by G. Bailey
“Damn it, Ivy, I told you it’s over, and we weren't serious anyway. You knew that,” I hear Blake say in an angry, quiet voice as I walk off quickly. I'm out of the lunch room and walking down a corridor when I hear him.
“Izzy, wait, god dammit you’re fast,” he says, and against my better judgement, I stop.
Blake grabs my hand, pulling me softly into an empty classroom and locking the door while I pull my hand out of his, moving away.
“So when you kissed me and hit on me, you had a girlfriend? So you’re a cheat?” I ask quickly, knowing I’m letting him see how upset I am. I think of the conversation about my dad that I had with Sebastian. I know it’s not the same, but I can’t help but think about it, I can’t ever be with someone like my cheat of a dad.
“It's complicated. But we weren't serious, and, honestly, I hadn't seen her in weeks. She only sees me if she wants something. When I saw you, I couldn't help myself–your pouty lips and how you act like I don't affect you–but then you kissed me back.” He shakes his head moving closer to me before continuing. “Look, I did break up with her before I kissed you. I promise.”
I search his eyes, deciding whether or not he is telling me the truth.
Blake watches me walk slowly backward while moving toward me until I'm pressed against the wall. My feelings are mixed, even as I take in what he is saying to me.
“I'm sorry, I should have told you. I should have left her the moment I saw you, but you’re all I have thought about since I met you, Izzy,” he says with his eyes filled with emotion.
I place my hands on his shoulders intending to push him away, but I don’t as he puts his hands on the wall by my head.
“You’re way too honest about how you feel about me,” I say, feeling nervous.
“I don’t like lies, and what’s the point in playing games? I want you,” he whispers.
“Don't! Just don't! This is a bad idea, and she is clearly in love with you. I don't want to come between that, and I–” is all I get to say before he is crushing his lips to mine with a desire that makes me want to scream out in pleasure. He lifts my ass with his large hands, and I wrap my legs around him while running my fingers through his hair. Blake pulls me hard against him, which makes me let out a moan as I feel how aroused he is. The kiss gets deeper, and his tongue mixes with mine. He squeezes my ass, which makes me moan loudly again.
A banging noise jumps us out of our fevered kissing, and Blake slides me down his body slowly.
His eyes are darker than the blue I’m used to, and the effect has me breathless. He looks like an avenging angel.
“We will talk later tonight. I’ll come over, all right?” he asks breathlessly and pushes a stray bit of hair out of my face.
“I don't know,” I say, worrying about my brothers. I bite my lip in a nervous habit. I can’t risk annoying them now, and this would.
As if he can sense that, or as if he is worried about me, he says, “Meet me in the garden when I say I'm leaving the house. There is a tree house. A massive one, you couldn’t have missed it. I’ll meet you there, and oh, can I have your phone?”
I have seen the tree house, and it’s more like an adult house. Sebastian said our dad built it after their mum left, to distract them, and, well, it’s big because there are four of them. The banging happens again, but Blake ignores it.
I hand him my phone, and I hear his ringing in his pocket a few seconds later.
I get back my phone, and Blake kisses me again in a slower, sweeter way. But I'm still aware someone is waiting, so I push him back. I get a classic, hot-boy smirk, then he runs his hands through his hair in thought, which has the delightful effect of bringing his top up and I'm suddenly staring at some lovely abs.
Blake ignores this, or doesn’t see me drooling, and opens the door to an angry-looking teacher I haven't met.
“Thanks for finally opening the door, Mr. Frost, and who's this?” she gestures to me but not looking away from Blake. The woman is dressed in a full suit with short, dark-brown hair. I would guess she is around her mid-thirties but seems a lot stricter.
“A new student. This is Miss King, and yes, she is the new sister of the Kings. I’m sure you’ve heard about her.” He grins that award-winning smile at her, which I’m sure gets him away with anything.
“I wasn't aware they had a sister, but lovely to meet you, dear. Are you in my history class? This isn't the room if you are. I thought I had a new student on my list.” She looks at me finally, but she seems friendly enough.
