Revenge: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Longhorn Academy Dark Bully Romance Book 2)

by Amy Brown

  I’m confused about how to feel. I hate Mason, but he literally just saved me from a fate worse than death. I let go of my bike and it crashes to the ground, and I sit down on the gravel, still trying not to puke. Every inch of me vibrates with fear and relief. I’m afraid they’ll come back any second, but I can’t find the strength to stand. I guess Mason is afraid they’ll return too, because he grabs me under the arms, and drags me to my feet.

  “Get in the truck,” he growls.

  I shove him off of me, and glare. “Fuck you.”

  Through clenched teeth he says, “Charity Ballard, get your ass in the truck, now!” Without waiting for a response, he takes hold of my bike, and tosses it into the back of his pickup, like it weighs nothing. It lands with a loud clanging noise, and he stomps around the truck to the driver side.

  I stand in the haze of his headlights, dust swirling around me. I’m furious at everyone and everything, and trembling with the inability to assimilate my emotions. He honks the horn and revs the engine, flashing the headlights. I don’t think he’ll run me over, not after bothering to save me, but he’s unpredictable. Maybe he’s had enough of my shit. I’ve had enough of his.

  While I hate Mason Johnson, I hate the idea of those other men more. I stride toward his truck and climb in, seething. He presses the gas and we lurch onto the highway, tires squealing. I grab the arm rest, slamming against the door. I bump hard and it hurts my shoulder, but I’ll be damned if I’ll show that to Mason.

  “That’s why you don’t ride a bike in the middle of the night,” he grumbles. “Do you realize what could have happened to you?”

  I squint at him. “Obviously.”

  “What were you thinking?” He waves his arm. “What the hell would have happened if I hadn’t come along?”

  I grit my teeth, shuddering. “I’d have been fine.”

  His laugh is humorless. “No. I don’t think so.”

  Yeah, I don’t either.

  I know technically I owe him a thank you, but I’ll die before I say those words to him. He threatened Luke, and that puts him in the category of my most hated people. Owing him sticks in my craw because what I want to do is smash his face in. Maybe rip his heart out through his chest while it’s still pumping. The last thing I want to do is owe Mason anything.

  “Don’t lecture me. It’s your fault I was out to begin with,” I snap.

  “If you’d let me pick you up, like I offered, that wouldn’t have happened,” he says through clenched teeth.

  I chuff. “Right. What a lovely ride home that would be, you threaten Luke and then drive me home. Yah, I don’t think so, asshole.”

  “It beats being raped and murdered, Charity.” He sounds exasperated. “And I don’t get your aversion to letting me drive you anywhere. I know before, you were hiding who your stepdad was, but now? There’s no need to play coy.”

  “I’m not playing coy.”

  He laughs and continues as if he doesn’t hear me. “You won’t let me drive you anywhere, but I can fuck you. Makes perfect sense.”

  My face heats, and I say, “That was the past. I don’t want any kind of ride from you from now on.”

  “Yeah? Well, it’s mutual, baby.”

  A deep angry silence falls. All I want to do is get home and cry in my pillow. The amount of stress pulsing through me is enough to explode me into little fragments. I have no idea what to do about switching schools, and all I can think about is how close I just came to being assaulted. I really don’t want to show weakness in front of Mason, but I’m feeling completely overwhelmed. I bite my lip to hold back a wave of tears, and taste blood. My God, if Mason hadn’t come on the scene, or if he hadn’t cared enough to stop. I squeeze my eyes closed, trying not to imagine what would be happening to me at this very moment.

  A strangled sob escapes my tight throat, and I’m mortified. I clutch the armrest, digging my nails into the leather, and trying to control the emotions trying to gush out of me. A few hot tears streak down my cheeks, and I keep my face turned toward the window. I will not show weakness in front of Mason. I will not show weakness in front of Mason. I will not—another sob makes an escape.

  “Awww, come on Charity. It’s okay.” His voice is husky, and he slows the truck and pulls over to the side of the road.

  “I’m fine,” I say, tears streaming down my face. What is wrong with me? Why am I so emotional? Nothing happened. Those men didn’t hurt me. Yet, I’m still shaking and scared.

