Devious Bully - (The Devil's War #1): A High School/Stepbrother Bully Romance

by Harmony Grey

  I fucking hate him. I knew I’d hated him for a long time only I didn’t realize just how much until this moment. How the hell were we such close friends all those years ago? I know we were young, but I always thought I had a pretty decent judgment when it came to other people. I mean, this guy’s nothing but a joke and I sure as hell wouldn’t piss on him if he was on fire.

  “I’m afraid I can’t do that.” He shrugs, like this is the most natural conversation in the whole damn world. “It looks like Manorcroft is my town too.” Everything stops and silence fills the air around us. No one moves. No one says anything until Rodriguez steps towards me, a menacing sneer on his lips. He brings his face close to mine. So close that his nose is almost touching mine and says, “Not only have I fucked your chick, but I’m going to take your crown too.”

  I hear his words loud and clear and my body reacts before I have a chance to process them properly. Everything happens all at once. One second I’m stood listening to the bullshit falling out of Rodriguez’s mouth and then the next thing I know he’s on Billy’s floor while I’m on top of him. My hands move without instruction as I continue to deliver blow after blow. I’m conscious of what I’m doing but a misty rage has descended, and it feels like I’m on the outside looking in. I have zero control over my body.

  This is it. I’ve finally snapped and lost my shit. I have held back for so long and now I’ve finally reached breaking point, just like I knew I would. All the pain and anger that I’ve held in for so long has nowhere to hide anymore. It comes rushing out of me in a violent rage. The grief for my mom’s untimely passing and my dad’s heartless betrayal all comes rushing out of me and crashing straight into Rodriguez like a goddamn Tsunami. If I keep going, I’m going to cause him some serious damage, but I can’t stop. I’ve finally lost all sense of control over my body.

  “Kane, leave it. He isn’t worth it.” I hear Ryder’s voice somewhere behind me and then I feel a pair of strong hands on my shoulders before they drag me back and across the floor. “What the fuck are you doing?”

  I can’t speak. My mind is still focused on Rodriguez and causing him as much pain as possible.

  “Come on. We need to get out of here and fast.” Ryder takes my hands and pulls my sorry ass up from the floor. I look over to Rod and find him still laid flat out on the floor, but when he looks at me through swollen eyes and a bloody nose, I can see that his smile is brighter than ever.

  “My father always said you’d turn out just like yours and damn, he wasn’t wrong, huh?”

  I lung forward but Ryder holds me back again. “You don’t know the first thing about my father.” I spit back, desperate to escape Ryder’s grasp and finish him off. Sure, there’s no denying that I’m not my father’s biggest fan right now but there’s no way I’m going to stand back while some jumped up low life tries to slander him in front of the whole damn town. He’s my dad and that gives me the right to say whatever the fuck I want about him, and only me. But not some pond-life fucktard who’s been brainwashed with his father’s version of the fallout for years on end.

  “Oh, you’d be surprised by just how much I know about your precious father. And I’d put all my money that it would make your stomach turn if you really knew the truth.” He stands and he’s still a little unsteady on his feet. Chase moves to help him but with just one glance at my feral face he’s quick to back off. “I bet your mother’s turning in her grave, God rest her soul.” His black eyes pierce into mine and I can tell that the sick son of a bitch is enjoying every single second of this. “But then, that’s not really my story to tell.”

  “Keep moving…” Ryder huffs down my ear as he shoves me towards the door. “There’s nothing to see here,” he shouts out to our entranced audience. “As you were.” How the fuck has he managed to keep his calm throughout all of this is what I’d like to know.

  I reach the door just as Rodriguez shouts, “I’ll see you at school, bro.” I stop, pushing all my weight into my legs to make it harder for Ryder to move me. “It’ll be just like old times, huh?”

  “Leave it, K. That fucker isn’t worth ruining your life over.”

  This time I allow Ryder to push me out of Billy’s and once again I’m forced to listen to Ryder’s wonderful words of wisdom.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  OLIVIA

  Monday rolled around a hell of a lot faster than I could have anticipated and before I knew it, I was jumping back into my mom’s truck and making the dreaded drive back to Manorcroft High.

