All the Little Lies: A High School Bully Romance

by S. J. Sylvis

  I kept my voice steady. “Because I can’t stop, Hayley. I can’t fucking stop. Now go, and lock it when you get inside.”

  Her brows drew together, but in the end, she huffed out a warm breath, picked up her backpack, and walked away, her hips swaying in her wake.

  I growled out loud, angry that I couldn’t stop bending over backwards for her and that I couldn’t keep my eyes from watching her ass all the way to my car.

  I stormed off once I saw her get into my car and went straight to the locker room. I had forty minutes of practice left, and then I was taking Hayley home and making a call to Jim.

  My father could fuck off. Someone was after Hayley, and we needed to figure out who.

  I was certain the lattice would have broken by now. I climbed it, hearing it crack and bend underneath my weight. All the lights were off in the house, which meant everyone was likely sleeping, but I knew Hayley would be awake. She was awake every time I climbed through her window, even though she pretended to be asleep, all curled up on her side, facing the wall, far away from me.

  Ollie smirked every time I left the house but didn’t say a word. And thankfully, each morning, when I dragged my ass back home to shower, he was up and had a pot of coffee waiting for me. I guessed that was his way of saying he was there for me—that, along with not partying as much, knowing very well I couldn’t have bailed him out at the last second.

  When my fingers reached Hayley’s window, I found that it was already open. I smirked in the darkness, climbing through until my feet hit the hard floor. It took a few minutes until my eyes could adjust, but I found her in her normal spot, her small body curled in the fetal position, facing the wall with a quilt draped over her body.

  The energy in the room was off. It was usually tense the second I stepped in here, both of our anger and annoyance seeping into the walls. And that was the exact energy I left her with when I had dropped her off earlier. Not a word was spoken between us when I drove her home. Not one single word. I was too lost in my thoughts, eager to call Jim, and Hayley stared out the window at the passing trees and houses with her arms crossed over her chest.

  But tonight, something was off.

  I shut the window behind me, the wooden pane sliding in place with a small creak. My back slid against the wall as I slumped down into my normal spot. The house was eerily quiet. I could hear my own blood thumping in my veins.

  And then I heard it.

  My neck snapped over to Hayley. I stared, feeling my chest tighten with each passing second.

  Was she crying?

  No. Surely not. Hayley tough-as-shit-didn’t-need-anyone wasn’t crying. The old Hayley might have cried, but the new one? No.

  But she was.

  It felt like a knife was lodged deep in my chest. Why was this hurting me?

  A barely audible, shaky sigh left her mouth, and then I watched the shadow of her blanket move as she wiped an eye. Jesus fuck.

  I quickly got up, a jolt going through my entire body. I stood there and stared down at her mattress on the floor. Hayley curled into herself even more, hiding her face. She let out another shaky breath, trying her hardest to hide her tears.

  In the beginning, all I wanted was for her to cry. In fact, it was my goal to make her cry and for her to go running back to wherever she came from. But now, hearing her cry was drilling a hole into my chest.

  My body acted of its own accord. First, my knee landed on the mattress, and she inhaled a breath. Then, my hands hit, and I swung the rest of my body down until I was lying flat on my back. Hayley was holding her breath. It wasn’t until she let out a few tiny puffs of air that I snuck my arm toward her and pulled her over. The second I went to pull her body into mine, she crashed into me. Like two magnets that were drawn to each other. Her head landed on my shoulder, her arm went around my body, and mine went around her hip. Her body shook against mine. The taste of blood filled my mouth as I bit down on my tongue, keeping my own emotions at bay.

  In between her hiccups and swiping of eyes, she whispered along my chest, “It's just too much.”

  Nodding, I brought my hand up to her hair and wove my hand through it.

  It was too much. All of it. There was a lot of baggage between Hayley and me, but her own personal baggage outweighed ours by a longshot. She was fragile, even when she pretended not to be. And I was so swept up in her that nothing could have pulled me out.

  I wanted her to stop hurting. At that moment, I would have done anything in the world to make it stop.