“Yes, I have history now, is that with you? Sorry, I got a little lost.” I blush a little at my lie. It’s quite clear with my flushed cheeks and likely messy hair what I was doing. If she knows the truth, she doesn’t comment on it.
“Now, Mr. Frost, thank you for helping Miss King, but I’ll take her to my class after I grab a book I left in here. You should get going.” She goes to the desk while Blake makes a ‘call me’ sign and walks out. A minute later, while I’m waiting by the door, my phone buzzes with a text.
Sexiest man alive: I will meet you after class, wait for me x
Me: sure and sexiest man alive? Your ego couldn’t get bigger x
Sexiest man alive: I look in the mirror every day, baby, but the way you checked me out earlier tells me all I need to know ;) x
I roll my eyes, of course he saw me checking him out. It seems like that man doesn’t miss anything. I pocket my phone as the teacher gestures for me to follow her to class.
Walking in, the teacher tells me to find a seat anywhere, and I look around until I see Tris. He is sitting with an empty seat next to him and a pretty blonde on the other side of the empty seat.
“Hey, Tris, can I sit here?” I ask and try not to blush at his crazy good looks. He looks up at me with a grin, but it’s not as flirty as before and says, “Sure, new girl, the seat’s yours.”
“Thanks,” I mutter, taking the seat.
The minute I sit down, the pretty blonde next to me says in a bubbly voice, “Hi, I'm Allie, and I can see my nob-head of a brother has hit on you already, but please ignore him.” She offers her hand.
I laugh, shaking her hand and say, “I'm Izzy, and I’ll ignore him.”
I look over at her and she has blue eyes that are just as stunning as Tristan’s. Allie has long, dirty-blond hair, with brown tips, down to her shoulders. It’s shorter than mine but shapes her heart-shaped face well. She looks a little taller than me with curves I would die for. She has dressed in a red tube-top and black jeans, which look expensive. I can’t help but think she looks stunning.
“Good, he's screwed most of my friends, and now they won't speak to me unless it’s about him. So, I'm glad you can ignore him,” she says.
I laugh, and the teacher starts her lesson when the class goes quiet. Every time Tris tries to talk to me throughout the lesson, Allie interrupts and tells him to fuck off. It’s quite amusing, and by the end of class, he has given up.
Allie is catching me up on where we are in the class, which is a great help. It’s not too bad as it’s similar to my old course.
“So, have you just moved here? I haven't seen you around town,” she says as we walk to the door.
“Yes, I just found out I have four brothers, and my oldest brother has recently taken custody of me. So, I’ve moved here to live with them.” I smile.
“Cool, what's the family name?” she asks, and I'm happy she doesn't ask any more about the custody issue.
“Erm, you might know Sebastian, Elliot, and Luke King. They go here,” I say a little loudly, as it’s noisy in the corridor.
I look back at her when she doesn’t reply, and she is shell-shocked enough to stop in the corridor as people move around us.
“You’re related to the Kings, as in the hottest men around for miles? Well, all of them accept Elliot, no wonder you’re so damn eye-catching,” she replies with wide eyes, looking at me closely, I’m guessing she is trying to see our similarities.
I laugh at her
and shake my head. “I'm not and they’re my brothers, so I can't answer that.” I pull a face.
“True, anyway, I like you, so can I have your number? I need a girlfriend that's immune to my brother.” She winks.
I nod and give her my phone.
Allie passes it back after a few minutes, and then I feel a warm hand on my back as Blake arrives at my side.
“Hey, beauty. I’ll walk you to your car,” I glance up at him, and I don’t regret it as he smiles that killer smile at me. I end up blushing so badly that I know anyone can see it.
I look back at Allie, who has a frown on her face for Blake.
“I’ll walk her out, Blake, I wanted to invite Izzy to my house tomorrow anyway.” She smiles sweetly at him, but not in a way that makes me feel threatened, like the redheaded Barbie from earlier did. She takes my hand, not giving either of us much of a choice.
