Under The Peaches (Teaching Love Series Book 1)

by Shana Vanterpool

  Savannah gawks at me.

  The teacher, however, might be smarter than us all. She sinks back down into her seat and eyes me darkly. “Back to the worksheet, class.”

  By lunch time, I am empty. I walk down the music hall and exit through the side door. I wipe my eyes and sit down on my lonely bench. I can’t believe how lonely it feels, when it used to bring me peace. I miss Julian so much I can’t stop thinking about how wonderful it would feel if he walked through that side door, looked me in the eyes, and said something Julian-like. Something sweet and honest. Just how he’s feeling.

  Whatever’s happening between us, friendship has little to do with it. This is a step above. This is need and want coming together to fuel my desires. I want Julian for many different reasons and many different things. It isn’t just him. It’s how he makes me feel. It’s how he makes me forget that I’ve ever felt anything but good around him. When he’s gone, I feel … nothing.

  I put on a brave face and accept the ridicule and teasing. Right before my last class is over, Carmen brings the teacher a note, throwing me a heated look in the process. I meet her gaze boldly. Mr. Ean is mine. When she leaves, her glare makes sure I know exactly how she feels about me.

  “Kaelyn?” My teacher reads the note. “Mr. Hunt wants you in his office.”

  I smile condescendingly. Mr. Hunt must think I’m a flight risk.

  Brady is already in there when I arrive. He’s holding a garbage bag, wearing gloves, and grasping a stick with a pointed end. Mr. Hunt grins at me and hands me the same items.

  “Put the gloves on. You and McAlister are going to clean up the school. When both bags are filled, you can go home. Are we going to have trouble working together?”

  “Probably,” I admit. “He did use my body and then his girlfriend told the whole world about.”

  Hunt cringes. “Should I make it two bags?”

  “No,” Brady speaks up. “We’ll get along.”

  “Show me both bags before you leave here today.” Mr. Hunt takes a seat at his desk. “That means go.”

  We both leave his office. I go one way, expecting him to go the other. But he follows me. I want to snarl at him. Instead, I keep my composure; he isn’t worth it.

  We exit out of the cafeteria doors and onto the backfield that leads to the track. It’s been a year since I’ve had gym, but I still recall all the garbage under the bleachers. That ought to fill up our bags quickly. When we get to the bleachers, I take one end and he takes the other. Together we fill our bags.

  “So, is it true?”

  I look over at him. “Is what true?”

  “Are you hooking up with Mr. Ean?”

  “No, Brady.” I’m proud of my even delivery. “Did you and Nessa really break up?”

  He pauses in the middle of picking up a candy wrapper. “Yes. She did it last night. Told me if I wanted you, I could have you.”

  “It’s ironic, isn’t it?”

  “What?”

  “You’re single now and I want nothing to do with you.”

  “Nothing at all?”

  “At all.” I pause too. “Why didn’t you just tell me I didn’t stand a chance?”

  “Because I’m selfish,” he replies gruffly, stabbing the wrapper. “I liked knowing you wanted me. It made me feel good.”

  “What about my feelings?” I demand, stabbing repeatedly at a fry. “Or Nessa’s?”

  “We’re being honest here, right?”

  “Sure.” What good will lies do us now?

  “What about your feelings, Kaelyn?” He looks me right in the eye, unsympathetic. “Or Nessa’s? All I worry about are my own. I’m not going to stop now because I used you, and I’m not going to stop tomorrow because I cheated on Nessa. I cheated on Nessa a lot. I flirted with you a lot. I’m going to have another girl in a week. That’s how I am. I’m not sorry about that. I’m sorry everyone keeps rubbing what we did in your face. I’m sorry she’s going to spend the rest of her time trying to get you back for sleeping with me. For something that didn’t matter to either of us.”

  The nerve of him. “I didn’t know it didn’t matter until it was over.” So there, I think, stabbing at a bag of potato chips.

  He glares. “I wasn’t that bad.”

  I laugh in disbelief. “You were terrible. Trust me, I have something to compare it to now, and you were horrible. I feel bad Nessa had to put up with that.”