  Which is why, when she calmed her cries and breathing and angled her head up to look at me, I looked down at her with pleading eyes. How can I make this stop for you?

  Hayley swallowed, her face now dry from salty tears. Her eyes glittered in the darkness, and when they darted down to my lips, a fire erupted in my body.

  She shimmied her body closer to mine, her body heat making me burn even brighter. My hand rested along her bare thigh as my dick grew hard. Hayley felt the shift in the air, and if I could have seen her eyes more clearly, I could’ve guaranteed that her pupils were as dilated as mine.

  Is this what you want?

  My hand slowly moved along her soft skin, reaching the bottom hem of her shorts. A sharp intake of breath filled the room, and my body ached. I flipped her over onto her back, the dark strands of her hair whooshing out of her face. I came over top of her body, begging my hands to go slow even though all I wanted to do was rip off every bit of her clothing, tear it to shreds, and bury myself inside her.

  Hayley’s legs parted instantly, allowing me access to tower over her. A thrill went down my spine. I’m going to make you feel good, Hayley. We’re going to put a pause on the past.

  “Is this what you want?” I whispered as my lips hovered above hers.

  Hayley licked her bottom lip, and within a second, she was raising her head to kiss me. Our lips touched, and every thought in my head flew out the window. I plunged my tongue inside her mouth, tasting every lie, deceit, and ugly truth that was on her lips. My arms caged her head in, and I moved my mouth over hers over and over again until it was nothing less than a frenzy between our bodies.

  I sat up quickly, excitement buzzing through my veins. There was nothing left in my body except for the need to make her feel good. I’d never been like this before. I’ll admit, I was selfish in the bedroom, only putting forth the effort so I could achieve my own finale. But with Hayley, it was different. I was here to please her. In fact, knowing I had an effect on her was enough to get me off right then.

  My hand skimmed the top of her shorts as her chest heaved up and down. She was squirming under my touch, and a dark smile found its way onto my face. When I slid my hand under the waistband and into her panties, she bucked her hips up, meeting me halfway.

  Yes, Hayley. You’re as eager as I am.

  Not wanting to waste any time, I pulled her shorts and panties down quickly, throwing them over my shoulder. I stared down at her with the gleam of the moon and was in complete awe.

  She was the sexiest, prettiest thing I had ever seen in my life. Her pussy was perfect, and I swore in that moment, it was made for me.

  I pushed her legs wide, and Hayley’s head fell backwards. My one hand cupped her waist as I hooked one of her legs over my shoulder and bent my face down low.

  “Christian.” Her voice was breathy and doped up on lust.

  My face moved closer, and I inhaled, my dick throbbing in my jeans. Jesus Christ. I’d never been so turned on before. If I wasn’t careful, I’d bust a nut right here. I was driven by desire, and I didn’t give a damn about anything else with her pussy near my face. I blew on her most sensitive spot, and she wiggled underneath me. I tightened my grip on her hip and gave her one swell lick with my tongue. She gasped and fisted the sheets with her hands. I licked again and again, liking that she was putty in my hands. Once her hips started to move along my face with their own rhythm, I took my other hand and reached underneath her shirt. I found her small bud and held
back a small groan. I squeezed it with my fingers once before her hips moved even faster. Her breathing was quick, and I peeked up from eating her pussy to watch the ecstasy fall over the soft planes of her face. I licked faster and inched my finger inside her walls. My God, what a fucking sight. Her pussy clenched down on my finger instantly, and she moaned something inaudible. I moved my finger in and out one more time while I simultaneously sucked on her clit, and I felt her let loose.

  Her pussy sucked so hard on my finger it was almost painful. My dick jerked in my pants, and I had to focus to keep things under control.

  I’d never in my life witnessed something so wildly beautiful before. The only thing I could focus on when I pulled myself up and lay beside her again was the feeling inside my body. There wasn’t one syllable passed between us as she curled up next to me with her head on my shoulder, yet so much was said.

