“I know why.”
I pull her T-shirt up to expose her flat stomach. Fuck, she has a belly button piercing—the dangling gold bird contrasts beautifully with her skin tone. She yanks my head closer, moaning loudly when my tongue dips into her navel before trailing kisses along the soft warm flesh. Her skin quivers beneath my lips. She sways on her feet as her breathing becomes labored. I unbutton her jeans then tug them down to expose her purple panties. My kisses travel to her pussy. She glides her fingers through my hair when I latch onto her cotton-covered clit. My hand slides under her panties to grip her bare ass, stopping her from falling when her legs buckle. The moans leaving her mouth are like music to my ears.
“Stop, this isn’t right. I can’t do this.”
“Nah, there’s no stopping now.”
She staggers back, breaking my hold on her before jerking her jeans back up. She turns to flee, but I’m right behind her. She pulls the door open to make good on her escape, but it’s too late. I slam it shut, pressing into her back. I twist my hand in her long hair, pushing the side of her face into the door.
“You’re hurting me.”
“You knew what would happen if you came in here again. You were warned,” I whisper in her ear.
“Let me go.”
“It’s too late for that now.”
I push my hand into her panties to circle her clit with the pad of my finger.
“Tell me you don’t like it, but we both know it won’t be the truth.”
She whimpers when I move my hand lower to dip into her slit. I grind my hard dick against her.
“Your pussy wouldn’t be this wet if you weren’t ready for my dick.”
I bring my hand to my nose to sniff.
“Mmm. Strawberries.”
I smear her wetness on the side of her neck before covering the area with my mouth to suck deeply. I push down her jeans and panties then I undo my zipper, freeing my dick through the opening. I detangle my hand from her hair to hoist her up, making it easier to position myself at her entrance. I begin to push forward, penetrating her tightness.
“This isn’t right.”
Tears roll down her cheeks. I’m at war with myself because, fuck, I don’t want to stop. I should keep going. She provoked me, tempted me—she knew what the fuck she was doing when she knocked on my bedroom door. I lower her to the floor and step back. She rights her clothes then grasps the doorknob. I place my palm on the door before she can open it.
“I swear on my brother, if you even glance in the direction of my bedroom again, this is happening, and more than the tip of my dick will be tunneling through your tight pussy. You can scream, cry, fight, do whatever the fuck you want, but I won’t stop until my cum is dripping from your cunt. You don’t poke the fucking bear during hibernation and not expect to be mauled when he wakes.”
With my threat hanging between us, I remove my palm to let her run from my bedroom.
Giving up on sleep, I finally leave my bedroom in frustration for a run before school starts. My thoughts are a jumbled mess as I jog down the road. I left for Trevor’s house early in the morning on New Year’s Day because I didn’t want to face Art. Though I spent the whole day there, my mind kept drifting back to him.
I’m the worst kind of girlfriend.
The moment Art’s lips touched my stomach, I could barely stand, lost in sensations I’d never felt before. Art saw right through my bullshit. He knew why I came knocking on his door, while I was in denial. Why am I drawn to someone as damaged as he is? He’s a puzzle with missing pieces.
Guilt is what stopped me that night. I wanted him… I wanted him bad. The night I invaded his privacy by going into his bedroom without being invited connected us somehow. I witnessed him at his worst, when he was most vulnerable. Part of me was hoping he wouldn’t stop so I could lay the blame solely at his feet. When I felt the pressure of his dick opening me up, the reality of what I was about to do hit me like a ton of bricks. The need to feel him inside of me and my loyalty to Trevor battled for supremacy. After arriving home last night, I couldn’t stop myself from going to Art’s bedroom door, but I didn’t dare go in. I listened while he cried out for his brother, and I ached for him. I went upstairs when I couldn’t stand to listen to his anguished cries anymore.
I see a jogger appear on the road as I make my way back to the house. I guess I’m not the only one who couldn’t sleep. As I get closer to the lone figure, I recognize who it is.