  He swallows hard and angrily fills his bag with an empty soda bottle. “Who are you dating?”

  “We’re not dating. It’s complicated,” I growl when he gives me a pitying look.

  “We were complicated too.”

  “No, we were diseased. There’s a huge difference between you and me, and Julian and I.” I gasp at my mistake.

  Brady simply shrugs. “I’ve never met anyone with that name.”

  All he knows him by is Mr. Ean. I sag in relief. “Good.”

  “Do you love him?”

  Heat moves over me. “It’s way too early for love.”

  “Not that I’ve ever been,” he mutters. “Did you love me?” He gives me a large handsome smile.

  My smile has a mind of its own. “Absolutely not.”

  His smile grows. “You just wanted me.”

  “Bad.”

  He chuckles and shakes his head, stabbing at a plastic cup. “And then we had sex and I ruined it for you.”

  “Obliterated it. But I’m glad. Without you, I never would’ve known Julian was as incredibly amazing as he is. Well, I would have, just not to the extent I do.” My grin is wide and saccharine. “So, thank you for being an insensitive user.”

  “You’re welcome.” He rolls his eyes. “We’re pretty clean here. Do you want to go to the lawn near the student parking lot? There’s always a lot of trash out there.”

  For the first time, I can talk to Brady. There’s no attraction. He isn’t playing games. He’s being himself. Secretly, I’ve missed this side of him. Together, we walk out from underneath the bleachers. We cut across the soccer field and dip under the fence to get to the strip of lawn near the student parking lot. There aren’t many cars left. My PT, Brady’s truck, and a few other cars are the only ones left. There’s a cold wind; it slices through me.

  “Where’s my parka?”

  “Nessa burned it.”

  “Wow. She’s psycho.”

  “She’s a sociopath. It’s the way she grew up, I think. Her parents give her everything so everything is hers. She’s never wrong, she’s always right. Nothing matters. I’ll buy you a new jacket.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “I want to.” He pauses to look at something over my shoulder.

  I turn to see what caught his attention. Nessa, Riley, and a couple of her friends are sitting on the back of Brady’s truck. Their long perfect legs swing back and forth and they’re all looking over at us with nothing but evil in their eyes.

  “Brady.” Chills travel down my spine.

  “They’re not going to touch you.”

  I get a nauseous feeling in my stomach. My mouth is dry. I want Julian. I realize my cell has been in my car all day. Shit. He’s going to worry. I think he has a reason to this afternoon.

  “Just keep cleaning. I’ll walk you to your car after we’re done. Stop looking over there. Let’s talk about something else. Like my incredible love making skills.”

  I can’t help but laugh. “Were you trying to break me?”

  He tosses his head back and laughs. “Sorry. For what it was worth, I did want you. You’re hot as hell, Kaelyn. Those eyes are insane.”

  I roll them. “I am not hot.”

  “You are so.” He looks at me funny. “Don’t you know that?”

  I look down, stabbing at a candy wrapper. What’s hot? Why does it matter to me if I am? If I’m not? Inside and outside were two different things. And I thought the inside mattered far more. “I know everyone has their own opinion. I don’t have to agree or disagree.”

  �
��Whatever.”

  “You were so mean and cold.” I glare at him.

  He looks away. “I am both. Not all the time, but most of the time.”

  “Why?”

  Shrugging, he bends to pick up a piece of paper. “Why are you the way you are? Why is Nessa the way she is? We are who we are. It may not be great all the time, but at least I’m not pretending to be someone I’m not.”

  “No, you just string girls along so you can have sex with them under the peaches.”

  “The peaches,” he mumbles, turning red. “That was supposed to be romantic.”

  To hide my smile before I embarrass him further, I turn around and pick up a soda bottle. “It might’ve been if you cared about me. Have you taken Nessa there?”

  “No. She’d laugh at me.”

  For the next half hour, we fill our bags in silence.

  When we’re done, I volunteer to take them back to Mr. Hunt.

  “Cool. I’m going to my locker to get my stuff. I’ll wait for you by my truck.”

