We have some issues to work out, me and him, but I can happily put those on the backburner to save my friend. Without Aaron, we won’t work. Our group is too tight knit; we each have our own roles to serve. Losing him would be like losing an arm.
“Here,” Cal says, handing me my hunting knife and looking me straight in the face. “I have a feeling you’re going to need this.”
I take the knife from him, and my arm throbs in response. The rumor at Prescott High is that my dad cut me up with this fucking thing. For once, the rumor is right. My father is a monster that deserves to be put in the ground; I’ve just been biding my time with him. Havoc is always busy, and there’s always something that needs doing. Looking at us now it isn’t hard to see that we’re being pushed to the edge of our abilities. But as soon as things slow down—and I know they will—I’m going to deal with my dad.
Bernadette Blackbird isn’t the only one who has a list.
I flip the knife around in my fingers, and then lift the blade to my lips, running my tongue along the side of it for dramatic effect. Cal rolls his eyes at me as Oscar appears at the top of the stairs, but I don’t care. Life has to be fun, or else it isn’t worth living.
And I’m really going to enjoy the look on Ophelia’s face when we snatch Aaron right out from under her. Because I know we will. Because no matter how bad things get, we always recover.
Right?
This time … isn’t allowed to be any different. We’ve all suffered enough tragedy; I’m not sure any of us would survive another.
Aaron Fadler
The next time Kali comes back into the room, she has a glass of water with her and some pills. I don’t like the idea of that, especially not after having just seen her drag her dead boyfriend out of the room and throw him down the stairs like so much trash.
She sits down beside me again, holding the pills and the water and watching me like something precious that needs to be locked up and kept a secret. Fuck my life. Her mouth is insanely swollen from what Stacy Langford and her girls did, but there’s also quite a bit of mottled bruising from when Bernadette smashed her face into the locker.
That almost makes me smile.
“I got you some ibuprofen,” she says, leaning forward to place the pills in my mouth. I let her do it, holding them under my tongue and intending to spit them out the first chance that I get. They might actually be painkillers, but also … they might not be. When she tries to get me to sip the water, it dribbles down my chin and soaks my shirt, making her frown. I pray that she’s stupid enough to take one of my arms out of the handcuffs, but I doubt it. She might be crazy, but she isn’t an idiot.
There is very clearly a plot here, one that’s been brewing for a while.
“Maybe a water bottle would work better?” I suggest, and she nods, standing up and moving out the door again. I take that opportunity to spit the pills onto the bed next to me, adjusting my body so that they’re as hidden as possible. She didn’t seem all that concerned about me actually taking them, so I’m guessing they really were painkillers.
I could use them, too. My entire body hurts; my leg is killing me. It’s clear that one of my eyes is swollen since my vision is distorted a bit. But I’ll worry about all of that later. Right now, my only concern is getting out of here, so I can make sure Bernadette is okay. Ophelia seemed to prefer leaving her alive—smart choice, honestly—but Kali … There was something about the look on her face that says she isn’t quite ready to retire the idea.
As requested, Kali brings the water bottle over to me and helps me drink before setting it aside on the nightstand. And then, much to my horror, she crawls onto the bed and straddles me.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I ask her as she runs her palms up my chest and makes my skin crawl. My heart begins to thunder, and I can feel beads of sweat breaking out on my forehead. No fucking way. No, no, no. This is not happening to me; I can’t let it happen.
“Aaron,” Kali says, digging her nails into my chest and grinding her hips against my crotch. My body shudders with revulsion, but when I try to struggle, all the movement does is jostle Kali around and make her smile. “We’ve known each other for a long, long time, haven’t we?”
“We have,” I manage to grind out, panic taking over me and making me feel faint. I might not be trapped in a trunk, but I’m feeling claustrophobic anyway. I’m stuck here, with Kali on top of me, and Bernadette out there worrying like crazy. I may as well be locked away in a dark, little box. “That’s why I can’t believe you’re doing this. I thought you liked me?” I try a different card, one that I hope will appeal to her a little more. Being hostile isn’t going to get me anywhere.
