Beaten: A High School Bully Romance (Athole Academy Book 2)

by Vi Lily

  And faint from the pain.

  Chapter 2

  Alex

  A RI WAS GOING down and Alex couldn’t get out of his chair fast enough. He managed to catch her just before she hit the ground, but just barely. Of course, there’s pandemonium over it, but Alex ignored everyone as he carried her through the Dining Room.

  “I hear she’s pregnant,” he heard Raine hiss to her giggling minions as he passed by.

  “Do you think it’s his?”

  “She’s so skeevy though. Who would have touched that?”

  “I don’t know… do they even make full body condoms?”

  Alex made a mental note to do something about Raine and her viciousness. He didn’t want Ari hurt by that witch.

  Thankfully, the nurse was in the office and Alex was glad to see it was Tobias and not that bitch Ms. Sands. She was sadistic.

  Ari had awakened shortly after he’d walked out of the Dining Room and had demanded he put her down, practically yelling that she was fine. Alex leaned down to her ear so only she could hear.

  “Put your arms around my neck and act like you’re enjoying it.” Her face had turned bright red in embarrassment, but she’d complied.

  Vato had chased them out into the hall with her purse in hand. Alex grimaced; he hadn’t even thought about grabbing it when he’d picked her up. Judging by the worried expression on Vato’s face, Alex had to admit that the guy was genuinely concerned for Ari.

  She’d thanked him for the purse, then reassured him that she was fine, and that Alex was taking her home.

  Not yet.

  “What happened?” Tobias asked as he rose from his desk when they walked in. His dark eyes took in Ari and he cocked his head to the side as if he didn’t recognize her. He probably didn’t. She definitely looked a lot different now.

  And that was irritating Alex. All the guys had been tripping over their tongues and other dangly appendages all day over her. They’d never noticed her before, but now that she’d cleaned up, got some new clothes and a little weight on her, they were ready to pounce on the “new meat.”

  He ignored the little voice telling him he never noticed her before either.

  “Ariel fainted in the Dining Room,” he told the nurse. As far as Alex knew, she was the only student at Athole named Ariel and it seemed to click with Tobias who she was, since his eyes widened to saucer size.

  “I have some, um, broken ribs,” she offered. “I did something when I pushed back from the table and it hurt like hell.”

  Tobias motioned them into the back room and had Alex put her on the bed. He then turned to him and told him to leave.

  “No!” Ari gasped. “I want him to stay.”

  Tobias looked at her with a frown and Alex knew he was going to argue. Ari apparently did too.

  “If Alex leaves, I’m going with him.”

  For some reason, that declaration made Alex feel about seven feet tall. He liked knowing that she wanted him around, whatever the reason for it was.

  “He can’t stay while I examine you,” the nurse argued, “it’s against policy and it’s just not done.”

  Ari’s lips molded into a straight line. “I don’t care. He’s been the one wrapping my ribs for me, so it’s not like he’s going to see something he hasn’t already.”

  Tobias looked at Alex, who just shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest. The man then sighed and muttered about getting in trouble and something about “HIPAA compliance,” but he helped Ari take her school jacket off and then he unbuttoned her shirt.

  “Just don’t tell anyone about this,” Tobias muttered.

  Alex snorted. “As long as you don’t say anything about Ariel being with me, then we’re good.” The nurse’s eyebrow rose at that, but he didn’t make any further comments.

  Once her blouse was unbuttoned, Alex had to remind himself several times that Tobias was a healthcare professional and wasn’t getting off on undressing his girl.

  Whoa. What the hell…

  He didn’t want to think too hard on the fact that he was thinking of Ari as “his girl” after just a week. Of course, they were living together, but still. It wasn’t like that. And he didn’t think of her like that. He was just helping her because she didn’t have anyone else. That’s all it was.

  The little voice was ignored again, this time screaming “liar!”

  Tobias felt Ari’s ribs and wanted to send her to the hospital. Of course, that was met with a lot of argument, but he kept insisting to the point that Ari started dressing to leave. He finally relented but told Alex to not wrap her ribs so tightly, if at all. Tobias then rewrapped her himself and reluctantly let her leave.

