by Eva Hart
“Sorry for the awkwardness. I told Brian I’m not dealing with his dumb ass at parties like that anymore. Maybe it’s for the best I didn’t go initially,” he said.
“It’s fine. I still had a good time,” I said.
We nodded, and then, he looked at me
“I’d like to do this again. I had a good time,” he said.
“I did too. See you,” I said.
We parted ways, and while I was happy that the date went well, I still felt a little guilty because of the almost kiss I had with Phoenix. He was an attractive man, and I…I didn’t know what came over me to do that. but, at the same time, I also knew that my heart had an aching desire for him, even though it was definitely a sign that something bigger was brewing.
I felt that it was right to trust Dane, even though I had my own doubts. However, I’m not going to deal with this right now. I went to bed, ready to have a relaxing weekend that hopefully wouldn’t be filled with the Elites bothering me.
Chapter 12
The Monday after, I went to homeroom, where JJ greeted me. I greeted her back. It was our little ritual. However, during that period, the teacher got an announcement out.
“Alright everyone. I was told to give this announcement to you. The principal is busy with a meeting, but she wanted you to know that the fall formal would be on the 26th of this month. We’re working with the student council to put the best formal together,” she said.
So there was a dance here. I didn’t think that there would be anyone interested in dating me. However, after homeroom, I saw Dane over at my locker. He gave me a friendly smile before speaking.
“Hey Jules,” he said.
“Hey Dane. What’s up?”
“Oh, just heard about the fall formal. I wanted to ask if you wanted to go together,” he said.
I couldn’t believe this. I mean, I figure Dane might say something, but I didn’t expect him to be of…upfront about it.
“You sure? It’s me, you know the girl everyone in school hates,” I said.
“I don’t hate you. And yes, I’m sure,” he said with a smile.
I nodded, happy about this.
“Sure, I accept,” I said.
“Great. I’ll see you then.”
He walked off, and I headed over to my next class. It was government, and I remembered the debate that I had with Phoenix in this class. I wondered what today would bring for me.
I sat down, hearing jeers from a couple of the kids, but then, the teacher came in.
“Alright class, today, we’re setting up groups and discussing he group project. I want all of you to put together a model of the ideal government that you’d like to see. You have till the end of the month. I’ll be assigning groups for this, and I won’t make any exceptions,” she said.
Jesus fuck this teacher was a bitch. But I could tell some of the other kids in the classroom felt the same way. The names were rattled off, and finally, when they got to my name, I tensed up.
“Jules, you’ll be working with Phoenix and Luca on this project,” she said.
Are. You. Kidding. Me. I looked over, and I could see Phoenix looking away and Luca sneering. I started to feel the regret in this moment. I didn’t want to work with any of these guys, and I would prefer to just do the work alone and carry the project. The teacher then made us all split up into groups.
“I don’t want to work with you, and you don’t want to work with me, so let’s just get this over with,” I said as I sat down.
“Who says we don’t want to work with you?” Phoenix said.
I looked at him, seeing the serious look in his eyes.
“Don’t bullshit me. You dislike this as much as I do,” I said.
“Well, the formal is coming up, so we can focus on that instead,” Phoenix said.
“You probably don’t even have a date for it yet Jules. I have like three girls who are asking for me to escort them. Maybe I should take all three,” Luca said.
I could tell what he was trying to do. I smiled at him, a haughty glance.
“I actually have a date for the formal,” I sad.
“What?” Phoenix said.
“Your fingers don’t count as a date, Jules,” Luca said with a scoff.
“It’s not my fingers. It’s an actual human being. I got asked early and I said yes,” I explained.
For a moment, neither of them knew what to do. It was funny, seeing them squirm like this.
“So who is it?” Phoenix said. I could tell there was jealousy in his voice.
“Yeah, bet it isn’t Dane,” Luca said.
“It actually is,” I told them.
They looked at me with widened eyes.
“I’m surprised,” Phoenix said.
“Yeah, I thought he would be done with you after the tire incident. I mean, I didn’t do it, but I thought maybe a little bit of chaos would’ve been fun,” Luca said.
That was a total lie. Luca either ordered it or did it himself. It was probably Tabitha who started the whole debacle. But I kept myself cool, pretending that nothing bothered me.
“Well, assumptions do make you an ass, so maybe you shouldn’t make them,” she said.
The two boys immediately shut up after that. we went back to working on the project, and I could tell that Phoenix was upset that I agreed to going with Dane to the dance. Luca on the other hand, was the king of snarky comments. He made a few every now and then, and I ignored them.
We’d have to work on this together, and if it meant that I’d have to deal with this harassment, then so be it.
For the next few days, we worked on this project. At first, we started in the library, since there was a room to work in. At first, it was also very awkward. I wanted to do most of the work myself, but there was definitely a wall slowly coming down.
However, after a couple of days, Phoenix sighed.
“I’m sick of working in here. Let’s go back to the dorm,” he said.
I paused. Was that really the right thing to do? I know all three of them each had their private rooms, but they all lived together. I hesitated, but then, Phoenix spoke.
