Movement catches my eye, and I finally see him, sitting in a chair a few feet away from me, under a weak lightbulb hanging from the naked ceiling. Kyle. There’s a gun in his hand, and he keeps checking his phone, tapping his foot nervously.
“What the shit, Kyle?” I blurt, my voice rough and weak.
He looks at me and lets a deep sigh roll out of his chest. “This is what you get for being a whore, Elly.”
It doesn’t take long for the panic and the sheer horror to set in. How long have I been here? How will I get out? Will I get out, or is this where I die? The thought is enough to make my knees jitter. My life flickers in the back of my head—all the things I’ve done, every decision that has led me to this point.
I’m supposed to finish high school and go to law school. I’m supposed to work the courts for a while before I start campaigning for office. I’m supposed to live for as long as I naturally can. I’m supposed to experience so many things I’ve yet to even consider. What I’m not supposed to do is die here tonight.
“I don’t get it,” I say. Maybe I can stall him. I need to find out what his intentions are. “Why would you do something like this? You get hard time for kidnapping, Kyle. And you’ll be tried as an adult.”
He smiles. “Do you think I’m afraid of jail? No, Elly, I’m more afraid of what Kevin Flanagan will do if I let you out of my sight.”
“What’s your connection to him?” I ask, trying to figure out if he’s always been on his payroll, or if Kevin flipped him more recently. Kyle has been kind and supportive, a good shoulder to cry on. It just doesn’t make sense.
I thought what The Hotshots did was the ultimate betrayal. Guess it can always be worse…
“Trust me, Elly, the less you know, the better,” he replies, lowering his head as he checks the phone again.
The horrible reality sets in. “I’ve seen your face, Kyle. I know who you are…” A tremor rumbles through me, the grip of fear constricting my throat. “I’m not getting out of here alive, am I?”
He shakes his head. “Probably not.”
My survival instincts are quick to kick in, thank the fucking stars. I need to stall him, while I try to figure out a way to save myself. I doubt anyone knows I’m here. “Then tell me. Why did you do this? I trusted you…”
“Big mistake,” he replies dryly.
“For once in your life, grow a fucking spine and tell me!” I shout, without anything left to lose. He’s waiting for some kind of signal, otherwise he would’ve killed me by now. Every second I have is precious. First, I move my hands against the restraints. It’s thin rope, and it’s digging into my skin. The more I try to get out of it, the deeper the rough fibers will cut. It hurts…
Kyle stares at me, eyes wide. “Man, you’ve got one helluva pair of balls on you, Elly, I’ll give you that.” I scowl at him. “But okay… if you really must know. My dad owes Kevin Flanagan. A lot. Enough to get me involved.”
“So, what? He threatened to kill you?”
“Worse. It was either this or spending my nights with some of his friends. And let me tell you, Elly… His friends have some weird and dangerous tastes,” he says. “I’m talking bondage and torture and all kinds of sick shit. Befriending you was actually my initiative, and I don’t regret a single second of it.”
“Because of all the fun talks we had?” I retort, my sarcasm very much alive.
“Because figuring out what you mean to Rhett, Kellan and Gage was way better than getting fucked in the ass with a broomstick, you entitled little bitch!” he growls, pointing the gun at me. My heart jumps in my throat.
“So, you wanted to be friends because they picked on me? How did that logic work?”
“They don’t bully people, Elly. It didn’t take a scientist to figure out they had a hidden motive to push you away the way they did,” he says. “I mean, I’ve seen them pull a wedgie here and there, but what they did to you… damn, that was personal.”
“I thought you were a good person,” I sigh, feeling my heart break, one word at a time.
“And I thought you didn’t go around fucking the very pricks who hurt you. I mean, you’re one sick puppy, Elly. A masochist like nothing I’ve seen before. Kevin wanted me to find out what your deal was as soon as I told him about the tampon scene. He thought the same thing, that Rhett et al were just trying to divert attention from you,” he replies. “The more you told me about summer camp, the more the pieces fit together. You see, Kevin knew about their tendency to share girls. He knew that one day, they’d all fall in love with the same one. He said it was bound to happen, because, and I quote, their hearts are green, and their dicks are easy to sway.”
