Don't Tempt Me: A High School Bully Romance (Broke & Bullied Book 2)

by Kai Juniper

  This morning I went to Dean's house and told him about the move. We're trying to get as much time as we can together before I have to leave. He's more hopeful than I am. He keeps telling me it's only for a few months and that we'll still see each other but he doesn't realize how much a school like Haverhill consumes your life.

  I start at Haverhill on Monday but the move isn't for another week, giving us time to pack. The house my dad rented is a smaller version of our old one and just a few blocks away from it. My mom's thrilled we'll be so close to our old neighborhood where all her friends live. Breaking our lease at the apartment means a penalty of a few thousand dollars but my dad's willing to pay it. He's determined to get me away from Dean. Chad told my dad all these horrible things about Dean, things that aren't even true, so my dad would take immediate action to get me out of here.

  My phone rings. It's Eve. I told her about the move last night on the way to the game. She was sad, but said we'll still see each other. But I don't know how that'll happen when she works every weekend.

  "Hey," I answer, sounding like the world's about to end, because that's what it feels like. For the first time in my life I know what it feels like to be happy, and now I have to go back to pretending.

  "You still at Dean's?" Eve asks.

  "No. He took a pain pill that made him really tired so I came home so he could rest."

  "I'm surprised you didn't stay there. I didn't think you'd leave his side until you had to go."

  "I wanted to stay but I have all this stuff I need to do before Monday. I already have homework for Haverhill. Can you believe that?"

  "That's insane. Glad I'm not going there."

  "I'm dreading it. I'll go from an hour of studying a day to five or six."

  "Seriously? You really have to study that much?"

  "It's not just studying. It's the assignments. They give out so much homework it's almost impossible to get it done. I won't be sleeping much. Or seeing my boyfriend. Dean keeps telling me we'll still see each other but he doesn't understand how little time I'll have. My weekends will be spent catching up on all the homework I didn't get done during the week."

  "You guys can talk on the phone. You can have sexy late night phone dates after you're done studying."

  "It's not the same as being with him." I sigh. "I hate this so much, Eve. I don't want to go back there."

  "I know. Parents suck, except for mine right now. My dad's getting a new car and giving me his old one. Evan will take the one we've been sharing. We don't have to fight over the car anymore! I can come see you at your fancy new house! Does it have a pool?"

  "No, but if it did, it wouldn't matter. It's supposed to snow this week."

  "Snow? It's not even winter yet. I need to move. Maybe I'll go to Texas with you and Dean."

  "I don't know if I'm going. I still have to hear back from the colleges there."

  "You know you'll get in. You have perfect grades."

  "I'm not worried about getting in. I'm worried about how I'll pay for it. I need a scholarship."

  "You really think your dad won't pay for school?"

  "Not if I'm dating Dean."

  "What if Dean ended up playing pro football? He'd be richer than your dad. Would he still hate him?"

  "Yes, because Chad's convinced him that Dean is violent like his dad. I'm sure my mom thinks the same thing."

  "About that. I talked to my dad. He found a counselor for Dean that does free sessions. He only takes a few free clients at a time but my dad explained Dean's situation and he agreed to do it. He also has group sessions but I didn't think Dean would go for that since he's so private about stuff."

  "Yeah, I don't know. I'll talk to him. Thank your dad for me for setting that up."

  "I will. And I'll text the number for the counselor, or I can send it to Dean."

  "Send it to me. I'll give it to him when I see him later."

  "You going back there tonight?"

  "I will when I'm done with all this Haverhill stuff."

  "What about tomorrow? Do I get any time with you or are you spending the day with Dean?"

  "We could do something."

  I was planning on spending tomorrow with Dean but I also want to see Eve. I need more time. This is all happening so fast.

  "Why don't I just go over to Dean's house?" she says. "Then you can be with both of us."

  "That'd be perfect."

  "It'll have to be in the afternoon. Kendrick is making me study with him in the morning. We should be done by noon so I could come over after that."

