Someone sets up speakers while another trails behind him with an extension lead. I groan, bringing the bottle to my lips, and drink a hefty amount.
When I’m done, I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and let out a heavy sigh. “Then let’s fucking party.”
*** *** ***
I laugh uproariously as Selina and I decorate the face of a stranger with permanent marker. I have no idea where she even got them, but before I knew it, the guy who passed out not long ago was covered in our artwork.
Mature? No. But it was funny. And I wish I could see his face when he realises he looks like a desk from my old school with graffiti all over it.
“Shh,” she hisses, nearly toppling me over when she bumps her shoulder into me.
I stand up, dusting off my pyjama shorts. I still hadn’t bothered to get dressed. The evening was upon us, and I had no plans for that to change. I hadn’t spoken to anyone else at the party. Instead, I stayed to myself, unless the twins or Selina spoke to me. I was happy with that.
“Uh-oh,” Selina hisses, and I look in the direction that’s grabbed her attention, my lip curling when I see two Nova’s walking towards us.
“Are there two of her?” I ask from the side of my mouth to Selina. She giggles, sobering when Nova sends her a cautioning gaze. I tighten the cardigan I wrapped around my waist, waiting for her to approach.
“Ivy, can you please come inside?” she calls, her voice firm and calm.
I sway on my feet as I try to take a step towards her. “No!”
“Are you drunk?”
I clap my hands, laughing. “And the genius award goes to—”
“Ivy,” she whispers harshly. “It’s time for you to come inside. You haven’t eaten all day and we need to talk.”
“The time for talking is long gone. How can I trust anything you have to say to me?”
“I explained why I kept information from you. I did not lie to you, Ivy. I had every intention of telling you.”
I snort, looking around. “I’m bored. Want to go swimming?” I ask Selina.
Selina looks up from the ground, swaying herself. “I thought you couldn’t swim?”
“No better time to start than with liquid courage,” I tell her, then laugh at her expression. I whip the tank from my body, eyeing Nova, who doesn’t even blink at me in my underwear.
“Ivy, please, stop this nonsense and come inside.”
I walk backwards. Well, I try the best I can in my current state. When she takes a step towards me, a glare at her.
I want to forget about everything, just five minutes where I’m not angry at everyone. And Nova, coming out here and acting like she has control over me… I snort, shaking my head at her.
She really hasn’t learned anything about me in the short amount of time we’ve known each other.
Without a thought, I spin around, running towards the lake.
The crowd begins to hoot and laugh. When I reach the small wooden pier, I jump as high as I can and into the dark depths of the lake. Even with the temperature being high all day, the water still has a bite to it as I plunge into darkness.
The water wakes me up, and my brain begins working again. That’s when the panic of what I’ve done sets in. I didn’t think this through.
I open my mouth to scream, coughing and spluttering under the water. I kick my feet with all my might, getting no closer to the surface. Instead, I sink further down.
I’m so stupid.
Why did I let them get to me? I’m made of stronger stuff than this.
Arms grip me from under my armpits, lifting me up. The second we reach the surface, I begin to choke, fighting to take in more air.
“Ivy!” I hear screamed.
I keep coughing, hiding my face against the chest of the person carrying me up the bank, clinging to their warmth.
“Is she okay?” Nova asks, and I feel another set of hands touching me.
“Don’t touch me,” I croak out.
“Ivy, why would you do that if you knew you couldn’t swim?”
“Why do you care? You’re just like Mum. A liar.”
“Ivy,” she whispers, and I close my eyes, blocking out the pain in her voice.
“I hate you,” I mumble, my words slurring.
“I’ve got her, Nova.”
Kaiden.
I should have known it would be him. Messing with my mind once again.
“I hate you too,” I tell him, clinging to him tighter.
The light breeze disappears when he steps inside. “I don’t get you at all. One minute you act like you hate me, the next… I don’t even know what. For all I know, you could have saved me because you want to kill me yourself.”
