Puck: Broken Hill Boys (Novella 1)

by Sheridan Anne

  Miss Blakeley stands from her desk, cutting off my response. “Alright, now that all of you are accounted for, you have ten minutes to get to know the person sitting beside you as these will be your seats for the remainder of the school year.”

  Hell yeah. Maybe Miss Blakeley isn’t so bad after all.

  “What?” Courtney shrieks, flying up out of her chair. “No way. I’m not sitting next to this…this animal every single morning of my senior year. That’s not fair.”

  “Tough luck, Courtney,” Miss Blakeley says, making a grin spread wide across my face. “Had you shown up to a little earlier, you could have chosen a seat more to your liking, but unfortunately, you didn’t.”

  Miss Blakely sits back down, putting an end to the conversation which pulls a frustrated groan out of Courtney. She drops back down beside me and props her elbow on the desk, resting her chin on her hand with an unimpressed scowl marring her pretty face.

  Courtney’s eyes flick toward me. “Don’t look so happy about this.”

  My hands fly up in innocence as I relax back into my seat, kicking my legs out in front of me. “Hey, I didn’t say a thing,” I laugh, loving this unexpected and interesting turn of events.

  Courtney slumps a little more in her seat, looking as though her whole world is coming to an end. She sits in silence for a minute or so and despite the way I like to watch her, I also love her snappy comebacks.

  “So,” I start, “If you were home alone and you had to take a shit. Would you leave the door open or close it?”

  Courtney’s head slowly turns to face me with her brows creasing in disgust. “Excuse me?”

  “Blakeley said we had to get to know each other. I’m just doing what I was told.”

  “And how does that question have anything to do with getting to know me?”

  I shrug my shoulders. “The answer to that question would tell me a whole lot about a person, don’t you think?”

  She scrunches up her face, shaking her head. “I can’t wait to hear your reasoning for this one,” she grumbles under her breath.

  I grin. “Open door; you’re a risk-taker, someone who takes advantage of an opportunity. Closed door; you’re a pussy, someone who’s probably self-conscious and terrified of being caught with their pants down around their ankles. So, what’ll it be, Courtney? Door open or closed?”

  The slightest smile graces her lips and I’m surprised when she actually entertains my questions and considers her answer. “Neither,” she finally says, gaining even more of my attention. I raise a brow, waiting to hear what she has to say. “Haven’t you heard? Girls don’t poop.”

  I shake my head, unsure why I’m finding her so endearing. “Answer the question, babe.”

  “How many times am I going to have to tell you not to call me ‘babe’ or ‘baby’ or any of those bullshit names?”

  “Answer the question, sweet cheeks.”

  Courtney groans again before letting her hand drop to the desk, unintentionally making her palm slap loudly against it. “Fine, I’ll answer your ridiculous question, if you answer one of mine.”

  I consider her proposal for a moment before my curiosity gets the best of me. “Fine,” I tell her. “What is it that you’re so desperate to know about me?”

  Courtney grins and her eyes become intense as she watches me closely. “You’re in a pool, does it float or sink?”

  An unexpected, loud, booming laugh comes tearing out of me and has Miss Blakely glaring at me from across the room. “What the hell do you want to know that for?” I ask her, wondering how it’s possible for a chick to make me laugh like that. No girl has ever done that.

  My reaction has the smile spreading wider across her face and it has something inside of me wanting to see it more. Courtney shrugs. “Call it an odd curiosity.”

  “Alright,” I laugh. “In that case, yeah. You could say it drifts with the current.”

  “And what about when a girl gags while giving head. You guys don’t seriously find that hot, do you?”

  “Ahh…fuck yeah, we do. It shows determination, that you’re willing to go to extraordinary lengths just to get us off. What’s not hot about that?”

  She shakes her head but now all I can think about is what she’d look like with her lips wrapped around my dick. “That’s gross.”

  “Maybe, but you’re avoiding my question.”

  The bell sounds and Courtney flies up out of her seat. “Well, would you look at that? Saved by the bell, huh?” She grabs her things and without another look, starts making her way toward the front of the classroom.

