Lost Boys: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Crazy Vicious Love Book 1)

by Eva Ashwood

  Just keep swimming. Just keep moving.

  By the end of eighth period, I had finally shoved my strange conversation with the teacher to the back of my mind. I grabbed my backpack and swung it over my shoulder, nodding to Mrs. Hall as I left the classroom. At least she didn’t pull me aside and issue dire warnings about the guys I was hanging out with—although that might’ve been partly because she looked like she was half-asleep. She was a nice woman, but she always seemed dazed and exhausted, and her class was so poorly run it was basically like having a free period.

  Ever since the day they’d picked me up and stopped at Burger King for breakfast, it’d become habit for me to ride with the Lost Boys to and from school. They were all waiting for me as I approached the beat-up convertible, which was parked in its usual spot. But something was different.

  The three boys were lounging in a row against the side of the car, their gazes trained on me as I approached—as if they’d been waiting for me for some other reason than to just give me a ride. The conversation with Mr. Tyson popped back to the surface of my mind suddenly, and a small ripple of fear moved through me.

  What’s going on? What’s changed?

  But the guys didn’t look mad or upset. In fact, Misael was smiling broadly, and he held out a small box to me when I approached. It was black, just bigger than a ring box, with a small satin ribbon wrapped around it. I raised a brow as I glanced at it.

  “What’s this?” I asked, taking the box. It wasn’t heavy, but I could feel the light weight of something inside. I held it, turning it over in my hands.

  “Open it up. You’ll see. It’s from all of us.” Misael was practically bouncing on his toes with excitement, and even Kace and Bishop were watching me with keen interest.

  Oh my God. They got me a gift.

  The worry that’d been twisting my stomach evaporated. Screw Mr. Tyson. He didn’t have a right to get in my head about stuff he didn’t understand. I knew that from the outside, this thing between the four of us probably looked strange and messed up. But I was happier now than I’d been since I came to Slateview, and maybe even since before that. The Lost Boys made me happy, and I wasn’t going to let go of that just because a too-observant teacher with a need to fix his student’s lives had poked his nose into mine.

  Smiling softly at Misael, I pulled the satin ribbon off and opened it. My jaw dropped slightly, and a small breath escaped my lips.

  Inside was a beautiful silver bracelet. It was one of those kinds that had a hinge, letting you open it to put it on, and then snap it shut to keep it safely on your wrist. I was almost afraid to touch it, like touching it would make it stop being real. It wasn’t overly jeweled or fancy—it couldn’t have cost even a fraction of some of the jewelry I’d worn to parties back home—but it meant more to me in that moment than anything my parents had ever gotten me.

  “Oh my god… I don’t know what to say…”

  “If you don’t like it we can get you a different one—”

  “No!” I shook my head emphatically, pulling the bracelet from the box’s velvet bed. I pulled it apart, and the metal glinting in the November sunlight as I snapped it into place. I smiled at how it fit against my wrist. The coolness chilled my skin pleasantly.

  “I love it.” The grin that stretched my face was so wide it almost hurt. Then it dimmed a little as I shook my head. “But why—”

  “Just because.” Bishop shrugged, but the intensity of his hazel eyes didn’t match his casual tone. “We figured it’d be a good present. Princesses like jewelry, right?”

  I rolled my eyes but stepped closer to press a kiss to his cheek. My hand rested on his chest as I rose up onto my tiptoes, and I swore I could feel his heart jump beneath my palm. His body stiffened slightly, and when I pulled away, I hesitated, our faces still so close together that I would’ve barely had to move to kiss him on the lips.

  We’d done far more than kiss before. He had put his mouth on the most intimate part of me, had touched every inch of my skin.

  But this felt different, somehow.

  Like the small space between us was full of possibility, and like the whole world would change if our lips met.

  I didn’t kiss him. And he didn’t kiss me. But we stayed like that for another heartbeat, letting the possibility echo between us.