  Again, I found the large Gothic building with ease and today I’m fully equipped with everything that I need—and that included my uniform.

  Fortunately, I managed to avoid my mom for most of the weekend. She’s obviously still too deep in the honeymoon period with Dean so she didn’t even bother to come looking for me. Personally, I don’t know whether I should feel happy or sad about that. I mean, I could have been dead for all she knew or cared, and she still didn’t think to come and check on me or see if I needed anything.

  “Hey. You’re Olivia, right?”

  I spin on my feet, eager to find a face to put with the unfamiliar voice. I don’t know anyone in this school and thankfully I only find one person looking back at me, with a wild blaze of curiosity dancing in her eyes.

  “Erm, yeah…” I reply in my smallest voice. I’m not the most sociable person and confrontation sets me on fire usually ending in a mass outbreak of hives. I’m nervous, and I’m right to be so because for all I know this could be some kind of vengeful set-up from Taylor, the queen bitch and I’m so not in the mood to be playing her games.

  When I look at the girl who called my name, I can’t help but think she looks innocent enough. But I’m not that stupid to fall into a readymade trap. I see she’s a small delicate thing and she’s pretty cute in a nerdy kind of way. She has a mass of bright ginger hair and her round black glasses are pushed all the way up her nose. Her freckles are scattered across her perfectly clear pale skin and she’s holding onto her books for dear life—as though someone’s about to steal them right out of her hands at any moment.

  “My name’s Bailey.” She smiles brightly, emphasizing her freckled cheeks and I catch a quick glimpse of her braces. She notices and she snaps her mouth shut. “I wanted to come and say hi on Friday, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you too much on your first day.

  Thoughtful as well as sweet. Well, that’s certainly something I haven’t encountered in a long time, if at all ever. Maybe miracles do happen, and I can make a friend after all. A small spark of hope gushes inside me, but I don’t want to get too excited as this could still be some kind of trap.

  “Thanks. Friday was pretty intense.” I openly confess which it totally out of character for me. I don’t know why, but I suddenly feel comfortable in her presence. “Do we have the same classes?” I really hope we do because it would be nice, just for once in my life, to have someone to share something with. Even if it is schoolwork.

  Bailey nods her head at me, her bright hair bouncing around her shoulders. “Quite a few, I think. I know we definitely have this one together.” Her head turns towards my math class and I instantly feel myself relax a little. “Do you want some company? Please say yes because I could really so with some.”

  I’m a suspicious person at heart. I can’t help it. Maybe it’s the effects of how my mom’s dragged me from place to place all my life and I always tend to think anyone who talks to me must have some kind of ulterior motive. A small part of me is still edging on the side of caution, because I need to make sure I protect myself at all costs. I’ll openly admit that I don’t know the first thing about anyone in this school, especially Taylor, and from what I’ve experienced of her already, she wouldn’t stop at anything to make sure she got her own way in this life. I’ve seen it time and time again in the endless number of schools I’ve had to attend.

  “Sure…” I finally say after a few moments of silence. I’m trying my best to remain all calm and collected yet
on the inside I’m bursting with excitement that this could possibly be the real deal and I could really make a friend. Someone who wants to get to know me for me and not what I can give them. Someone who wants to openly spend time with me instead of heading in the opposite direction because I’m the new girl who doesn’t speak much.

  My problem is I’ve never been allowed to stay anywhere long enough for people to notice me and want to get to know me. And that’s something my mom had always deprived me of—human contact and company. You know, things like basic human rights.

  “Awesome.” She smiles and I swear it’s infectious as hell and before long I feel the muscles in my cheeks ache from smiling back at her. It’s probably the first genuine smile I’ve made in a really long time.

  But before I get a chance to say anything else, Bailey bounces up and down on her converse covered feet before walking in front of me and heading straight into class. I quickly follow her lead, desperate to escape the corridor as it begins to fill up with an endless mass of students moving around to get to their classes, and I’m fairly sure I look like a lost little puppy scurrying around to find its owner. But what can I do, really? I’m still finding my feet after all, and I’ve got a feeling that it’s going to take me a while to get used to this place.