  The last tiny bit of hatred for Hayley was diminished. It had evaporated into thin air. The ugly past no longer existed. The only thing I could think about was her and how her body fit so perfect nestled up to mine.

  And that was how I woke the next morning when my phone alarm went off: her body pressed against mine, our legs tangled, my hand still woven in between the strands of her dark hair.

  I didn’t know when it happened. But the girl that used to repel me in every way, somehow managed to sneak her way into my chest and cuddle right up to my muscle within its walls.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Hayley

  The next day at school, I avoided looking in Christian’s direction. Last night, I was completely shattered and broken beyond repair. My emotions were running high, and I was raw from the inside out.

  That was my only excuse as to why I let Christian do what he did. My face flamed at the thought. I wasn’t innocent by any means. I’d had sex and fooled around with past boyfriends, but what I did with Christian last night was completely and utterly personal and intimate. There were emotions involved. There was an unspoken understanding between us when we crossed over that line and fused our lips together. He helped me forget, and I all but forced him into it.

  I wasn’t sure what I was feeling anymore. I was embarrassed he found me crying—and even more embarrassed that I used his shoulder to lean on. Then, he took my brokenness and pieced me back together, at least for a little while. And I wasn’t going to lie; part of me was afraid to look him in the eye after last night. He snuck out of my window early, shortly after his alarm went off, and as soon as he was gone, I jumped out of bed and into the shower, only giving myself fifteen minutes to get ready before Piper showed up. She noted my puffy eyes and asked me what had happened yesterday, and I told her the gist of it, leaving out much of what happened with Christian. It felt like he and I were on a whole other planet, and there were ticking time bombs all around us.

  He was slowly becoming my safe place, and that was so bad.

  “So, do you think you’ll be able to stay with me Friday? I promise we don’t have to go to the game. I’m sure that’s the last place you want to go after the previous one.”

  I took a bite of my apple that Piper snagged for me—she was still buying more than she needed for lunch, which always resulted in being mine. “Let me work up the nerve to ask Pete and Jill. I think today is Jill’s day off, so she should be home. It’s easier to ask while she’s there.”

  Piper poked her salad with her plastic fork. There was chatter all around us in the lunchroom. Christian’s table was more rowdy than normal, but I kept my eyes glued to Piper shoving lettuce in her mouth. “Jill doesn’t seem too bad. Pete, on the other hand… I’d like to stick this fork up his ass.”

  I laughed, and she paused, her cheeks full of food. Then she laughed too. “Sorry, I just don’t like him. I wish you could just stay with me all the time.” Then, she dipped her head in low, her ginger hair falling between us. “I know Christian is a no-talk zone, but I feel a lot better that he stays in your room at night.”

  Me too.

  “I don’t know what he thinks is going to happen.”

  She scoffed. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe he thinks some crazy people are going to attempt to kidnap you again....”

  A chill skidded down my spine as my mother’s words ran through my head.

  “What’s going on with that? Have you heard or seen anything else? Are you being proactive in staying safe?”

  I gave her a tight smile. “So far, everything is fine.”

  I didn’t tell her about my mom. I left that part out this morning. I only told her that Ann had come to check on me, and Christian bailed me out with my story about falling. Bringing more people, like Piper, into the situation wasn’t only stupid but risky. I had no idea what these men my father apparently used to launder money for were like. But I was betting if they were willing to stay true to a threat about me being their compensation for my father’s mistakes, then I was betting they wouldn’t mind taking another girl my age, too.

  What did they want with me?

  I wasn’t naive enough to think that scary things like this didn't happen all over the world to all sorts of people. It was easy to think it didn’t happen around places like English Prep. Everyone I was surrounded with grew up privileged, tucked away underneath their comfy duvet covers that were miraculously washed and remade by the time their head hit the pillow in the evening.

  I’d lived in many places during the last five years. There were drugs, crime, prostitution, gangs—all of that. Most of the girls I was surrounded by in juvie could attest to that. Some were in there themselves for prostitution. They had gotten lost in the system. They found a man who treated them like they meant something, fooled them into thinking they had a family, and ran their bodies for money.