Art.
We slow down to a walk, then come to a complete stop a few yards from each other. His intense green eyes don’t waver from me.
“I couldn’t sleep,” I say lamely.
The sight of him does something to me. He’s beautiful. I know that’s not the correct word to use to describe someone as masculine as him, but that’s the first word that pops into my mind when I look at him. His thick raven hair, crystal-clear green eyes, plump pink lips…
He’s. Fucking. Beautiful.
My mouth waters when he gradually resumes his progress towards me. I’m rooted to the spot. He only stops when there’s no space separating us. He’s at least three heads taller than me so I have to crane my head up to meet his eyes. After a few seconds, he brushes by me to continue his jog. I turn around and watch him until he disappears.
Central High is definitely not like the fancy private schools I’m used to attending, I observe while waiting in the main office to have a talk with the principal. It seems my uncle has already had a conversation with him about his troublesome nephew. A tall, skinny man with snow white hair emerges from the back. I stand as he walks over to me.
“You must be Arthur.” He holds out his hand, but I don’t take it.
“Art.”
“Okay, Art it is. I’m Principal Taylor.”
He drops his arm to his side. “I figured it’d be beneficial for us to have a little chat since it’s your first day. If you don’t mind?”
“Actually, I do mind.”
“It’ll only take a few minutes, Art.”
“It looks like I don’t have a choice.”
“I promise I won’t take up too much of your time.”
I follow Principal Taylor to his office. He steps to the side, motioning for me to enter first. He waves his hand in the direction of a worn discolored chair in front of a rickety desk. I drop down in the chair with unnecessary force. After closing the door he sits in the equally outdated chair behind his desk.
“I hope you enjoyed the holidays,” he says with a wide smile on his face.
“It was shitty.”
My reply causes his smile to slip. “Art, I want you to finish your senior year on a positive note—”
“I’m not interested in this bullshit pep talk.” I cut him off.
“Just complete all the assignments given to you, keep your head down, and stay out of trouble. It’s that simple.”
“You see, the problem with that is trouble always finds me, and when it comes knocking, I have to answer the door.”
The expression on his face turns to one of irritation.
“Are we done here?”
When he nods, I stand, preparing to leave his damn office.
“One more thing,” he says.
Now what? I let out a heavy sigh and shoot him with my best “hurry the fuck up” look.
“A high school was vandalized sometime during the winter break. You’re new in town, but I thought I’d still ask if you know anything about it?”
“I don’t,” I answer.
Fuck my cousin and his friends, but a snitch I’ll never be.
Mr. Beck is going on and on about the curriculum and expectations when Art enters the classroom. He’s wearing destroyed faded denim jeans, a shirt with some logo I’m unfamiliar with, and expensive looking shoes. His clothes probably cost more than every student’s outfit in class. My heart starts to pound in my chest. Trevor follows my line of vision.
“You’ve got to be fucking joking. Why the hell did he have to e
nd up with us?” he mutters.
The bell for class rang five minutes ago, and I had breathed a sigh of relief, thankful we wouldn’t be in human biology class together. I don’t want him and Trevor in the same classroom. I’m afraid of what’ll be said. Art is unpredictable. I hope this is the only class they have together.
“Good Morning,” Mr. Beck says in greeting.
“Morning.”
“I’m Mr. Beck.”
“Art.”
“Principal Taylor already emailed me to inform me you’d be a little late. Take a seat, anywhere.”
Please don’t come back here.
But of course Art does. He sits a few desks down from Trevor and me. Something tells me if those desks weren’t already occupied, Art would’ve sat next to me. I see him staring at me from the corner of my eye.
“What the fuck are you looking at?” Trevor growls.
“Your girlfriend, she looks fucking good.”
Oh no.
Trevor stands. “You want to say that again?”
I grab Trevor’s wrist. “Sit down. He only wants to get a rise out of you,” I whisper.