  Alex led Ari to the office, rather than to her class. She protested, of course, but he gave her a look that thankfully made her stop arguing.

  Ben was in the office when they walked in and shockingly, Beth was with him. Alex had heard that Ben Penn had shown up that morning with his arm around Beth Hanson. Apparently, they’d gotten stuck in the snowstorm and had gotten close, real close, while alone in a cabin. Seems the guy was overlooking the fact that Beth had screwed his old man.

  Alex thought Ben was seriously pussy whipped.

  Beth was whispering to Ben, who looked seriously pissed off. Alex caught his attention and cocked his head toward Ari. Ben’s eyes widened and he gave him a slight nod. Beth said something that had Ben nodding, then they turned to leave.

  “Be right back,” Ben told Alex as he passed. Beth and Ari smiled at each other.

  Alex led Ari back out into the hall to wait for Ben to return. He wanted to take Ari home for the rest of the day but needed an excuse. While Alex didn’t like abusing his friendship with Ben, he would do it for Ari.

  The thought that he’d probably do just about anything for her had him scowling.

  Chapter 3

  Ari

  A LEX IS BEING his usual bossy self. He insisted that I leave school, even though I only made it half a day. He also threatened to drive to Clemens and get another excuse from Doc, but I begged him not to.

  I’ve noticed something that I’m going to use to my advantage: Alex gives in to me when I plead with him. It’s weird, but it seems like he wants to please me, to make me happy.

  And hey, if that’s the case, then I’m using it. He should be thankful I’m not greedy and conniving.

  Steve is gone when we get home and I can tell Alex is worried, but he doesn’t say anything. His brother has been gone more and more lately, and when he is home, he’s high. And different. It’s worrying me too.

  I miss my other best friend.

  It’s weird to think that I not only have friends now, but guy friends. I even claim Vato as a friend now. We texted all weekend, which ticked Alex off and that made me laugh. He acts like we’re a couple sometimes.

  “C’mon,” Alex tells me as he lifts me out of the Charger. And yeah, he’s insisting on carrying me again. “Let’s get something to eat. I’m starving.”

  I laugh. “We just had lunch like an hour ago,” I tease. He frowns down at me.

  “We didn’t finish,” he reminds me. “I only ate half of mine.”

  I snort. “Oh, so just half a cow then.”

  Alex’s lips twitch at my comment as he walks into the kitchen and sets me on the counter next to the fridge. Before he moves away, I just can’t help myself and I reach up and push the corners of his mouth into a smile. Of course, he frowns while I do it and it’s kind of funny to see. A grin and a scowl at the same time.

  “You know,” I say as I let go of his mouth and smooth the wrinkles between his eyes, “you’d be even more handsome if you’d smile.”

  He looks so startled that I almost laugh. “Handsome? Me?” He makes a rude sound as his cheeks color. He moves away and opens the fridge and I watch as he pulls out the makings for a roast beef sandwich.

  I know that Alex does all the grocery shopping. On his dime, too. Steve doesn’t contribute in any way that I can tell. Alex told me that St
eve isn’t even supposed to be living here and if their mom finds out, she’s going to have a fit. “Pitch a hissy fit,” were his exact words. Must be a Texan thing.

  Steve’s mooching makes me feel bad, because I don’t want to be the same. I want to contribute. One thing at a time, though. First, I have to get these damned ribs healed so I can be of use.

  We eat our sandwiches in silence and then Alex carries me into the living room. “I can walk just fine,” I protest yet again.

  He doesn’t answer right away as he sets me on the sofa. But when he straightens, he stares at me for a few moments, then sighs heavily.

  “When you passed out today, it… freaked me out. Don’t want that to happen again,” he orders. I almost laugh at his bossiness.

  I smirk. “Well, sorry. It wasn’t my favorite moment of the day either.”

