“Hi. I’m Austin …”
I grab Lacey’s outreached hand and yank it back. We don’t have time for this. The guys are still here somewhere, and it’s apparent they plan to fuck with me tonight. “We gotta go,” I announce and yank her away from them.
“Where were you?” she asks once we’re away from them.
I look over my shoulder to see if the guys have followed me. All I see are the couples, and now a third one has joined them. “The guys ... They—”
“What?” she interrupts. “What did they do?”
“I ...” deep breath, rubbing my sore neck. “They ...”
Music begins to pound so loud it shakes the dirty walls. I flinch and place my hands over my ears. “What the fuck?” I shout.
“Come on,” she yells and grabs my hand, yanking me down the hall. We come to the end and step out onto a balcony. Looking down on the first floor, I see an arena type structure. It’s the cafeteria where the boys once gathered for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s one of the largest rooms here at Death Valley. It’s also where I sat the night Scout brought me inside after he found me lying on the lawn. They’ve cleared it all out for the fights.
A man stands in the middle dressed in a pair of stained jeans and a white wifebeater. The music changes to “Shoots and Ladders” by Korn, and I stiffen as a figure steps into the center.
It’s Scout.
He removes his mask, then his hoodie, and tosses them both over to Law. A crowd begins to form.
“What’s going on?” Lacey asks.
“He’s about to fight,” I answer. “That’s the only reason we come here. To fuck, fight, or get high.”
The guy in the center with the microphone smiles as he spins around in a circle. “Welcome to hell!”
Everyone explodes in cheering him on.
“There you go, Cole.”
I look over to my left to see the two couples have come over to see what’s going on.
“This is your kind of place,” the guy who holds hands with the blonde says.
“You’re not fighting. Not here. Not tonight,” the brunette tells her husband. “You’ll kill them.”
The guy I now know as Cole cracks a smile. “It would make this place more tolerable.”
“No,” both girls say in unison.
The other guy laughs, shaking his head. “Where the fuck did Shane go?” he asks, taking a quick look behind us.
“You know Shane,” the blonde says. “He and Brynn are probably fucking in a room somewhere.”
I swallow the knot that instantly forms in my throat at that thought. It makes a chill run up my spine. Just like that night I watched Dax fuck Brenda in the room I had just been standing in.
I stumble down the hall, carrying my drink in one hand. I blink rapidly, trying to clear my blurry vision. Fuck, what did I take? That pill is fucking with me.
“Dax …” I hear a girl laugh.
A-ha. I told Scout he was here. I slide my free hand along the wall. This place was once a gorgeous palace, but now it’s nothing but a dirty shack. The walls have holes and burn marks on them from the fire.
I come to the chapel as I hear her again. “I’m not in the mood.”
“I am.” A male’s voice chuckles.
“Dax … what …?” Her words are cut off.
Walking in, I stumble to a stop.
A girl lies in the corner with her skirt pushed up to her waist. One hand is pressed over her mouth, another around her neck. Her arms flail aimlessly in the air. A man I know well straddles her. His hips thrust forward over and over. He has a baseball cap on that she manages to push off.
I stand paralyzed. Blinking, I try to comprehend what I’m seeing. He doesn’t stop, but she does. Her arms drop to her side, and her body stops fighting.
He thrusts one more time and then gets up off her. She lies there, and I see a pair of panties ripped on the floor next to her. He picks them up and places them in his pocket. He removes the condom and tosses it to the corner.
I get a look at her face. It’s Brenda Nash. I know her from school.
He bends down and pulls her skirt down over her exposed thighs. Then he turns to face me. He stops when he sees me. Our eyes meet, and I blink. My face feels wet. Am I crying? I can’t move. My feet feel cemented to the floor. I realize I’ve dropped my drink when I bring both hands to cover my mouth.
“Dax,” I manage to get out.
He storms over to me. Wrapping his hand around my neck, he shoves my back into the nearest wall. I can’t fight him. The drugs too strong. My body too weak at the moment.
He smiles down at me like he’s happy I caught him. As if he wanted an audience. “This is our little secret,” he says, lowering his head on my neck and inhaling my scent.
I shake uncontrollably against him.
“Or you’ll be next.” With that, he lets go of me and exits the room.
I fall to my knees, unable to stand anymore. “Brenda?” I cry out. She isn’t moving. I crawl to her and shake her small body. “Brenda? Wake up.”
I dig my cell out of my pocket and dial 911.
I had rushed out of the room and out of the building. I didn’t want him to come back and catch me on the phone with the cops. So instead, I waited for them out on the lawn. Once they arrived, I showed them to the chapel. But to my surprise, her body was gone. But the condom was there. Later in court, it was said that the condom did, in fact, have both Brenda and Dax’s DNA, but it did not prove rape or murder. Plus, Dax confessed that he had slept with her, but she had still been very much alive when he walked away.
It was utter bullshit!
“You okay?” Lacey asks, placing her hands on my shoulder.
I jump but recover quickly. “Yeah.”
I look down to see Scout standing in the middle of the room. Blood covers his hands, chest, and face. It’s not his. The other guy lies face down, knocked out. The crowd is chanting his name. He turns and looks up at me like he feels my stare. And he smirks.
I step back and look at Lacey. “Let’s go.” I’ve had enough of memory lane tonight. Coming here wasn’t going to accomplish anything except for them playing with me like a toy.