  He opens his door and comes around to my side. Then he opens mine, and puts his arms around me. At first I’m stiff. After all, I hate him and I don’t want his comfort. But then I find myself holding onto him tight, and sobbing against his broad shoulder.

  He strokes my hair. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

  I bury my nose against his shoulder, feeling comforted by his familiar scent and the strength of his arms. “I don’t know why I’m crying,” I mumble.

  “You’re traumatized. Those guys were scary.”

  Sighing, I lift my head. I meet his concerned gaze, and my heart squeezes. I want so badly to hate him. But the way he’s looking at me, and how he stood up for me, that all complicates things. “Why did you help me?”

  He raises his brows. “What?”

  “You just threatened my little brother and want me gone. Why risk your life for me?”

  He grimaces. “Well, I couldn’t just let them… hurt you.”

  “Why not.” I wipe my eyes. “You’re always trying to hurt me.”

  “Not like that.” He looks repulsed. “You and me have a complicated relationship. But I don’t actually wish physical harm on you.” He lifts one shoulder. “Well, okay, maybe sometimes I want to strangle you, but I’m not going to let anyone else strangle you.”

  I give a gruff laugh, and I push him away. “You’re such a jerk.”

  He sighs. “I know.”

  We stare at each other, then he asks, “Feel better?”

  “I guess.” I still feel shaky and strange, but slightly calmer. I hate to admit it, but Mason is the reason I’m relaxing. I believe him when he says he won’t let anyone else hurt me. He’s stepped in twice for me now; once against Sophia and now with those two hoodlums. It’s not logical, but I’m thankful. He could so easily have done nothing in both instances. Tonight, he could have just hit the gas and drove on by. I wouldn’t have been a problem for him anymore. But he didn’t. He stopped and he protected me.

  His eyes glitter in the dark, and he reaches out and strokes my cheek. “Let’s get you home.” He closes the door and returns to the driver seat.

  My skin throbs where his finger touched my cheek, and I settle back against the seat. Where he pulled over to comfort me isn’t very far from Fred’s ranch. Once we’re back on the road, it’s only about a five-minute drive before we’re parking in front of Fred’s huge house.

  I’m relieved Mom and Fred still aren’t home. I don’t want to have to talk to them. I know my mom would immediately see that I’ve been crying, and that would open up a whole awkward conversation I don’t want to have.

  Mason gets my bike out of the back of his truck, and he pushes it over and leans it against the porch. Then he stands at the base of the stairs and I face him. His expression is impossible to read, and I force myself to stop near him, before going up the stairs.

  “Thank you for helping me.” My voice is stiff, but at least I did the right thing. If not for him, I probably wouldn’t be home right now, safe and sound.

  He nods, his expression still impossible to read.

  I start up the steps, and his voice halts me. “Remember what I said, Charity.”

  I frown, staring down at him. “What?”

  A muscle works in his cheek. “Just because I helped you, that doesn’t negate the conversation we had about Luke.”

  A chill goes through me. “What the hell is wrong with you? How can you help me one second, and threaten me the next? Are you unbalanced?”

  He shrugs. “Yo
u need to go. It’s that simple.”

  I curl my lip, my hatred of him returning in full force. “Nothing is ever simple with you, Mason.” I stomp up the stairs, and unlock the front door with shaking hands. I slip inside, shut the door, and listen to the sound of Mason’s truck drive away.

  I don’t want to leave Longhorn Academy. Mason has me between a rock and a hard place, but that doesn’t mean he’s beat me. He has weaknesses too. Let’s see how he likes it when I go after the people he loves.

  Chapter Nine

  Mason

  Charity has me all twisted up. I’m sure she’s confused by me because I’m confused by myself. One minute I’m threatening her and the next second I’m rescuing her. But I couldn’t just drive by and let those guys attack her. When I think about the emotions that went through me when I saw her on the side of the road, being threatened, I feel nauseous. I really didn’t even think, which wasn’t very smart. I had no real plan to take on those guys, other than charging in like Sir Lancelot.

