by S. J. Sylvis
I didn’t sleep, played one hell of a football game, and still, I was fucking hyped, wound tight like a rubber band ready to snap.
Hayley was under my skin, nestled right inside my ribcage. I wanted to poke her until she felt what I felt. Jealousy. Desire. She wanted to act like I didn’t affect her, and we both knew that wasn’t the case. And, not to mention, I could keep a closer eye on her at the party. For the entire game, every time I’d let my mind wander from Hayley, it felt like a dark cloud resting over my head. I worried when I wasn’t near her. Thoughts of Jim’s words pierced my mind like sharp, misshapen pieces of rock at every turn; images of her scratches and tears blurred my vision. I felt out of control when I didn’t have my eyes on her.
“Fuckin’ finally,” Eric muttered under his breath as Hayley and Piper descended from her porch. I flicked my car lights on, and it felt like a punch to my gut.
“Oh, hell no,” I said under my breath. I quickly climbed out of the driver’s seat and stomped my way over to her and Piper as they trotted over to Piper’s BMW.
“Go change,” I demanded, my eyes burning a hole in her exposed stomach.
She laughed. Hayley laughed right in my face. What was I thinking? Telling Hayley to change was only going to make her want to wear the outfit even more. My plan backfired. I was wearing my emotions on my sleeve, and I never did that.
“She looks hot.” Piper unlocked her car, not looking at me.
I ran my gaze down Hayley’s body once more, wondering for a brief second if Eric was right the other day when he said she and I were playing a game—and she was winning.
Because from where I was standing, she was winning.
The black top she was wearing was tight and molded to her skin. It hit just above her hips, showing a sliver of soft skin from her stomach. The jeans she had on were glued to her legs and ass, and I had to fight the urge to groan when she turned around to open the door. The ends of her dark hair tumbled down her back, and when she glanced up at me, the lights of Piper’s car showcased the planes of her face. I lost my footing. She was wearing makeup for the first time since coming to English Prep, and the only thing it did was enhance her silent beauty. The red lipstick she wore had me tightening my stomach.
“Go fucking change, Hayley. Every guy is going to be following your every fucking move.”
Her lips turned upward. “You wanted me at the party. Deal with it.” Then, she slid into Piper’s passenger seat, and I felt my entire world get rocked.
Fuck me, she was winning.
The party was in full swing when we pulled up. Eric hopped out of the backseat like there was a fire under his ass. I knew he was headed to the keg immediately. Eric was a good friend, always had my back, but he had his own issues that he needed to deal with—alcohol being one of them.
Ollie and I waited for Piper and Hayley near the back of my car, and once they descended from her BMW, they headed straight for us. Hayley crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her hip. “So, what exactly is the plan? You wanted us here, so we’re here. Do we have a curfew? Can we leave when we want?” She scoffed and rolled her eyes.
I was certain she meant for the question to be rhetorical, but I answered anyway, just to make her mad. “You can leave when we leave.”
Hayley sneered. “I was kidding. We will leave when we want to leave. You are not our babysitter.”
I raised my eyebrows, calling out over my shoulder as I walked up to the cabin. “Says the girl who gets threatened, almost kidnapped, and tries to hurt an intruder with a fucking umbrella.” I swung around and faced her blanched face. “Face it. You feel safer when you’re around me.”
Her eyes narrowed, her mouth set in a firm line. I tried to keep myself from gazing down her body, but I failed in the end.
I ground my teeth together. Something was off between us tonight. We no longer hated each other—we hated that we felt something for one another. Something deeper, intimate. She didn’t want to admit it, and I desperately wanted her to. It was like a cat-and-mouse chase.
Time to turn the court around and start winning this fucking game.
As soon as I was inside the cabin with Ollie, Piper, and Hayley trailing me, everyone yelled my name in unison. I played a good game tonight, despite my mind wandering to Hayley every five seconds.
“Bro, bro, bro,” Ben yelled as soon as I was within earshot. “If it weren’t for you, we would have totally fucking blown the game tonight.”
