by J Bree
Chapter Twenty-One
“I already hate everything about this.”
I don’t bother turning around. I know the exact expression that will be on Avery’s face as she looks around the gym. I’d explained my plans to Harley during our math class and he’d handed his set of keys over to me without a word, so now we have the entire gym to ourselves. Avery has been putting me off for weeks but I’ve finally cornered her.
In the center of the room, the boxing ring that I found Harley and Blaise in last year is still set up and I refuse to look at it because I do not need Avery questioning the blush that will absolutely color my cheeks if I do.
I’m dressed in a pair of Avery’s yoga pants and a loose hoodie. I’ve slipped my shoes off but left my socks on because the polished wooden floor is freezing. Avery came here straight from ballet so she looks like a freaking cast member of The Nutcracker. I think. I mean, I have no idea what a ballerina in the nutcracker would wear but I’m confident Avery would fit in.
“I’m not going to teach you how to fight. I wouldn’t be good at that anyway because I don’t get into fights. I defend myself and I make calculated moves to overcome whoever I need to despite my size. That’s what I’m going to teach you.”
The door opens and closes but I put it out of my mind while I focus on the lesson. Avery groans and moans her way through the first part. I teach her not to tuck her damn thumb in when she makes a fist. I show her how to center her weight so she’s more stable on her feet. I teach her how to breathe when you’re afraid so your brain receives the optimal amount of oxygen. I teach her the best points to strike at and what parts of her body she should use to strike them.
After an hour of this Avery is panting and, wonder of wonders, sweating. She looks at least slightly unkempt and I’m grinning like an idiot over it. When we stop to grab water I realize we’ve been joined by ‘The Three Stooges’.
“Do they teach this in Mounty school?” drawls Blaise but there’s a flush to his cheeks.
Ash looks conflicted and Avery trots over to talk quietly to him. I know he hates that she’s being forced to learn this but I honestly think she should’ve done this years ago. I drain the water bottle and Harley grabs it from me with an offer to refill it.
I smile at him and then call out, “We still have more to cover, Aves, so get your ass back over here.”
She groans and drags her feet. “I’m not strong like you, Lips. I can’t do this.”
I sigh and perch against the boxing ring, crossing my arms so she knows I mean business. “You think that because you’ve always had Ash or Harley or Blaise around to protect you but you’re wrong. You exercise six days a week. Some days you do three sessions. You’ve never broken a bone, no nerve damage, and when you froze at what Rory was doing it was fear not PTSD. Physically, you are stronger than me. What I am teaching you is the basics of self defense but the most important, the most valuable thing you need is something you already have.”
She huffs and crosses her arms but I keep going. “You’re observant and intuitive. You can look at a student and make a quick assessment of what weaknesses they have and how to exploit them to take them out. So far you’ve used that strength to socially ruin the sheep but you can easily switch to reading body language and defending yourself. You’re better at it than anyone I’ve met, you’re as good as I am. You may end up better than me at it.”
I glance behind her to see the guys have settled back into their seats and are fixated on us. I quirk an eyebrow at Avery in question but she waves me off. “I don’t care that they’re here. But I need you to show me something real. Walk me through a situation and explain how knowledge will be better than strength or size. I need you to prove it to me so I can stop second guessing myself.”
Hmm. It’s a good idea and I’m a little pissy I didn’t think of it myself. I cringe a little at the scenario that pops into my head but the more I think about it the better it fits.
I sigh and grab a stack of training mats. I pile them up until they’re bed height, then I slip my hoodie off and hand it over to Avery. She takes it hesitantly and pulls it over her head. She looks ridiculous and Ash snorts as he takes a photo of her in it. I dig around in my bag until I find my knife and then I slip that into the hoodie pocket.
I chew on my bottom lip and then address our audience. “Look, you guys have to stay quiet. If she’s going to learn how to defend herself you need to let me walk her through this. If you can’t hack it then please leave.”