I hear him chuckle as he gently puts me back on my feet. I didn’t even know he could be kind. I wobble forward, my forehead smacking into his bare chest.
I really shouldn’t have drunk alcohol today.
“We need to get you out of these wet clothes.”
“Why? So you can have your way with me again?”
He lifts my chin until I’m staring into his eyes. “I never took advantage of you the first time. And I don’t sleep with drunk girls.” He expression is stern. “What you did tonight was reckless.”
I snort as he slides my shorts and knickers down, keeping his gaze locked on mine. I grip his shoulders when I become unsteady again.
He’s a breath away when he stands, and I become mesmerised by his emerald green eyes staring back at me.
“I’m not her, you know,” I tell him.
I feel my bra loosen before he slides the straps off my arms. “I’m getting that.”
“Then why do you hate me? Why did you come here last night?”
He steps back, and I nearly topple over from the loss. I don’t even care I’m stark naked in front of him. He grabs his T-shirt at the back of his neck and pulls it over his head. His abs flex, and I think I drool a little, even let out a sigh.
He pushes it over my head, engulfing me in warmth as the soft material falls down my body. Letting out a sigh, he grips my shoulders, pushing me back until the backs of my legs hit the bed. I drop down immediately, my head feeling heavier.
I lie back on my pillows, watching Kaiden carefully. He could still secretly be planning on attacking me.
“Ivy, your mum didn’t just ruin your aunt Nova’s life.”
“I know, she ruined her own,” I tell him, yawning. “God, the room is still fucking spinning.”
“You don’t get it. My mum drinks and takes pain pills to forget what she did. Grant’s mum died because of her.”
That has my attention, and I blink up at him. “My mum killed his mum?” I whisper, my stomach sinking.
He scrubs his hand down his face. “No. But she was the reason she was driving in a state. She crashed her car.”
“But I didn’t do all of those things,” I tell him, struggling to keep my eyes open. “I’m not here to cause trouble. I’m here because I had nowhere else to go, and you’ll never know how that feels.”
“I’m starting to get that.”
“And you and your brothers sexually assaulted me. Who does that?”
I open my eyes when I feel him move. I blink, lost for words when he runs his finger over my jaw.
“They did that to scare you.”
“Why?” I whisper.
“Because they knew I was going to ruin you,” he tells me hoarsely. “They wanted to scare you, to make you run, to see if you were strong enough to handle what I was going to throw at you. They would never have taken it any further than they did. My brothers can be dickheads, but they aren’t monsters.”
“What does this mean? Is this an olive branch?” My eyes flutter shut, missing his expression.
“I don’t fucking know anymore.”
*** *** ***
I stir awake at the sound of two people whispering. Fuck, my head is pounding and my eyes sting with tiredness. They droop, and I fight to stay awake, to hear what they are
saying.
I’m curled into a ball under the blanket, facing away from the door. I don’t even remember how I got to bed, and I don’t have enough energy to care.
“Is she okay?” my aunt Nova whispers.
“She’ll be hungover tomorrow, that’s for sure.” I’m surprised to find it’s Kaiden in the room. He pauses, and I hear movement, like someone is leaning forward in a chair. “Does she really not know anything, Nova?”
“She didn’t know a thing until this morning, Kaiden. Anything else there is to know is better left forgotten. No child should hear bad things about their mum, whether they had Ivy’s upbringing or not.”
“How? Why? Why is she here, really?”
I hear my aunt sigh. “I don’t know. Cara clearly washed us completely out of her life. The poor girl grew up with nothing, Kaiden. The flat she lived in wasn’t even the size of this room, and she barely had the minimum essentials. I don’t know how she survived. And she’s my niece. She isn’t here under another agenda. If she had a different upbringing, I don’t think she would be here at all. She’s really closed off.”
Kaiden clears his throat. “What she said about the diary—is it true?”
“Kaiden, I don’t feel comfortable speaking about this with you.”