Our classmates are animatedly watching the altercation unfold.
“I don’t need to. You heard what I said.”
Art slowly rises to his full height, without a care in the world.
When Trevor tries to snatch his wrist from my grasp, I stand, latching onto him with my other hand to pull him back.
“No, Trevor, don’t. Sit down and ignore him. Don’t do this in school.”
“You better listen to your girlfriend. I have nothing to lose, but you do.”
I glare at Art.
“Is there a problem, gentleman?” Mr. Beck asks.
“No, Mr. Beck, simply a misunderstanding,” Trevor answers as he sits down.
“That’s what I thought,” Art taunts.
Trevor stiffens, but I’m relieved when he ignores him.
The PA system clicks on. “All seniors report to the auditorium for an emergency assembly immediately.”
I notice Sheriff Andy sitting in a chair on the stage next to Principal Taylor with a few other school officials when I walk inside the auditorium. They’re deep in conversation. I know this impromptu gathering is about Chaos. I take the end seat in the first row.
“Hi, good looking,” the platinum blonde from the other night says.
I don’t remember her name. I have to admit she does look good. My old self would’ve been all over her to hit that. She glares at the girl sitting next to me.
“Move, bitch. You’re in my seat.”
The girl scrambles out of the chair to find another one. Platinum blonde squeezes past me and makes sure she puts as much of her ass in my face as possible. When she takes the now-available space, she pushes her breasts into my arm. My eyes clash with Cin’s when I look forward. I waited around in the living room and kitchen to catch a glimpse of her yesterday like a fucking fool. Only to discover she left early that morning—to stay clear of me, most likely. She makes me forget—only temporarily, but still—she provides me with a high stronger than cocaine. When I bumped into her this morning while jogging, I wanted to drag her into a nearby ditch and fuck her senseless. She can deny it all she wants, but she wanted it just as much as I did. Want. The only thing I’ve wanted for the last few years was to die.
“How are you liking Longhorn County so far?” she bats her fake eyelashes.
“I don’t.”
“Me either, I can’t wait to get the fuck out of here. I’m having a party on Saturday and you’re on the VIP list.”
“Really? What makes me so special?”
“Do you really have to ask?”
She slides her hand up my thigh. I grab her wrist to stop her from touching my dick.
“Keep your hands to yourself.” I flick her hand away.
“We can find somewhere private after the assembly.”
I don’t bother to provide her with a response.
“Good Morning. May I have everyone’s attention, please,” Principal Taylor announces into a microphone from the podium.
The students continue their loud chatter. Sheriff Andy steps up to speak, guiding Principal Taylor to the side.
“So are you coming?” she asks.
“Sure.”
More than likely Cin will be there too, which means I’m definitely going.
“Good. Starts at ten. Maybe you’ll get lucky.”
“Mouths shut and eyes forward,” the sheriff shouts.
That pronouncement officially silences everyone in the auditorium.
“Thank you, Sheriff Andy.” Principal Taylor takes his spot behind the podium again. “A very disturbing report was brought to my attention early this morning, regarding vandalism at McKinley High School over the winter break.”
The senior class erupts in cheers.
“Quiet! This is a very serious matter. The perpetrators will be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I implore anyone with information pertaining to this incident to see me immediately.”
The principal hands the microphone to the sheriff.
“An investigation is underway, and it will continue until those who are responsible are found.”
The sheriff hands the microphone back to the principal.
“Though the new year started off on a negative note, I’m optimistic that the school year will end on a positive one. You are dismissed to go to second period, which will begin in a few minutes.”
I stand, walking towards the exit, dismissing what’s-her-name. Josh pops up at my side.
“Keep your fucking mouth shut,” he says.
“And if I don’t?” I ask.
“I’ll make your life a living hell.”
I blow him a kiss. “My life is already a living hell.”