They all nod, somewhat hesitantly, and then I push them out of my mind. I grab Avery’s wrist, hard enough to bruise. She jumps and frowns at me.
“The party that Joey insisted I go to first year. He told all of the juniors he was going to fuck me, one way or another. He found me walking back to the dorms and I knew he was high but I also knew he could outrun me. He’s not as big as Rory or Ash or most of the guys at this school because of his habit but drug addicts are unpredictable. I couldn’t just run.”
There’s a deep furrow on Avery’s brow and her lips are turned down at the corners. I’ve never offered her this truth before. I had put it out of my mind months before we became friends.
I hold up her wrist. “He held my wrist harder than this. I could feel my bones bending under his fingers and pulling away meant fighting him off with a broken wrist. So…what do you do? Knowing him, reading the situation you’re in, what do you do?”
Avery swallows. “Play along. Get him talking and distract him.”
I nod and tug her over to the mats. Once we’re both sitting on them I wait a minute and then continue. “Now he tells you he can fuck you by force or you can lie back an enjoy it. He kisses you. What do you do?”
Her lip quivers but her eyes stay dry. “Play along. I have no choice, he’s still got my wrist.”
“Good.” I shove her back and cover her body with my own, careful not to crowd her or hurt her. Explosive swearing erupts behind us and a chair crashes against the floor but I keep my focus on the lesson. “Now what?”
She frowns and takes stock of what’s going on. She tugs a little at her wrist that’s still pinned above her head and then wriggles a little. “Oh. The knife is in my pocket.”
I smile and nod. She reaches in to grab it and I lower myself on her to pin her. “I grabbed it before he pushed me down so my hand was trapped. What do you do?”
She sighs. “Gross. You can’t wrestle your arm out because he’d notice so you have to play along. What a pathetic piece of shit.”
I snort but I’m glad she has her fire back. “Yep. Arch your back and moan a little and he’ll ease up because he wants you rubbing on him.”
“Right.” She arches and pulls the knife out but leaves the blade covered. Then, without further instruction, she presses it to my groin. The grin I beam down at her is savage and wild.
“Avery Beaumont, you just saved yourself. No white knight required.”
We run through a few more scenarios and Avery’s confidence blooms. When we finish up Ash is nowhere to be seen and Harley sends Blaise off to find him then walks us to our room. I don’t think about what happened in the training session until there’s a knock at the door and I open it to find a fucking wasted Ash, swaying on his feet as he tries to stay upright.
I shove him towards the couch, mumbling under my breath as I lock the door, “My life is now babysitting drunk, spoiled rich kids.”
I sigh and rub my face. “Avery is in the shower, if you need to puke please tell me now so I can get you a bucket.”
He frowns at me and, fuck, drunk Ash is adorable. My body is in danger of melting into a puddle so I step away from him only to have him snatch my wrist and tug me down onto the couch beside him. “I’m not here for Floss.”
His voice isn’t slurred and he doesn’t look like he’s going to lose his stomach contents so I settle back into the couch. “What’s wrong? What do I need to fix now?”
“Did my brother rape you?” he blurts out, zero tact as
always. I frown at him and he rubs his eyes. “I know you walked her through it but I need to hear from you, that you got away from him. I need to know that he didn’t get away with it.”
“He tried but I got away from him. Don’t worry about it, I’m not losing sleep over it.”
He groans and leans forward, his elbows on his knees and his face cradled in his hands. I’m not sure what this crisis is and I find myself praying Avery will hurry up and rescue me.
“Fuck, how can you even stand to look at me? I look just like that fucking monster. We're all the spitting fucking image of our father.” He laughs but there’s no humor in his tone. “Harley looks like my mom. He gets to look like the only good we ever had in our lives and I get to stare in the mirror at the demons who own us. Fuck, now I sound like Morrison. Someone get me another fucking drink before I start singing.”
I stare at my own hands for a beat before answering him. “I don't think you look like Joey. I think you look like Avery and she's one of the very best humans on this earth. So yeah, looking like your mom, like Harley, would have been great but looking like Avery is pretty fucking good, too. Stop having a meltdown over shit that doesn’t matter.”