  Alex sits on the coffee table in front of me and I worry it it’s going to hold his weight. Ogre lumbers over from where he’d been sleeping next to the heater vent behind the couch and nudges Alex’s hand. He obliges by petting the beast.

  Ogre is a beast, too. He’s insatiable when it comes to food, but none of us blame him, since he was so damned skinny when we stole him. Like me, he’s already put on weight. He now resembles a normal dog. For a gigantic hairy beast, that is.

  I had been worrying over the fact that we stole the dog. I mean, stealing is wrong no matter how you look at it. Alex insisted that we didn’t steal him, we rescued him, and that he would have died for sure in that snowstorm if we hadn’t gotten there when we did. I know he’s right about that, but I keep worrying the old man is going to show up one day, demanding his dog back.

  Alex scratches Ogres head while he continues, but he doesn’t look at me. “I just want you to be okay. Don’t want you hurting yourself. You’d be better staying here, doing your schoolwork from home.”

  I nod. “Yeah, but I was going a little crazy here by myself,” I admit. “It wouldn’t be so bad if Steve were here, but…” I let my voice trail off. We can’t make Steve stay with me and I’m too old to need a babysitter.

  Alex sighs, then raises his blue eyes, capturing mine. “If you’re gonna insist on going to school, then I’m gonna switch my classes so I can be with you.”

  My eyes nearly bug out. “What? You can’t do that! That’s crazy! I mean, you’re a senior; you can’t just switch your classes this late in the year. You might screw up your credits!”

  He sighs heavily and rubs his hands over his face, then huffs and blows at Ogre’s hair that he just wiped all over his mouth. I bite my lips to keep from laughing.

  Alex lays his forearms across his thighs and clasps his hands together. This time, he doesn’t look at me when he speaks.

  “I doubt I’m gonna graduate anyway,” he admits reluctantly.

  My heart clenches at that. “Why?”

  He still won’t look at me. “You’ve been helping me a lot with my English and all, but I’m still having a hard time in my Science class. And German.” He sighs again and stares down at Ogre.

  “Hell, I’m having trouble in Calculus too. Effing word problems,” he mutters.

  I lean forward and wince again when I feel the pinch from my ribs. I’m seriously sick of them hurting and wish they’re hurry the hell up and get better. I reach out and put my hand over his. It’s ridiculous, the size difference between the two. My hand looks like a child’s next to his.

  “I can help you, you know,” I tell him quietly. “I mean, I’m not great in math or anything, but I can at least help you with understanding the word problems.”

  Alex looks up at me and I’m floored by the despair on his face. I had no idea he was struggling so much. I’d been so wrapped up in me, myself and I that my selfish butt didn’t even notice he was having a hard time.

  I reach out and put my hand on one of his and ignore the damn pain in my side. “We’ll get you through this. It’ll be okay.”

  He smirks. “Yeah, there’s two months left in school and I’m damn near failing almost all my classes. Don’t know how much you can do.”

  “Hey, there’s always summer school. You might not get to graduate with your class, but—”

  “I don’t care about walking. But I have until June first to ‘get my act together’,” he says with air quotes. “After that, I’m outta here.”

  I cock my head to the side. “You’re that anxious to leave Bearing, even if you don’t graduate?”

  He snort laughs, which is pretty shocking. It’s the closest thing to humor I’ve gotten from him, even if it is sarcasm.

  “No, June first is my deadline with my mom. She gave me until then to finish school and move out.”

  Oh wow…

  “And then what? She expects you to just get your diploma and find a job?” That’s pretty crazy, if you ask me.

  Alex shrugs. “I think she figures I’ll get scholarships for wrestling. I was offered some, but not if I graduate with less than a two point five.”

  I puff out my cheeks and blow out a slow breath. That’s asking a lot, to get his grades up that high if he’s failing nearly everything. In less than two months. But we have to try. I’m determined to do everything I can to help the guy who’s done so much to help me.

  “Okay, let’s look at your schedule and the grades you have so far in each class. Then we’ll see how far behind you are. It’ll be on you to talk to your teachers about make-up work and extra credit.”