My eyes have constantly drifted to the entrance of the cafeteria for the last fifteen minutes. Art hasn’t made an appearance yet. Maybe he decided to skip lunch. So far Art and I only have first period together, but he could still be in one of my afternoon classes. I sit at the table with the crew.
“Don’t forget about my party this Saturday. My parents won’t be back until Sunday night,” Bri says.
“It’s time to get high, drunk, and laid!” Danny exclaims.
“Hell yeah, man,” Aiden adds, high-fiving Danny.
“Josh, where’s Art?” Lilah asks.
“Do I look like his fucking keeper? I don’t give two shits where he is.”
“That fuckwad is in first period with Cin and me. I was about to kick his ass. Tell your cousin to keep his eyes off my girl before I beat the shit out of him.”
Josh’s eyes roam over my face to search my reaction to Trevor’s comment. “He bothering you, Cin? I’ll let my dad know so he can get the boot.”
“He’s not bothering me. He only wanted to bait Trevor, and it worked,” I reply.
I can’t jump on the “let’s crucify Art” bandwagon. He’s hurting. His cries break my heart.
“As if he wants Cin,” Bri scoffs. “He can’t stop looking at me.”
Lilah rolls her eyes. “That’s where you’re mistaken. He wants me.”
“Fuck him. You both can have me. You know what? I have a great idea. How about we have a threesome on Saturday?” Danny wags his eyebrows, throwing his arm around Bri’s shoulders.
She shrugs him off. “Oh, you already had your chance, so I’ll pass.”
“Fuck you then.”
Robbie looks at Bri. “Did you invite him to your party?”
“Duh. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Fuck, come on, Bri,” Robbie says grouchily.
“Hey, it’s my party, and I’ll invite whoever I want. If you don’t like it, stay home.”
“If he steps out of line, we’ll fuck him up.” Zeke cracks his knuckles.
“Do you want your nose broken again?” Dex muses.
“I swear to God, Dex, you say one more thing about my nose, it’s going to be curtain
s for your ass.”
“There’ll be absolutely no fighting in my house. I mean it. If my parents find out I had a party, I’m toast. I’ll be punished for the rest of the school year.”
“He was just defending himself since you’re all a bunch of bullies,” Anneli remarks.
The boys grumble but make no comment.
“He tried to kill himself,” Josh says.
I jerk my head in his direction, and so does everyone else.
“Josh,” I admonish.
“What? It’s true.”
“You’re shitting me,” Danny says in disbelief.
“I shit you not. After his brother died, Art went…” he circles his index finger at his temple.
“How did he do it?” Aiden asks.
“He slit his wrists. That’s why he wears the leather wristbands—to hide the scars. My father found him.”
“How did his brother die?” Bri asks.
“He drowned in the swimming pool. Art found him.”
“That’s awful,” Anneli says.
“He’s been fucked-up ever since,” Josh adds.
“Still want to fuck him, Bri? You’ll end up like that blonde chick in that Norman Bates’ movie,” Zeke says.
“That makes him more appealing. The tortured souls fuck the best,” Bri replies.
“Speak of the devil,” Aiden says, jutting his chin towards the entrance.
I automatically seek her out the moment I walk through the cafeteria door. There she is at the “popular kids” table, with everyone from Chaos night. I walk over to the serving station to examine the fare this school has to offer. I wouldn’t feed this bullshit to a dog. I’d rather eat Missy’s chicken Marsala. I opt to grab a bottle of water before heading to an empty table. A shadow falls over me while I’m scrolling through my cell phone. The kid standing beside the table looks like he stepped right out of an eighties rock music video—heavy eyeliner, long messy hair, nail polish, platform shoes, everything black from head to toe. His face is covered in piercings. He pops his gum, wearing a stupid grin on his face.
“Can I help you?” I ask.
“I’m Bane,” he says, sitting in the chair next to me.
I take a drink of water. “And I’m ‘I don’t give a fuck.’”
When Art Rises: Living in Cin: (A Twisted Interracial High School Love Triangle) Page 6