Ollie punched his arm, a cup already in his hand. “Fuck off, I was the one that ran the ball.”
Ben nodded. “I know, I know. But I have no fuckin’ clue what we’re going to do next year when this fucker goes off to college.” He nudged my bicep as I leaned over for my own cup.
I didn’t usually drink much at these parties—or ever—but tonight, with Hayley looking like she did, I needed something to take the edge off. Otherwise, I’d end up pinning her against a wall and kissing her senseless with everyone as my audience.
There was a warning voice in the back of my head telling me to tread lightly when it came to Hayley. And for that, I wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was due to the loss in my life. I had lost my mom, and I had also lost Hayley at one point, too. Not to mention, my father was gone most of the time, so loss didn’t come lightly to me, and Hayley felt just out of reach. If I did finally catch her, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to hold onto her.
There were threats at every corner—literally and figuratively.
“What the hell is she doing here?”
I knew that everyone’s eyes were on Hayley. Hayley and I weren’t friendly at school. To the naked eye, we didn’t pay each other any attention. But to the trained eye, anyone could see that we both snuck glances at each other every few minutes. I was hyperaware of her—and she of me.
Ben continued his questioning after throwing back his cup. “And who is she with? They both look fucking fine as he—”
I glared at him. “Don’t finish that sentence. She’s off limits.”
“Who is?” another fuckwad asked. What is his name? Jared? Jeremy? Whatever. It didn’t matter. He was an underclassman, and I wasn’t even sure who invited him.
“Both.” I leveled him with a stare.
Eric, with his smug smile, piped up. “Well, we all know why Hayley is off limits. But why Piper?”
“Because I said so,” Ollie interjected before I could answer.
I chugged my beer, the malty flavor coating my tongue. “Leave ‘em alone,” I said once more before spinning around and laying my eyes on Kayla. I knew where Hayley was before I even looked at her. The entire room gravitated around her. Like she was the sun and we were the planets. She radiated in the room, drew unwanted attention to herself, and I knew it was the very last thing she wanted.
“Hey, babe.” I snuck behind Kayla and wrapped my hand around her tiny waist. She smelled of booze and perfume—nothing like Hayley.
Her blonde hair tickled my chin when she tipped her head. Her eyes were glossy and red; she was already tipsy as hell.
“Hey, I was wondering when you’d show. Are you still mine for the night?”
No. “We’ll see,” I whispered into her ear, nuzzling my head into the side of her neck. As I brushed my nose along her skin, I lazily moved my eyes over to Hayley. I had to fight the urge to smile like a damn fool. Her eyes were hard and ice cold as she stared at Kayla and me. Does this bother you, Hayley?
I placed a tender kiss along Kayla’s cheek, and I thought Hayley was going to blow a gasket. Her chest was heaving; her fists clenched at her sides. Are you regretting those words you spat at me earlier? Hayley told me I could fuck any girl I wanted and pass her right along. “What do I care?” she asked.
A laugh bubbled up out of my chest. Oh, you fucking care.
I placed my attention on Kayla and grabbed her hand, pulling her behind me to the couch. Once I sat down, Kayla sat on my lap and put her arm around my neck. A new drink was placed in my hand by an underclassman, and
I sipped on it while giving some attention to Kayla and keeping my gaze trained on Hayley.
She and Piper stood along the wall for a little while before she couldn’t take it any longer. She huffed and rolled her eyes, turning around so she didn’t have to see me anymore. My stare returned to her a few times in between keeping up a conversation with a few guys and giving some attention to Kayla who continued to rub her ass on my dick.
It was hard.
But for an entirely different reason.
That might have made me an asshole, but I never claimed to be a saint, and with Hayley involved, I had no shame.
Through a sea of people, I saw Hayley take a drink from Ollie. She tipped it back before swinging her eyes over to me and Kayla. We were stuck in an intense stare-off, and heat flared within. The room felt electrified. It took everything in my entire body not to push Kayla off my lap, stalk over to Hayley, grab her hips in my hands, and assault her with my mouth.
