by Hattie Jude
Unwritten
Hattie Jude
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Unwritten
by Hattie Jude
Copyright © 2021 by Hattie Jude
ISBN-13: 978-1-7335137-7-7
Cover by Jena Brignola
Editing: Christine Estevez
[email protected]
Chapter One
It’s a fresh hell every time I step foot into the halls of a new school. In the past, everyone has known who I am before I ever get there, and they already have a preconceived idea of who they think I’ll be. I’ve been called every name in the book: snot, brown-noser, suck-up, stuck-up, fuck-up, bitch, slut, fake, princess, fake princess…insert foul name here. I’ve been in three public schools, a brief stint with homeschool, and we’re giving an elite private school a chance this go around.
What makes it different this time is that I’m across the country. We said goodbye to our home in sunny Las Vegas and are trying out Long Island. I didn’t expect my parents to agree on anything after their divorce, but my dad owes me, and as long as he stays far from me and my mom and pays for Longlake Academy, I’m okay.
I frown as I put on the new uniform. It’s not the most flattering thing I’ve ever worn, but it’ll be nice not to think about what to wear every day. Seems like the most elite school on the East Coast could’ve come up with something better than this navy and green pleated skirt, white shirt, and navy blazer.
If this uniform helps me blend in though, I’m all for it. A new school in a new town has me nervous enough. Having parents in the porn business is something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. You’d think with the highest grossing director in the porn industry for a father and the highest paid female porn star for a mother, they’d be lenient with me, but it’s the opposite. Since the divorce and my mom’s retirement, my mom is more controlling than ever. She’s on some twisted quest for me to have a more wholesome upbringing. Too little, too late, Ma.
I’m willing to put up with it a little longer as I count down the days until I get into Columbia.
If I can just get through senior year at Longlake.
Fingers are crossed that no one will know who I am.
A girl can dream.
There’s a stretch of time that I call Before…before I had my parents’ utmost trust…before I lost my virginity…before I naively thought one of their coworkers actually had feelings for me…
Before.
Everything since Luke is After.
And the After has been a roller coaster. I thought with my father out of the picture, things would improve with my mother and me, but she’s driving me crazy working overtime in the parental department.
She’s in the kitchen with an egg-white omelet with vegan cheese and hot sauce on the table for me. She frowns when she sees me and I know it’s coming. The rants will be starting extra early now that I have to go to school at the crack of dawn.
“Little heavy on the makeup, Jos…I mean, Gabriela. You need to wash off about ninety percent of that. This isn’t Vegas.”
“How about you leave your makeup advice for one of your old co-stars and let me look how I want for my first day of school?” I take a few bites of the food and push back. “Thank you for breakfast.”
“Aren’t you going to finish that?”
“What and get fatter than I already am, according to you? I think I’ll save that argument for another week.”
“Gabriela.” She sighs heavily like she’s the grieved one, but we both know I can’t do anything right with her these days. My hair, my heavy makeup, my attitude…last week, she yelled at me for breathing wrong. Apparently, I was huffing a little too much for her satisfaction and she was fed up.
Ever since I got out of rehab, she’s been equal parts proud and ashamed of me. She praises me for my accomplishments but rips me apart for my appearance. I’m just trying to get through the day without turning to the vodka I know she still keeps locked in the dining room cabinet.
I do like our new McMansion. It’s way too much house for the two of us, but we can go an entire day without running into each other. Small victories. As I do the loop around our circular driveway, then head down the rest of the long pavement, I admire the trellis of flowers on the side fence. I was sad to leave my succulent garden in Vegas, not to mention the warm weather, but a part of me is excited to have seasons and the challenge of growing things in a different environment than I’m used to.
I pull out of the gate and my stereo makes a loud, staticky sound that makes me jump. The honk puts a holy fear in me and I screech on the brakes, coming this close to hitting the car backing out of the driveway next door.
Things suddenly screech to slow motion. Speaking of breathing wrong, I think I just lost my air. The person in the other car is the most beautiful guy I’ve seen even with the rage he clearly feels toward me right now. I take a deep breath and mouth Sorry with a wave. When his expression doesn’t change, I motion for him to go ahead. Since we’re this close to one another, with me pulling forward out of the driveway and him backing out of his, I can see his jaw tick. His eyes are the color of a Siberian husky—that weird shade of icy blue-green—and when he glares at me, he looks like a fallen angel.
Maybe this is what all hot guys look like in Long Island, vicious and sculpted. I appreciated the guys in Vegas, but they didn’t look like they wanted to reach out and pluck me out of the car and eat me for dinner.
My mouth falls open and I swear he seems to read all the lunatic thoughts I’m having because he lifts his shoulder in a barely-there acknowledgment and I want to hide below the dashboard.
I will have a lot to write about in my journal tonight.
