by Sam Crescent
They were no longer the talk of the entire school when he’d kiss her, and he walked her to every single class, even when it was far out of his way. Of course, there were also a few classes where the teachers had to tell him to let her go so she could sit in her own seat. No matter how many times she argued with Alfie to let her go, he’d always keep on holding her. It was always the teachers’ job to spoil his fun, and he made it known to the teachers they were doing exactly that.
He didn’t like to be told what to do, by anyone.
She couldn’t believe how far they’d come. From two enemies, to a couple. He’d even presented her with a rose on Valentine’s Day, the day of romance, and the school had been humming with that little detail in their relationship.
There were still moments, she felt she had to pinch herself as they didn’t feel real, but they were.
Her feelings for Alfie over the past couple of months had grown to a fever pitch. She’d been tempted multiple times to cancel her place at the culinary school to give someone else the chance to take her spot. Each time, he’d tell her not to, that he’d find some way to make it work with her.
She’d always have her doubts, but then he’d start talking about riding around the city, going out to dinner, and showing her he could make it work.
Pushing all those thoughts aside, she saw the fair up ahead. The large movie screen was blaring out some holiday movie. It was always there for the kids to enjoy when they were screaming or on one of the rides. There was always an attendant there, monitoring it.
Alfie parked his bike, and she climbed off. Her legs felt a little like jelly, but they’d not ridden far and she didn’t have to worry about falling on her ass.
Removing the helmet, she ran her fingers through her hair, working out the flatness because of the helmet.
“You look stunning,” Alfie said, wrapping his arms around her waist, going straight to her ass and pulling her close.
“You know how to say the right things.”
“I told you, I’m not interested in how you look. I’m only interested in you.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “And a couple of other things.”
“Alfie, it’s safe to say you’re always thinking about sex.”
“That I am. When it comes to you, I just can’t help it.” He pressed a kiss to her lips, and seconds later, she heard the male whistling and catcalling.
Alfie broke the kiss with a groan.
Ian and Riley were waiting for them. “I can find new friends.”
“We heard that, and you wish you could find new friends,” Ian said.
“What have you done with our friend, Chloe? I swear there was a time he used to like us.”
“He still does, but he likes me just a little more.”
Alfie took her hand and led her into the fair toward his friends.
He didn’t let her go as he did some friendly handshake with each of them, hugging them.
“You don’t have dates?” Alfie asked.
“Nah, only you seem happy with the one kind of girl. No offense, Chloe,” Riley said.
“None taken. Believe me.”
“We’re going to see what chick comes to us. Be it three or four, we’re not picky,” Ian said.
Chloe laughed as they made their way through the maze of people. She spotted her mother near the guns, shooting at targets, and gave her a wave. Lily gave her two thumbs up before going back to the game.
“I want to win you a giant teddy bear,” Alfie said.
“A giant teddy?”
“Yes. It’s only fair. When you’re off at your fancy culinary school, which I love because it means you’ll feed me everything you cook, and I won’t have to guess who cooked it, you can cuddle up with the bear, and pretend it’s me.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t need a bear. I will remember who you are, Alfie.”
“I know, and I’ll be reassured with the bear. I’ll buy it a leather jacket.”
He pulled her toward several games, none of which had any kind of giant bear, but she played along with him. They lost nearly every single game they played. Afterward, they needed to get more change so they could play, and they shared some cotton candy.
“Does the culinary school bother you?” she asked.
“No. I just don’t want you to forget about me.”
“Alfie, that’s not possible. We’re dating.”
“I know.”
He dumped their empty cotton candy containers into the trash can and held her close, hugging her.
She forgot everything and everyone as he kissed her hard, making love to her mouth with a passion that completely stole her breath.
When he broke the kiss, she heard giggling, and glancing around, she saw some people were looking at them and then pointing at the screen.
“What the fuck is going on?” Alfie asked.
She looked toward the screen, and her heart started to pound.
No way.
It wasn’t possible.
She would never forget that night.
Alfie spun and looked up at the screen.
“Holy shit,” he said.
“It hurts,” she said, gasping.
“I know. The pain will go. Believe me, it will. I’ve got you, Chloe. You feel so fucking amazing.”
He’d told her he’d never felt anything like it, but right now, the entire town was seeing this. It was playing for all to see. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind what was going on.
Words ran across the bottom of the screen: She believed it all, but it’s a lie. How could the fatty be with the biker?
Tears filled Chloe’s eyes as she stared up at the big screen. This couldn’t be happening to her. Not now. Not in front of everyone in town. No matter how she pinched her arm, or wiped away the tears, or hoped it would all stop, the images kept on changing, between the night she lost her virginity, her cries, gasps, moans, even Alfie’s. It was all there for others to see.
Alfie stood beside her, and the club was there as well just without their patch. Her mother was having to see this. Ian and Riley, everyone from school.
It was the fair that came to town every single year and was the highlight of Satan’s Croft, and brought in tourists. It was the fair she adored, loved, and this year, she had decided to come with her boyfriend, only, he wasn’t her boyfriend. There was usually a movie playing on the big screen for those to enjoy while they weren’t taking their turn on the rides, mostly for the kids, and where was it? Why was everyone watching this? This was so humiliating.