  Alex looks at me. No, he stares at me, actually. Long enough that it starts to get uncomfortable and I want to look away. I force my eyes to stay on his.

  “Why are you wanting to help me?” he asks with so much confusion that I realize no one has ever offered to help him before, or never wanted to. He’s told me his mom let him stay in the house and paid for his Athole tuition, but as far as I know, she hasn’t so much as texted him to check on him since I’ve been here.

  Of course, my parents were probably even more absent than his, so…

  I shrug as I try to find the right words. How do I explain to him what I’m feeling? It’s not pity, for sure. It’s not even gratitude that’s driving my desire to help him in whatever way I can. Honestly, I just really want the best for Alex. I want him to succeed.

  “You mean a lot to me,” I admit to him and feel my cheeks color. “I want you to have a good life. I want the best for you,” I finish, my voice breaking.

  Surprise crosses his face at my words. He swallows hard, and I watch his Adam’s apple bob. His eyes move back to his hands and focus on where my hand is still on top of his. He turns his hand over and twines his fingers through mine.

  “You, uh, mean a lot to me too,” he says quietly. “Don’t know why, but I can’t seem to help it. I think about you all the time. Kinda pisses me off,” he says with a disgusted voice.

  I should be offended by his words, but they make me happy. He’s admitting that he cares about me, that he likes me. Maybe even more. At least this isn’t a one-sided thing going on here. I’d hate to be pining away for Alex the Crusher, only to get my heart pummeled.

  A laugh escapes me, more relief than anything. “Well, while it might piss you off, I have to say that it makes me happy that you feel the same way. But for now, you need to get back to school. You’re gonna be late for fourth period, and you already missed third.”

  He shrugs. “I got excused for the day. Ben took care of it.”

  That surprises me. I knew he’d gotten me excused, but I didn’t know that he had too. But the mention of Ben brings to mind a question that had been burning in the back of my mind.

  “What was the deal with Ben and Beth? I thought he hated her after that video and all.”

  “Dunno,” Alex says, shrugging his wide shoulders. “Heard he made an announcement that she was his girl today and that they’d spent last week trapped in a cabin up at Lake MeeLee.” He shrugs again.

  “Guess they worked things out.”

  Well, yeah, seems liked it. “I’m glad. Beth is a
nice person.”

  That comment makes Alex jerk his head up. “You say that after what she did with Coach and all?”

  It’s my turn to shrug. “Not my place to judge. I always figure there are two sides to every story, you know? I’ve been judged for stuff that wasn’t my fault and it hurts… a lot. I just figured Beth had her own story to tell, but no one was giving her a chance.” I smile.

  “And she was the only one who would talk to me when I was stinking up the school. That makes her good people in my book.”

  Alex seems surprised by my answer and he looks up at me again. “That’s… that’s a, um, that’s a nice way to look at it.”

  Almost as if summoned, Alex’s phone dings. He turns it on, frowns at the screen for a few minutes, then turns it to me. I’m shocked to see that it’s the video of Beth and Coach Penn. I never wanted to see it again and I start to protest, but Alex stops me.

  “Just watch.”

  My eyes widen when I realize it’s not just the clip that got sent out to the entire school — I’d unfortunately seen it at school the day after it was sent out when I had the school’s internet available — but this video is an unedited version, except that Beth’s naked parts are blurred out, thankfully.

  And it takes just a minute before it’s clear that the coach raped Beth — after drugging her. I mutter a choice curse word that has Alex chuckling.

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  I smirk at him. “That is exactly why I said what I did earlier, about two sides to a story.”

  Alex nods in agreement but doesn’t comment. We’re both quiet for a few moments while he rubs his thumb over the back of my hand, making me shiver. He notices.

  “Are you cold?” he asks, concern coloring his words.

  I should use that out to explain my reaction to him. I should… but I don’t. I want Alex to know how I feel, for some reason. I think it might have to do with thinking about Beth and how Ben accepted her, how they came together despite horrible circumstances.