I felt crazy, animalistic. I wanted to rip her clothes off and fuck her into oblivion. I wanted to feel her body in my hands, her lips on my mouth, erase our past and the future.
I wanted to be in the now with her.
I wanted to forget that I had hated her for five years. I wanted to forget about that fucker Gabe laying his hands on her. I wanted to forget about her sleazy mom and her puzzling warning.
Hayley licked her bottom lip, her fervent stare burning a hole in my skin, but then her face fell at the sound of a voice coming from behind her.
“Remember me, Hayley?”
Oh fuck.
Chapter Thirty
Hayley
Chills coated my skin. I fought the need to shiver. My heart dropped to the ground at lightning speed. Christian was pushing Kayla off his lap as I turned around and found a pair of familiar, sinister-like eyes glaring at me.
I sucked in a breath at the sight of Gabe standing in Eric’s cabin. What the hell is he doing here? And what the hell happened to his face? I surveyed the kitchen for half a second before Gabe’s voice stole my attention.
“Who is your fucking boyfriend? Huh? Which one of these fuckers jumped me?”
Oh my God. I’m going to kill Christian.
I felt Christian’s presence behind me like the devil sneaking up to take me to hell. Everyone in the room stopped talking. The music was cut to an abrupt stop. Gabe stood there with his face bruised and swollen, a few of his friends that I recognized stood behind him for backup. They were all wearing Oakland T-shirts with the wildcat logo in the center.
“I don’t have a boyfriend, Gabe,” I answered calmly. On the outside, I was sure I looked unphased, but on the inside, my stomach was tied in knots. I was angry with Christian, jealous of his little show with Kayla that was still brewing in my mind, annoyed that the party was now centered on me, and a whole lot fearful, looking Gabe in the face.
“Bullshit,” he growled, taking a step toward me. I was instantly blocked by Ollie, Eric, and Christian within a matter of seconds. Piper stood beside me with wide eyes.
I pushed through Christian and Ollie, stepping in front of them. I glared at Christian. “I don’t need your help.” Then, I seethed under my breath, “And I know this is your fault.”
I crossed my arms over my tight shirt. “Whatever happened had nothing to do with me.” How did he even know I was here?
Gabe snarled like a dog. His nostrils flared; his pupils dilated. The only thing standing between us was the keg on the kitchen floor. “Oh really?” His voice was full of cynicism and sarcasm. “Then tell me why, once they vandalized the fuck out of my Mustang, they grilled me about you all while throwing punches every five fucking seconds. And two against one? How fucking fair is that?”
“About as fucking fair as you sticking your hand down my pants when I told you not to. Now get the hell out of here.”
“You dumb bitch.”
“That’s enough.” Christian was all but foaming at the mouth as he slid up beside me. I wanted to knock him off his ass almost as much as I wanted to knock Gabe off his.
Gabe’s head ticked to the side, sparring off with Christian. I glanced at Piper who was bouncing her eyes back and forth between me and Gabe. I mouthed, “Record this,” and she hurriedly reached into her back pocket and whipped out her phone. Once she had it in place, I started to probe.
“So, why did your parents drop the charges?” I knew I was setting myself up for humiliation with almost all of English Prep’s finest watching. I could already hear the rumors forming, but my pride didn’t stand a chance against shutting Gabe down. Except, he didn’t take the bait; his glare was still set on Christian. “Did they realize I was telling the truth? Didn’t want me to run my mouth about their precious prodigy being a rapist?” I laughed in his face, inching toward him. “It’s no wonder they took in strays like me; they probably needed a distraction from the type of person their son was.” Gabe clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes even further. His rosy lip curled up on the side. “Did they believe you when you said you didn’t try to rape me, Gabe? Huh? What did they do? Ground you for the weekend?” I laughed again, and it seemed to work in my favor.
“Fuck you, Hayley. You wanted it.” He came closer to me, and I met him halfway.
I glared up into his fucked-up face, my pulse racing underneath my skin. “Is that what you have to tell yourself to sleep at night? In what world does the word no mean to keep going? Go on, Gabe. Tell everyone what happened when you didn’t stop.”