  He hands me his full garbage bag and I struggle with both, retracing our path through the soccer field and under the bleachers until I get to the cafeteria door. When I get to the office, Mr. Hunt is talking to the vice principal in the hall. He grins when he sees me.

  “Where’s McAlister?”

  “I’m being generous. Can I go now?”

  “Sure. Leave those outside the janitor’s door. He’ll take care of them.”

  “Yes, Mr. Hunt.”

  I deposit the bags and then go to my own locker to get my books. The halls are eerily quiet. A cold chill traces my spine and I pause, looking around the hall. It’s empty. There’s no one around. Relax.

  When I broach the parking lot, I can spot the girls still sitting in the back of Brady’s truck. He’s not here yet. And the girls have already spotted me. I don’t know what to do.

  Wait for Brady, a man who has shown me he is unreliable, or brave them. I don’t see another choice. I can’t stay here waiting all day for them to leave.

  I don’t think they’re going to leave until they get what they want anyway. I fear that’s me.

  I take a deep breath and start walking to my car. It’s a ways from Brady’s truck. If I can get inside before they get to me, I’ll be fine. But the second I start walking toward my car, Riley taps Nessa on her shoulder and all four of them hop down from the truck and start walking over to me.

  My stomach sinks. I know what’s about to happen to me.

  I take off for my PT. My feet pound against the pavement and the wind cuts at my face. I slide to a stop and struggle to get my key out of my backpack. All four girls run faster. My fingers shake as I struggle with my key. “Come on, come on,” I whisper urgently, dread filling my body.

  I get my key into the door just as all four girls rush me. I reach for my door handle. Nessa steps forward and pushes me, making me drop my keys. I stumble into my PT.

  Nessa pushes me into the car and puts her perfect face in mine. “What’s up, you little whore?”

  “Leave me alone.” I sound a lot stronger than I feel. “I’m done with Brady. You should be too.”

  She laughs condescendingly. “You’re done with Brady? I just saw you two together.”

  “We had detention. That’s all.”

  “That’s all,” she mimics. “I’m so tired of you wanting my man. He’s not yours. You’re just some pathetic lay he used. You’re nothing to him.”

  Her words infuriate me. “Then why did he apologize?”

  “He apologized?” Her eyes tighten and her fists bunch. “He hasn’t even apologized to me.”

  “He’s really sorry,” I draw out, knowing I’m riling her up. But I can’t help it. I’m tired of being afraid of her. “Maybe I should let him make it up to me?”

  Within seconds I am on the ground. Her fist comes at me like a flash. My jaw screams in pain and my eyes blur as I push to my knees. Nessa’s foot slams into my ribs. I scream out and roll onto my side to grip my stomach. At this point, I think that’s it. She won. I’m on the ground.

  Then she speaks.

  “Come on, girls. Let’s show her how sorry we are.”

  All four girls approach me. I watch them in slow motion. Nessa, black hair and dark green eyes. Riley, brunette and brown-eyed. And the other two, both blonde and blue-eyed. They’re all perfect, but inside these girls are empty and emotionless. They’re monsters.

  I attempt to get up, but Riley steps forward and puts her foot on my back. “Get her, Nessa,” she growls. “Give her what she deserves.”

  Nessa’s foot comes at my face so blindingly fast I only have time to pull back. The pain is so intense I puke right there. My stomach tilts sideways. She doesn’t stop. Next, she kicks my ribs again. A swift hard kick with her toes right to my stomach. The pain makes me cry out and my eyesight blurs. Riley jams her foot into my back, grinding her heel into my spine.

  “I’m so sorry,” Nessa sneers, kicking me again and again. She leans down and grabs my hair, pulling my face up. “I really am sorry.” And then she drops my face and punches my left eye. “Come on, girls.”

  All four of them start punching and kicking me. I am screaming, trying with all my might to get up, to fight, to survive this battle, but every time I roll over someone kicks me back down. Feet hit my ribs, my stomach, and my face. Punches hit the back of my skull. Still, I fight to stand.

  “Kaelyn! Get off her!”

  “Call the cops!” someone else shouts.