“I do,” she says, frowning hard and then grinding her crotch against me again. Theoretically, I have no control over my dick. As any guy will tell you, an autumn leaf can get us jacked up. A pillow. A sandwich. It isn’t hard to make a cock hard, if you know what I mean. Having a girl’s hot crotch grind into you would do it for most any guy. But Kali doesn’t know me. She doesn’t know how much I love Bernadette. “That’s why I’m doing this. I tried to get you to notice me before, but you never did. I even called Havoc, set you guys on Bernadette, and it did nothing. Nothing at all. She just came back, swinging even harder than before.”
Kali scoots back, and my terror reaches new heights as she unzips my jeans and reaches inside to grab my dick. Her hand is cold when she touches me, and my mind reels at the violation. I want to throw up. Maybe I should? If I do, will that get her to stop?
“Kali, please,” I choke out, closing my eyes against the assault. She’s trying to stroke me into an erection, but it isn’t working. I imagine if it does, she’ll ride me until my body gives up, and I won’t be able to stop her. All I can think about then is Bernadette. My body belongs to her. I kept it for her for a long, long time. It wasn’t easy either. I’m still human. Of course I wanted to fuck all the pretty girls that flock to Havoc.
But I didn’t.
Because there’s only one girl I have ever wanted or will ever want.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Kali asks me after a moment, and I open my eyes to see her frowning. She looks up at me. “You’re not, like, impotent or something, are you?”
“Listen to me, Kali. If you let me go now, I’ll walk out of here and we never have to see each other again. You can run, and we won’t chase you. I give you my word as part of Havoc. This doesn’t have to end the way you think it will.”
She ignores me, tucking some hair behind her ear, and then gently prodding her swollen lips, like she’s trying to gauge how much pain they’re still in. When she leans forward, I just know she’s going to try to take me into her mouth.
So … I do it. I vomit. All the fuck over the bed, too.
“Jesus Christ, Aaron!” she snarls, backing away from me and standing up in a furious rage. “That’s how much you hate me? Enough to puke all over me?”
“This has nothing to do with you, Kali,” I lie, my pants undone, feeling more rage and vulnerability in one moment than I ever thought possible. “I’m not feeling good; I think I need a hospital.”
“Shut the fuck up!” she screams at me, moving over to slap me across the face. I welcome the pain because at the very least, she isn’t touching my dick anymore. “You’re so goddamn obsessed with Bernadette, and you’re so disgusted by me. Well, guess what, soldier?” She pops her hip out and flips her hair the way I’ve seen her do hundreds of times. “After tonight, there isn’t going to be a Bernadette.” Kali leans in toward me, and I can see every single hole where Stacy stuck that needle through. “Because I’m going to finish this. Then it’ll just be me and you, and you can’t hold strong forever.”
She turns and heads for the door, even as I beg her to stay.
“Kali, wait!” I scream, my voice echoing around the quiet house. But she isn’t coming back, even when I shout and yell until my throat is hoarse and my head is pounding.
With my hands in cuffs,
and my feet tied with rope, I’m really struggling to figure a way out of here. If I had even one hand free, I could use my shoelace to get the other cuff off. I’ve got special laces, ones where the aglet hides a key that can open any pair of handcuffs. They’re literally sold for this exact purpose.
Just … I can’t reach them in the position I am now.
Tightening the muscles in my legs, I try to pull on the footboard, just to see if it might come apart or if I can crack the wood enough to get the ropes free. Unfortunately, it’s this thick ass rustic log cabin looking thing, and it feels like I’m tugging at a block of solid cement.
As I’m contemplating my next move, Kali comes back into the room. She’s dressed in a short, green party dress with her hair piled on top of her head, her makeup applied so well that it almost looks like she just got lip fillers or something rather than, you know, getting her mouth sewn shut for being a snitch.