“Chloe,” Alfie said. She pulled away from him as different shots of her with him showed up. The changes over the past six months as she came to feel about him. At first it showed her being hesitant with him, and gradually, she saw herself change. Rather than brush off his touch, she basked in it.
Everyone saw her fall for him.
The entire town.
“All of this was a lie?” she asked. “You planned this?”
She couldn’t look. The tears kept on falling, and no matter how many times she tried to swat them away, she just couldn’t make it stop.
“Please, I didn’t do this. We were being filmed without my knowledge.”
“You wanted to do something like this, though. Make me pay, for what? For not understanding my dad’s love of your stupid club!” She screamed the last bit. “I told you the truth. I told you everything, and this is what it was all along. Some stupid lesson because you couldn’t handle that I was different? That I wasn’t searching for some kind of ticket to make me part of your fucking world.”
“Chloe, I swear—”
“What? You swear what? This wasn’t all part of your plan?”
“Not anymore, okay? Yes, it started out as punishment. As me wanting to show you that you weren’t better than us. But I never made that tape, and I never wanted this!”
“Congratulations, you got your wish. Now everyone knows.” She turned on her heel, needing to get away. People were laughing, smirking and it was
still playing in the background.
She got it.
Message received, loud and clear.
“Chloe, don’t go.” Alfie reached out to grab her arm, but she pulled away.
More than anything, she wanted to smack him across his smug face, and tell him to go and eat shit, and to hurt him. The pain inside herself was more than anything she could bear. She felt the betrayal everywhere.
“The entire town,” she said, gritting her teeth. “Don’t come near me.”
“Chloe, please, I swear to you, this wasn’t me. I fell in love with you.”
She laughed. “You really expect me to believe that?”
“Not after what you just saw, but everything was real.”
“No, it wasn’t real, Alfie. I don’t know when you changed your mind, or if you ever did and it was changed for you. I don’t know. What we started, it’s not real. You only did this to hurt me. Your main ambition in getting close to me was to cause me pain. Congratulations, you achieved what you set out to do. I’m not some virginal girl anymore. You fucked me, loud and clear. Now stay away from me. I mean it.”
She backed away, and turned, not daring to look at anyone as she pushed her way out of the crowd, and away from him.
In her head, she kept on chanting the same thing.
She should have known. Shame on her.
****
“Shit, dude,” Ian said.
“Find out who filmed us, and bring them to me.” Alfie wanted blood.
Lily and Eagle broke through the crowd, and the fire in her eyes made Alfie’s blood turn cold.
“Where is she?” she asked.
“Lily, sweetie, we can handle this.”
“She didn’t trust you, you know. She was scared that you would try something like this, and I told her that she was too cynical. You will stay away from my daughter,” Lily said.
He’d never seen such hatred in Lily’s eyes in all of his life. He’d put that there because of what he’d done.
He watched, and it was like he was having an out-of-body experience.
“I can fix this,” Eagle said.
“No, you can’t. You can’t turn back the clock and stop that. I can’t marry you, Eagle. I can’t be with someone who raises a son to do that kind of thing to my daughter, and I would never put her through the kind of pain your son did. We’re through.”
Alfie watched with a sinking heart as Lily removed the engagement ring she’d not long ago slid on her finger and gave it back to his father.
This shit wasn’t going to end well.
Whoever had filmed him, done this, well, they had a death wish.
Lily turned on her heel and went the exact same way her daughter did.
Alfie watched her go.
“Dude, you need to leave,” Ian said.
Eagle approached them. “I suggest you three get your fucking asses to the club, now. If I have to come hunting for you, I will personally cut your dicks off and make you eat them.”
Alfie watched his father go.
They were still alive.
For now.
He didn’t know exactly how long that would last.
Probably not very long.
“Fuck!” Alfie rushed toward the back of the movie screen to see the man in charge fast asleep.
“You think he’s been drugged?”
Alfie didn’t know what to do. He grabbed the equipment and pulled out the tape. Whoever had filmed him better leave town. He was going to come for them.
With the tape in his hand, he tucked it into his jacket.
He’d lost her.
Alfie just stood there, staring at the ground, completely fucking lost.
“Dude, you’re starting to scare me,” Riley said, grabbing his shoulder.
Alfie shoved him away hard. “Did any of you two know about this?” he asked.
“Whoa, whoa, you be careful, Alfie,” Ian said. “We’re your brothers. Your best friends, we wouldn’t do this. You know that.”
“Then how the fuck did it get on there? It was at your party.”
“There were a lot of people at my party,” Ian said, yelling right back. “We’ve got to get to the clubhouse and deal with Eagle.”
“We’re all fucking dead, you know that, right?” Alfie didn’t know if he could face his father, not with lies or promises to make it better. “I’ve lost her. I’ve lost Chloe. She’ll never forgive me.”
“We can fix this.”
“There is a lot of shit in life we can’t fix that is exactly like this, Ian. I don’t know how I’m going to win her back.”
“We’ll help,” Riley said. “We saw what she means to you, and we won’t let you down.”