  Someone barrels into the group and slams two girls off me. There’s so much pain. I puke again. It dribbles down my chin, mixing with the blood that smears my face. Brady grabs the blonde’s when they run, and Mr. Hunt grabs Nessa and Riley when they try and do the same.

  The vice principal drops to his knees beside me and starts asking if I’m okay. I am not okay. My face is throbbing, my ribs are pulsing with pain, and every breath I take feels like they’re still kicking me. I try and sit up, but the excruciating pain knocks me back down.

  “Don’t move,” the vice principal orders. “Stay still until the ambulance gets here.”

  “You four are going to jail,” Mr. Hunt growls. “I won’t stop until you’re all behind bars.”

  Brady struggles to keep the blondes in his grasp. At the mention of jail, they fight him.

  All I can think about is Julian. I want him. A sob breaks me open, and I can’t help crying in front of everyone. Tears, blood, and puke trail down my face. I am in so much pain it’s disorienting. Most of it’s physical, but some of it is from so deep inside my cracks take over my body.

  The vice principal unbuttons his shirt and takes it off, holding it to my face as I bleed all over it. When he pulls it away it’s covered in red. It’s in my eyes. It’s all over me. I attempt to get up again. My ribs ache the worst when I finally manage to stand. My body is shaking. I tremble from the shock and the pain. Time slows down. Mr. Hunt shouts at Nessa and Riley, never once taking a break in-between yelling to even breathe. The vice principal watches me, letting me lean against him while we wait. When the cops get here, it just so happens to be the same female officer from Bruce’s attack. Officer Tory takes one looks at me and her eyes widen. Her hair is still short and she’s still a badass.

  She leads me away as her partner forces the girls into the back of the police car. Thanks to their perfect bodies all four fit snuggly.

  “What happened?” she demands.

  “They jumped me.”

  She hisses under her breath. “You need to go to the hospital. I’ll call in for an ambulance.”

  “No! No. I don’t want to go to the hospital.”

  “You should go,” Brady says, stepping in beside me. I’m leaning against the back of my PT, but he pulls on my arm until I’m leaning against him. “I’ll take her.”

  The cop nods. “Tell me everything that happened.”

  They take pictures of my wounds, cementing my breaks in real form.

  “Here’s my
card. If you remember anything else or want to check on their booking, I’ll let you know. Take her to the hospital now.” She gives Brady a nod.

  He grabs my hand and starts leading me over to his truck. He has my backpack on his shoulder and my car keys.

  “I don’t want to go to the hospital.”

  His face falls. “You’ve got cuts all over your face and you know your ribs are killing you. They could be broken.”

  I break down right there.

  “Okay, Kaelyn. No hospital.” Brady holds me up and unlocks his door with his free hand. “Let’s get you inside. I’ll take you home.”

  I sit in the front of his truck and slump in my seat. Breathing hurts. Everything hurts. I avoid the mirrors and glass windows. I don’t want to see myself. When Brady gets in, he turns the heater on. I’m shivering. I don’t think it has anything to do with the cold. He pulls out of the parking lot and pauses.

  “What’s your address?”

  I recite it numbly.

  He punches it into his phone and soon the only sounds are GPS telling him where to go. When he pulls up outside of Julian’s house, he looks at me. I can’t breathe, I’m crying so hard. He gets out and soon he’s opening my door. Without saying anything, he puts me in his arms. He carries me to the front door and then uses the process of elimination on my keys to figure out which one’s correct. When we get inside, I point at the stairs. Brady struggles with me in his arms as he carries me up. I point again when we get to the hall. He kicks my door open and walks me all the way to my bed.

  Gently, he lays me down. I sink gratefully into my soft bed and sheets. They smell slightly of Julian. I whimper, needing him so badly my ribs don’t ache as badly as my heart does.

  “What can I do for you?”

  “Nothing. You can go now.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  I roll over and glare at him. “This is your fault.”

  “I know.” His expression doesn’t waver, but I think it wants to. “I’m going to rectify some of that by taking care of you.”

  “I don’t want you here. I don’t want you at all. Can’t you see that?”

  He folds his hands in front of him stubbornly. “I’m not leaving. So get used to it.”