Beautiful Defiance: Cambridge High Mayhem (Kiss Starter: Cambridge High Book 1)

by Ashlyn Mathews

  “Seven, put me down.”

  I stop. “Why, you going to barf?”

  “I’m too heavy.”

  Hearing how unhappy she is I’m here spoiling her fun, I set her back on her feet. “Don’t think you can bolt,” I tell her, bringing us back to that night I saved her from a drowning and carried her to her place. “I’ll catch you every time.”

  “I hope so,” I hear her mutter under her breath.

  “Come on, let’s get that mask off your face.” I extend my hand to her. She doesn’t take it. Leigh crosses her arms. They’re under her tits, pushing up on them, giving me an eyeful.

  “You don’t like my makeup?”

  “I like you natural.” I look her up and down. “Bare.”

  “You made the drive to tell me that?”

  “I made the drive to claim what’s mine. You are mine, Leigh. Now come on, let’s get out of the cold.”

  Thank fuck she puts her hand in mine. It’s awkward as hell, and I look like a moron with my hand stuck out between us. We take the porch steps hand in hand. I let us inside my place.

  “Bathroom is straight ahead, door to your right.”

  Leigh lets go of my hand, finds the bathroom, and to the delight of my dick, she comes out minutes later, her face bare of makeup. I skim my finger down the side of her face.

  Soft. Smooth. Mine.

  I lean in, and tucking strands of her hair behind her cute ear, I press my mouth on the curve of her ear and ask for an explanation for why she was at that damn party.

  I’m surprised when she gives it. Surprised when my heart kicks up extra beats. This girl and how big her heart is for a dude who nearly killed her.

  “Leigh, your intention is good, but you have to let people grow and learn from their mistakes. Henry knew Ashley wasn’t with him for the right reason, and he stuck with her anyway.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Sighing, I take her hand. “Do you mind if we finish this convo in bed? It’s been a long day, and I’m ready to keel over.”

  Honest-to-God truth, I am not trying to get in Leigh’s pants.

  Between seeing that IG post of Leigh and Dare, overhearing my dad begging my mom to come home, and blaming yesterday’s loss on losing my lucky coin, I am pushing my limit of being able to stand upright.

  Not to mention I paid attention to the speed limit on the drive from Cambridge to Dumas when I’d rather floor the gas pedal. No way in hell will I risk crashing and burning and miss my chance to tell Leigh how pissed off I am that she let another dude touch her fine-ass body.

  She nods, and I lead her to the bedroom. Inside, we lay fully clothed on top of the covers. I clasp her hand in mine.

  “How are your knuckles?”

  “Nothing for you to worry over.” The swelling went down after I iced it.

  “Look, Leigh—” I turn on my side, needing to see her. “Ashley’s grades weren’t top notch, and to get into DU, a person needs to have top-notch grades, be a superstar jock, or have a huge financial need. Ashley doesn’t fit any of those criteria.”

  “How’d she get in?”

  “Henry helped her get the grades. Did her assignments.”

  “She used him.”

  “Yes.”

  “She misled him, using his feelings for her.”

  “He wasn’t innocent in all this, Leigh. He understood what she was, a user, a manipulator.”

  “But he stuck around hoping to change her, and she didn’t change. Instead, she went for the next best thing and broke his heart. Is that why you keep saying I’m yours? You want to change me, get me to fall in line, to bow to the king of the game? Show me you care when you don’t? Mislead me?”

  Fuck, she’s onto me, and I’m a bastard. I open my mouth to tell her, but what she does next has me shutting the fuck up.

  “I couldn’t give a care anymore for your reasons, Seven. You’re right. I want to just be and enjoy what I have in the here and now. I am yours, Seven Shanahan. I. Am. All. Yours.”

  Her words shred my heart.

  She is mine.

  I’ll never be hers.

  The almighty ruler of Cambridge High bows down to no one, not even a five-foot-five girl with attitude and a big heart.

  29

  LEIGH

  After I told Seven I am his, we stripped to our underwear and fell asleep in each others’ arms, too tired and emotionally drained to do much about our half-naked state and our hormones.