  “You’re a door closed kind of girl,” I call after her, knowing her type all too well.

  Courtney looks back over her shoulder as she reaches the door. “You couldn’t be more wrong,” she says, opening the door and as though trying to prove a point, she steps through and leaves it wide open.

  Well, damn. She’s been proving me wrong and surprising me with every single move she’s made, and for some unknown reason to me, I like it way more than I should.

  Chapter 5

  Courtney

  ‘Does it float or sink?’

  What the hell was I thinking? What kind of well-respected girl with morals asks a guy like Puck Jones what happens to his dick when it’s in the water? Not to mention, following that question up with another as stupid as, ‘if gaging while giving head is hot?’

  Fuck. I must be out of my damn mind.

  I’m stuck with the guy until the end of school and my only goal is to get him to leave me the hell alone, but asking ridiculous questions like that is only encouraging him. I don’t know what was wrong with me, but the second he started talking about the way I felt while dancing with him on Friday night, all I could think about was sex, and not just sex, but sex with Puck.

  Damn. Sex with Puck…my God! That would be something else. I lied. I told him that I thought he’d be a dud in bed, but there’s simply no way. Girls all over the school throw themselves at him and I’m sure he doesn’t have the reputation he’s got by being a disappointment.

  No, there’s just no way. Puck Jones would be dynamite in bed.

  “Earth to Courtney,” Brylee says.

  Why can’t I stop thinking about him though? Maybe I just need to get between the sheets with him and get it over and done with then we can both move on because he’s making it crystal clear that’s what he wants from me. Though he’ll probably crush me in the process and I don’t know if that’s something I could handle, but then, maybe I could. Puck isn’t exactly the type of guy I’d fall for. In fact, he’s the exact opposite. Maybe my heart would be safe.

  Shit. Am I seriously considering sleeping with Puck? The guy is a walking STD for fuck’s sake. I need to get myself tested just from allowing him that close to me this morning and especially on Friday night. Who knows what kind of diseases I could have picked up from him after rubbing myself all over him like some desperate slut?

  A pillow slams down over my head, jarring me out of my mind. “What the hell?” I demand, glaring across the bed at Brylee who’s busily shooting daggers my way.

  “I’ve been trying to get your attention for half an hour and every last word I say keeps getting ignored. What’s going on with you?”

  “Nothing,” I tell her, looking back down at my homework.

  Bry closes her math textbook and leans back against the headboard of her bed. “Well that’s a load of bullshit,” she says. “You’ve been my best friend for years, Courtney. I know when something’s up, now out with it before I have to force it out.”

  “Seriously, it’s nothing.”

  Brylee grabs her phone off the bed and focuses as she begins typing something. “You have three seconds to start talking before I let Brooke know that you’re the reason she didn’t get the part of Wendy in the fourth grade Peter Pan musical.”

  My eyes bug out of my head. “Don’t you dare. She’ll kill me.”

  “Then you better start talking.”

  I
groan as I fall back to the bed and stare up at the ceiling. My hands come up to cover my face, wanting to hide my shame at what I’m about to admit. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Puck since…well, ever.”

  “WHAT?” Brylee screeches, throwing herself to her feet. “What the hell are you talking about? I thought you hated the guy.”

  “I do. He’s the worst kind of pig, but…I don’t know. He’s kind of hot and sexy in this super intense kind of way and it makes me want to tear off all of his clothes and screw him in a broom closet.”

  Brylee’s mouth drops open as she stares at me as though I’m some kind of stranger. Her mouth closes and as she goes to say something, it simply falls open again. “I…I can’t believe what I’m hearing,” she says. “You can’t be serious. Do you realize that this is Nate Ryders’s best friend? Those guys are bad news. You need to stay away from him.”

  “I know, I’ve been trying but we’re in the same homeroom class and he made it impossible for me to avoid him and now I’m stuck with stupid assigned seating, and what’s worse, he looks at me like I’m some kind of challenge or a game or…I don’t know, some shit like that.”

  “You’re fucked,” Brylee says bluntly, “and not in a good way. He’s going to screw you over.”