  When I finally pulled away, I realized the other two boys were watching us—and so were the crowds of students pouring out of the school. But for once in my life, I didn’t second-guess or worry about what anyone else thought. I kissed Misael and then Kace on the cheek, their breath caressing the side of my face as they held almost perfectly still.

  “This princess loves it.” I smiled at the three of them, running my fingertips over the cool metal of the bracelet. “I just… wasn’t expecting it. Thank you.”

  Bishop nodded, clearing his throat and pressing away from the car. “Besides. We got the perfect place you can show it off. We’re going to another party this weekend.” He cocked his head, looking down at me with a grin that made my heart skip. “You’re invited. Obviously.”

  I chuckled.

  “Obviously.”

  Twenty-Eight

  I wore the bracelet almost religiously for the rest of the week, taking it off only when I needed to take a shower. Mom had seen it, eyed it, and said nothing about it. We had gone back to essentially ignoring each other since the day she’d been so rude to Bishop—she was going out more and more often, and I was generally left to my own devices.

  It was fine with me. It meant I didn’t even have to bother sneaking out the window when the boys picked me up for the party on Friday. It was in a neighborhood a few miles away, and we drove with the top up. Bishop had resisted for as long as he could, but the temperatures were dropping now, especially at night, and the last few drives to school had been freezing.

  The party was at a house I’d never been to before—Jessica wasn’t playing hostess this time, although I was still hoping she’d be there. She and Liam ate lunch with us almost every day, and although I doubted our paths would’ve ever crossed if I hadn’t fallen in with the Lost Boys, I considered her a real friend by now.

  Just like last time, loud music assaulted my ears as we approached the house. The place looked packed to capacity, and people were spilling out into the front lawn, laughter and loud shouts filling the air. Bish had told me it would be a mix of upperclassmen from Slateview and another high school on the same side of the wrong side of the tracks as ours. That was part of why the Lost Boys had decided to go to the party—trouble was more likely to break out when kids from rival schools got together.

  And that explained why the place was so crowded. There were as many familiar faces as there were unfamiliar, and I instinctively pressed closer to the Lost Boys, feeling Kace’s arm slip around my waist as Misael’s hand ran through the hair at the back of my neck.

  The music pulsed loudly through the two-story row-house the party was being held in. The bass-heavy hip-hop I was used to hearing at Jessica’s parties was replaced by rift-heavy metal. It was strangely appealing—raw and primal somehow.

  “Gonna get us drinks,” Bishop called over the blaring music. “Mingle and stay out of trouble.” He looked specifically to Misael when he said that part. The boy beside me laughed and flipped him off.

  “Come on! I’m always on my best behavior!”

  “Yeah, sure you are.”

  Bishop went off toward the kitchen with Kace at his side, and the crowd parted for them like a wave. Misael jerked his head toward the far side of the room where Jessica and Liam stood, and I nodded in answer to his unspoken question. He grinned, then threaded his fingers through mine, lifting my hand to his mouth to kiss my knuckles before leading me across the room.

  The crowd parted for us too, and I squeezed his hand a little tighter as we walked, still feeling the imprint of his lips on my skin.

  That sort of thing had been happening more and more often in the few days since they’d given me the bra
celet. I wasn’t sure if it was the gift or my reaction to it—or maybe a bit of both—but it felt like something had shifted between us. Deepened, somehow. Little gestures of affection were becoming common among all of us, and it made me feel both giddy and warm to think about it.

  “Hey, girl! Nice to see you out and about and fitting in all the way,” Jessica said, giving me a wink as she made a show of checking me out from head to toe, taking in my outfit for the evening—a skirt I had cut short and a cropped top.

  I grinned, striking a little pose.

  “I’m a chameleon.”

  Misael and I hung out with Liam and Jessica for a while, all of us talking and moving to the music at the same time. But when several minutes had gone by and Bishop and Kace still hadn’t returned with drinks, I grabbed Misael’s arm, leaning up to shout over the music.

  “Let’s go see if Bish and Kace need help!”

