by S. J. Sylvis
“Well, Chase, Will, Cole, and Harrison are the guys that trail Andrew.”
I formed an O with my mouth. Piper’s hand landed on my wrist, and her face turned somber. “Stay away from Cole, though.”
I furrowed my brow, but before I could ask why, she pulled me into the party.
Alrighty then. Let’s do this. Time to be a normal teenager, for once.
Chapter Eight
Christian
Eric passed the blunt off to Ollie, and I had to force myself to keep my hands on my lap. I was seconds from ripping the damn thing from his arrogant mouth, but I also realized I was a little on edge lately.
We had won the game tonight, and my teammates deserved to celebrate, me included, but I didn’t want to do that shit right now. I was too worked up and inside my own head. My thoughts weren’t clear enough as it was. They were muddled with visions of oceanic eyes peering up at me from below.
“Bro, just take a fuckin’ hit. You need to lighten up.” Ollie puffed out some smoke and tried to hand me the joint.
“I can help you lighten up,” April purred from my right, and I glanced over at her. If I closed one eye and turned my head, she was attractive, I guessed. It might help me calm down, too.
I broke my silence today. I’d been simmering the entire week on what to do about a certain someone named Hayley. Did I continue tormenting her? Did I come right out and tell her to get the fuck out of my school? Did I yell at her and tell her I hated her? The choices were endless. I couldn’t decide what route to go.
Then I saw her stealing an apple, and I jumped at the opportunity. I was alone. No one would give me shit about it. Ollie wouldn’t give me that disapproving look. Jake wouldn’t mouth off that she was “hella fine, even with those bruises.” So, I swooped in and got entirely too close to her face. She smelled good. Sweet, like vanilla. She smelled nothing like Madeline with her overpriced perfume, or April who had somehow found her way onto my lap.
April laid soft kisses on my neck as I leaned away from her. Ollie and the rest of the guys were talking about Wellington Prep, the school we beat to the ground—in the rain, nonetheless—when Madeline stormed into the cabin.
She instantly searched for me, and when she spotted me, she scowled, but only for a moment. Her blonde hair was tied in a bun, and it bobbled on top of her head as she stomped over to me and April.
“We need to talk. Now.”
“Relax, Madeline,” April said, sliding off my lap. “Nothing happened.”
Madeline rolled her eyes before turning her back. “What happened was you just got kicked off the cheer squad for being a backstabbing slut. Christian, come on.”
April gasped as I stood up. “You can’t do that!” she shouted, but her yells were drowned out when I followed Madeline into the downstairs den.
“What?” I asked, a snip in my voice. My eyes immediately followed Madeline’s gaze as she looked over to the couch. Two other girls were sitting there, both of whom I recognized but didn’t care to know their names.
“We have a problem, and I’m certain you’ll take care of it.”
I followed Madeline farther into the den, unease settling in. “What’s the problem?” I treaded lightly. Madeline had a knack for making shit seem much worse than it was. She was dramatic, and that was speaking lightly.
“Wellington Prep boys put their hands on Cara, and it wasn’t with her permission.”
I paused, flicked my eyes over to the girl I presumed to be Cara, and then back to Madeline. “Tell me everything.”
Once I rounded up the boys, we drove the thirty minutes it took to get to Wellington’s side of Pike Valley. I told Madeline to stay with Cara, the girl who confessed that a Wellington Prep boy went a little too far with her after the game tonight.
Eric and Jake were yammering in the back of my Charger, hyped up to beat ass. Only, they weren’t the ones who were going to do the beating. I was.
Not only was I fucking pissed that Wellington Prep had hit on our girls, but to do it without their permission? No. I didn’t stand for that shit at English Prep, and I wouldn’t at their school either. I was an asshole, I knew that—an arrogant asshole, at that—but this wasn’t okay.