“I deserve to know if she’s going to start accusing people, like her mum did. Look what happened to Grant’s mum. Whatever her mum said that night, it was the catalyst for what happened.”
“Kaiden,” she says sharply. “Drop it. She doesn’t know anything.”
“Fuck!”
“Why don’t you go home and get some rest. I think I saw Lucca and a few friends carrying Ethan inside.”
A sigh from Kaiden this time. “I’ll stay here, if that’s okay with you. I just want to make sure she’s not going to be sick.”
“You’re a good boy,” she tells him.
Someone moves further into the room, and I close my eyes, trying to even out my breathing when I feel them come around the bed.
A cold finger moves a strand of hair out of my face. My heart beats rapidly when I feel her breath fan across my cheek, right before she presses her lips to my head.
I relax somewhat when I feel her step away.
“She’s going to need protecting. This is a new world for her. Don’t… Please make sure she doesn’t follow the same path as her mum.”
My mind begins to fog, and I don’t hear Kaiden’s reply. Instead, I fall into a deep slumber, my heart feeling heavy.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I wake up feeling like I should be remembering something, but everything is foggy as I stare at the wall next to my bedroom window.
I don’t even know how I got to bed. The last thing I remember is betting one of the twins to take a shot of something and then spin around twenty times really fast. Everything after that is a blur.
My eyes widen when I realise I don’t have any knickers on. I gasp, sitting up in bed, my fingers running through my hair. A startled yelp escapes when I find Kaiden sitting in the armchair in the corner of my room, his head resting back, his eyes closed, bare chested. Again.
Please, not again.
I get a good look at his fabulous body before glancing down at the T-shirt I’m wearing. I bring it to my nose, breathing in his woodsy scent.
God, his shirt smells hot.
I shake the inappropriate thoughts from my mind and once again look at Kaiden. I freeze when I see his eyes are open, staring at me, his expression blank.
“W-What—” I pause, clearing my dry throat. “What are you doing here?”
He sits forward, spreading his legs, and rests his forearms on his thighs, clasping his hands together.
Jesus Christ.
He’s sinfully sexy, even sitting.
He opens his mouth, but the bedroom door flies open to reveal Selina standing in the doorway.
“We’re going on a boat trip,” she squeals.
I clutch my head, glaring at her. “Will you go be loud somewhere else? Anywhere else?”
She beams, shaking her head at me in a way that says she thinks I’m teasing. I don’t think she realises I could throat punch her right now. I just need some energy.
“Silly,” she gushes, then jumps a little when she sees Kaiden, her eyebrows scrunching together. “That’s not creepy at all.”
I’d laugh, but I really don’t have the energy. “Why are you here?”
“Boat trip, remember. It will only be on the lake, but how cool is it going to be. Get ready, we’re leaving soon,” she tells me in a high-pitched fashion. She looks to Kaiden, raising an eyebrow. “The twins are looking for you.”
He stands up and her eyes immediately go to his chest. When she licks her lips, I jump in, clearing my throat.
“I’m not going on a boat trip,” I tell her. “I’d rather die in bed.”
Her smile drops. “Ah, you and Nova do have a lot to talk about.”
That hits me like a truck, and I remember everything that happened yesterday. Fuck. “I’ll get in the shower in a second.”
When she doesn’t leave, I continue to stare until she gets the point. She bounces on her feet, smiling. “I’ll leave you two to it then.”
Once she leaves, I turn to Kaiden. “Why are you in here?”
He keeps his expression blank as he shoves his hands into his front pockets. “How much do you remember about last night?”
I groan, covering my face with the blanket for a moment. Dropping it to my lap, I open one eye, then two, grimacing. “What did I do?”
His lips twitch into a smirk, and for a second, I get excited, believing he’s going to smile.
“You jumped into the lake,” he reminds me, and I close my eyes, thinking back. Why don’t I remember?
“I didn’t?” I ask, shocked, too stunned over that to believe we’re having a civilised conversation right now.
