Brothers of the Flame (An Ariel Kimber Novel Book 1)

by Mary Martel

  Easy for him to say. He didn’t have the Pretty Princesses giving him the stink eye. Which is exactly what they were doing to me. They made no bones about despising me.

  Tyson had to shove me all the way down the narrow aisle. Today he pushed me into the very last seat as he took the one in front of me, acting as some sort of human shield. This was new. I blinked at his back as he swiveled in his seat and glared menacingly at any unfortunate person who dared look in my direction.

  I burst out laughing. My entire body shook with mirth. Two days ago he’d shot that look at me and now… He looked at me with wide eyes and a stunned look on his face as my laughter died down. His dark eyes heated as they roamed over my face.

  “Hey, freak show,” Chucky called out loudly as he plopped down into the desk beside mine. I flinched and stared straight ahead, refusing to look at him. The insult stung even worse today. “What happened to your face? Did your boyfriend here beat you up or something?”

  I felt him move as he leaned across the aisle towards me. His coffee breath floated across my face, making me crinkle my nose. I made a mental note to not breathe in anyone’s face after drinking a cup of coffee because it was a rather unpleasant thing to experience.

  The giant brunette beside me either didn’t notice my discomfort or he didn’t care because he didn’t back up and I saw his dimple pop out.

  “If you want, I could beat him up for you.”

  This surprised me so much my lips parted in shock and I stupidly turned to look at him. He grinned at me devilishly.

  “Whaa… what?” I sputtered.

  “If you go out on a date with me I’ll beat the shit out of whoever did that to your face.” He placed his right first in his left hand and cracked his knuckles loudly.

  Good lord.

  What would he have to say if I told him it was my mother who’d messed up my face? But, no, I’d already told too many people.

  And, seriously? “You just called me freak show less than two minutes ago. And now you want to help me?” My voice sounded as baffled as I felt. I looked at Tyson in question but he didn’t notice because his angry eyes were burning at Chucky. He looked about two seconds away from launching out of his chair and tackling the big, dimpled football player.

  “You are a freak show around here. You’ve got all those piercings in your ears and the one in your lip.” Chucky shrugged unapologetically. “Not to mention the goth thing.”

  “Goth thing?” I asked.

  “Black clothes.”

  I shook my head at him, no less baffled than I had been a minute ago.

  “You tripped me,” I pointed out.

  He shrugged again. “Yeah. I’m a dick, but if you go out on a date with me I promise I won’t be a dick to you anymore. And, as a bonus, I’ll beat up the person who messed up your face.”

  In front of me Tyson coughed into his hand in an attempt to cover up his laughter. I didn’t find anything funny about this conversation. The people at this school were insane.

  “I’m not going on a date with you,” I told him honestly. Like I’d ever go out on a date with someone who called me terrible names as they humiliated me in a very public way. Please. I had more self-respect than that.

  “We’ll see,” Chucky muttered confidently. “Girls love me. Your name’s Ariel, right?”

  I nodded as Tyson’s shoulders shook with his hilarity. I wanted to smack him upside the back of his head.

  Mr. Franklin strolled into the classroom as the second bell rung.

  “You want to be my partner, Ariel?” Chucky asked me quietly.

  I shook my head in the negative.

  “We’ll see,” he muttered again, also confidently. I ignored him. Even if I did want to partner up with him (which I absolutely did not) Mr. Franklin had made it blatantly obvious there would be no switching of partners.

  “Please get out your papers and pass them forward,” Mr. Franklin barked without even so much as a good morning.

  I tapped Tyson on the shoulder with my fingertip. He ignored me as he dug through his backpack. When he found what he wanted he passed it forward without so much as even a glance back in my direction.

  “Tyson,” I whispered frantically. “What the heck do you think you’re doing? Give me my paper right this instant.”

  He did no such thing. “You’ll get it back at the end of the semester.”

  He could have written anything and refused to allow me to read it. I hated him.