When he eventually starts moving, I do the same, trying to focus on the road—something I should have been doing all along—and not lusting after hot neighbor guy. He makes a left turn sooner than I need to, but it doesn’t stop me from obsessing. Thoughts of him distract me on the drive to school, so when I pull into the parking lot a few minutes later, I’m not doing the gross clammy sweat thing that seems typical of a first day of school, but I do feel a little overheated. Definitely better than gross clammy sweat.
I grab my bag and take my time before getting out, trying to think of a fitting mantra for the day. Laura, my new sponsor, is all about mantras. My mom has them posted all over the house. Laura seems great, but we’ll have to work on her lines.
“You’ve got this.”
“New day, new opportunity.”
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger…”
They’re all a bit weak, like a second cup of tea with a used tea bag, and I don’t feel any more positive than I did before saying them. I look in the mirror, smiling, and give an old mantra my twist. “It’s probably going to be a shit day, so just get through it one step at a time.” I wink at myself because I’m a geek who talks to herself and then acknowledges it, and maybe Laura is onto something because I do fee
l better.
Even though I open my door slowly, the wind is strong. I don’t have a strong grip and the thud into the car door next to mine makes me yelp. No.
I hurry out of the car, my hand over my mouth as I hold back my squeaks of horror. I see the shoes first and then look up, up, up. I’m on the shorter side, but he’s extremely tall and now he’s looking at me like he wants to filet me over a grill and stick a stake through me. Hot neighbor guy.
I groan inside and then hold my hand out in an effort to be friendly.
“I’m…Gabriela Sinclair and I am so sorry.”
My mom decided I should go by my middle name. My parents have the clever business names of Sookie Lane and Hugh Jerod so I’ll be relatively safe using our real last name when the time comes, but for now it takes a minute to remember to say Gabriela instead of Josephine.
He stares at my hand and doesn’t bother shaking it. I awkwardly drop it and keep talking.
“I will pay for this. I swear it.” I stare at the dent in his car, which is an impressive sports car of some sort. I don’t know cars, but it’s even nicer than my newly leased Lexus. “Here, let me get my insurance information…I mean, you know where I live too, so you can always hunt me down if you don’t trust me.”
I chuckle and it dies in my throat when he doesn’t respond.
“Okay. Maybe I’ll just give you my number. Hang on a sec, I’ll write it down.” I grab a receipt sitting in my cup holder and write my number on it. “Again, I’m so sorry.”
He takes it but doesn’t acknowledge it, just stares at me with those eyes that seem to see inside my soul. He doesn’t like what he sees. That much is obvious when he tosses my card in his bag and leans down until he’s an inch from my face.
“You talk too much,” he says, his deep, raspy voice dripping over my skin like hot lava. I shiver and he notices, the ice in his eyes crisping into frosty ice cubes. “This little incident and the one earlier will cost you, but I’m sure I can come up with a few ways for you to repay me.” His eyes flicker to my lips and that whole lack of air becomes a problem again. He leans back and crosses his arms, and I feel dismissed.
His glare is an assault on my nerves and I back away, needing to put distance between us. I have a feeling this guy isn’t going to make anything easy for me. Too hot for his own good, and entitled bastard is written all over him…yet my heart is quadrupling over itself.
I hustle into school and barely catch my breath when I reach my locker. One positive thing about the altercation with hot neighbor guy is I didn’t even notice all the kids staring at me on my way inside. I take my blazer off and hang it in the locker, grabbing the notebooks I’ll need for the next couple of classes. When I slam it shut and turn around, it’s like all of us turn as one to appreciate the guys walking in the door. The hot bastard—his name is a work in progress until I find out what it is—is flanked by two other hot guys. The one on his left is pale with black hair that you just want to sink your hands into and explore. The one on the right has dark skin, a captivating smile, and his body is chiseled stone. They’re both beautiful, but I’m captured by the guy in the center. The way his hair slightly curls over his ears and his too-toned for high school body.
The second he sees me staring, I try to look away, but my gaze is drawn back to his. I wish I could control my curiosity, but it’s impossible. Girls swarm them in a matter of seconds and still his glare seems to have it out for me. I remind myself he looked like that before I hit his car—that scowl was on his face earlier…when I almost hit him the first time. Dammit. But then one of the beautiful girls next to him says something and he looks down at her and smiles. My heart caves into itself. Nope, it’s just me that he hates.
The next few seconds play out like a bad movie. The group shifts all of their attention on me and suddenly they’re moving my way. I back into my locker, wishing I’d made a run for my class instead of standing here waiting.
He stops in front of me and they all check me out like I’m the lab specimen up for dissection.
“This is the new girl,” Hot bastard says. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Raf Barron. Stay the fuck away from me and we’ll be all right.” He points at the dark-haired guy and backs up. “Henry, let’s go.”