Did I treat girls like royalty? No. Did I worship the ground they walked on? Also no. But did I disrespect them in a way so vulgar as to take away their right to say no? Absolutely not. I knew where to draw the line, and I wouldn’t dare cross it.
We pulled up to a large home much like the ones in my neighborhood. Ollie shifted in his seat, rubbing his hands down his jeans. “What’s the plan?”
I turned my car off and took several, calm breaths. I wasn’t fazed by this at all. Beating this motherfucker, Cole, sounded like exactly what I needed. It was a nice distraction. Earlier, I was hyped, jittery, couldn’t stop thinking about that fine little china doll I wanted to break in half. Thoughts of Mom blurred my vision every time I thought of Hayley, and that wasn’t settling well with me. But this? This felt right.
“Follow my cue as always, brother. I’m going to make Cole Johnson my bitch, just like he tried to do with Cara.”
“So, you’re gonna try to fuck him?” Ollie laughed at his own joke. I glared at him, and he quickly shut his mouth.
“Let’s go, boys,” I said as I climbed out of my car.
Jake yelled, “Fuck yeah! Let’s teach these Wellington Prep tools that they need to stay the fuck away from English Prep.”
That was exactly what we were going to do.
Chapter Nine
Hayley
Piper went to get some sodas for us two minutes ago, but it felt like an hour. I stood along the far wall, watching the drunken girls dance their asses off in the middle of the room. They were dressed in barely any clothing, and most of the boys were drooling with their eyes in the shapes of hearts.
I wished I could have been like those girls.
Happy.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before,” a sly voice slithered up beside me, and I felt it all the way to my bones.
His voice was creepy. Breathy and warm on the side of my neck. I took a step to the left before answering. “You haven't. I’m new. I’m here with Piper.”
“Ah.” He smirked. “Piper’s friend. The untouchable Piper.” He dipped his head low, his eyes hooded. “Per her cousin’s words.”
I shrugged, dancing my gaze all around this guy's features. He was tall—so tall I had to look up at him. His dark hair was short on the sides and a bit longer on top. He was attractive, but in the I’m-rich-and-my-parents-give-me-everything type of way. Preppy. His hair had too much gel on top—so much that the dancing strobe lights glistened off the shiny strands.
“So, you go to English Prep?” He was in my space again, even though I’d stepped to the left.
I swallowed and answered, “Yep.”
“And how do you like it?” He eyed me suspiciously, his baby blues flicking down to my mouth a couple of times. My skin crawled. It was not on my to-do list to get hit on. But this did beat being locked in my bedroom, so what the hell. “I bet you hate it.”
Glancing out of my peripheral vision, I responded, “What makes you say that?”
His hand reached out, and he brushed my hair behind my shoulder. I froze, planting my feet to the ground. I hated the way my heart thumped in my chest. My stomach grew tight, and I had to bite down on my lip to keep myself from overreacting.
He isn’t Gabe.
“You look like you don’t belong.”
That had me turning my head. And he gave me a lopsided grin. “That isn’t a dig, sweetheart. That’s a compliment.”
Just then, his gasoline—aka vodka—breath hit me in the face as his hand wrapped around my wrist. Chills ran up my arms, and my vision started to get blurry on the sides. Where is Piper? “Why don’t we go upstairs and talk a bit? It doesn’t seem like this is your scene anyway.”
“What’s your name?” I asked, keeping my feet glued to the floor.
/> He gave me his lopsided grin again. “Cole.”
My insides churned. I pulled on my wrist for him to release me, but his grip got harder. “Oh, relax. Whatever you heard about me isn’t true.”
The nervous feeling deep within my belly quickly grew to anger. I leaned into his space and felt like a queen looking down at a lout. “I know guys like you, Cole. I didn’t hear anything about you. Your character says plenty. Now, let go of me before I bang your face off the backside of this wall.”
His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t move. So, I acted fast. I grabbed his arm with my other hand and bent his wrist backward. He screamed out, surprised that I wasn’t kidding, as I turned him around and pushed him with all my might toward the wall. He wasn’t hard to move, because I’d caught him off guard, but if he wanted to, he could probably knock me down within a second.