  The next day, Henry stopped by Seven’s quaint place. I don’t know how he knew where Seven took me, but he did. We talked, and I apologized for meddling in his life. He said next time I plan on meddling, give him a heads up. He freaked out big time seeing Jackson leading me up the stairs. Before he could storm inside the bedroom, Seven beat him to it.

  The video Midnight took of Jackson and me circulated online. Interestingly, Ashley stuck with Jackson. We later found out Ashley was hooking up with a different guy, and that was her reason for not being at the party. Wow, just wow. Those two are meant to be together. I hope they use protection. Talk about STD city.

  At school on Monday, Hannah pulls me into a hug, having heard from Henry what I did for him.

  Her welcoming me like that sent a message to the rest of the students. Leigh is my friend. Mess with her and you mess with me and my kickass cheerleaders. I like being wanted, but that doesn’t mean I am for Team Hannah. I have my own set of friends.

  During math class, one of the office staff walks in holding a vase of red roses. She walks to my row of desks. I wait for her to walk past. She stops at my desk and sets the vase down.

  Everyone looks at me. The back of my head tingles. Not giving a care that the entire class is watching, including the teacher, I open the envelope and slide out the card.

  “I’m sorry, Leigh. S.” I slip the card back inside, happiness blooming warm across my chest.

  Seven apologizing for what he did to Shay, for being a jerk in front of my new friends. I fight back the urge to turn in my seat and tell him thank you.

  It’s dumb, but I want him to be the first to tell the world that I am his and he is my guy. Even signing the card with the first letter of his name isn’t cutting it. Call me old-fashioned, but I am after a public declaration.

  When the last bell rings, I hurry to my locker. I see Seven walking away from my locker, his backpack hitched high on his shoulder. Walking next to him is Ginger.

  She must have said something funny. Seven laughs. His arm slides across her small shoulders, and he pulls her to him. Am I wrong, and the roses aren’t from him?

  My chest aching, I open my locker, suddenly not excited to go to Seven’s practice. Slipped inside my locker is a piece of paper. I unfold the paper and read Seven’s words with tears stinging the corners of my eyes.

  Ginger is tutoring me now. Thanks for the help. See you around. Seven.

  See you around? Cold settles over my body. I grab my backpack out of my locker, shove my books inside, and trash the vase and the roses in the nearest trash can.

  Torn up inside, I hurry from the school and board the bus, grabbing the last seat at the back of the bus. Pitying glances all around from the other kids. My face must’ve said it all. Or they only need to look out the bus windows. Seven has his arm across Ginger’s shoulders, and she’s wearing his letterman jacket.

  I duck my head and stare at my shaking hands clasped in my lap. Well, damn, I didn’t see that one coming. And it only gets worse from there.

  The rest of the week plays out like that. Seven doesn’t acknowledge I exist. As soon as I said the words, “I am all yours,” I sealed my fate.

  There isn’t much more of me he wants. There are prettier, smarter girls out there. Girls who follow the rules. A girl who won’t rock the boat. Someone who fits perfectly in his crowd.

  The only good that’s come out of Seven’s rejection is my growing friendship with Hannah. She comes over and hangs out at my place. We do cool things like make jewelry and put on th
ese fake tattoos we ordered online. We also bake like crazy.

  The bad? I have to know more about Ginger. At first, Hannah didn’t want to tell, but after I told her I’ll go with when she gets her first real tattoo, she caved.

  “Ginger’s parents own the town center. They graduated from DU.”

  “So she’ll be going there, too?”

  “4.0 GPA, and she’s a track star.”

  Double whammy for me. Ginger is the perfect girl for Seven.

  “Thanks for being my friend, Hannah. I appreciate you coming over and baking with me.”

  “Carbs solve all the problems of the world, don’t they?”

  “For sure.” I bite into a gooey cookie. “How are things with Cam?”

  “Good. He’s taking me to homecoming.”

  “That’s cool.”

  “And we FaceTimed Henry and gave him the news.”

  “How’d he handle it?”

