KNIGHT: A Dark High School Bully Romance

by L. J. Woods

  “This date was over the minute you decided it wasn’t just a date.” I’m taking steps back while he’s taking steps forward.

  “I’m not deciding that. You are. You want to talk about trust? How can I trust you if you’re ready to run away every single time there’s a bump. You’re like goddamn Usain Bolt!”

  “Bullshit, Damien!” There’s a blur in my eye, tears in a duct but I’m not turning away.

  “Coward.”

  “That’s you! That’s all you!”

  “It’s not all me.” His chest hits mine, my back hitting the door. “You’re as bad as I am. The difference between you and I is that you won’t admit it. If you leave this room right after what you said, that’s just as bad, Jo.”

  A huff of air leaves my nose, a tingle in my throat. I wish my voice sounded more threatening when I say, “Don’t use me in your schemes, ever again.” Using my shoulder to push around for the door, I unlock it and head into the hall.

  “Jo—”

  Click.

  The door closes behind me and I can’t breathe. Taking a long inhale, I try to slow my heart rate, my face scrunching while I hold back tears. As much as I want to stay here with him, I’m too upset to do that. How dare he call me the coward when his schemes are what led us here.

  Ignoring the feeling in my chest, I bang on Isaac’s door.

  “Isaac?” I call through the wood. “I didn’t know!” He doesn’t want to see me right now but I’m not burning with the devil. I’m not like him. “He said you wouldn’t have to worry. And I … fucking believed him.” Shit, I’m so stupid.

  Isaac cracks the door, jazz music billowing out and I let him know the rest while I have his attention. “He said we were on a date.” I meet his eyes and they’re as blurry as mine, his phone in his hand.

  The door cracks wider and he takes a look at my outfit. He has his boxers on, a white dress shirt hanging open revealing the abs of an athlete. “And now you’re not?”

  “No, and we never were.”

  His lips flatten into a line before he asks, “You leaving?”

  “I don’t think I can be around him right now.” Or ever.

  “Good. That’s best for both of us.” That’s all he says before he closes the door in my face.

  * * *

  You’ve always been mine.

  Clearing my mind was on the top of the list when I left the hotel.

  But that didn’t happen.

  I thought about him all night. All morning. This isn’t new, it’s been like this since I met him. Damien King is all-consuming. He’s like a strong venom and I’m at the mercy of his poison.

  I’ve been tough on the surface, ignoring his calls, not even looking at his texts but I wish my mind would follow. He’s all I think about, keeping me awake all night. Every night. It doesn’t help me fall asleep when I bring myself to orgasm thinking of his hands on my body. Doesn’t help get him out of my head. Neither do the marks on my skin, a reminder of what he’s capable of.

  Complete cathartic carnage.

  “Are you going to talk to him if you see him?” Willow asks as we make our way towards the school steps. I’m trying to get inside before the Supreme Squad makes an appearance. I know it’s only a matter of time before I see Damien, so I’m taking as much time as I can get.

  I’m happy I don’t have to answer right away because as usual, Willow’s friends are at the door when we get into the foyer. They’re quick to usher her to the Freshman Building. As she walks away, she rolls up her kilt a little too high. I know the guys at this school and after what happened at Damien’s party, I’m not about to let her do that.

  Following behind her, I’m about to call her name but before I do …

  “Medusa,” Damien calls to me from god knows where, but I don’t look to see where he is. I’m not ready to talk about this, so I gun it down the hall in the opposite direction. If he wants to use our “date” time for some grandiose scheme he doesn’t get to demand mine. “Don’t walk away from me,” he growls. But I do just that, even though his voice makes me feel like my insides might implode.

  I spot Isaac at the end of the hall, and he’s also acting like last night didn’t happen. He’s around a few of Lea’s minions, leaning on the locker as they swoon over his looks and charm. He tilts his head my way when he hears Damien call my name for the third time.

  Glancing at me, his eyes narrow before he takes a step away from the locker he’s leaning on. Those glazy auburn eyes focus on Damien, then his brows lower. I can feel Damien behind me, his eyes boring into the back of my head and it’s like another game of cat and mouse.