I turn back to wave at Blake, who frowns but waves and walks off.
“How do you know Blake already? I don't want to be rude, but he is the biggest player around–well, excluding Sebastian–but that's why they’re friends,” she says and looks kind of worried about me.
“He's been around the house, and he is my guide for a bit. I know, I can guess that, and, to be honest with you, I'm out of my depth. Thanks, I’ll be careful,” I say, but I know I'm lying. I haven't been able to get him out of my head since I met him, and I know I need to guard my heart, too.
“Okay, I'll leave it for now. Anyway, come to my house after school tomorrow?”
“Sounds great.” I actually grin, I like the idea of girl time. I miss having a friend since Tilly left, and, well, I felt so alone that I didn’t try to make new friends at my old school.
“Have you got a lift, or did you drive here?” she asks, looking around, most likely for one of the boys.
“Damn. I came with Elliot, but his car is still here, so I’ll wait and text him,” I frown, thinking to myself that I should have asked for a lift home from him.
“No, don't. I’ll drive you,” she smiles as she replies.
“Thanks, do you know the way?” I ask, hoping she does. I’m kind of lost and terrible at directions. I haven’t written down my address anywhere yet, I know I have to do that soon.
“Erm, yeah, I do. My best friend, Maisy, used to date Sebastian, and we hung out a lot together. I would drop her off at your place sometimes,” she says as we walk to her car. She clicks her keys at a black Land Rover. A lot of people have big cars here, and I have to wonder if they get bad snow and need them. I guess the weather must get cold at some point, and we are close to the mountains.
I climb into her car. I briefly smile at the messy-paper and empty-cup-covered back seats as I ask, “Who’s Maisy? How long did they date?” I wonder if I’ve seen her around school today. If she is best friends with Allie, I'll meet her eventually.
“About four years. She loved him, and I thought he loved her, but something happened about two months ago. She left with her parents the next week. I miss her, but she won't talk to me anymore.” She sighs and starts the car, looking upset.
“I'm sorry; five years, that's a long time. What happened?” I wonder more to myself, but Allie answers anyway.
“I don’t know, but she was so devastated, Izzy. I’m guessing he cheated on her, but Sebastian was very angry when she left. I can only hope she will come back or log into Facebook sometime soon.” She sighs.
“I’m sorry he hurt her. Sebastian doesn’t seem like a bad guy,” I say, and I can’t imagine he would cheat. I guess I haven’t known him long enough, but then again, he has had a few girls over since I’ve been there the last few days. Allie doesn’t say anything else about Sebastian as we drive to my home.
We pull up to the house, and I hop out of the car, waving goodbye as I walk into the house.
Harley is in the kitchen, his face has fresh bruises all over it, and it looks like he is holding his side. I drop my bag and rush over.
“What the hell happened?” I ask while moving to touch his face. Harley jumps away from my touch, so I drop my hand, trying to hide that I’m a little hurt he doesn’t want me to help him.
“Nothing to worry about, just something that happened at work. Looks worse than it is,” he grunts and slides into a chair. He starts eating some crisps, clearly thinking the conversation is over.
“You look terrible, and work? What is it that you do? I thought you owned a gym, not get beat on for a living,” I ask as quietly as I can. I guess his answer isn't good or safe for my growing temper to handle as he groans at me. I know it’s because I’m feeling protective of my new family, I was protective of my mum because she was all I had, and now these boys are all I have.
“Look! I'm too tired to care about answering those questions now. I’m going for a shower,” he shouts at me and walks off, not looking back.
“Fine! Sorry for caring!” I shout to his back as he slips around the kitchen door. I wait before running up to my room a few minutes later and slamming my door. I stand with my back against the door holding back my tears. Stupid brother, is it that bad I care about him? They are my family now. I just don't know how to cope with the crazy amount of secrets that are going on in this house.