  Nothing, and I mean nothing could ever come close to how I’m feeling right now. Bailey is the closest thing I’ve ever had to a real friend in all my life and the last thing I want to do is destroy it before it’s even had chance to begin.

  Desperate? Maybe.

  But I am so done with spending my days all alone with no one to talk to. No one to confide in, or spend my time doing crazy and silly things with. The world can be a lonely place when there’s no one around to fight in your corner.

  Bailey comes to a sudden stop at the front of the class and causally drops her books down on the wooden table in front of her before lowing herself down into the chair. Obviously settling herself in for the duration.

  “This is us…” she laughs before patting the chair next to her, indicating for me to settle down too. “Don’t be shy. I won’t bite. I promise.”

  “What, at the front of class?” I mouth back her, unable to hide my fear. A sense of unease rushes through my body, only Bailey doesn’t seem to notice, and her brown eyes watch me expectantly. Jeez, I knew this girl looked nerdy, but I had no idea how fast she’d be acting on it.

  When Bailey makes no attempt to say anything to me, I slowly step closer to her and I can feel my nerves begin to prickle as they start to kick in. My hands grow cold and clammy and my books almost slide out of my hands. Fortunately, I manage to catch them just in time—before they fall to an embarrassing heap onto the classroom floor.

  Bailey must pick up on my mood as she leans over to me and whispers, “hey, are you okay?”

  What do I do? I’ve never been in this kind of situation before.

  Should I follow Bailey’s lead seeing how she must do this day in, day out? Should I act like her and sit down and just hope for the best? If my past and multiple amounts of previous schools have taught me anything then it’s without a shadow of a doubt that nothing good can ever come from sitting at the front of class. The one and only swat seat.

  Maybe I should be brave? I could always speak up, voice my concerns and hope she’ll be happy for us to move to another table—anywhere but the front. However, I’m actively conscious that I don’t have much time to spare and I quickly decide on the latter.

  I guess I could always mention it for next time, but by then the damage could have already been done. I lower myself down in the chair next to my new friend and decide to voice my worries. “Can’t we move back a little?” The words fall from my lips on a shaky whisper and I can’t help but feel totally exposed down at the front. I’m the new girl, which is bad enough, but now I’m in plain view for the whole of the class to see.

  Bailey’s carefree smile vanishes, and a sense of panic consumes me. I knew it would only be a matter of time before I said something wrong.

  “Uh… trust me, you do not want to go back there. It’s a lot safer for us down here at the front.” Her voice is firm and nothing like it was earlier, yet it does nothing to ease my inquisitive mind or runaway mouth.

  “Safer, how?” I raise my eyes at her and I know they’re full of suspicion, but Bailey doesn’t answer me. Instead, a loud rumble sounds out from the classroom door and the air in the room changes drastically in a nano-second. Everything goes cold and eerily quiet while the sizzling tension closes around us.

  Shit. This is so not what I need right now.

  I don’t even need to look towards the noise to know who’s just made an unwelcome appearance in my math class.

  “Ah, it’s so good of you to finally join us today, Egan. Come on in and take your seats.” The teacher, Mr. Hague calls out and the small hairs on the back of my neck stand tall at the mere mention of Kane’s name.

  “Do not look now,” Bailey whispers down my ear, “but those guys who just walked through the door—the Manor Cats—they’re the guys that you need to stay away from.”

  Obviously, I was right when I picked up on Kane’s bad vibe last week, but it doesn’t stop the butterflies from fluttering recklessly in my stomach. “Seriously,” Bailey continues, and she seems more than happy to give me the whole lowdown. “Those guys are bad news. They’ll suck you in, claim your soul and make you want them like you’ve never wanted anything before, then they’ll take pleasure on torturing you until there’s absolutely nothing left. You can beg them to stop, but that only heightens their amusement, and the person that you once were will be nothing more than a distorted distant memory.”