  “Medusa, you answer when you’re spoken to in my hallways,” Damien’s trying that I’m-the-king-of-the-world threat again. But I’m not shaken by it. Never was. He should know that by now.

  “Jo?” Allie turns a corner and I head in her direction, no looking back. Her eyes dash between me and the devil behind me.

  “Let’s go,” I say, pulling her arm, almost nearing the end of the hall.

  I’m not sure how long I’ll have to outrun him, but I’m sure he won’t pull too much when his best friend’s sister is around. The minute we turn the corner, I hear Damien’s voice again. A loud, booming growl, “Get the fuck out of my way, Johnson!”

  My boots stop, Allie almost falling forward from my sudden halt.

  “What’re you going to do about it?” Isaac’s voice comes next and when I peek around the hall, Damien and Isaac are almost chest-to-chest. “Call the cops on me too?”

  Damien chuckles and while I should be using this time to get out of his eyesight, I’m way too curious to see what happens next. “You mad because I put a stop to a criminal?”

  “I’m mad because you never think about anyone besides yourself,” Isaac’s slurring, but he’s making a damn good point. “You could’ve handled that another way!”

  “Handled what?” Damien’s voice is smoother, lower.

  I know this voice. It’s the calm before the storm. He’s plotting something and I’m worried about what it is.

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about!” Isaac yells. He never yells but Damien knows how to get a rise out of his buddies. “Or are you stupid?”

  “Handled you fucking my aunt who’s twice your age?” Damien says this loud, not that he needs to. The whole hall, if not the whole fucking school has their eyes on the Kings.

  There’s tension as thick as my hair in these halls and I can feel it from where we’re standing. It’s rare Isaac gets riled up. He’s the calmest of the three. The carefree partier and ladies’ man. But now it looks like he’s ready to take on a giant.

  “You did what?” Georgina’s voice comes through next.

  “Johnson!” Another student calls. This one sounds like an impressed douche. “The man! The legend!”

  Gasps, whispers and murmurs erupt. Even some laughter.

  “If you don’t shut the fuck up,” Damien growls at the asshole. “I’ll kill you after Isaac’s done defending his gold-digging concubine.”

  “Fuck you, man!” Isaac shoves him hard against his chest and Damien smirks before he tackles Isaac to the ground. I can’t make out too much of what’s happening but they’re rolling around and scuffling.

  “This what you want?” Damien’s grunt comes through.

  “I’ll fuck you up!” Isaac yells, his voice muffled before …

  CRACK!

  I don’t know who lands the first punch until Mr. Dent pulls Isaac off Damien. He’s still yelling at the fallen King on the floor who’s laughing like a maniac. Mr. Dent points at Isaac. “Johnson. Office. Now.”

  “Fuck you, King.” Isaac spits on the floor as he walks away and we all know that’s not where he’s going. The bell rings and it’s hard not to take my eyes off Damien, left laying there on the ground, laughter echoing through the halls. He’s like The Joker, manic and proud of it.

  “C’mon, Jo,” Allie says, pulling me down the hall.

  I hav
en’t told her about last night. Haven’t told her much about what’s going on with Damien and me but it’s like she knows enough to know that it’s nothing good.

  So why am I so addicted?

  Right. That’s how addictions work.

  They poison you from the inside out until you can’t live without it. And right now, that’s exactly how I feel.

  Addicted to the most deliciously dark poison and I don’t know if I’ll survive.

  Sixteen

  “I don’t like to be ignored.”

  Damien doesn’t let up when we’re in class. It seems he came straight here after he picked himself up off the floor. His uniform is still crumpled, a bloodied bruise above his eye and a joint by his ear. I know he’s itching to smoke it but here he is, making my life a living hell instead.

  “Is that what you’re doing to me, Rowland?” He scoots his desk closer until it hits the edge of mine, my body shaking with his force. “Ignoring me?” I can smell him. All of him. The crisp detergent in his clothes, that hint of peppermint on his breath. The addiction hits me again. He’s like heroin and I don’t know if I can handle withdrawal. Not with him dangling the needle in front of my face.