They own a massive house, expensive cars, and the clothes they wear. I know Harley has his own business, but it can’t bring in this amount of money. They never seem to have a problem with money, so where is it all from? It’s got to be a job, and if Harley is that defensive about it, it cannot be good.
I'm brought from my thoughts at a knock on my door, and I walk into the room, sitting on my bed. I shout, “Come in,” and sit farther back on my bed.
Luke pops his head around the door with the cheeky grin I’ve gotten used to seeing, and it instantly relaxes me.
“Hey, sis, can I chill with you for a bit?” he asks.
“Yeah, sure,” I say and pat the bed next to me.
Luke jumps on the bed, nearly knocking me off and laughs at me. “Sorry, I forgot how little you are. How are you doing, darling?” I don’t answer, but I do need to look away from him.
“I heard what happened with Harley,” he says gently, making me look back at him, and he stares at me like he is trying to read me for something.
“Have you seen his face, Luke? Fuck, how does he expect me to react? ‘Oh it’s fine, Harley, it happens every day to everyone, what's for dinner?’ Seriously?” I roll my eyes at Luke who frowns at me, clearly not liking my sarcasm.
“When I first came here, Sebastian looked like he had fought someone, too. Is that just a coincidence?” I ask, watching as he struggles to answer me.
“I don't know, sis. Look, I can't tell you what's going on, but he is all right, okay? You’re safe, and so is Harley, but you need to let it go. It is business. Nothing more,” he states, looking at me with pleading eyes, and I know he wants me to drop it.
“So, I'm not allowed to ask questions? Not to care. Whatever, Luke, just leave.” I climb off the bed and walk into my bathroom, shutting the door. I wait a minute, calming my breathing before I turn on the shower.
I stay under the shower for maybe half an hour, thinking. Should I say something? Do I want to risk them kicking me out for the answers I may not want once I get them?
I finally decide I should stay quiet and out of their way. If they don't want to tell me, well, I can stop caring, as it doesn't matter. I’ve been alone for years now, it’s not like I’m not used to it.
8
Blake
"Damn, I told you your face is going to look like shit today," I say to Harley, who is holding ice to his face.
"The bastard liked my face." He smirks.
"A little too much," I mutter while looking at the damage. His opponent nearly knocked Harley out last night with around five punches to his face, which Harley let him get away with for the stupid crowd. The fight last night was hard for Harley to win, but his face looks worse than it likely is. The boys told me last night they have decided not
to tell Izzy anything about the fighting, which I think is a bad idea. I promised them I’ll never tell her. I care about her, but I promised them, and I keep my promises.
We are sitting in the kitchen while Elliot makes plans to invite Lily over so we can all play games. Lily has been Elliot’s girlfriend for the past few years. They have broken up a few times, but Elliot doesn’t seem to really care when they aren’t together.
I look up at Harley, who looks deep in thought, and I’m guessing it’s about Izzy. I know Izzy came back and saw Harley before I arrived because Harley sent Luke to talk to her after she became angry with Harley. I want to text her, but I can't while I know Luke is around in case he sees it, and she might not want to talk. I’ll see her tonight anyway. I can't wait to see her. I'll make sure she smiles after a crap day and . . . fuck, what is wrong with me?
"I haven't seen you in ages, Lily. You avoid me all the time, and you’re never home. Come to my place tonight," Elliot shouts the last part over the phone in the kitchen. He doesn't seem to care we can hear. Seb raises his eyebrows at me, and I frown. I know Seb thinks the same as I do; Elliot needs to leave her. He isn’t fucking happy, but I won’t get involved.
"I get that, but look, it's been over two weeks since you've spent more than half an hour with me." He grunts at whatever she says. "No, don't you even want to date me anymore? I don't understand you!" he says more gently, but he looks angry.
Lily and Elliot have been together a while now, but recently she hasn't been around, and it's odd.
"Look, I love you too. I'm not breaking up with you. Just come and see me tonight. Stay over," he says the last part quietly. “Good; yes, you can meet Izzy. See you later," he groans and puts the phone down before resting his hands on the counter, looking down.