  "You're studying with Kendrick?"

  "I don't want to, but he's paying me and I need the money."

  "He's paying you to study with him?"

  "It's more like a tutoring thing. I got an A on my last test so now he thinks I'm smart enough to tutor him. I have no idea how to be a tutor, but I need the money."

  I wonder if Kendrick got the tutoring idea from Dean. Tutoring got Dean and me together. Maybe Kendrick thinks it'll work the same way for him and Eve. I doubt it will. She's still determined not to date a football player.

  "I'll let you get back to whatever it is you have to do," Eve says. "Text me tomorrow about what time you want me over there."

  "I will. Bye."

  Getting up from my bed, I hear my mom in the living room, the jangle of her keys as she sets them on the counter. She had to go into work today. It's five, but I didn't think she'd be home yet. I remain in my room, not wanting to talk to her. I'm still too mad at her to even be around her.

  "Brook?" She knocks on my door. "Are you in there?"

  "Yeah, I'm studying."

  "I'm going to take a short nap before I go out tonight. Do you need anything?"

  "No, I'm fine."

  I hear her go in her room and shut the door. She's going to another fancy event downtown tonight with her rich boyfriend. She used his credit card to buy herself a new dress. I'm so disappointed in her. I really thought she'd changed moving here. She was being more independent, getting more confident in herself, and then she goes out with this guy and goes right back to how she used to be.

  I grab my phone and call my sister. She's the only who understands what I'm going through. She knows how controlling Dad is and how Mom can't stand up to him, or any man. My sister doesn't let it bother her, but she doesn't live here so it doesn't affect her like it does me.

  "Hey, Chelsea," I say when she answers. "Can you talk?"

  "Only for a few minutes. I'm meeting some friends for drinks but they're not here yet."

  I hear the bar noise in the background but it's muffled.

  "What's going on?" she asks.

  "Nothing. I just wanted to talk. I don't feel like doing homework."

  "You're not with Dean?"

  "I spent all day with him but I left so he could sleep."

  "How's it going with you guys? You think you can stay together?"

  Chelsea is the only person in my family who accepts me being with Dean. I've told her all about him, including all the stuff about his dad, and not once has she told me to break up with him. She can tell how happy he makes me, and to her that's all that matters. If only our parents felt the same way.

  "We're not breaking up. I don't care if Dad cuts me off financially. I don't need his money. I'll make my own."

  "Speaking of breaking up, I think Dad and Madison may be done."

  "Wait—what? When did this happen?"

  "I don't know if it's true. Dad didn't tell me. I heard it from a friend. Remember Tracy, that girl I knew from college who went to LA to be a casting agent?"

  "Yeah. What about her?"

  "Madison showed up to one of Tracy's auditions. Tracy said Madison put down a different address on the sheet they make you fill out. And she wasn't wearing her wedding ring."

  "She could've just taken her ring off for the audition. That doesn't mean anything. But the different address might."

  "I don't think they're living together. I think she moved out."r />
  "But they're still married."

  "Well, yeah, but maybe not for long."

  "What do you think happened?

  "My guess is that when Dad told her he was going to pay for Haverhill and for a house for you and Mom, Madison had a fit and stormed out. You know how she gets when he spends money on us, and spending it on Mom? I can't see her staying with him after that."

  "He's not spending money on Mom."

  "He's paying for the house you'll be living at. To Madison, that's the same as Dad giving Mom money."

  "Good, then maybe she'll divorce him and we'll finally be rid of her. Finally, some good news."

  "Hey, have you heard back from any colleges?"

  "Not yet. I'm still waiting."

  "If you end up coming down here, I was thinking we could live together. College room and board cost a fortune. It'd be way cheaper for you to live with me."

  "You only have a one bedroom and it's really small."

  "My lease is up soon and I'm thinking of moving to a two bedroom. I applied for a better paying position at work and my boss hinted that I'm going to get it. If I do, I can easily pay for a bigger apartment that would have enough room for both of us. What do you think?"