  “Really?” I try but I fail miserably at hiding the skepticism in my voice. I’ll admit that I learned firsthand what Kane can be like last week, and I’ll guess that he’s probably capable of so much worse, but the way Bailey is talking, she makes them sound like they’re from the seventh circle of hell.

  “I’m telling you, Olivia, They’re bad news. Nothing good will ever come from being involved with them, I promise.” She taps her pen gently on my arm, “Stick with me and you’ll be fine. Plus, a bonus is that they only ever target the popular girls.”

  I don’t know whether to be offended or not. If she wasn’t sweet then I’d be questioning my friend choice, but I know she’s only trying to help me out, so I don’t fall in with the wrong crowd. Ha. Like that would ever happen. I can’t think of anything worse than being close to Kane Egan all day. And yes, it doesn’t matter if my stomach is telling me otherwise, that’s my plan and that’s what I’m going to stick to.

  I already know I’m not the popular type and I’ve always been cool with that. I’d much rather be me than spend my days walking around like a barbie doll and making everyone else’s lives a living misery. Fortunately, I know just who Bailey is talking about—the cheer squad, or as I like to call them, Taylor’s bitches.

  “Plus, the leader of the pack, Kane Egan is already hooked up with Manorcroft’s very own ice-queen.”

  “Not anymore.” I reply, full of confidence with my answer before realizing what I’ve just said. Shit, me and my big fat mouth. One of these day’s I’ll learn to control it, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to be today. I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s got nothing to do with me and it’s no business of mine to go shooting off my mouth. In reality I thought their split would have been a hot topic of conversation by now, especially given their royal status in this school, but it looks like that doesn’t seem to be the case at all.

  “What did you say?” Bailey’s brown eyes grow wide, as does her mouth but she’s quick to close it again when a tall figure shadows our table.

  “Greendale, what’s poppin’?” I hear Bailey gasp beside me. I haven’t even looked up at him yet and I can already feel the blood rushing to my cheeks. “What the fuck are you doing all the way down here? Come and join me and the cool kids… I’ll even let you sit next to me.”

&nbs
p; “Well, there’s an offer I can’t refuse.” I mutter and my eyes slide to the side to check on Bailey. She obviously has some kind of history with these guys to feel so uncomfortable around them. One look at her tells me all I need to know. Her head is dropped low, her eyes zoned on her books, so she’s not tempted to look up at Kane, like she hasn’t been given permission to do so.

  “I’m good here, but thanks.” I bite out through gritted teeth, more angry at myself for allowing him to affect me the way he does. If only he’d stop burning his emerald green eyes into me. It makes it super hard for me to focus on anything but him when he’s this close to me.

  “Oh, come one. No way are you blowing me out for Brains.” He sneers down on me like I’ve just attacked him. I finally allow my face to wander to his, and big fucking mistake as when my eyes narrow in disgust, he rewards me with a wicked grin, one which warns me that I shouldn’t have crossed him. What an asshole. And there’s no denying that he’s an arrogant one at that. This guy must get off on tearing people down. Maybe it makes him feel more superior when he makes others feel totally worthless and below him.

  I’m quickly getting the impression that Bailey was right, and Kane Egan is a nasty piece of work. I’m guessing he obviously isn’t used to being told no or not getting his own way either. I should have walked away from him when I had the chance. Maybe if he’d never locked eyes on me last week I would have still been non-existent to him. Seeing him now, towering over us like we’re nothing with his broad shoulders set wide and a wild, feral look on his face only confirms my fears.

  In no way, shape or form is Kane Egan someone to be messed with.

  He’s without a shadow of a doubt someone I need to steer well clear of.

  “Egan, why don’t you stop hassling the girls and find your seat.” Hague shouts over from his desk and I don’t know whether to be relieved or absolutely mortified that the teacher has dragged even more attention my way. If by some miracle the other kids in this class hadn’t noticed me already then, they sure as hell have now. “I’d like to get this lesson started, unless you’re happy to catch up at the end which we both know would eat into your practice?”