  When I think about how angry she was earlier, my stomach churns. I knew she’d be furious about me threatening Luke. That was no surprise. What I didn’t expect was how much it bothered me. I’ll still proceed with my plan because having Charity around interferes too much with The Elites. I have more empathy for Darth Vader these days. I see more clearly why he felt the need to go after Luke Skywalker. You can’t have someone running around inspiring others, when you’re trying to keep them under your thumb.

  I finally manage to drift off to sleep, and when I wake up in the morning I have a headache. My dreams were filled with brawls and arguments that included Charity. I used to sleep like a baby, but ever since Charity arrived sleep is a rare commodity. Maybe once she’s gone, I’ll be able to get back to my usual routine.

  I shower and head to school, tired and grumpy. I stuff down a cherry Pop-Tart and Coke. Not exactly the breakfast of champions, but beggars can’t be choosers. It’s weird to show up to school and not have a group to go to. Across the quad, I can see Travis, Jeremy, and the other Elites hanging out. Even the nerds have their little group, and they congregate in the morning laughing and joking around. I sit by myself, pretending to be fascinated by my phone.

  Of course, I can’t let my guard down because it’s open season on me. I have to keep alert at all times, in case one of the regular students try to come at me. So far, the bullying has been minimal. As the days pass, it could go one of two ways; either the violence against me will escalate, or they’ll lose interest and forget I’m fair game. I’m hoping for the latter.

  Across the quad I see Charity with her friends. The group of nerds seems to be growing as other kids want to be around Charity. Her charisma is what makes her a problem for me. If she were just some regular girl, I wouldn’t be so worried about her ability to drum up a mutiny against The Elites. Unfortunately, she has a way of connecting with regular students on a level I can’t.

  I think about her speech yesterday in the cafeteria. She has a way with words. I couldn’t help but enjoy how she forced Sophia to apologize. It was artfully done. Of course, now Sophia will hate her even more. But Charity should be leaving Longhorn Academy soon. So maybe none of that matters.

  I run my gaze over Charity, regret rippling through me. Too bad she didn’t let everybody know from the beginning that her stepfather is Fred Cartwright. If she’d been honest, maybe I wouldn’t have had to play the little seduction game with her. Maybe The Elites would’ve been more accepting of her because of who her stepfather is. Sophia would have hated her either way, because Sophia hates any new girls who get attention. But if things had been different, maybe we wouldn’t have ended up enemies.

  Water under the bridge.

  She has one week to do as I requested, and tell her mom she wants to transfer to Pine View High. I’m positive she’ll do it, because Luke means the world to her. When you care about people, that makes you vulnerable. Her love of her little brother gave me the opportunity I needed. I will miss her. That’s not something I’ll admit to her, or anyone else, I can barely admit it to myself. I’ve enjoyed much of my time with Charity. I’ve almost enjoyed the bad parts too because she challenges me. Most girls bore me to tears. Charity always kept me entertained. And the sex… well… I’ve never had better. It’s important I don’t even think about it too much, or I begin to question my decision to send her away. I’ll never get back on top if Charity is around.

  I make my way to class, dodging spitballs and the occasional elbow to the ribs. Overall, the bullying is predictable. I know what to expect because I’ve been a master bully most of my high school experience. The worst part is lunch time. Not having anybody to sit with at lunch time is rough. I also miss Travis. I miss laughing with my friend, and hearing about his sexual adventures with all the girls he sleeps with. He has a way of telling a story that gets me out of a grumpy mood.

  When I enter first period, Mrs. Dunbar gives me a stern look. Yesterday she sent Charity and me to the office because we refused to study together. Since neither me or Charity wants to transfer out of this class, into the harder English class taught by Mrs. Gregory, we’ve agreed to a temporary truce. It feels like years ago since Charity turned the tables on me, and got me kicked out of The Elites. Was it really only yesterday morning? I feel like I’ve aged a hundred years.

  When Charity walks in my pulse spikes. She’s wearing a pink sundress, and pink sandals. Her hair flows around her shoulders in a golden cascade, and her eyes are so blue, they almost hurt to look at. She really is gorgeous. One of the prettiest girls I’ve ever seen. Certainly the most beautiful I’ve ever fucked. It’s hard not to think about things like that, knowing that soon she’ll be gone.