  I sat back in my chair and chucked my pencil at the back of his head. He just laughed quietly at me.

  ***

  “Ariel, where’s your lunch?” One of the twins asked me.

  “She didn’t have time to make a lunch for herself this morning, remember?” Tyson spoke from behind me as he placed a tray of food on the table in front of me.

  “What’s this?” I asked in surprise.

  “Lunch,” he stated calmly as he sat down next to me at the picnic table. Addison was seated directly across from me, Abel across from Tyson.

  I looked down at the tray in awe and horror. Two water bottles. Two containers of curly fries. Four cheese filled breadsticks with a side of marinara. A medium sized, clear plastic cup that was supposed to be used for condiments but was now filled to the brim with sliced, hamburger dill pickles. Two chicken fillet sandwiches. And a plethora of condiment packets.

  My eyes grew wide as I took it all in. Clearly, Tyson wanted me to get fat. What a waste of food and money.

  I looked to Tyson and admitted, “I can’t eat all of this. I can’t even eat half.”

  He grinned at me and flashed his white teeth, totally blinding me and robbing me of speech. I loved his smile. “It’s not all for you,” he told me after his smile faded away. “I didn’t pack a lunch either. Also, I wasn’t sure if the twins had brought lunches with them today either. This food is for all of us, but you get first pick.”

  “I didn’t pack a lunch,” Abel admitted as he ran one big hand through his dark hair. “I waited until the last possible second to get out of bed today. Twin, what about you?”

  Addison eyeballed his brother with concern as he pulled a brown paper bag out of his backpack. “Did you not sleep good, twin? I didn’t notice. You should have woken me up.”

  Abel sliced his hand through the air, dismissing his brothers’ words. “It’s fine, just feed me.” He pointed at his brothers’ lunch bag. “What do you have in there?”

  Addison pulled out an apple and sat it on top of the picnic table. Then a round container with a lid, he placed a white, plastic fork on top of it. Then he pulled out a yogurt container and a white, plastic spoon. The last thing he placed on the table was an apple flavored Snapple.

  I picked up a chicken fillet sandwich, popped off the top bun and dumped the entire container of pickles on top. Then I plopped it back on the tray and ripped open a packet of mayo. I squeezed the mayo into the now empty pickle cup. I put the cup down and picked up my sandwich again. I dunked it into the mayo and took a huge bite.

  “Yummy,” I mumbled through a mouthful of food. And that was no lie. The sandwich was delicious. I redunked into the mayo and was about to take another bite but came up short when I noticed the guys watching me with big eyes and opened mouths. Whatever. I took another bite of deliciousness. It wasn’t that weird.

  Abel cleared his throat. “What’s in the container, twin?”

  “Meatloaf.”

  I wrinkled my nose in disgust. A big glob of meat smothered in Ketchup and stuffed full of tiny pieces of onions, now that was gross. Tyson laughed at my face as he picked up a container of curly fries.

  “Ariel, do you care what I eat?” Abel asked me sweetly.

  I covered my mouth with my hand as I finished chewing. I swallowed down my food then answered, “I only want one of the breadsticks. And you can have my water. I bought one from a vending machine earlier and it’s still mostly full so I don’t need it. Ask Tyson what he plans on eating.”

  “Eat what
ever,” Tyson stuffed a curly fryinto his mouth.

  “Thanks,” Abel muttered as he picked up the other chicken sandwich. I slid my water bottle across the table towards him.

  After another dunk in the mayo I went to take another bite but came up short at the sound of footsteps behind me. Abel and Addison froze and glared over my shoulder. My mouth flopped open as Chucky plopped down on the bench seat to the picnic table beside ours. The Queen of the Pretty Princess’s, her minion and the Queen’s male twin weren’t far behind him.

  I hated this stupid school.

  After the incident with Chucky in first hour, I’d completely put him out of my mind as I went through classes with Tyson and the twins.