  He nodded and made a gesture to Liam and Jessica that we’d be right back. They nodded and kept dancing, arms wrapped around each other and bodies pressed close together.

  I laughed as we made our way through the crowd, keeping a firm grip on Misael’s hand. “They’ll forget we were even there in a second.”

  He glanced over his shoulder at them, grinning and rolling his eyes. “Yup.”

  We headed downstairs, since I was pretty sure that was where the kitchen was. We found the entrance off a long hallway, and when we stepped inside, I spotted Bishop and Kace by the collection of kegs that served as the party’s source of booze. They were talking to a couple of guys I didn’t recognize, probably students from the other school. A few obviously drunk girls hovered around the kegs, and one of them had wrapped her arms around one of the boys I didn’t know, rubbing her body against him and kissing his neck.

  I pulled a face as Misael and I moved through the crowd toward them. God, if I ever act that desperate, I hope—

  Before I even had time to finish the thought, another one of the girls who’d been hovering around the drink station sauntered forward, wrapping her arms around Bishop. A third made a move on Kace, running her fingers over his chest as she stalked toward him like a predator.

  And something inside me just… snapped.

  I didn’t know what propelled me forward. Bish was already pushing the girl away from him, but that hardly even mattered to me anymore. The way she’d looked at him, the way she’d touched him…

  No. You don’t get to touch what’s mine.

  I was across the room before I’d even realized I was moving. My hands connected with the girl’s upper chest, shoving her backward in a forceful blow.

  “Back the fuck off!”

  She stumbled slightly, shock contorting her features as she caught sight of me. Then her lip curled in a snarl, and she moved to shove me back. I was ready for her though, and when her hands connected with my shoulders, I grabbed her wrists, yanking her off-balance.

  I wasn’t a skilled fighter, and I had no idea what I was doing.

  But it didn’t matter. Because I knew what I wanted.

  This bitch needed to learn to keep her hands to herself.

  As she spun to the side, losing her balance, I grabbed a handful of her hair. She shrieked in pain and anger, and I heard several shouts and yells around us. I barely registered the audience we’d drawn though—my focus had narrowed down to only what was in front of me, as if I had blinders on to the entire rest of the world.

  Using my grip on the girl’s hair, I yanked her closer to me, forcing her to look over at Bishop. When I spoke, my voice sounded harsh and ragged, completely unrecognizable.

  Jesus. Who the fuck am I?

  “Do you see that boy over there?” I tightened my grip, forcing her a little closer as she lashed out, her hands contorted into claws. “Do you see him? He’s mine.”

  “Get off me, you fucking psycho!” the girl shrieked, twisting in my grasp.

  I gave a sharp tug on her hair, turning her head toward Kace. The girl who’d been running her fingers down his chest had backed away from the fight, her eyes wide in drunken shock.

  “Do you see that boy? With the blond hair?” I was breathing hard now, so hard it was almost impossible to get the words out. It felt a little like I was outside of my own body, like I was watching some other girl do this, not me. “He’s mine too.”

  With that, I wrenched her around, surprised to see that Misael was right behind us—it looked like he’d frozen mid-run, as if he’d darted after me to stop the fight but then had decided maybe I could handle it myself after all. Some emotion I couldn’t identify glinted in his eyes, and his nostrils flared as I used both hands in the girl’s hair to tilt her head up toward him.

  “And this boy. He’s mine too.”

  I finally released my grip on her hair, shoving her away from me. She stumbled, almost losing her balance in her high heels, but righted herself at the last second. Her hair was wild, and her face was flushed as she turned around to stare at me with eyes like saucers.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” she hissed.

  I shrugged, standing my ground as my chest rose and fell heavily.

  “Nothing. And nothing will be wrong with you if you keep your hands off what’s mine.” My gaze flicked to Bishop, who was standing stock-still, observing everything, then to the other two boys. “I belong to them. And they belong to me.”