The frown is back and the adorable is only increasing in intensity. I can’t fucking breathe. He mumbles at me, “Where the fuck did you come from?”
I snort and pat his leg the way Avery does when she thinks I’m being simple. “A drug addict. Or a meth lab, depending on which specific you were looking for.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
I drag myself through another week of classes and our class loads are so stacked that we’re forced to eat dinner in the dining hall every night. I’ve gotten used to eating alone with Avery and talking about whatever fucking crisis we’re facing without having to censor myself, and I’m grouchy about having to be around the masses of spoilt assholes.
We arrive before the guys do and I fill a tray with food while Avery grumbles at her phone. As I reach for a pitcher of the juice Avery likes my shoulder is shoved out of the way and Harlow jams herself into the line in front of me.
“Oh, sorry Mounty, but students who actually pay to be here shouldn’t have to wait behind charity cases.” She says sweetly and I take a deep breath so I don’t slam her head into a wall.
Avery doesn’t even look up from her phone as she casually says, “Wipe your nose, Roqueford, you’re wasting my brother’s best blow on your face instead of in your blood. With any luck the next line will burst your brain.”
Harlow sneers at her and shoves the pitcher of juice at us. “Run along and take your pet Mounty slut with you.”
I grit my teeth and direct Avery over to our seats. The group of girls sitting there move before I can even open my mouth which is nice. If only Harlow could be trained the same way. The guys all arrive as we sit and they jostle each other as they line up for food. When Blaise throws his head back to laugh at something Harley has said I find myself grinning over at them. Ash catches my eye and sneers at me. I groan because what I really need after a hard week of study is to be snarked at by that asshole.
“Be gentle with him today, Lips.” Avery murmurs and I frown at her, the grin just melting right off my face. “Harley had to peel Joey off him last night. The psycho is getting worse now his time at Hannaford is coming to an end. Next year he’ll have to find someone else to torment while we’re gone.”
Fuck that. “What does Joey like? That’s the quickest way to figure out how to get back at him. We need to stop being reactive and start being proactive.”
Avery’s lips quirk up at me as she starts to empty the plates off of the tray. “Nothing but himself and cocaine. And money, I guess, but we can’t touch that without it affecting Ash and me.”
Cocaine. Unfortunately, I had some experience with the shit and I’d give anything to be able to wipe it from the surface of the Earth.
“Okay, I think I can work with that. Give me some time with it.”
She nods and the guys all arrive and take their seats. Ash is moving a little hesitantly and I share a look with Harley. Avery puts her phone away and rolls her eyes at some stupid joke Blaise is telling her. I don’t listen to any of them while I plan.
I grab my iced coffee from the tray then I pour out a glass of juice for Avery. There's a filmy residue on the glass as I pass it to her. It feels slick on my fingers but not soapy. It's more of an oily texture. I think about wiping my fingers on my skirt but I get that pulling feeling in my gut. I've completely zoned out the conversation around me and I don't even hear Blaise start to tease me about smelling my fingers. It smells minty. It's smells like…
My hand shoots out and knocks the cup out of Avery's hand as she raises it to her lips and directly into Ash’s lap. Avery gasps and lurches backwards and Ash snaps at me, “What the fuck is wrong with you, Mounty?”
“The glass is oily. Smell it. It smells like Harlow does after gym class. She rubs down with Wintergreen oil.” Harley’s eyebrows shoot up but the others look at me with blank faces. “It's a type of natural aspirin and she's put it in your juice. She's fucking poisoned your drink, Aves.”
Silence.
Stunned, no one speaks or moves until finally Ash lifts the glass out of his sopping wet lap and smells it. A storm rolls in over his eyes.
“That. Fucking. Cunt.”
I stand abruptly and look around the dining hall. Blaise gets up to look as well and Harley starts drilling Avery for answers.