  “I know,” I groan. “How do I fix this? I can’t be crushing on Puck Jones. He’s awful and he’s going to play with my heart and then tear it to shreds.”

  Brylee shakes her head as she drops back down on the bed. “Your heart isn’t the only thing he’s going to play with, and to be completely honest, it’s probably going to be the best sex of your life. I mean, Puck Jones…fuck. Did you hear what Katie Langston had to say about him after he slept with her at one of Jesse’s parties last year? Fuck, Court, if this really is going to happen, then be prepared for one wild ride.”

  “Seriously? That’s the advice you’re giving me?”

  “Hey,” she shrugs. “As you said, he’s going to break your heart no matter what you do and I think you’re right about that, so you might as well enjoy it while it lasts. Besides, the last guy you slept with was a two pump and dump loser. Don’t you owe it to your lady bits to see a bit of action.”

  “My lady bits see plenty of action, thank you very much.”

  Brylee rolls her eyes, knowing I’m lying, but it was worth a try, right? “Who knows, maybe you could get the inside scoop on all of those boys while you’re at it. I’ve always been curious about the five of them.”

  I toss the pillow back at Bry and give her my best glare. “You’re really not helping.”

  She shrugs. “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”

  I sit back up and let out a frustrated huff. “Can you just be serious for two seconds and tell me what you think about this?”

  “Fine,” she says, tossing her phone back to the bed. “You know I’m a hopeless romantic and yes, the signs are all pointing in the direction that you’ll probably get hurt, but what if he’s the exception? What if Puck turns out to be the love of your life and you never know because you were too scared of getting hurt? I mean, is that really a way to live? So what if it doesn’t work out and he breaks your heart. At least you know you tried and you can move on without any lingering ‘what if’ questions. Besides, if he’s all about sex, then you can move on knowing you took advantage of a good situation.”

  “So, you won’t fault me if I get into bed with him?”

  “Nope. I’ll throw your pussy a little ‘congratulations on the pounding of your life’ party. Look at it this way. There are three different outcomes. One, he breaks your heart and you learn a lesson which will make you stronger. Two, you get really great sex, if only just once and you leave with a story to tell the grandkid. Or three, you find your forever and you’re the happiest and luckiest woman in the world.”

  I look down at the bedspread. She has a point, but the idea of getting my heart crushed by a guy like Puck is terrifying. “Option number one is kind of freaking me out.”

  “If it comes down to option number one then we eat cartons upon cartons of ice cream, cry it out, and plot the best revenge this school has ever seen. Then you move on. It’s that simple. You can’t be afraid to put yourself out there with the fear of being hurt. That’s no way to live your life. Think of all the incredible things you could be missing out on.”

  I nod my head. “Fine,” I say with a sigh, “but when it turns out that he was only in it for sex, I’ll be saying ‘I told you so.’”

  “That’s fine, but when you’re finished telling me that, could you also give me all the dirty details because one thing’s for sure, Puck would be all sorts of creative in bed.”

  “You know what?” I tell her. “You’re on.”

  With that resolved, my head falls back down to my homework and for the first time since stepping into my homeroom class this morning, I’m finally able to concentrate.

  If Puck Jones wants to spend his mornings flirting and trying to get into my pants, then I’ll be ready for him. But one thing is for sure, no man is getting into my pants without working for it first.

  Chapter 6

  Courtney

  Alright. I need to pull on my big girl panties.

  Shit, I’m not sure I own any of them.

  Why is the idea of intentionally flirting with Puck Jones so freaking daunting? He’s just a boy. A very tall, wickedly charming boy who could tear me to shreds. See, no big deal, right?

  Crap. I’m going to be sick.

  Breathe, Courtney. You can do this.

  Bry is right. This isn’t going to go anywhere and I should enjoy it while I can. It’s just sex and it’s not like I haven’t done it before. I mean, I’ve done it plenty of times with all sorts of questionable guys, though it’s not like I’m a whore or anything, I’m just not a prude. But Puck Jones. Fuck me, maybe I am a whore to have a guy like him in sight. I guess I really am if I plan on using him for sex.