He nods. “Yeah, I pulled you out. You shouldn’t be so immature. If you can’t handle your drink, then don’t drink it,” he warns me.
And there’s the ray of sunshine I’ve come to know.
“Fuck you. It’s not like I drink every day. That was my second time drinking, and trust me, it reminded me of why I don’t,” I reply snottily. “It still doesn’t explain why you’re here.”
“I brought you up here after that and put you to bed.”
For some stupid reason, my gaze goes to my bed. Shaking my head, I ask him again, “And you’re here because?”
He mutters something under his breath. “It doesn’t matter. Just don’t do stupid shit again.”
“Wait,” I call out when he walks to the door. He pauses, looking back at me. “Thank you.”
He gives me a chin lift. “You should start getting ready,” he says, before leaving.
Well, fuck a duck.
What the hell is going on? Why did he stay? I was clearly safe in bed. I close my eyes, clutching my head as I try to remember something.
For some reason, I can hear Nova’s voice, but the words are a jumbled mess.
My door flies open, Selina leaning in. “Chop, chop! We need to get going. Annette is making us some lunch to take with us.”
Guess I’m going on a boat trip. Great. Just what a girl who can’t swim needs to do.
*** *** ***
When they said boat trip, I pictured a low, long, small wooden shack boat. Not this. The gleaming white boat is huge. Not the biggest here, but still big enough to stand out.
I thought it would be outside the back of our house, but when Selina piled me and the twins into the car, we travelled thirty minutes before pulling into a private marina.
“What’s all that?” the twins ask as Selina takes the bags from her driver.
“Annette wanted to make sure we had drinks and food.”
Their eyes light up. “Cool. Kaiden has bags of shit, too, from Lenore.”
Wait, what?
“Kaiden is here?”
The twins grin at me, each taking a step to the
side of me before wrapping their arms around my shoulders. “Aw, someone regretting last night?”
“What?” I squeak, glaring at the two when they begin to chuckle.
Selina giggles. “You did keep telling us how hot his body was.”
“I didn’t,” I whisper, horrified.
“You did. Among other stuff,” Ethan informs me. I try to shrug him off but he pulls me tighter against him.
“And he stayed out last night. He won’t tell us where, the dirty dog,” Lucca says.
Selina opens her mouth. “Well, he was—”
“Probably getting space from these overbearing babies,” I finish for her, giving her a warning look.
She nods, looking slightly confused before leading the way onto the boat. I follow her up the small path, grateful when the twins pull away from me. I feel hotter than normal, even though it’s only half ten in the morning.
I step onto the luxurious boat. My muscles tighten when I see a group of girls I don’t recognise sitting on the cream, leather seats at the back of the boat. Right next to my worst nightmare.
Grant.
All of the girls squeal when they see the twins, but the minute their eyes fall on me, I can feel the hostility.
Grant, on the other hand, looks ready to murder me, and I wonder if being on a secluded boat, dead in the water, when I can’t swim and don’t really have anyone I fully trust yet, is a wise idea. I mean, who’s to say Selina would have my back if a fight broke out?
“Grant, my man, brought us a treat?” Ethan asks, sitting next to a pretty blonde.
“That’s Emma Lexington,” Selina whispers.
Grant laughs, his arm around a brunette, who eyes me with distain. “Always.”
“And that’s Sophia Morton. Her daddy invented some gadget,” Selina continues as another lad steps out from below deck, a goofy grin on his face.
“Ethan, Lucca, my boys,” he yells, doing that weird hand clasp thing before lounging in his own seat.
I don’t look away from the group as they continue to greet each other, but I lean in closer to Selina, keeping my voice low. “Who’s the other three?”
“The lad is Kyle Hansen. His dad owns a bunch of ships,” she starts. “The redhead is Krysten Cambell, and the last one is Jenny Fields.”
Wrong Crowd (Kingsley Academy Book 1) Page 12