  Someone in the crowd whistled, and a few other whoops and catcalls rose up. The girl flushed red, anger warring with fear as her gaze darted from me to the boys and back again. I stayed poised and ready for a fight, and each one of the Lost Boys met her look with a stony glare. Even the two boys Bish and Kace had been talking too had backed away, refusing to have this girl’s back.

  She held up her hands, grimacing as she let out a scoffing sound. “Ugh. Fine. Whatever.”

  “Yeah, whatever.” I pointed toward the kitchen door, ignoring the fact that my hand shook from the torrent of adrenaline crashing through me. “Now get the fuck out.”

  The girl straightened, tossing her red-brown hair over her shoulder in an attempt to reclaim whatever dignity she could. Her gaze flicked to the boys again. “I hope you all like crazy.”

  With that, she limped unevenly toward the door—one of her heels had broken in the fight, I realized. Taunts and laughter following her, but once she was gone and the spectacle was over, the buzz of loud conversation resumed around us.

  But for several long moments, I didn’t move, and neither did any of the Lost Boys. They were all staring at me as though they had no idea who I was, and I brushed my fingertips over the smooth metal of my bracelet, letting the feel of it soothe me.

  Then, without warning, Bishop stepped forward and gripped my upper arm.

  “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

  His voice was hard, his entire body vibrating with tension, and it was the only thing he said before he turned and dragged me through the crowd.

  Shit.

  Did I do something wrong?

  Nerves made my heart beat harder as he pulled me along through the press of bodies, which parted to let us through. A few curious gazes landed on me, but I was too distracted to shrink under the scrutiny. I had a sudden horrifying certainty that I’d just done something monumentally stupid. That I’d crossed some invisible line I never should’ve breached, and that I had angered my three protectors by doing so.

  These weren’t supposed to be the terms of the deal, after all.

  I had agreed to belong to the Lost Boys in exchange for their protection.

  But they had never agreed to belong to me.

  Things had felt different between us all lately. So many things had happened, and so much seemed to have changed, but maybe I’d misread the signals. Maybe the emotions I was feeling were entirely one-sided.

  Hurt and defensive anger built up in my chest as Bishop dragged me upstairs, the other two boys so close behind us I could feel the heat of them at my back.

  Dammit. Would they take back their
offer? Would they claim I’d violated our agreement somehow? Would they abandon me, leave me to fend for myself in the halls of Slateview from here on out?

  My heart seized with fear at that thought—but it wasn’t so much fear at what the other students might do to me. It was fear of what losing these three boys would do to me.

  Tears burned the backs of my eyes, and when Bishop pulled me into an empty bedroom at the end of the hall that ran through the long row house, I yanked my arm out of his grasp, stepping away and turning on him as Kace and Misael entered, slamming the door shut behind them.

  “You can blame me if you want, but I don’t—”

  I didn’t even get a chance to finish my half-formed, angry excuse.

  Before I could say another word, Bishop reached me in a single long stride and wrapped his arms around me, kissing me like he might never come up for air.

  Twenty-Nine

  I was so startled, my legs almost gave out.

  My knees wobbled, and I stumbled backward a little—but there was no chance of falling over. Not with Bishop’s strong arms banded around me like a vise, holding me up as his lips devoured mine.

  The other two boys grabbed me too, sweeping my hair out of the way to trail kisses over my neck and shoulders, hands groping and massaging my ass, sliding up my shirt to skate over my bare skin.

  “Fucking Christ, Coralee. Do you have any idea how goddamn sexy that was?” Bishop groaned, and Kace and Misael made similar noises of approval as our heavy breaths filled the air.

  My shocked brain was still trying to grasp the fact that they weren’t angry at what I’d done—that they liked it—as I was spun in their arms. Without hesitation, Misael’s lips claimed mine, leaving the other two to explore my body with their hands and mouths.

  My shirt was lifted, and I raised my arms to let them tug it over my head before I turned again, finding Kace’s hot, demanding lips this time. The ferocity of his kiss made me certain he approved of my violent, public claiming of the three of them, and a shot of adrenaline and pride flared inside me, even though maybe it shouldn’t have.