“Listen to me, Kali,” I plead, not concerned about dignity at this point. I’ll beg her. I’ll promise her whatever she wants. Of course, the second I get out of this, I’m going to kill her, but she doesn’t need to know that. “We can be together; Bernadette doesn’t matter. She isn’t important.” The words, lies they may be, but they fucking kill me. I want to goddamn scream right now.
“Then fuck me,” Kali says, lifting her skirts up and climbing over me again. This time, she isn’t wearing any underwear, and I nearly gag when she rubs against me. “Screw me, Aaron, and prove it to me. If you do, I won’t go to the dance, and I won’t try to hurt Bernadette.” She grinds on me again, but I can’t help the basic level of revulsion that I feel, or the way nausea churns my stomach. Bernie wouldn’t want this anyway. She’d want me to let Kali go to the dance, so she could kill her herself.
Because I know she’ll be there. Havoc will go the dance, with or without me, because it’s the best place to start looking. Somebody like Kali isn’t a good enough liar to fool someone like Cal or Vic. No fucking way. Once you know to look for these narcissistic victim types, you wonder how anyone ever falls for their shit.
“You know Ophelia had the Vincents killed?” I ask, trying a different tactic. “The walls of their house were literally dripping with blood. They’d been decapitated.”
Kali doesn’t seem to care.
Instead, she scowls and climbs off of me again.
“Yeah, I know. I was there.” She tosses her hair and sighs, looking me over like I’m pathetic. I must look it right now, tied up, my flaccid dick hanging out, but really, Kali has no idea what she’s just done. I didn’t like her before; it’s my personal mission to see her suffer now. “But don’t you worry, Aaron Fadler. I’ll take good care of Bernie for you tonight.” Kali kisses me on the forehead as I struggle against the bindings, screaming her name as she leaves the room, and I hear the front door close behind her just a few seconds later.
That’s when the true feeling of hopelessness kicks in, when I hear a car start outside.
But then I remember who Kali will be dealing with.
Bernadette fucking Blackbird. She’s going to skin that bitch alive.
Now, I just need to find my fucking balls, remember that I’m the letter A in Havoc, and get the fuck out of here.
Bernadette Blackbird
The winter formal is being held in the Prescott High gymnasium. It’s a sad, sorry fucking building with a sagging roof and water-stained floors. Once, a kid tried to hang himself from the rafters, but the beam snapped, and he ended up breaking his legs instead.
Wow.
What a building to hold a party in.
On a positive note, the money from the Oak Valley Prep kids has helped hide the decay and rot and general feeling of sadness that permeates this building. There are balloon arches, a photobooth, round tables with white linen cloths, and an entirely catered menu being served off of a buffet table. There’s even a ‘bar’ serving Shirley temples and shit. If you know the right passcode, the bartender will add booze under the table for five bucks a shot.
“I feel stupid being here,” I admit to Hael as we walk inside, arm in arm. Vic takes up the rear of the group for once, with Cal just behind and to my left, and Oscar mirroring him on the other side. Everyone turns to look at us when we walk in, just like they always do. They, of course, notice that Aaron’s missing within about two seconds, and rumors start to fly.
Within twenty seconds, I hear one being whispered at a table nearby about how he likely switched schools just to get away from the rest of us. My lips twist into a scowl, and I feel suddenly stupid for wearing a pink dress with such a short skirt. And why did I pick high heels again? Oh, that’s right. Just in case I need to stab a bitch in the eye, the stilettos should come in handy.
“Don’t,” Hael says, looking around for any of the key members of the Charter Crew. The only one I can see is Billie, and she doesn’t look every excited to be here. As soon as I see her, I feel something inside of me snap a little. I am done. I am just completely fucking done. “We’re here for a reason, Bernie. If Aaron can get here tonight, by any means, he will. He’d know we had to come.”
I nod, but I’m not really listening because I’ve already decided what I’m going to do.
I’m going to beat Billie Charter’s ass. I might just kill her, too.
“Let’s go,” I tell Hael, dragging him through the crowd and straight toward her. She sees us coming and tries to run, but I let go of Hael’s arm and start running, too, shoving open the door to the hall and sprinting in my motherfucking heels.