  Chucky grinned at me broadly as the two girls put their heads together and started whispering behind their hands. I shook my head and stuffed more of my mayo covered sandwich in my mouth. These people were ruining the only time throughout the day where I got all three of my new friends at the same time. Not to mention the peace and quiet, the only peace and quiet I got throughout the school day.

  “Hey, Ariel,” Chucky called cheerfully.

  My lips parted for a second before I realized I had a mouthful of food and it was rude to be staring at him openmouthed. So I closed my mouth and gave him a very awkward and very nerdy finger wave. Then I went back to eating while ignoring them. I thought about how I’d treated the girl who tried to be nice to me in creative writing. I had thought she was trying to trick me in some way in order to hurt me. I might have been wrong and misjudged her. She may have had the best of intentions and she may have really wanted to try and be my friend. I didn’t care about that and I had no intention of going out of my way now to try and befriend her. Not when she had so easily sported a glare and a dirty look just like the rest of them. It was the reason why I had been so cautious that I needed to not forget. I needed to remember it when dealing with Chucky. He had hidden motives and he likely wanted to hurt me. He had hurt me when he tripped me in front of our whole class. I’d never forget that. How stupid did Chucky think I was? How stupid was Chucky? He didn’t seem smart enough to maneuver such a play on his own.

  These people and my beautiful companions were the reason I couldn’t fly under the radar here. Well, that and my whorish psycho of a mother.

  None of it, however, had anything to do with me. The whole thing was starting to piss me off. I was used to being angry. Anger and I had always been tight, we had a good, if not a tad unhealthy, relationship. But never, ever had I allowed myself to embrace it. I was always calm and in control of myself, I had to be.

  But now…

  I felt my control slipping a little. My face heated with my anger, and, strangely, so did the rest of my body. It felt oddly familiar. I wanted to pick up my tray and hurl it over at their table, not caring who it hit just so long as it hit someone.

  “Ariel?” Tyson asked quietly. “What’s wrong?”

  Wasn’t that a loaded question if I ever heard one. What’s wrong, Ariel Kimber? What is wrong… hmm… Well, let me see here. Let’s start with my throbbing headache I had due to my mother’s abusive ways. She’d marked me and it made the top part of my face not so pretty to look at. All because I had a sweet new Ranger Rover I was madly in love with that I should probably never drive again because my mother might one day soon strap a pipe bomb underneath the driver’s seat and when I turned the key in the ignition it would trigger the bomb and blow my ass into a million little (very unattractive, mind you) pieces.

  So, I had that going for me.

  And, now, it seemed I had Chucky. One second he’s calling me freak show and in the next breath he’s telling me he’ll avenge my honor for the small price of a date. A date with Chucky. What would that be like? I had a theory.

  Here goes…

  Chucky would pick me up at my house because, let’s face it, he wouldn’t want to miss out on the possibility of getting an eye full of my mother. And could we blame him, here? Then he’d take me to some fast food dive where I’d likely have to buy my own meal. Not that it would really bother me, but it was the principle behind the thing. You ask and you should be willing to pay. Just my personal belief here. The meal would be awkward because I’m betting Chucky hadn’t been lying earlier when he called himself a dick. So he’d likely say a bunch of A-hole things I’d find cringe worthy. Then, on the ride home, he’d make a detour where he would pull off and park in some desolate place. Once parked, I’d protest while he tried to feel me up. Then they’d show up. You know who, the people sitting at the table next to me. They’d drag me out of Chucky’s vehicle by my hair before they beat the ever-loving crap out of me.

  Yeah, sadly, all Chucky would get out of me was the word no.

  “Ariel?” Tyson again.

  “I’m fine,” I muttered as I went back to eating.

  I think I might have lied to him.

  Chapter Ten

  They were having sex. Or, maybe they weren’t having sex but they were definitely working their way towards the big, dirty deed.

  And they were loud.

  No, that’s wrong. Only she was being loud. Obnoxiously so. Her moaning resembled the noises a dying animal would probably make. Mr. Cole kept shushing her. She paid him no mind, of course. Honestly, I don’t know how he kept his erection through the whole ordeal.