Alfie laughed. “No, there’s no coming back from this.”
“It’s not over until it’s over,” Ian said.
“We’ve got to face your father, and we’ve got to find out who filmed you” Riley said. “Then we’ll figure out a way for you to win Chloe back.”
Alfie nodded, running a hand down his face. He followed his friends, heading back to the car park.
“Nice, Alfie. You really know how to stick it to the fat girl.” One of the guys, he didn’t know who, from the football team teased as he walked past.
Alfie didn’t stop to think. He charged the group, to the guy that had shot that shit at him. Grabbing him around the throat, he pinned him against one of the games. People gasped.
“You think that’s funny?” Alfie asked, squeezing the very life from him. He wasn’t a man to be played with.
His entire plan and life had been fucked up, and he was gunning for everyone who dared to speak against Chloe to him.
“Dude, not today. We can’t do this today,” Ian said, coming to put a hand on his shoulder.
Even though he knew it was hopeless, he couldn’t allow his feelings to get in the way, not right now.
“You’re lucky. I hear anything about Chloe or me, or this, and I will personally cut out your tongue.” He gave another squeeze and shoved the man to the ground. Leaving the fair, he climbed on his bike. The helmet sat mocking him as he’d wanted to take Chloe out for a ride after the fair.
He was so fucking pissed off. Straddling his bike, he rode across town to the MC clubhouse.
There were several bikes parked, but only a few men lingered. None of them spoke as he, Ian, and Riley each made their way inside.
Whatever was about to happen, it wasn’t going to be good for any of them. Entering the clubhouse, he saw several tables were overturned and the bar was smashed up.
“So, do you want to tell me what you boys think to completely disregard what I demanded. Not only am I your father, Alfie, I’m your fucking president.”
“I wasn’t going to go through with that.”
“Do you know how this makes me look?”
“Dad,” Alfie said.
“No. You don’t get to dad me. Not right now.” Eagle stepped up to him and glared at him. “I’ve killed men for less than what you did today.”
“We didn’t do the tape,” Ian said.
“Shut up, Ian,” Alfie said.
“You didn’t do the tape? You know what makes that worse? You boys were so fucking sloppy. You couldn’t even tell when you were being filmed. Ask yourself why I should even allow you in my club.”
“I’m in love with Chloe,” Alfie said. “I can fix this.”
This time, Eagle burst out laughing. “News flash, son, she’s not going to forgive you. In front of the entire town, they saw her lose her virginity. Do you think there is any way for you to come back from this? That girl is no club whore. She’s not the kind of woman who fucks multiple men and is happy for it to be played to thousands of people.” Eagle shook his head. “If I touch you right now, if I react, I will fucking kill you. You are all banned from the club indefinitely.”
“Dad?”
“No. What I see before me is three traitors. To this club and to me personally. You knew what Lily meant to me. I care, Alfi
e. I fucking love that woman, and I told you, all of you, to leave Chloe alone. You disregarded that, and now, you can pay the price. You’re not even prospects yet, but if you can’t take a single instruction in high school, then I don’t want you in my club. Get out.”
Chapter Eleven
One week later
“Please, Chloe, open the door. I know you’re in here.” Alfie gripped the doorway, knocking and hoping against hope she’d open the motherfucking door. So far, nothing.
He’d been trying to see her every single chance he had. For now, he wasn’t allowed in the club, and when his father returned home, he wouldn’t even talk to him. Ian and Riley were experiencing the same level of abandonment, and they only had themselves to blame. He’d fucked up big time, and he’d ended up taking his friends with him, which he didn’t like.
Lily wouldn’t even look at him.
Chloe hadn’t returned to school.
The bad shit on her locker had, and each day, he cleaned it for her, and if he found whoever did it, he would beat the shit out of them, boy or girl. He’d get one of the club whores to handle the girls, or something. He’d not figured out everything yet, but he would, he had no doubt.
“Come on. I know you’re there.”
Her locker had been cleaned out earlier today. He’d seen the principal taking all of her stuff, and he’d heard through the rumor mill she wasn’t ever coming back to school.
A week without seeing her.
It was killing him.
“I’m not going to leave. You can call the cops and I’ll be back once they remove me. Please, Chloe, shit, this wasn’t supposed to be this way.”
The door opened. “Then what was it supposed to be like?”
She looked a mess. Her eyes were bright red, skin pale. She looked sick.
“Chloe.”
She held her hand up, making him stop. “No. You don’t get to come near me. I want nothing to do with you.”
“Please, let me try and make it up to you. Let me try to explain, it wasn’t how it went down.”
“It wasn’t how it went down? Are you freaking kidding me right now? Okay, hotshot, tell me how it was supposed to go down? Were you and Ian going to take turns while Riley held the camera? What was going to happen? Not only do I sleep with you, it’s exactly what you intended.” She slapped her hand to her forehead. “I even knew you were lying. The moment you started to show any kind of interest, I knew it, and what’s worse, I still went along with it. I started to think I was going crazy, that it was clearly all in my head, but it wasn’t, was it? You wanted to hurt me. To bring me down a peg or maybe drag me to the floor kicking and screaming. That’s what you wanted.”