“Ew…”
He smirks. “What? I thought you liked their dicks.”
“Fuck you, Kyle. I get that your dad got you into this mess, but you could’ve come to me. We could’ve… I don’t know—”
“We could’ve talked about it? Elly, even now, I don’t think you realize how dangerous the Flanagans are. You’re either with them, or you’re dead,” Kyle says, checking the time on his phone, then points the gun at me again. “I could just shoot you here. I mean, he’s already paid me. I can leave town, and never have to hear from the Flanagans again. Kevin won’t come after me…”
“Well, you got that part right,” Rhett’s voice cuts through the semi-darkness. Kyle jumps from his chair and turns around, but he can’t see much beyond the wide wall opening of this basement. “Kevin definitely won’t come after you, because he’s dead.”
“How… How’d you find us?” Kyle mumbles. His hand is shaking. He can barely hold that gun. I squint in hopes of finding Rhett in that darkness, my heart throbbing, once again torn between hope and fear. He’s here, now. Maybe I’ll be okay, after all.
But Kyle quickly regains his composure. His hand stops shaking as he takes aim at me. I’m paralyzed, counting the seconds in a bid to control my own breathing, so I don’t pass out. Heat spreads through my temples, though… I worry I won’t be awake for much longer.
The adrenalin is too high, and I’m hyperventilating.
Kyle moves closer. “You come any closer and I’ll shoot her!”
“You don’t want to do that, Kyle,” Rhett says. “I get it. My uncle made you do it. But he’s gone, now. He doesn’t have power over you anymore.”
“How… How do I know that’s true?” Kyle replies.
“Because I killed him myself,” Rhett says. I can tell from the tone of his voice that he’s telling the truth, and I’m not sure what to think of it. Kevin was obviously dangerous. I mean, look at me, now… Maybe Rhett had no other way.
I wonder about Kellan and Gage. Are they around? Are they okay? There’s a lot I’ve missed out on, and all I want to do is get out of these ropes and live. My head is getting light. This is all too much. No one prepared me for this.
What will my mom do if something happens to me? It will destroy her…
Oh, god…
“I don’t believe you,” Kyle says. “You just want to get your whore back!”
A shadow moves behind him. It’s Kellan. He hits Kyle in the back of the head, and Kyle falls flat on his face. “No one calls Elly that,” Kellan mutters.
Tears burst from my eyes, as I realize it’s over.
I’m safe.
Rhett darts past him and lands on his knees in front of me. Kellan rushes around the pillar and cuts off my restraints, while Gage shows up from the same darkness that produced the Flanagan brothers and puts a pair of cuffs on Kyle, who’s out cold and as limp as a ragdoll.
A mixture of feelings blow through me like a most confusing tornado. I’m angry, and I’m relieved, and I’m terrified, and I’m hopeful… and all the love I’ve been trying to deny myself is coming back with a vengeance, filling my heart and making my soul swell, as I’m finally free.
Rhett takes me in his arms, and I hug him with the little strength I have left, crying my eyes out as I breathe a little too fast again. “Shh, it’s ok
ay,” he whispers in my ear. “You’re okay… You’re okay, Elly…”
“Thank you,” I manage, feeling Kellan’s hands caressing my back. “Thank you so much…”
“No, no, Elly, please… it’s our fault,” Rhett says, looking at me, his hands cupping my face. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry this happened to you.”
My muscles suddenly relax. All the tension is gone now, and I finally experience the truest form of exhaustion. “Stop saying you’re… sorry,” I mumble, my head lolling back and forth.
Darkness creeps up on me again, but this time, it’s got a sweet vibe, as I find myself in the arms of The Hotshots. I feel Rhett’s embrace. Kellan’s hands. Gage’s lips on the top of my head.
“You’re going to be fine, Elly,” I hear one of them say.
“She’s passing out,” another replies.
I can’t see anymore. Sleep wraps me in its layers of gold and honey, and I can finally rest. I can finally rest, because Rhett is here. Kellan is here. Gage is here. The four of us are back together again, and I’ll get to live another day.