  She sits behind me, and I keep facing forward. It’s weird to act like we barely know each other, when we’ve been so intimate with each other so many times. Our intimacy isn’t just physical either; we’ve laughed together and shared pieces of ourselves we usually keep hidden. She’s smart and witty. We truly enjoyed each other’s company. If things had been different between us, sometimes I think I might even have fallen in love with Charity. The thought of that is scary, and it also makes my heart ache for what might’ve been.

  When Mrs. Dunbar has everybody break into study groups, this time Charity and I don’t balk. We pull our desks together like little obedient sheep, ignoring the curious stairs of all the other students. It’s widely known were mortal enemies, and I guess they get a kick out of watching us pretend to get along. Of course, they don’t understand how complicated our relationship is. They don’t understand how we loathe, but also enjoy each other. Oh, how we enjoy each other sometimes.

  My dick hardens at the memory of fucking her yesterday in the school bathroom. I had the musky scent of her on me most of the day. I like smelling like her, and tasting her on my tongue. I hate that we don’t get to do that anymore. There’s definitely no chance of that sort of thing judging by how stiffly she sits beside me. She’s careful not to let her shoulder touch mine, and her hands are folded in her lap.

  I spend most of the hour concentrating on Charity, instead of the lecture. Her sweet scent and the sight of her bare thighs, revealed by the short length of her sundress, captivate me. Memories of her riding my cock fill my head, and sweat breaks out on my face. God, just one more time would be so amazing. I know it’s not gonna happen, especially after my threat toward Luke. But, that doesn’t stop me from wanting it.

  When class ends, Charity stands up quickly, and drags her desk back into its usual spot. She bends over to get her backpack, and, because I’m still seated, I see up her dress. My heart almost stops when I see she’s wearing a thong. Lust rips through me, followed immediately by jealousy, as I wonder who she did that for. Certainly not me. She hasn’t done anything flirtatious with me. She’s barely looked at me the whole class. Is she sleeping with some other dude? Already? Who? I can’t imagine who it could be because I’d never seen her with any other guy other than the nerds.

 
Could it be Jeremy? She was attracted to him in the beginning. But, she’s at war with The Elites, so I find it hard to believe she’s secretly hooking up with Jeremy. Unless, they’d been sleeping together all along, and I was just too stupid to know it? No. I’d have known. Not to mention, Jeremy was too angry with me when he found out I’d been sleeping with her. He was envious. He wouldn’t be envious if he’d too been fucking her.

  She leaves the class, and I trail behind. What I need to do is get to my next class, but I’m consumed with curiosity about who Charity might be sleeping with. Instead of going to my next class, I follow her down the crowded hallways. She doesn’t stop to talk to anyone, although she does smile at a lot of the students. They all watch her, obviously intrigued by her. How could they not be intrigued by the girl who’s brought The Elites to their knees?

  Little do they know soon she’ll be gone.

  I smirk, finding it amusing that all of them are so impressed with her, when I’m the one pulling the strings. She’s still acting like she’s got me on the run, but the reality is she’ll do as I demanded, to protect her brother. Most people would. Certainly someone who loves their family as much as she seems to.

  She turns sharply down another hall, and I step behind an ash tree. There’s only ten minutes before the next class begins, so where is she wandering off to? She seems in no hurry to get to her next class. Why is that? I peer around the trunk of the tree, and my stomach clenches when I see Travis.

  I have to work hard not to give myself away. What is Travis doing meeting Charity? My buddy will sleep with any girl who’s willing, but I’ve never known him to sleep with anyone I was interested in. Not that he knows I’m interested in her, after all, Charity and I are supposed to be enemies right now. Of course, they’re supposed to be enemies too because he’s one of The Elite. All of The Elites should hate her. She’s trying to destroy us. Is Travis the guy she’s wearing that thong for?

  Scalding rage burns through me. What game is she playing? Why would she sleep with my best friend? That seems beneath her. Maybe threatening her brother pushed her to do things she wouldn’t usually do? But what about my good friend Travis? He knows I broke the rules because I wanted to sleep with her more. Why would he suddenly just think he could step in?