  “Well. He’s seeing someone new. A girl he met at a party. He says she’s really nice and down to earth.”

  “I’m happy for him.”

  “Me too. Ready to bake brownies?”

  Nodding, I shove another cookie in my mouth. Nothing like stress eating. Too bad the carbs don’t take away the ache in my chest.

  I miss Seven.

  30

  LEIGH

  The next week is the same sad story. Except it’s different for one big reason—homecoming. It’s all everyone is talking about, though the homecoming game and the dance isn’t until the next Friday.

  I don’t have money for a dress. I don’t have the enthusiasm to go. I’ll be a horrible date. Shay disagrees.

  “Think about it, Shay, you can go with the girl of your dreams rather than because you did it to piss Seven off. He doesn’t care. Doesn’t hate me anymore. I cease to exist in his eyes.”

  I lean against the window of his sportscar. He is parked alongside the fence, and we’re facing the turn in the road that forks right to Seven’s parents’ place.

  “Fuck’s sake, Leigh, stop being so dramatic.”

  “It’s true,” I whine.

  “Then get him to hate you again.”

  “I don’t want his hate.”

  “You fell for him, didn’t you? Don’t know what you see in the guy. He’s a jerk.”

  “He’s not.”

  I tell him of how Seven took me to the hospital and stayed with me. How he cared for me, feeding me, and making sure I didn’t keel over. Also, harped on me to take the antibiotics. I also tell him what Seven does for the poorer kids.

  “Then what’s the problem? Why are you moping?”

  “He’s interested in a different girl. It’s the reason he doesn’t hate me anymore. He’s too busy paying attention to her now.”

  I tell Shay of how Seven ditched me for Ginger.

  “I’m sorry, Leigh.”

  “I’ll get over it.” I won’t. Not for awhile. “So, you’ll ask Blair to the dance?”

  “I already did, a week before Brody’s party. She turned me down, said she’s not into those things.”

  “It’s senior year. Last homecoming dance. Ask her again.”

  “Drop it, Leigh.”

  I shift in my seat. His fingers are crammed in his hair.

  “Or ask what she’d rather do. If she’s not into a dance, what about a picnic under the moonlight? Or stargazing? Ask her, Shay. Do something she’d like to do.”

  His hand falls from his hair. He skims his fingers over the steering column, looking thoughtful. “You’re onto something. I’ll ask. What about you?”

  “I’ll go to the game but not the dance.”

  “Sorry things got out of hand at Brody’s party.”

  “Hey, never be sorry for showing me a magic trick. I’ll love them all.”

  He laughs. “Promise?”

  “Promise.”

  “You’re the sweetest girl, Leigh. If Seven doesn’t see what’s right in front of him and come around, it’s his loss.”

  Tired of fighting the fight inside me alone, I lean into him and rest my head on his shoulder. “Thank you for being my friend. For giving me a ride back from the shop.”

  Surprise, surprise, Shay works at the auto store too.

  “Anytime. That’s what friends are for, isn’t it? To be there for one another?”

  Then where is Seven in all this?

  Mid-week, I get news I’m not ready for. What Maddox tells me sets my world off-kilter. Makes me believe less in love. Makes me question my beliefs of what my parents had. Has me questioning whether what my mom told Alistair is the truth, that Thomas is my biological father.

  “Leigh.” Maddox shoves his fingers in his hair. We’re on video chat, and in the window behind him is a view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

  “Leigh, I’ve got shitty news. Leigh, you’re going to hate me. Leigh . . .”

  God, when he keeps saying my name like that, with pity, I know the news is really, really bad, like vomit-inducing bad.

  “Leigh, your mom filed for divorce. She and Tony planned on getting married.”

  “That’s a lie.”

  “Leigh, my guy talked to Tony’s brother. He said your mom and Tony were in love. They met when Tony answered a call of a break-in at the shop your mother worked at sewing those pretty dresses of hers.”

  “He’s lying. My mother loved my father. She said he was her soul mate.”

  “Believe what you want, kiddo, but your denial doesn’t make the divorce papers go away.”