  But I’m tough. I can fight this. Right?

  Or is that what addicts say?

  Mr. Hill looks up over the rim of his glasses from his desk. He spots us together and shakes his head. I’m sure he’s hoping for no interruptions. We’re supposed to be studying for finals, but the stress of senior exams isn’t the only topic making its way around the school.

  Christian’s late. He looks at me with that charming smile on his face, but it drops when he sees Damien. He approaches his desk, dress shirt and blazer clinging to his frame. Christian takes a deep breath before he speaks. “Heard what you did to Isaac.”

  Damien hardly looks at him when he answers, “What’s it to you, Perez?”

  “Can’t keep hurting the people around you, King.” Christian grips the strap of his duffel, hockey stick in his other hand. “It’ll come back to haunt you.”

  “Mr. Perez,” Mr. Hill’s bored drawl comes from the front of the room. “How nice of you to join us. Do you have something to share with the class?”

  Christian glances at me before he turns around, dropping his duffel bag and stick to the floor. “Actually, I do.” He straightens the tie hanging off his neck. “But we already know that King is a selfish prick.”

  “That’s …” Mr. Hill takes off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “That’s not what I meant. Sit down, Mr. Perez.”

  “Yeah, Perez,” Damien sits up. “Sit the fuck down and stop talking about shit you don’t know.”

  “You had your chance and you blew it,” Christian says. “You’re gonna have to live with that.”

  Damien rises to his feet, the chair falling to the floor behind him. “You got somethin’ to say, Perez? Are you and Johnson on your fucking periods? You assholes in sync or something or did you forget who runs this place? This town?”

  “Mr. King and Mr. Perez, this isn’t an HBO drama. Now please, sit down!” Mr. Hill yells, rising to his feet now too, hands splayed across the table.

  Christian puts his hands in the air in surrender, sitting in the seat next to him. I’m surprised when Damien does the same. After a few seconds of silence, I realize why.

  “You sure you don’t want to head to the red room?” Damien whispers.

  “Fuck off,” my voice isn’t as firm as I want it to be when his hand comes to my thigh. It’s already halfway up my kilt and my body freezes, my heart racing. I’m reminded of our romp in the elevator at The Palace, and the knockout rounds we went for back in the hotel. His hand rises, slipping between my legs and I want to spread them but I’m forcing them closed.

  Christian leans in. “Don’t take his shit, Jo. You don’t have to.”

  Damien hears him and answers for me, “Yeah. She does. She likes it. She craves it. That’s why she always chooses me. Always will.” His words are smooth and tantalizing, and when he tugs at my panties I let out what sounds like … a squeak? “Why don’t you tell him what you said to me last night? When I was fucking you into a stammer?”

  “Stop!” I snip at Damien, trying my best to keep my voice a whisper.

  Chrisitan glances at Mr. Hill before his hand lands on my other thigh, “You okay?” He’s climbing his way up my leg too. This leaves me with a cold hand on one thigh, pulling at my panties and a warm hand on the other, moving up and down.

  “She’s about to be,” Damien says, his breath landing on my ear.

  “What?” Christian’s brows knit before his hand stops on my leg and before he looks under the desk, I rise to my feet.

  Without another word, I make my way towards that empty desk in front of Mr. Hill.

  “It’s only a matter of time, Medusa.” Damien doesn’t get the hint. Or chances are, he does and doesn’t give a fuck. “You’ll come back. Always do.”

  Like a goddamn addict and chances are, he’s right.

  * * *

  I never thought I’d be looking forward to Algebra.

  Miss McGuire is a bit more of a stickler than Mr. Trout ever was but still, math sucks. So does Lea. And they’re both in my next class.

  Allie’s in this class too, and that’s my only silver lining. She’s good at playing buffer when it comes to Lea and her crew. Besides Damien and I, Allie and Christian are the only ones to get Lea to shut her mouth. That reminds me, I never did get the info on what’s happening between Lea and Allie.