The room was quiet. Gabe clenched his teeth together, his jaw working back and forth. I could feel Christian’s body heat beside me, reminding me that I wasn’t alone.
“Tell them. Tell them how you stuck your hand in my pants after I said no, and how you ended up on the ground, wailing like a little bitch.”
Gabe’s friends looked back and forth at one another, and I got the confirmation I needed that Gabe had lied to them. I smirked, knowing my plan was working.
“Don’t act like you didn’t tempt me at every fucking corner, wearing those short shorts and playing hard to get.” Christian stepped forward, but I sent him a glare, and that had him halting. Gabe continued on, inching closer to me with a gleam in his eye. “You fucking wanted me to touch you. You saying no only turned me on further.”
At the last second, Gabe’s hand came around my wrist, and he squeezed, but I had anticipated his move and snatched my arm out of his grasp at the same time I brought my knee up to his balls. He grunted and grabbed onto his dick, gasping for air. Before I knew it, I was kneeing him in the chin, which caused his unsteady body to tumble backwards. I reared my foot back to kick him in the stomach, but someone wrapped their arms around my torso, causing me to stop. I took a deep breath and inhaled Christian’s scent. Shit. I glanced at Piper and remembered my original plan.
“Put me down.”
Christian landed me on my feet but kept his hands on my hips. He whispered in my ear, “Calm down.”
I let out a shaky breath, and even though I was still angry with Christian, I knew I needed to listen. I was certain everyone thought I was some type of rabid animal.
Once Gabe staggered to his feet—without the help of his two friends who stood looking at him with disgust—I snarled.
“Leave or I’ll leak this video through Oakland. Every single person will know what a disgusting pig you are.” I glanced at his two buddies. “That is, if they don’t tell people first.”
Gabe wafted his gaze around the room. The energy was bound tightly. Girls were scrunching their faces at him, and every guy looked ready to kill him on the spot.
Realizing he’d lost, he glared at me once more before leaving. “Fuck you, bitch.”
Christian’s hands left my waist quickly as he went to follow him, but I grabbed his arm at the last second, holding him in his place.
Now that I had Gabe taken care of, I now had to address the other elephant in the room.
I was still high with adrenaline as I watched Gabe and his two friends
stagger out the door. The room erupted in hoots and hollers, but it did nothing to sooth my anger.
“Are you freaking kidding me?” I shouted, dropping my hand from Christian’s. “I told you not to get involved—for a very good reason, might I add—and what the hell do you do?”
I was fuming. My body trembled with unshed anger. Why does he insist on saving me?
“Who said it was me?”
Oh, nice freaking try.
I grabbed his arm roughly and brought his knuckles between us. I had no idea what was going on in the kitchen around us. I wasn’t sure if people were staring or if they were going about their usual party business. As soon as I locked eyes onto Christian, regardless of the situation or our surroundings, everything else faded.
“This tells me!” I dropped his red and scabbed hand with force. I wasn’t sure how I didn’t notice his cut knuckles before. “Ugh!” I yelled, storming away to the stairs.
I was mad. So mad.
This could have gone a lot worse. It still could. Gabe’s parents could find out who beat Gabe’s ass and vandalized his car, and it could lead right back to me, which would get the police involved, which would then lead to the judge, and I could kiss any hope of a scholarship or roof over my head until graduation goodbye.
I was aware I had other things to worry about, like a looming threat on my life from my dead father’s mistakes.
But a problem was a problem, no matter the size.
My feet pounded along the wooden steps as I climbed the stairs. I had no idea if Christian or Piper followed me or if anyone was talking about what had just gone down, but I didn’t really care. I needed space. I needed to be alone to calm down and think rationally. The only thing I wanted to do was scream.
I went into the first room in the hall and slammed the door. I kept the lights off, knowing the darkness would likely calm me faster.
Several breaths escaped me as I paced. It’s fine. Gabe won’t go to his parents. I basically have a confession on video. He’s smarter than that.