I wanted to push my knee into his back to teach him a lesson about laying his hands on a girl, but he was suddenly ripped from my sight.
Just then, Ollie stepped in front of me. I looked up, shocked that he had somehow appeared out of thin air. “Sorry, scrapper. Christian came here to beat that fucker’s ass, and I have a feeling he’s gonna go a lot harder since he just saw that little scene.”
I ignored the way my heart hiccupped at the sound of Christian’s name. “Move,” I demanded, crossing my arms. “I can take care of myself.”
He threw his head back and laughed. It was a boyish laugh, a youthful I-don’t-have-a-care-in-the-world laugh. It brought back memories of the past that I quickly shoved away. “I don’t doubt that for a second, Hayley.”
I had no idea where Christian took Cole, and when Piper came back to find me, she was completely confused to see Ollie guarding me by the wall. No one else in the room seemed to notice the commotion, which was probably the way Christian wanted it.
“What the hell? I leave you for three minutes and all hell breaks loose!” Piper looked from me, to Ollie, then back to me.
“Move, Ollie. Or I’ll take you down, too.”
Ollie laughed again, and right when he threw his head back, I kicked my leg out and swept him right off his feet. He landed with a thud, and I rushed past him.
I heard him and Piper bantering back and forth.
“Go get your stupid friend, Piper.”
“Oooh, so he does know my name.”
“Of course I know your name. Your tits are talked about often in the locker room. You may be quiet, but those hips talk, baby.”
Their voices trailed as I made my way around the end of the hallway and pushed my hair behind my ear to have a listen. It wasn’t long before I heard grunting and flesh on flesh.
Running on the lush carpet, I came to an open living room with two of Christian’s friends standing guard, watching the fight unfold. Christian was rearing his arm back, ready to punch an already bloody and barely conscious Cole even more.
“Stop him!” I shouted. “Cole’s eyes aren’t even open!” Is he even conscious? He’s going to kill him! My body grew warm, a sickly feeling hitting me head-on.
“No can do, New Girl.”
I stepped forward, ready to put an end to the brawl, but one of Christian’s friends—Eric, I think was his name—met me halfway.
“He’s going to kill him!”
Eric glanced back and shrugged. “He knows when to stop.”
No, he doesn’t. Christian was out of control. He was on a different planet called I want to go to jail a few days before my birthday.
I peered up over Eric’s shoulder, and unease was settling in my bones. I wasn’t really in the mood to watch another murder or for my ex-best friend to become a convicted felon. No matter if he hated me or not.
“Stop him!” I growled through my teeth.
Eric didn’t even bat an eye, but the other friend was beginning to look anxious. He worked his jaw back and forth and glanced at Eric with pleading eyes.
Go stop him, I urged silently as he peered at me. I didn’t wait for him to consider my urgency. Instead, I darted around Eric, too fast for him to even realize what happened, and I yelled, “Christian!”
The room fell quiet. Christian, with his arm reared back and a murderous look on his chiseled face, stopped and looked me dead in the eye. His eyes were cold and demeaning, but they were there, locked onto me.
“That’s enough! He isn’t even conscious.”
I heard whispering from behind me.
“Did she just get him to stop by only saying his name?”
“Yeah, bro. It usually takes two of us to pull him out of something like that.”
“Interesting…” The last one was Ollie.
Still holding a blood-stained Cole, Christian spat, “You care about this fucking piece of shit who puts his hands on girls without their permission? Huh? Are you that fucked up, Hayley?”
I ground my teeth, spitting right back, “Probably, but to be honest, I really just didn’t want to watch another person get murdered in front of my eyes.”
It was so quiet in the room I could hear my own beating heart. It was pounding underneath my skin, anger blurring along with irrational behavior. I wanted to take Christian by his ear and drag him into another room and demand to know what his problem was with me.