  When I get into class, it seems I have my guard up for nothing. Allie’s on watch too but none of the girls say or do anything the entire time. Looks like there’s a reason she’s a shoo-in for valedictorian. Lea’s serious about finals.

  The bell rings and when we’re all getting up to leave, Lea stands by her desk, calling to me, “Hey, Medusa.”

  My jaw tightens.

  Here it is.

  “What?” I ask, my voice filled with dread.

  Allie squares up beside me like she’s waiting for whatever this is too. Lea glances at her before she smiles at me, “My sources say Willow’s in the foyer waiting for you.”

  “What? Why?” That’s strange. Why wouldn’t she text? Or call, or hell, even come to this class?

  “Your sources?” Allie seems as confused as I am.

  “I don’t know,” Lea shrugs. “According to Penelope, my freshman underling, she was pretty nervous.” She flips her shiny black hair and turns around. “Should go check on her.”

  My brows furrow and I glance at Allie who doesn’t look like she knows what’s happening either.

  Did they do something to her? I swear to god if they hurt her …

  “I’ll go with you,” Allie says, taking my hand while she brushes past Lea.

  “I’ll kill you if you did anything,” the words leave my mouth without even thinking, my heart pounding against my chest.

  “Ew, she totally would,” Georgina snorts. “Considering she’s a murderer.”

  I’ll never trust that bitch. She’ll ride the coattail of whoever gets her into ERA’s best parties. Bonus points if she gets to plan it. But a friend? Never. I know where her loyalty is and like most people in this town, it’s not with me.

  Allie and I are quick to make it to the foyer and sure enough, Willow’s by the front doors. Rushing over, I take her between my palms, “Are you okay? What happened?” I’m searching her body for a sign of the problem but I don’t see anything.

  She hesitates, brows lowering, “What? Penelope said you wanted to talk to me here.”

  “What?” I jerk my head back. “Lea said you were out here worried.”

  My sister groans, “Oh no …”

  “Shit,” Allie says, looking around. “We should—”

  “Hey, Medusa!” A voice comes from above, on the second-floor balcony and when I look up to see who it is, I’m hit with black.

  I can’t breathe. I’m choking, the smell of metal in my nose, th
e taste of sandy meat in my mouth. Coughs force out my mouth as laughter erupts from above and around me. It’s followed by that familiar cackle.

  Lea’s.

  Shit.

  They set me up. Not only that, they used my sister to do it.

  “What the fuck is that?” I can hear Allie’s voice but I still can’t see her as I’m trying to wipe away this dust in my eyes.

  “Thought we’d give our little Grim Reaper some inspiration,” Georgina says. “My cat died last week and I found the perfect use for Baby’s ashes.”

  “What!?” It’s my first reaction but I regret it as I cough up more of the dust that only causes more laughter.

  “Fuck.” That’s Christian’s voice. “Alright, get outta here. Shows over!” Allie sits me down on the ledge in front of the tree, dusting me off.

  “Not enjoying the show, Perez?” Lea asks.

  “You mean your disgusting, immature act of jealousy?” Christian replies. “Not even the slightest. These childish pranks are getting old. What’re you gonna do when you’re in college next year? Bully the hottest girl on campus and fuck your way to an A?” Christian’s voice bellows again. “I said, shows over!”

  The crowd disperses, and when the dust finally clears from my eyes, Damien’s standing not too far away. He’s staring and again, not doing a damn thing. But I’m supposed to trust him? Hell, he likely coordinated this whole disaster.

  “Let’s get you out here,” Allie says.

  “I got some fresh gym clothes in my bag,” Christain says. “You can have it.”

  “Jo, I’m so sorry,” Willow’s voice is a small whisper. “I didn’t know they—”

  “No, it’s not your fault,” I say, my eyes glaring at Damien and he’s glaring right back. Leaning over the banister, rolling his joint between his fingers. “But I know whose it is.”

  Marching up the stairs, I’m all covered in black, my shirt stained from this morbid joke. But I want him to see me like this. I want him to see what he did to me. Again. He turns around to face me. Cool, calm and collected and it makes me want to slap him. Or spit in his face again.