  I swallow down the bile in my throat. It wasn’t my obedience that got my mom and Alistair killed. It was my defiance, going back on my promise to my mom that I would never tell my dad about Tony.

  If I hadn’t told, Alistair wouldn’t have driven us to the police station, confronted Tony, and got him and Mom killed when he pulled out his gun and Mom shielded him, getting shot too when the officers returned fire.

  Oh, God, my defiance cost my parents their lives. “What else?”

  “Tony and that kid Seven, his dad, Six . . . Six is Tony’s half-brother, Leigh. Six is the result of an affair, a bastard child, but no less an heir to the McCabe empire.”

  Seven is related to the man who destroyed my family?

  “I looked into the woman who was in the hotel room with Six. They were engaged. Word is she’s looking to reconnect.”

  “In his hotel room? He’s married.”

  “She’s not, and old flames die hard. I’m sorry.”

  Hearing all this, finally processing that falling in love hurts and true love is never a guarantee, what my mom taught me when I was a little girl, the floodgates open. I burst out crying. Poor Maddox tugs at his collar.

  “Leigh, please don’t cry.”

  I cry harder. I want Seven. Long to tell him how wrong I was about my parents. That they were never in love the way I thought they were, happily and unconditionally.

  My mother cheated on my father. Was divorcing him. She lied to me. Lied to all of us. Lied and misled my kindhearted father. The father who spent time in prison because he knew I needed my EpiPen, a medication we couldn’t afford. He stole for me. He died for love. What did my soft-spoken mother do? She betrayed me. Got her and my dad killed for love and betrayal. Damn her.

  “Leigh, kiddo, please, you’re breaking my heart seeing you cry like this.”

  “I hate this. Hate him.”

  “Who?”

  “Seven. I hate him for making me feel things. For believing in something that doesn’t exist for me.”

  “Leigh, your feelings are important, but you’re only eighteen, kiddo. What does someone your age know about love?”

  “Were you ever in love, M?”

  “Yes, kiddo, I was.”

  “What happened?”

  “She broke my heart.”

  “How old were you?”

  “Eighteen.” He scrubs his hand over his face. “You made your point. Hang tight, kiddo, I’m coming for my sex tapes.”

  31


  LEIGH

  Maddox convinced me to play hooky from school tomorrow and Friday. I didn’t want to miss my shift at Queenie’s on Friday, but after hearing how scratchy and shaky my voice is, Miles tells me to take Friday off, that it’s only four hours.

  After getting off the phone with Miles, I trudge over to Seven’s place. Maddox will be here in half an hour. In front of his door, I knock. It takes a few minutes before he opens the door. I can see why. Behind him is Ginger. They must have been studying. Probably in his bedroom.

  “Seven, can I speak with you?” I keep my head down, not wanting him to see my puffy face. I am such an ugly crier.

  “Yeah, sure. I’ll be right back, Ginger.”

  Wow, he was never that nice with me. If it were me in Ginger’s place, he would say something like, “Don’t you bolt, Leigh. I’ll catch you every time.”

  I sigh. I miss him.

  “What’s up?”

  He sticks his hands in his pockets. He is wearing dark blue jeans. Bare feet. We’re out on his front porch. The porch is a dark wood. There’s a white porch swing. Pots of flowers in the corners. So romantic. I could sit on the swing and be happy staring off at the countryside day or night. Night would be awesome. The crickets and frogs would make their cute mating calls.

  “Leigh?”

  “I . . . Um, Maddox called me.”

  “And?”

  “He didn’t find anything. I’m sorry.” It’s easy to lie. I’m saving Seven from the devastation I went through when Maddox told me something that destroyed my belief in what my parents had. I can’t destroy whatever chance Seven thinks his parents have of reconciling.

  “You should talk to your dad, Seven. Tell him how you’re feeling. Or don’t and let them work through their problems.”

  “You don’t think my dad was set up like your mom was?”

  “Seven—” Tears burn the back of my eyes.

  I should go; I don’t want Seven to see how hard I’ve fallen for him or how much he hurt me when I told him I’m his only to have him throw my loyalty in my face when he got what he wanted. But I have to say my piece.