  My mother. A serious piece of work. This whole show she was putting on was entirely for me. Mad about the Rover, she’d clearly chosen this as part of my punishment. She’d set the scene and I had waltzed right into it.

  I’d gotten home from school the exact same time as I had the last two days so she’d known when to time it right. I walked through the front door and I heard them, I heard her. If I wanted to make it to the stairs so I could go up to my bedroom, I’d have to walk right past them. And that was the whole point. She wanted me to see them having sex. My mother let her bitter jealousy and resentment get the better of her, like usual.

  I could either walk past the dining room where they were and risk them seeing me, and I knew they’d see me because she was waiting for it, or I could turn around and walk right back out the front door.

  I picked option number two. Not for me, but for Mr. Cole. I’d seen my mother in a serious state of undress (read: naked) before. I’d even seen her in several different sexual positions with several different men. Right out in the open because she’d either forgotten I existed or hadn’t cared. This time was different because she hadn’t forgotten about me at all, in fact, this was the exact opposite of that.

  No, I picked option number two because I didn’t want to embarrass Mr. Cole. And if I walked in on him having sex with my mother on his dining room table he would certainly be mortified.

  I couldn’t do it to him, and I had no intention of giving that woman exactly what she wanted.

  I’d always been a pawn in her game, the only serious one she’d ever had. Now she had two to play with. This terrified me. You could cause way more damage with two than just one. Nobody knew me better than my own mother and she’d know that I liked him and wouldn’t want to hurt him. She’d find some way to use that to her advantage. And by advantage, I meant some way to use it against me.

  Walking out the front door, I couldn’t help but despise my mother. She was a terrible person, and the two of us together were likely going to destroy Mr. Cole’s life.

  I had nowhere to go. What I did have was a pretty, brand spankin’ new, Range Rover with a full tank of gas and an ipod with a whole lot of music on it and nothing but time on my hands.

  I’d leave without a word and let her think she won this round. It might backfire on me, though. Maybe I should go back inside, make my presence known and get my punishment over with just to be done with it. I should do that. I should, but I wasn’t going to. I liked Mr. Cole too much to harm him just to save my own ass.

  I was frowning and buried deep in my thoughts as I made my way to the garage. I had parked inside because I hadn’t planned on going anywhere and that’s
what Mr. Cole had told me to do. My stomach grumbled angrily at me. I had not eaten enough today to satisfy it. School was hard work and I was hungry.

  “Ariel, where are you going?” One of the twins asked me. I wasn’t really surprised to hear him, they seemed to be everywhere I was.

  I looked up to see Addison standing at the edge of Tyson’s driveway just before the grass. I guess I should have referred to it as his driveway, too. He stood statue still with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his black cargo pants, his clear blue eyes filled with worry. I didn’t understand why he’d worry about me, he barely knew me.

  I stopped in my tracks. “I can’t be here right now,” I told him honestly.

  “Why?” he asked gently.

  I licked my lips, nervously. I didn’t want to tell him. At what point would my mother’s stink taint me in his eyes? In the eyes of the others?

  “Come here,” he rumbled quietly.

  I hesitated, not knowing what to do.

  He sighed heavily and loudly. “Come on, girl. Let’s go into the house. Everyone’s already in there waiting for us. Quint even ordered pizza and it should be here soon. You don’t want to be late for that. Being late means you don’t get to eat. Not with that crowd.”

  Tempting me with food? I liked him, he was smart.

  I smiled sadly at him and headed his way. We walked side by side to Tyson’s house. Our arms brushed lightly, sending heat up my arm. This heat was really starting to get to me. Where did it come from and why did it have such a profound effect on me? It was the strangest thing.

  “What’s wrong at your house that you can’t be there?”

  Why couldn’t he be like a normal person and just let it go when he realized I wasn’t comfortable talking about it?