As I drift away, I think of summer camp. Of how close we were.
Of how close we can be again…
We’re all free.
30
Back in Summer Camp, Day 62
We go home tomorrow, and I’m currently thinking about a way to stay here for a little while longer. Reality is calling back in Barkston, but it’s been so good out here by Lake Tahoe, with Rhett, Kellan and Gage. I’ve grown more in these six weeks than in the past six years. The things we talk about… wow, I had no idea my mind could bend the way it has with The Hotshots.
Gage has been consistent in his decision to quit smoking. Sure, he basically lives off nicotine gum now, but at least he’s not killing himself softly with cigarettes. Rhett is increasingly more determined to go into politics. We’ve been floating campaign ideas if we ever run on the same ticket. He’s willing to be my VP, and I’m more than happy to be his VP, if it’s the other way around. Kellan is already planning a winter holiday for us, provided their grandfather recovers soon. I know he’s been on their minds, even though they’ve tried not to bring it up much.
The thought leaving this place saddens me.
We’re by the creek, lounging on a blanket, my head resting in Kellan’s lap while Gage massages my feet. We’re drinking, but there aren’t many words left between us. A lot of things have changed in our dynamic, and I never thought I would be so close to them, that our hearts would be inexplicably attached by an invisible thread—what if it snaps once there’s distance between us? What then?
“Elly…” Rhett’s voice draws me back into the moment. He sits next to me, refilling a red cup with vodka and orange juice. Gage brought the cooler again, which has been a godsend with this late August heat. “Here.”
I take the cup and sit up, giving Gage a thankful smile for the foot rub. Every nerve ending in my toes sings with delight. His touch is golden, and he’s found all the right spots, because now I’m mellow and maybe a little too soft.
“What’s wrong?” Rhett asks, his eyes searching my face.
“I don’t want this to end,” I murmur, then take a sip from my cup. My insides simmer slowly.
“It doesn’t have to end,” Kellan replies, smiling softly.
“It kind of does tomorrow,” I say.
Gage moves closer. “What is it that frightens you, Elly?”
“That I won’t see you again.”
We’ve reached this point where I can be honest with them about how I feel. They never judge. They actually want to hear what I want, what I think… it’s almost surreal. Two months ago, I was wondering if I’d ever find a boyfriend who’d want me just the way I am, who’d make my heart flutter. Now, I feel as though I’ve got three. I mean, Kellan and I are tight. Then there’s that episode with Gage, which I’ve not had the opportunity to repeat, since I didn’t bring it up with Kellan, in the first place. And then there’s Rhett, whose green eyes continue to haunt me at night, as I wonder… what if?
Perhaps it’s time for me to lay it all out. I trust Gage when he says I should just ask them about us. I mean, what’s the harm? We’re not strangers. We’d do anything for one another. We spend our days and even our nights together. I’m pretty sure that Gage and Rhett have both heard my whimpers and moans whenever Kellan snuck into my bed, on nights when we all shared the same room…
“Who says you won’t see us again?” Kellan asks, his brow furrowed as he tucks a lock behind my ear. His touch makes my skin tingle.
“I don’t even know where you live,” I say. “It’s been two months, guys…”
“But we know where you live,” Rhett replies, smiling. “We’ll come see you. We’ll hang out. Plus, if all goes well, we’ve got a whole cabin to ourselves in Aspen.”
“That sounds nice,” I sigh. “I’m just trying to be realistic here. I get the feeling you won’t be around anymore. Like, at all.”
Rhett shakes his head, his gaze darkening. “There’s a lot about us you don’t know, Elly. And it’s best if it stays that way for a while.”
“You’re special to us, that’s why we want to… sort of keep you to ourselves,” Gage says. Again, I believe him, even though it doesn’t make much sense. Maybe the alcohol is loosening my brain up too much. Maybe I’ll understand better in the morning.
“I promise you, Elly,” Kellan declares as he leans in, his lips close enough that I can feel his breath on my face. “We’ll always be a part of your life. For as long as you want us in it, anyway.”