“Did you drink any? Are you sure it was her? I need to know I'm fucking killing the right bitch.” Harlow is nowhere to be seen. Ash’s face is starting to crack, the perfect mask he puts on every day shattering and leaving behind only the ruthless protector. I see the same fire burning there that I’ve seen in Joey dozens of times and it sends a shiver through me. I have to admit to myself that it's not a bad shiver.
“I'll handle this. Avery, go back to our room and get cleaned up. You guys need to walk her up and stay with her until I get back,” I say and then I slip away from the table. I get three steps before Ash’s hand wraps around my elbow and wrenches me around to face him.
“Mounty—” I cut him off, all of the anger and hurt bubbling out of me without a care at who was watching. I’m angry that he’s been hurt again and now Avery’s had another close call. I can’t help but direct it at him.
“How could you ever think I was in on this? How could you think I wanted to hurt her? You've spent the last year watching us together, do you really think I'd try to kill her?”
His eyes flash and then, finally, the soft edge creeps back in. “I don't. I… fuck, you’re in. You’re family now. I'm coming with you and I'm helping you take Harlow out.”
The girls’ dorm is a hive of activity and Ash’s presence only makes it worse. I duck into my room to grab my lock picking kit and then I break into Harlow’s room, unconcerned by the whispering audience. She’s had the locks changed and upgraded but nothing could keep me out, not in the fucking rage I’m in now. Ash watches me carefully, his glacial mask dropping so I can see how impressed he is. Once we’re in I find a much cleaner room but there’s still stolen shit everywhere. I scoff and poke around for a second.
“What’s the plan?” says Ash as he grimaces at the clutter. I bet he’s a neat freak like Avery.
“I’ll deal with her. I’m just checking to make sure the psycho bitch isn’t the one stealing my panties.”
Ash grunts in acknowledgment and starts moving piles of clothes around but we both come up empty handed. Dammit. I find one of our assigned textbooks for history, a huge hardback, and grin as I heft it into my arms. Ash eyes it warily.
“What do you want me to do? I don't hit girls but I will help with anything else.” He doesn't look at me as he talks but the sincerity is clear in his tone.
“Go sweet talk Chastity next door and get her to turn her music up loud enough that no one will hear what happens.”
Ash nods and then hesitates. “Don't accidentally kill her…and
don't get caught.”
If I kill her it won’t be an accident but I nod and he leaves, shutting the door quietly behind him.
He's much faster than I expected. Less than a minute later the throbbing bass line of the shitty electronica Chastity insists on listening to starts vibrating the walls. I grimace but it'll do the job.
I stand behind the door facing the mirror. There's a chance she’ll see me in it before she steps through properly but that'll make her Ash’s problem. I'm betting on her being complacent. No one has been attacking her in her room. Everything we've done so far has been about exposing her malicious actions. I'm done with that. I raise the textbook in my arms and focus.
I don't have to wait long.
Harlow’s gaze connects with mine as the door swings shut behind her. There’s a flash of fear in them just as the textbook slams into her nose and breaks it for the second time. She collapses to the ground and I grab a fist full of her hair.
I can't hear the screaming, thank God, and this time instead of holding her still I drag her over to her bed and lay her out. She's sobbing, great heaving breaths bursting out of her chest, and her hands are covering the mess that is her nose. I pull my knife out and show her the blade.
She freezes.
I lean down to speak into her ear so she can hear me over the music. “I thought about slitting your throat for what you did. I thought about gutting you, nice and slow, just like you deserve. I could bleed you out and then call in an old friend to make you disappear, and you would disappear Harlow. No one would ever find you. But instead, I'm going to remind you that you're not invincible just because you bow to Joey Beaumont. You're pathetic and someday soon he’ll run out of uses for you. You'll be his next victim and no amount of loyalty you show him will stop that.”
I hack away at her hair until half her scalp is bared. I need her afraid. I need her so fucking terrified that she will never think about hurting Avery again because if she does I'm going to have to take her out.