“Hello, new girl.” Henry has the slightest hint of a British accent. My eyes widen. I’ve always loved a delicious accent. “Ashton, you coming?”
Ashton smiles at me as he passes. He seems like the nicest of the bunch, but who knows? I’m sure his asshole side will make an appearance.
I clear my throat. “I’m Gabriela. Nice to meet you guys.”
Raf turns around, his brow furrowed in the middle, as if the sound of me talking grates on his last nerve. “Let’s get one thing straight, you’re nobody here. You keep your head straight and your mouth shut…don’t speak unless you’re spoken to…and maybe you’ll survive Longlake. Have I made myself clear?”
“Wow, for someone so good-looking, you sure are a dick.”
I shouldn’t have said that out loud. But my biggest regret is acknowledging that I think he’s good-looking. The dick part, he needed to hear loud and clear.
Chapter Two
Raf’s cheeks tinge with pink. Embarrassment? No, I doubt he knows the meaning of embarrassment. Rage? Yes. He stalks toward me in the next second and you could hear a pin drop around us. He has the attention of everyone in the hall and it’s crowded because the bell is about to ring.
“What did you call me?” His voice is deadly calm.
My insides quiver and his eyes trail down my body like he can hear each flutter of my nerves. He gets caught on my chest for a few extra moments and it makes the butterflies flap even harder. Damn him and the way my body responds to him.
“You heard me.” My voice is barely above a whisper, but I take a deep breath and stare up at him defiantly.
“Come on, Raf,” Ashton says. “Let it go.”
“Back off, Ash.” Raf glances at Henry and the two of them chuckle. Can you believe this girl? I can only imagine the other things they’re saying with their ESP, but I’m pretty sure I read that look loud and clear.
“I’ll let it slide for now,” Raf says, his face inching near mine again, “but try it again…” He knocks my books out of my hands and steps back when my notebooks slide across the floor. He lifts both hands up, attempting to appear innocent, but his smirk is too obnoxious to pull that off as he walks away.
I bend to gather all my things then sag against the locker. This could be harder than I expected. Senior year might be the longest one yet.
Henry is in my first hour and he seems less intimidating without Raf. Ashton is in my next two classes, and he smiles tentatively when he sees me. I appreciate him trying to help me out before with Raf even if it didn’t change anything. He seems harmless enough, but I don’t bother testing that theory. I stay out of his way.
I sit at a table by myself at lunch, keeping my eyes down and my attention focused on my food.
And what a lunch it is.
This is fancy dining at its best. I dig into the lasagna and my eyes roll back in my head. My mom doesn’t let me have carbs when she’s around, so this carbfest will be worth every calorie.
A tray clatters across from me, and I groan mid-mouthful, when Raf, Henry, and Ashton sit across from me.
“You having a foodgasm, Gabi?” Raf asks, elbows on the table as he watches me nervously swallow.
I wish he wouldn’t insinuate the word orgasm to me in this setting. All mean and vicious instead of how exquisite an orgasm can be otherwise.
Instead of responding, I take another bite.
“I asked you a question.” He leans forward and dumps my tray of lasagna all over my white shirt. I stand up, gasping, looking down as the food drips onto the floor.
I’m momentarily stunned and then I jump into action, leaning across the table and pouring his drink all over his head.
He seems surprised for a second and then he grabs my wrist
, holding it in place.
“We’ve got a fiery one, boys,” he says. “She’ll be fun to tame.”
No one bothers to come to my defense this time, but I know everyone’s eyes are on us. I look around and notice that a group of students have the attention of the few staff members in the room…not to help me out, but to provide the perfect distraction for Raf to get away with this.
Raf nods when I turn back around. “No one to save you here.” He grins a panty-melting grin and I feel it all the way to my bones. They get up and walk away, Raf’s swagger making me sick to my stomach.
I hurry to my locker, grabbing my blazer before my next class. I don’t know what these guys are trying to prove, but they’ll learn soon enough that I don’t scare easily. Even when I’m shaking everywhere…
My mom is cheerful when I get home. I eye her suspiciously when she smiles at me and motions for me to take a piece of fruit out of the elaborate fruit basket sitting on the counter. One, I still can’t get used to her being home so early, and two, she is rarely cheerful. Since After, she hasn’t been cheerful.
“Help yourself. Isn’t this beautiful? It came from the Cromwells. They live nearby. Mr. Cromwell is a well-known author and I met his wife at a charity function last week. It will help if we establish a friendship with them. They’re coming over for dinner tonight. You’ll need to be presentable at seven o’clock. Wear something nice, okay, Gabriela?”
So much for asking how my day went. I realize I never settled the car situation with Raf. Hopefully, I won’t be grounded from using my car once he decides to collect.