  It was sick.

  But it happened.

  How different would my life be if my father had kept his shit together?

  “Hey, you okay?” Piper nudged me with her elbow.

  Dazed, I sighed. “Yeah, I’m sorry...”

  “Where’d you go? You spaced out. Are you sure you’re telling me everything?” Her jade eyes were wide; her face grew worried. “You can tell me anything. You know that, right?”

  I smiled softly. “Yeah, I know.”

  Piper was another safe place of mine. Being around her made me feel normal, and I laughed a lot when we hung out. I was glad I had her on my side in this school. She wasn’t like all the rest. Piper had a big heart. “I’m going to go to the bathroom before class. Gossip Girl tomorrow if I can get Jill and Pete to let me stay?”

  Piper nodded vigorously. “Yes! And lots of snacks.”

  I laughed as I gathered my bag. “Perfect. See you after school.”

  She nodded, taking another bite of her salad.

  Before I left the table, I glanced back at her eating her food. When she peered up, I smiled. “Thanks for being my friend.”

  The apples of her cheeks rose. “Of course. And I’ll always be your friend…unless you move away like Callie. Don’t leave me here alone.” A laugh escaped my mouth as I rolled my eyes.

  I trotted off to the bathroom without looking in Christian’s direction, which was becoming tiresome.

  Before I even made it to the swinging bathroom door, a hand wrapped around my waist, and I was pulled into the stairwell. I gasped, ready to swing my leg to swipe the person off their feet, but two cloudy eyes were peering down at me. “Christian,” I breathed, fear disappearing. What is it with us and this stairwell?

  His hands didn’t leave my waist, and it felt like his palms were burning a hole right through my uniform. “You okay?”

  I gulped as I tried my hardest not to squirm in his hold. What is he doing? I stuttered, nerves rolling off my tongue. “I…I’m f-fine.” I darted my eyes away quickly, afraid he would see right through me. Vivid images came at me fast, reminding me of what he did last night. I knew my face had to have been red.

  I saw a small tilt of his head out of my peripheral vision, and it had me realizing he d
idn’t quite believe me. “Your eyes are still red from last night.” I swallowed my nerves and glanced at him. His gaze bounced back and forth with mine. What is he thinking? Does he regret it? God. I wanted to smack myself. I looked at his lips, and my core tightened. Those lips and tongue made my toes curl just hours ago.

  I shot my attention to the floor again, embarrassed. “Can we act like last night never happened?” My voice was nothing more than a whisper. Christian didn’t answer. And he didn’t move his hands. I hated the way it made me feel. A hot wave of want ran through me, still running on the fumes of last night. I wanted to bask in his grip.

  A choppy laugh escaped him. “I couldn’t forget it even if I tried.”

  I felt myself grow even hotter as I zeroed in on his mouth and those perfect, rose-colored lips. He teetered his jaw back and forth, his dark brows furrowing as he stared back at me. All I wanted to do was kiss him again. I wanted to feel his mouth on my body. I wanted his hands skimming my skin. I wanted to taste him like he had tasted me.

  A spark of light jolted me. What has he done to me?

  “Are you going to the game tomorrow night?”

  Why are his hands still on my hips? I swallowed, licking my lips. “No.”

  His grasp grew tighter, and my entire body grew excited. “No?”

  “I’m staying at Piper’s.”

  He thought for a moment, his hands never moving. “I’ll be late tonight; I have something to do.”

  Something to do? Like what? I brushed off my panicky thoughts, angry with myself for even wondering. “I think I’ll survive.”

  His cheek curved. “I’m sleeping in your bed tonight.”

  Jesus! Why did my heart just soar to Mars and back? Hayley, stop getting so wrapped up in him. Last night was a one-time thing. “Fine,” I breathed out, placing my hands on his wrists. Our skin branded together like metal melting on metal, and I realized right then that I was already wrapped up in him. “Don’t get used to what happened last night...” I took his hands off my hips, even though my body begged me not to.