me insane, but I wouldn’t do that.”
She stiffened under my touch. “No, you’ll just post photos everywhere to make people think I’m a slut. Do you know what people have been saying about me?”
My mind went to Chris, earlier, and unreasonable jealousy pulsed through my veins, followed by a surge of anger at the reminder that she’d tricked me.
Fuck, should I have posted the photos? It wasn’t like I hadn’t done worse than that to people before. I’d never felt any remorse in the past, though.
Her soft sigh hit my ears, distracting me from my thoughts, and I leaned closer to her. “I’m sorry about the photos, okay? But I didn’t take the money.”
“If it wasn’t you, then who was it? No one else has access to that box.”
I couldn’t be sure, but I needed to pay a visit to a certain blonde ex-girlfriend of mine. In the meantime, I needed to distract Raine from questions I didn’t have the answer to.
“Remember how you came all over my hand at Fright Night?” My voice was low and seductive as I leaned over to whisper in her ear.
She swallowed hard, her chest rising and falling as her breathing became shallow. I slid my hand onto her thigh, waiting to see what she would do.
Another hiss of breath, but she didn’t say anything. I glanced around to make sure no one else was paying us any attention as I moved my hand a little higher. The guy in the same row was oblivious, glued to his phone, watching YouTube under the table.
“What would your boyfriend do if he knew I was touching you like this?” I murmured. I squeezed her skin lightly.
She turned her head to mine, our faces so close, I was almost tempted to kiss her. Fuck, I probably would have if we weren’t in a classroom surrounded by people. Then she said five words that shouldn’t have made me happy, but they did.
“I don’t have a boyfriend.”
19
As soon as the words fell from my lips, I clamped my mouth shut. Why did I say that? What was going on? Why was I sitting here, in the middle of my English class with Carter’s hand inching up my thigh, and why did I like it so much?
As I turned to look into his eyes, I noticed the confusion in his gaze. He looked just about as lost as I was, so at least that made two of us. Maybe I was having a temporary lapse of insanity, because I decided to experiment. I liked him like this, wanting me, even though I knew he didn’t want to want me. Even though everything between us was messed up. After a quick glance at Prof. Patel, who remained focused on the screen, I reached up and lightly gripped Carter’s jaw, my fingers shaking slightly. Turning his head, I whispered in his ear. “What are you doing? You don’t want me, remember?” Then, I flicked my tongue across his ear.
The low, masculine groan that fell from his lips made me instantly wet. The fact that I’d been the one to have that effect on him, despite my inexperience, satisfied me more than I would’ve imagined.
“Raine…” His fingers tightened on my thigh. I wanted him to mark me, to leave bruises so I had a visual reminder of what he’d done to me. Did that make me messed up?
Suddenly, he was rising out of his seat, and then he was gone. The guy sitting across from me glanced over, and I shrugged. He shrugged, too, returning his gaze to his phone. Somehow, Prof. Patel had remained completely oblivious, still staring intently at the screen.
The next moment, my phone vibrated with a text. Three words.
Carter: Room 103. Now
My feet had made the decision before my brain had even had a chance to catch up. With one last glance at Prof. Patel, I was rising out of my seat and slipping out of the door.
Carter’s lips were on mine the second I’d stepped foot in the darkened science lab. He pushed me up against the door, grinding against me as he tangled his hands in my hair.
“Wait.” I broke away from the kiss, panting. “Let me.” My head may have been completely messed up with everything that was going on between us, but I needed to make him feel. Needed to see him fall apart. For me. I slipped my hand between us and ran my palm across the hardness in his trousers.
“Fuuuuck.”
Emboldened by his reaction, I stroked over his length again, until he was groaning, thrusting his hips forwards. He reached down and undid his trousers, then pushed his boxers down and guided my hand to his cock. “Is this okay?”
The husky rasp in his voice made me shiver. “Yes,” I whispered, letting him guide my movements as he wrapped both our hands around his cock. I wished I could see more than a shadowy outline, but I knew that I would have lost my nerve if we could see each other properly. Here, in this dark, empty classroom, it almost felt like we were in a dream.
I didn’t let myself think about my inexperience, or the fact that there was a possibility that someone could walk in and find us. I concentrated on the slide of our hands over his cock, and the way he thrust into me, harder and faster as he chased his release. When he came, his hot cum soaking our hands, he slumped forwards, pressing his forehead to the door, breathing heavily.
“What are we doing?”
I had no answer.
Silently, we cleaned up, making the most of the lab sinks and paper towels, before he disappeared out of the door without another word to me. When I eventually made my way back to English class and slipped into my seat, there was no sign of him.
To say that Carter was messing with my head was an understatement. I couldn’t think straight when I was around him, and the way he was acting around me, and what had happened earlier—it made my head spin. Not only that, but I didn’t know if I believed him when he insisted he hadn’t had anything to do with taking the money. I wanted to. The problem was, if it wasn’t him, then who was it?
After gathering up my things, I made my way to my locker, my mood low. Normally on a Monday I’d be heading to drama club. But now that had been taken from me, my Mondays were depressingly Mondayish. As I neared my locker, I noticed Dylan waiting for me, a wide smile on his fa
ce. When I drew level with him, his smile widened further.
“Mrs. Whittall wants to speak to you. Come on.”
At his words, hope flared inside me. Had the whole thing been a mistake? I hurriedly shoved my things into my locker, before following him through the school to the office belonging to the head of the drama department. “She’s expecting you. Come and find me afterwards.” Dylan beamed at me, and I couldn’t help returning his smile.
I heard a “Come in,” almost as soon as I’d knocked on the door. Entering the room, I found Mrs. Whittall sitting behind her desk, her fingers steepled, peering at me over the top of her glasses. “No need to take a seat. I’ll keep this brief. As the money has been returned, you may resume your position as costume designer. However, should this happen again, you will be instantly barred, and I will have no choice but to mark it on your permanent record.” She held up a hand when she saw me open my mouth to speak. “No arguments. The only reason I’m being so lenient with you is because of your prior track record and the situation with your uncle leaving. Now, you’re dismissed. I believe that Xavier’s jacket needs adjusting, so you may start with that.” One brow raised expectantly when I remained in place.
“Oh…yes. Okay. Sorry. Thank you,” I mumbled, whirling around and leaving the office. Confusion warred with elation. The money had been returned. By who?
Collapsing into the chair in the costume storage room, I began pulling out supplies from the drawers, ready to get started. A throat cleared, and my head flew up to see Dylan in the doorway, grinning at me.
“Welcome back.” He took a step into the room and perched on the edge of the sewing table.
“Do you know anything about this?” Grabbing a pot of pins from the back of the table, I unscrewed the lid, then turned to face him.
“Don’t be mad.” His smile suddenly dropped, and he was the same unsure, scared guy I’d always known. “I…I’m rich, Rainey. It was no problem to replace the money.”