“We need to talk,” Christian ordered, storming out of the room.
Yes, we freaking do!
Chapter Ten
Christian
I remembered the last time we were in a room alone together. It was under much different circumstances. My life was good then. I mean, compared to what it was now. Dad still worked a shit ton, and Mom was out with her friends more often than not, but at least she was alive and I didn’t have this suffocating feeling of guilt at every corner I turned, especially with a dark-haired girl standing there, reminding me of the one thing I did wrong.
I would never in a million fucking years say this aloud, but part of the reason I thought my life wasn’t so bad back then was because of her. The second we met in fifth grade, we were almost inseparable. Something about her was magnetic. I was drawn to her. She always wore a frown unless I was around, and that made me feel good. Worthy. Like I meant something.
“This is so dumb,” Hayley said from beside me. I wanted to agree with her, but I didn’t think it was dumb. I liked being this close to her; it did something to my insides. Jumbled them all up, but in a good way. I felt nervous but calm, too. That was what Hayley did to me.
“Why is it dumb? Let them think we’re in here making out all hot and heavy.”
She shifted around on her butt, unknowingly scooting closer to me. “I don’t know. Everyone knows you already know how to make out. And everyone knows that I don’t know how.”
I tried to adjust my eyes in the darkness so I could see her face. “Who said I knew how to make out?”
She laughed lightly. “Um, let’s see. April, Carrie, the two older girls that are in high school now…”
I stopped her. “Okay, okay, okay. I get it. But so what? I have a reputation to uphold.”
She scoffed, her warm, minty breath hitting my face. “Yeah, I know. I’m only popular because we’re friends.”
“That’s not the only reason. All the guys want to take you to the sweethearts dance.”
“Well, none of them have asked me.”
Yeah, I knew that because I had told them not to. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her. Maybe I shouldn’t. What if she says no? What if she finds out I sabotaged every opportunity she had to go with basically every single seventh grader? Even Ollie wanted to ask her. Over my dead body.
“I was think—" Just then, the closet door opened, and April’s face appeared.
“Your seven minutes in heaven are all up. And…”—she looked between the pair of us—“you two don’t look like you spent any time in heaven at all. Did you even kiss her, Christian?”
Hayley shifted nervously, looking down at her bent knees. She didn’t even want to come to this birthday party. Neither did I, but my mom mad
e me, therefore I made Hayley.
“Yeah, we did,” I answered, standing up and holding my hand out for Hayley. “And guess what, April? Hayley is a much better kisser than you.”
Hayley gave me a thankful smile, and I felt like I was on top of the world again. Something about having her by my side made me feel whole.
But that was then, and this was now.
Things had changed.
Hayley stormed past me, her little body quaking with anger.
I was still feeling the effects of smashing Cole’s face in. My adrenaline was pumping, and my blood was rushing fast. My heart sputtered inside the walls of my rib cage, and seeing Hayley was making things that much worse.
What the fuck was she doing talking to Cole? What the fuck was she even doing here? The second I saw her, my blood ran cold. The seventh grader inside of me was jealous for a moment, and then I remembered everything that came after seventh grade, and I wanted to kill them both.
After finding a light switch, I slammed the door shut behind me with my foot, drowning out my brother’s annoying voice and Hayley’s friend’s shrill demand for us to leave the party. Cole was moaning on the floor, and it took everything inside of me not to go back out there and fully knock him out again.
I danced my gaze around the room and realized Hayley and I were in a random bedroom. It looked suited for a princess as it had a huge canopy-type bed in the middle and frilly lampshades on the tables.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Christian?”
I glared at Hayley in her ripped-up black jeans, pacing back and forth. This was the first time she’d spoken to me since coming to English Prep.
“You could have killed him! And by the way,”—she faced me now, only a yard away, putting her hands on her waist—“I had it handled. You swooped in like some stupid hero and snatched him away right before I was going to take him down.”