“I want you in my life,” I say, almost pleading. This isn’t me, but I feel every word that comes out of my mouth. I’m being honest, with no concern for the emotional risks involved. Because as much as I want to believe that this will all work out, I still have to consider the possibility that tomorrow we say goodbye to each other forever. And the thought gives me heartburn.
Kellan holds me by the back of the neck and pulls me in for a kiss. I feel his emotions coursing through me, his lips soft, his tongue lovingly exploring and telling me things he’d never be able to tell me with words. I welcome him, closing my eyes, allowing the pleasure to spread through me like the sweetest of fires.
I feel Gage’s hand taking mine, his lips brushing against my knuckles. I gasp when his tongue draws a line up to my wrist. Looking at him, I try to catch my breath, when I hear Kellan chuckle.
“You don’t have to be afraid, Elly,” he says, kissing my cheek. “It’s us. We’re together. We share, if you’ll share…”
“Oh, dear. So… you know,” I manage, remembering Gage’s hand working my pussy on that hot July night.
Kellan nods slowly. Rhett watches closely, his expression damn near impossible to read. What is he thinking? Am I less to him, now, that it’s out in the open? No, it doesn’t look like it. A smile stretches across his lips, and a wave of relief washes over me. They’re serious. They actually fucking mean it with all this sharing malarkey.
And that just makes me want to jump up and down with pure joy.
“You’re serious,” I add, checking each of them for a sign that I’m not imagining any of this. That it’s all real.
“I told you, Elly,” Rhett says. “You’re special to us.”
“So, you’d… you know… you would?” I whisper, unable to formulate a coherent sentence.
“I’m not sure you understand how beautiful, how fucking wonderful you are,” Rhett replies, getting up on his knees and closing the distance between us. Kellan massages my shoulders, and I’m not sure I even saw him move behind me, while Gage moves in, my hand still in his.
“You… You never said anything,” I breathe when Kellan’s lips find the side of my neck, and billions of shivers run down my spine.
“I said a lot. You just weren’t paying attention,” Rhett says, raising his hand slowly. His finger settles in the small dip at the base of my neck, where the collarbones meet. His touch alone is electrifying. “Besides, what’s th
e rush? I don’t want you thinking all we want is a quick summer fuck, Elly. We’ve got time, long after we leave Lake Tahoe…”
The tip of his finger wanders down, discovering the narrow valley between my breasts. My breathing is ragged, my heart beating out of control, as Kellan trails kisses down to my shoulder, sinking his teeth into my skin.
I moan softly, as Gage proceeds to kiss and lick his way up my left arm.
Everything is changing again, in ways that I’d not thought possible, and all I can do is abandon myself into this stream and see where it takes me. The vodka’s done a good job of shattering my inhibitions, which is good, because everything that is happening right now is pure bliss.
Rhett’s fingers work on the thick lace that keeps my summer dress tied up at the front. Slowly but surely, the fabric slips to the sides, revealing my breasts. He doesn’t move from his spot, his hand discovering every inch of skin laid bare before him. He catches my nipple between his index finger and thumb, squeezing gently.
I whimper, arching my back, as Kellan takes my right wrist and puts my arm behind his neck, while his hands move down, searching for the hem of my long maxi-style dress.
“Oh, wow…” I croak when I feel Kellan’s cock pressing against my buttocks.
“We’re yours, Elly,” Gage says as he takes my left breast into his mouth.
“And you’re mine,” I reply, my gaze fixed on Rhett.
His chest moves with every breath he takes, as he leans forward and slips his hand under the dress, which is now hanging loosely on my body. He pulls my panties aside, never taking his eyes off me as his fingers slip between my wet folds.
At the same time, Kellan’s cock finds my pussy, and he pushes himself into me, all the way, drawing another gasp from my throat. Gage suckles on my nipples, taking his sweet time, as Kellan starts moving inside me.
My lips are parted. Rhett and I stay locked on one another, his fingers working my clitoris. Kellan thrusts deeper, grunting as he grips me by the back of the neck. My arms are limp, and way too much tension gathers between my legs.
Trinity High: High School Bully Romance Page 23