  "That would be awesome! I'd love to live with you. It'd save me a ton of money."

  "I still think you'll get a scholarship. Oh, my friends just got here. Can we talk later?"

  "Yeah, I'll call you tomorrow."

  "Brook, I know you're really sad right now but things will work out. I don't know how, but they always seem to. You just have to stay positive."

  "I'll try. Have fun tonight!"

  Chelsea keeps telling me to stay positive, and I'm trying to, but it's hard when I know what's coming. I'm leaving behind a place where I have real friends, people who actually care about me, and going back to a place where my friends only care about how much money I have and how I look. How can I be positive about that?

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Brook

  Someone knocks on the door to the apartment. I race out to answer it before they wake up my mom. It might be the maintenance guy. Our kitchen sink has a leak and my mom said they might send someone over to look at it.

  The person knocks again and I run over and open the door. Chad is standing there.

  "Chad, what are you doing here?"

  He smiles. "I'm here to take you out." He walks past me into the apartment. "I wanted to surprise you and celebrate you coming back to Haverhill."

  "There's nothing to celebrate." I shut the door but remain by it, hoping he'll get the hint that I want him to leave. "I don't want to go back. I'm being forced to, thanks to you brainwashing my dad."

  "I didn't brainwash him. I told him the truth." Chad folds his arms over his chest. He looks so thin and scrawny compared to Dean. I can't believe I was ever attracted to Chad. Looking at him now, I find him repulsive. He has on his usual tan dress pants. He rarely wears jeans. I always found that annoying, even when I liked him. I felt like I couldn't wear jeans because he didn't. Since moving here, I've worn jeans almost every day.

  "I'm not going out with you, Chad, and I'm leaving soon. You need to go."

  He steps up to me, standing way too close. "You don't seem to get it. You and I are back together. I've already told everyone at school."

  "Why would you tell them that? You know I have a boyfriend."

  "You mean the guy you pretended to date to make me jealous?" He chuckles. "Didn't work. I'd never be jealous of a guy like that. But I appreciate your effort. Trying that hard to get my attention? It's cute."

  He's so condescending, and sexist. He thinks women are stupid and need to be told what to do.

  "I need you to leave," I say.

  "I'm not leaving. We're going out." He backs me against the door, putting his hands on each side of me. "You should be thanking me for all I've done."

  "I should thank you for ruining my life?" I push on him to move but he pushes back. He's standing so close I can't even lift my leg to knee him in the groin.

  "We're going to go have a nice dinner, and then we're going to the hotel room I got for tonight to celebrate us being back together." He grins. "I even got you a little gift. Something I've been dying to see you in. Red. Lacy. Extra padding around the breasts since you're lacking in that area." A quick laugh follows, which is what he always does after insulting me.

  "I'm not going to a hotel with you," I say, glaring at him. "Or to dinner. I'm not going anywhere with you. We're not getting back together. And if you don't move, I'm gonna scream. All my neighbors will hear me. This place has really thin walls."

  Chad slowly backs away, a smirk on his face. "You really think anyone would believe you? Nobody believes you, Brook. Everyone thinks you're a drama queen, always overreacting and making a big deal out of nothing. Even Jane thinks that. She said she hasn't called you because she's tired of all your drama."

  "She didn't say that." I go around him to the living room.

  "Yeah, actually she did." He turns to face me. "She said all you do when you call is talk about your problems with your parents and whatever drama is going on at your school. She doesn't want to listen to that. Nobody does."

  But that's what friends do. They listen. They help you get through stuff. Eve is always there to listen, and I'm there for her. She's never said I'm being overdramatic or acted like what I'm going through is trivial. Now that I think about it, I could see Jane saying all that to Chad, and probably to everyone else at Haverhill. Why was I ever friends with someone like that?

  "What else are people saying about me?" I ask, wanting to know before I get there.