  Oh well, I guess whore status means I’ll fit in with the girls around here a little more. That’s a win/win in my book.

  I take a deep breath as I ditch Brylee at her homeroom and continue down the corridor. What was I thinking? I can’t do this. I’m not the girl who intentionally flirts with hot guys, I’m way too shy to do that. I’m bound to embarrass myself. I’m not a stranger to flirting, in fact, I do it more than I know, the only issue is when I’m doing it, I’m usually not aware, but to intentionally go in there hoping to win the guy over; now that’s just insane.

  Brylee makes sure to spank my ass as I walk away and I cringe when her voice rings loudly over the corridor so every student in the school can hear. “Go get him, tiger!”

  Fuck, I could kill that girl, but the sound of her chuckles has my head shaking and a grin ripping across my face.

  I don’t dare turn back in fears of someone realizing Brylee is talking to me and I get my ass down the hallway. I’ve been walking at a snail’s pace trying to prolong speaking with him, but if I take any longer, I’m going to miss the second warning bell and I’ll end up with a detention. Though Puck generally spends quite a lot of his time in detention so maybe hanging out there wouldn’t be too bad.

  I look up ahead and watch as Puck makes his way from the other end of the hallway and swings himself into our homeroom. My heart races. Why does this seem so hard?

  I can do this. I can do this.

  It’s just one step after another, then it’s showtime. I can be charming. Sure, I can flirt the pants off of a guy, especially a guy like Puck. This should be a breeze.

  After what feels like forever, I finally make it to the door of Miss Blakeley’s classroom. I can hear the soft chatter of the students inside as the hallway empties around me. I’m cutting it way too close to the second warning bell, and let’s face it, I’m not the type to purposefully get myself detention. I’m a good girl and I’m proud of the fact that I’ve managed to get through high school without getting myself in trouble like that.

  My hand falls to my ch
est and I feel the rapid beat beneath my palm before taking a few slow breaths. When I finally think I’ve got myself under control, I drag my sweaty hands down my shorts and slap on a smile, only it feels awkward as fuck on my face. I must look like a fool.

  The warning bell sounds and my eyes bug out of my head. Shit. I’m out of time.

  I swing myself through the door only to find Miss Blakeley’s annoyed glare already on me. “Sorry,” I cringe. “It won’t happen again.”

  “Mmmhmm,” she murmurs in disbelief somehow managing to make me feel like a piece of shit. “Get to your seat.”

  I nod and scram only when I turn down the aisle and find the most intense blue eyes staring back at me, my world stops. Every thought exits my head as a goofy as fuck grin spreads across my face. I must look like an idiot, but suddenly the smile on my face doesn’t seem so fake.

  A noise tears up my throat and comes out as some sort of snorty grunt that has embarrassment flooding me. What the hell was that?

  Puck smirks at my shame and I want nothing more than to drown in a pile of my own embarrassment. I can only imagine what Brylee is going to say about this.

  Shake it off, Court! It doesn’t get much worse than a snort.

  I let out a discreet breath, trying to rid myself of the torturous butterflies swarming around in my stomach and get my ass moving toward my seat. I can start over once I get myself seated. Besides, no one said there were any rules as to how this was supposed to go.

  I somehow manage to get to the back of the classroom gracefully without snorting or making a fool of myself and I give myself a mental round of applause. I’ve got this. I’m a badass bitch. This will be easy.

  I drop my books for my morning classes on the table and try to ignore the way he leans back in his chair, making him look like some kind of Greek God with that tanned skin and dazzling blue eyes. “Morning,” he says in a low tone that has everything inside of me clenching.

  Be cool, Courtney and for fuck’s sake, don’t snort again.

  I pull my chair out and give Puck a warm smile. “Hey,” I say, trying to be cute as I drop my ass down to my seat, only I miss the fucking thing and go tumbling down to the ground with a squeal loud enough to alert the cafeteria ladies. “Fuck,” I shriek as my ass hits the floor with a thud that I’m certainly not prepared for.