“We’re not going to hurt you. We have a project to do, and it’s better if we just work together rather than apart,” he said.
It was mature of him, I’ll give him that,” I started to feel a bit more relaxed.
When we got to the dorm, I got a better look. Before this, I came over here once, and I just walked in, grabbed my shit, and then left. But now, I looked around, and I could feel a hint of jealousy course through my veins.
This place was beautiful. I thought my campus apartment was nice, but there were fancy fixtures, and I could see the plush couch. We agreed to sit down around the coffee table, with myself in between the two of them. When we worked together, it felt different.
Instead of the thee of us at one another’s throats, it was strangely civil. Phoenix would make a couple of comments on things every now and then, putting down Luca’s ideas, but he was strangely supportive.
“I like the way that sounds. I think putting together a PowerPoint presentation on the type of government I’d like to see is probably the best way to do it,” he said.
“Right. I think that’s the best way to do it,” I said.
“You know, you’re pretty smart there Jules. Maybe I was wrong about you,” I said.
I could feel the small hint of attraction that Luca had. Even though he was a total douchebag otherwise, there was something pulling me in, making me gravitate towards him as well.
But, whenever Luca showered me with any compliments, Phoenix was always there, scoffing.
“Come on, let’s get back to this. Jules has great ideas, but ideas that aren’t written down are just going to be that—ideas,” he said.
“Hey, calm down there smarty-pants,” Luca said.
I could tell that the icy tension between them was only growing more so. But there was also a lot of playful flirting that happened too.
Thorn would
show up on occasion. He didn’t really pay much mind to us, but the mysterious man would look at me, and sometimes I felt like his gaze was boring straight into me as he did that. I could feel a blush ghost my face as he did that.
After a brief second, I spoke.
“Hey Thorn,” I said.
“Hi. Don’t mind me. Just reading,” he said.
“Don’t worry about him. He’s always like that. he’s trying to get himself properly prepared for the matches,” Luca said.
“I thought you were the only one who did them?” I inquired.
“Nah, it’s Thorn’s baby, just if people piss me off, I’ll take care of them too,” he said.
He had an air of pride in his words, and it was quite interesting learning about these guys.
I thought working with the bullies would only make things worse between us, but the opposite happened. The brooding Thorn didn’t say much, and a part of me wondered why he acted that way. Did something happen to him?
I know his mother died, but something else seemed a bit off about him, and I wondered if there was anything more happening.
The night before the project was due, I walked to their dorm, and noticed that Luca was ready to finish things up. I also noticed Thorn looking at himself in the mirror, his attractive features augmented by the lack of facial hair he had.
“Hey, so I’m here to go over this one more time,” I sad to them.
“Sure, that would be wonderful,” Luca said.
“Where’s Phoenix?” I asked.
“Oh, he had to take care of a couple things. It’s just you and me tonight,” Luca teased.
Thorn waved but then walked off.
“Where’s he going?” he asked.
“Oh, to one of the boxing matches he has tonight. He’s facing off against one of his toughest competitions. Want to go check it out?” he said with a purr.
I wasn’t sure if I should do that. after all, weren’t we supposed to be getting ready for the project?
“But we have this project—”
“Relax Jules. Don’t be such a stick in the mud. Let’s run though it one more time,” he said.
“Alright.”
We went through it once more, and as we finished up, Luca smiled.
“Come on, let’s go,” Luca said.
We went to the car, and Phoenix and Thorn were back as well. Phoenix and Thorn sat up front, while Luca and I were in the back. I noticed the tall, dark and handsome man smiling at me, and as I sat next to him, I started to feel his hands creep closer to my waist.
A part of me wanted to move away, to get away from him, and to not fall into his trap. But…there was something about him that I couldn’t help but feel excited about.
“So who are you fighting?”
“Some guy from the rival school. He ain't shit,” Thorn said.
“I don’t think he is either. He’s definitely pretty weak it sounds like. Wonder whose all coming out,” Luca said.
“Don’t know. It’s a match that’s happening off the campus property, so we’ll see,” Thorn said.
Suddenly, I felt Luca’s hand move towards my jeans. I tensed up, feeling like I had all eyes on me. I wasn’t sure if the other guys noticed, but I looked at Luca, flashing him a look as he sneered at me. I wanted to shy away. How did this bastard get away with it.
But, when he rubbed me, it was almost like he knew immediately where to touch me. He continued to rub me, and I ripped the set, trying to keep calm.
“Have you ever been to one of these matches there Jules?” Phoenix asked.
“N-no I haven’t,” I said.
“Oh, well you’re in for a treat. Throne is the best there is. He’s so good at what he does, and he definitely is strong,” Phoenix said.
“Yeah, he and I sometimes fight, and he definitely is a pretty good fighter,” Luca said.
He continued to rub me through my jeans, touching me there, and I tried my best to relax, unsure of what else to do at this point other than to just take it as is? I looked at him, and I noticed that he was definitely teasing me on purpose. Luca liked this, and I was at the mercy of his whims.
“Well, we’re almost there,” Phoenix said.