That’s when you know a bitch is just done, when she runs full-speed in stilettos.
Billie doesn’t even make it around the corner of the hallway before I’m on her ass, tackling her into the ground as she screams. Her jaw cracks against the floor as I haul her over onto her back and straddle her like a fucking maniac.
When Penelope was hurting, I tried to go about things the ‘right way’. I told my mom. I told my principal. I called child protective services. She still ended up dead. Well, guess what? I’m not wasting my time with the ‘right thing’ ever again.
Someone has hurt my family, and I’m taking that shit seriously.
“Where is Aaron?” I grind out from between clenched teeth as I grab Billie by the front of her dress and slam her head into the tiled floor. She’s already bleeding, clawing at me and screaming. But guess what? We’re in one of the hallway dark zones. There are no cameras. No administrators. Even the lightbulbs could use changing.
That, and I’ve got four of my boys with me.
Billie Charter must know that she’s screwed six ways to Sunday.
The guys form a loose circle around me, watching me do my thing.
“Told you she was dangerous,” Hael mutters, but I’m not listening to him. Instead, I’m intent on pinning Billie’s arms to the floor above her head.
“Where is Aaron?” I ask as she flails around beneath me like a madwoman.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” she screeches, but in reality, she started this. Her brother made up this stupid new crew and chose to challenge us. They just couldn’t let Havoc rule these halls the way we were always supposed to do. Well, fuck that, and fuck them, and fuck all of this shit. I slam Billie’s head into the ground so hard that blood spatters and she chokes out a cry of genuine pain, her bravado fading as quick as it came.
“Where is Aaron?” I repeat, holding her up by the front of her dress. “I’m not going to ask you again. I know you’re working with Ophelia Mars, and I know you have him.”
“Ophelia who?” Billie asks, and I crack her head against the ground again.
“Careful, Bernie, or the doll will break,” Cal says, but I honestly don’t care at this point.
“The woman who’s paying all your bills, that’s who. She has Aaron. I want to know where he is.” I keep my voice low; there’s no need to shout. Apparently, the sound of it must creep Billie the fuck out because she gives an uncontrollable shudder.
“I don’t
know any of that stuff; only Mitch, Logan, and Kali do.” Billie gasps as I adjust my hands from the front of her dress to her throat. “Please, I don’t know anything. I just do what I’m told. My brothers are assholes, you know that.”
“Where is Aaron? This is the last time I’m going to ask you that question.” I squeeze Billie’s throat just a bit harder, and she chokes, sputtering on excuses.
“If they have him, he’s probably with Kali. She’s in love with him, always has been.” I release just a bit of pressure so Billie can keep talking. “She hasn’t told me anything about it, but I also haven’t seen her since the night you guys came to the racetrack. I swear, that was the last I saw her. By the time we figured out what the hell was going on, she had already left and taken her new car. Mitch was furious.”
I pause for a moment.
Of course Kali has Aaron. Of course she does. And if she’s working for Ophelia specifically, then it’s a double-edged sword.
“Leverage, but also obsession,” Oscar remarks, making my blood boil.
“Please don’t kill me,” Billie whimpers after a minute, when my hands tighten just a bit more on her neck. “I have a baby. Like you said before, I’m a terrible mom. I am. I know I am. But I don’t want to do this anymore.” I look her straight in the face, and I keep squeezing until she starts to cough. “My dad’s a drug addict, Bernie. He’ll end up foster care. Please, I promise I don’t know where Aaron is.” She starts to weep then, salty tears rolling down her face and mixing with a bit of the blood leaking down from her forehead.
Fuck.
Just hearing the word foster care … I’m not saying there aren’t nice foster homes: look at Oscar and the Peters. But … goddamn it, she’s found my Achilles’ heel.
The guys wait patiently around me to see what I’ll do. Looking down at Billie, all I want is to just push into her neck until she stops breathing. I’m furious, and I want justice … but I also have my own rulebook that I stick by. If I start crossing those lines, then I’m just like Neil or Eric or Kali.
Mayhem at Prescott High Page 34