  "Not much. Most people forgot about you after you left. They didn't care. I'm the only reason you're still relevant." He walks up to me. "It's like I said before, you're nothing without me. You need me, just like your mom needed your dad. Now he's gone and look what happened." He glances around the apartment. "She's stuck living in this dump and having to go to a job every day."

  "My dad's gone because he cheated, and we're living here because he took all his money when he left."

  "Exactly what I'm saying. Your mom needed your dad to survive. Without him, she's nothing, and the same is true for you."

  "You seriously think that?" I let out a humorless laugh. "I'm smarter than you, Chad. I get better grades. And I'm going to law school, just like you. I don't need you, or anyone else, to support me."

  "Is that why you keep begging your dad to pay for college?"

  "I'm not begging him. I don't care anymore. I'm prepared to pay for it on my own."

  "Yeah, right. You really think I believe you want to keep living without money? You've only done this a few months. You wouldn't survive a whole year living this way. You'd see a pair of shoes you want and go crawling back to Daddy for money, just like your mom did, and still does."

  "My mom doesn't ask my dad for money. She has a job and she works her ass off to pay the bills."

  "And she's sick of it. That's why she made that deal with your dad."

  "What deal?"

  "Making you go back to Haverhill. If she made you go, your dad agreed to not only pay for the house he's renting but also the country club membership your mom desperately wants so she can go back and hang out with her rich friends. And she made him agree to buy you a car so she doesn't have to drive you around."

  "How do you know she did that?"

  "He told me. It's like he's always done. He gives her stuff and she does whatever she tells him. Women like to say they make their own decisions but it's always men who are pulling the strings. Women just don't want to admit it."

  I huff. "I can't believe you really think that way."

  "Why wouldn't I? It's the truth." He steps closer to me. "Remember how you always wore that red dress? The short one with the tiny straps?"

  "Yeah, what about it?"

  "You hated that dress. But you wore it because I told you how much I liked it. You weren't making the decision to wear it
. I was. It's true for all your decisions. You just don't realize it. That's what I mean when I say you need me." He grips my arms and pulls me toward him. "Now show me how much you've missed me."

  "Chad, stop it!" I yell, struggling against him. "Let me go!"

  I turn my head as he leans down to kiss me.

  "Get your hands off my daughter!"

  Chad and I look over and see my mom standing a few feet away. I thought she was asleep. I didn't hear her door open.

  "Ms. Turner," Chad says, giving her a huge smile as he steps away from me. "I didn't know you were home."

  "Obviously," she says, her lips pursed, arms crossed, glaring at Chad. "If you knew, I doubt you would've attacked my daughter like that."

  "You misunderstood," he says with a nervous laugh. "We were just talking."

  "You forced yourself on her. Just like you did last time you were here." She hurries over to me and yanks me into her arms. "Honey, I'm sorry I didn't believe you. I never in a million years thought he would do something like that to you."

  "Do what?" Chad says, anger in his tone. "I didn't do ANYTHING to her. Whatever she told you, she made it up!"

  "I saw you grab her just now." My mom lets go of me and storms up to Chad. "You were digging your hands into her arms, yanking her towards you, trying to kiss her. She asked you to stop and you wouldn't. That's considered assault, and I could very well have you arrested for it."

  "Go ahead and try," Chad says with a smirk. "Nothing would happen to me. My dad's friends with every judge in town."

  "Get out!" she yells at him, pointing at the door. "And don't you ever come back here again!"

  He chuckles. "It doesn't really have the impact you're going for, given that you're only here another week, but sure, I'll go."

  "We're not going," my mom says, her hands planted firmly on her hips as she watches Chad walk to the door.

  "What was that?" Chad says, turning back.

  "I said we're not going. We're staying here."

  I look from her to Chad, then back to her. "Mom, what are you talking about?"

  "I changed my mind. We're not moving. We're staying here."

  "Are you serious?" I ask, not believing her.