I wondered if either of the guys noticed what Luca was ding to me, but as he continued to do this, he smiled, and I felt like I was in a whole different world. I let out an inaudible cry, and as I finished Luca grinned at me with a sneer. He pulled away, and I know for a fact that he was enjoying this as much as I do. I definitely could see the appeal that this man had.
When we got inside, there was a whole crowd of people. Some girls raced over to Luca, cheering and making sounds, but Luca simply just smiled. Phoenix walked over to the corner with me, and he looked at me with a smile.
“It seems like things never change,” he said.
“Seems like it too. Luca is something all right,” I said.
“Yeah. He’s powerful. And a good friend at times,” Phoenix said.
I felt shameful after what Luca did to me though. I can’t believe the bastard touched me like that. and I…I let him do it. I felt the lingering frustration, annoyed by the actions at hand.
When we got inside, Thorn walked in, as if he knew exactly where it was, he was supposed to go. I felt the frustration grow within me, but I also felt the lingering touches from Phoenix’s hand.
“I’m excited to see this fight. It’s supposed to be a pretty easy match, at least for Thorn,” Phoenix said.
“Has he always been interested in boxing?” I asked.
“Yeah. It’s his passion. I mean, sometimes you pick up different coping mechanisms after all you go through,” he said to me.
“Yeah, for real,” I told him.
We stood next to one another, and Luca same over too. He smiled at me as he looked at my jeans, and then started to walk off. I could tell that he was enjoying this.
I looked at Thorn, and he was smirking at me with a sly grin. I could tell that he was enjoying this, the pure satisfaction of this growing within him. I wondered what Thorn thought about me.
“This fight is for you,” he said with a purr.
“Thanks. Can’t wait to see it,” I told him.
He gave me one more look before heading on out of there. As he did so, I sat there looking at all of the guys, and their gazes that were both attractive, and smoldering as well. It was going to be a fun night.
The boxing match was definitely something that I liked seeing. Thorn was good, fighting all of the other boxers with a finesse you didn’t see just anywhere. It was quite amazing if I did say so myself, and I wondered if maybe this would be different. I wondered if this would be the first time the guys would actually see me more as a friend or something else, rather than a teasing plaything.
However, I could still feel Phoenix and Luca brushing up against me. The heat between our bodies, the way that it felt, it was almost too shocking for me to comprehend. After the matches were over, we went over to congratulate Thorn, who was the winner.
“You did amazing!” I cried out.
“Thanks. It was nothing,” he said, his voice cold. I smiled at him, and then Luca lightly elbowed me.
“Come on, quit getting your panties wet over him. Let’s get the hell out of here,” he muttered.
I flushed. I didn’t really know what to say, other than just a small yes, and then heading out of there however, on the way out, I stopped at the bathroom. I looked at the guys, and then smiled.
“Are you okay with waiting a few minutes?” I asked.
“Sure, we’ll wait,” Luca said, flashing me a smile. I thanked them, walking over to the bathroom to quickly pee and wash my hands. However, when I got out, I saw that they weren’t there.
“Guys?”
Are you kidding me? They literally left me and went outside? However, when I went out there feeling the cool, crisp breeze against my body, I noticed that they weren’t there either.
Their car was gone, and I realized the shocking horror as I
came to the conclusion that they ditched me. Frustration built in my body, especially since I agreed to go with them.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I said.
I was annoyed. I didn’t have any other way back. I forced myself to get a ride, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do.
I didn’t have a ton of money in my bank account, and I was several miles from campus. I tried to find a phone for me to call them, but no dice. The place closed shortly after, leaving me with a meager payphone. I used that to get a taxi, which came about twenty minutes later and cost so much more than what I was willing to pay for. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me.
I was frustrated, and I was going to talk to Phoenix about this tomorrow.
The next day, I saw Phoenix over by the homeroom classroom, and I grimaced at him.
“Thanks for ditching me last night,” I said with annoyance.
“Sorry. It wasn’t me. It was Luca. Thorn was asleep in the back, and Luca just drove off. He told me you’d be fine and—”
“Well I wasn’t. I had to get a ride back, and it cost a bit. So thanks,” I said.
“Don’t get so upset Jules. This is how Luca shows he likes someone. Besides, he thought you’d be a while, so we went back to go drop Thorn off,” he said.
That was a dammed lie and we both knew it. But I didn’t have anything more to say. I went to class, but of course, what didn’t know, was it would once again provoke the hornet’s nest.
Gym class was a whole different story. I could see a few of the girls glaring at me, and I looked back at them, frustrated by the way everything was going. However, after gym, when I was showering, I heard the shower curtain get pulled open.
“Hey what are you—”
Suddenly, something hard hit my arm. A lot of things hit my arm, pelting me there. I cried out in sheer pain, annoyance flowing through me. I cried out, anger settling in, and as I felt them continue to pummel me with this, I stared to scream. I hurt so bad, it made me want to die, and I wanted to scream.
But then, as quickly as it happened, they were gone, leaving me alone in the shower. I was getting super tired of this, and I was tired of Tabitha’s little games. The war was still on, I just had a lapse of judgment for a moment.