Scout
I watch Henley turn and walk away. My smile widens. My girl thinks she can take us on. I know what she’s doing. It’s not going to work, but I’ll give her time. I’ll let her think she has a chance at beating me.
My eyes slide to the right, and I spot two guys I know. Everyone knows them—the Great White Sharks. Cole and Deke moved here from Oregon. A lot of kids at my high school have older brothers and sisters who attend UT, so word of them spread like wildfire when they started at the University of Texas last year.
There are several rumors about them, and their story sounds similar to the one Henley fabricated. The only difference is Dax really is innocent. He didn’t rape Brenda, and he sure as hell didn’t kill her. I have a feeling that they did exactly what they were accused of but were smart about it. I know if I ever kill someone, there would be no evidence left behind to convict me. No. I’d bury that body deeper than a man could dig. And I’d frame someone else to take the fall. Because I’ve seen my father do it a hundred times in his business.
Always tie up loose ends.
He taught me. And Henley is a big loose end that I would love to tie to my bed, but that’s not an option. No. I’ll have to get creative with her.
“Here you go.” Matthew Hope hands me a wad of cash. “It’s all there.”
“I trust you,” I say. He knows if a dollar is missing, I’ll take it out on his face.
He walks over to the guy I knocked the fuck out and grabs his arms. Pulling him out of the center of the makeshift arena, he gets ready for the next fight.
I walk over to the side where my friends stand. Dax has his arms crossed over his chest, looking up at the balcony. “What do you think they’re doing here?” he asks.
“Who?” Law follows his line of sight.
“T
he Sharks.” Dax growls. “Think they’re here to fight?”
“No.” I snort. According to Deke’s social media pages, his friend Cole likes to fight. All you have to do is type in his name and videos pop up of him kicking other guys’ asses. If you ask me, the guy has some major anger issues.
“Maybe they came to watch you,” Rellik adds.
“Doubtful.” I pull my shirt up and over my head. “Come on. We accomplished what we wanted.”
“You think she’s sticking with her plan?” Law asks, knowing I’m referring to Henley.
“Yeah. She’s not going to give up that easily.” I hope. Otherwise, there’s no fun in what we’re doing.
I’ve known her all my life. She wasn’t raised to be a quitter, and that’s what we’re counting on.
She may believe in God, but he cannot save her from this hell. Down here, we all worship without the need for redemption.
To be continued …
Be sure to join my readers group for upcoming releases, exclusive teasers and giveaways.
Join here: https://bit.ly/3aPBJFR
Want to see where it all started for the Great White Sharks?
I Dare You and If You Dare can be read as standalones. All are FREE in KU!
I DARE YOU: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Dare Series Book 1)
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/39MowO0
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/39ByVMd
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3aIq1N6
I PROMISE YOU: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Dare Series Book 2)
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/338jTuO
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2W1cUT3
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2Q1Yxdy
IF YOU DARE: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Dare Series Book3)
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3aL5uay
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/38IF0VM
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2TDNN76
About the author
Shantel is a Texas born girl who now lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her high school sweetheart, who is a wonderful, supportive husband and their two daughters. She loves to spend time cuddled up on the couch with a good book.
She considers herself extremely lucky to get to work from home. Going to concerts and the movies are just a few of her favorite things to do. She hates coffee but loves wine. She and her husband are both huge football fans, college and NFL. And she has to feed her high heel addiction by shopping for shoes weekly.
Although she has a passion to write, her family is most important to her. She loves spending evenings at home with her husband and daughters, along with their cats and dogs.
Blurb
Hood River was supposed to be the change I needed.
A fresh start.
An escape from my painful past.
Better in every way.
I’m a popular guy. Approachable. I make friends easily.
Cool car. Nice clothes. Good attitude.
Everything will be fine.
School is school.
I’ll keep my head down until graduation and try not to stick out.
College will be here before I know it.
Yet my first day proves to be anything but easy.
The Hood River Hoodlums—our school’s most notorious group of bad boys—have put a target on my back.
Their leader, Roan, hates me.
He calls me Rat.
To him and his friends, I’m a loser who doesn’t belong at their school.
I could pretend I don’t care about their hate.
If only Roan wasn’t so hot.
He’s mean, cruel, and sexy as hell.
My nemesis is impossible to ignore…and a secret part of me doesn’t want to.
Here I thought being gay was the worst of my problems.
Turns out, being gay and crushing on your enemy takes the cake.
Chapter One
Hollis
GUILT IS A ravenous beast. One I tend to feed on the daily. Not because I want to, but because it demands it. With every sad smile my mother gives me and each emotional meltdown of one of my little sisters, the beast begs to be fed.
I did this to them.
I ruined my mother and uprooted my sisters.
I’m a selfish, selfish boy.
A shudder ripples through me as my father’s words repeat inside my head. You ripped apart this family, son. You.
I’m gay.
Being gay shouldn’t be a problem. This isn’t some era or a foreign country where this isn’t deemed acceptable. It’s on television, movies, commercials, and books. Friends and teachers and family. Someone is gay. No big deal.
But to Dr. English, Vermont’s most revered surgeon, being gay was an embarrassment. Having his oldest child come out to his school and it make its way to the hospital where Dad works was the shock of his life. Never mind the fact that Vermont is really accepting of gays. It was my father who was not. Rather than being a normal fucking human about it, Dad blew up in the worst way. Threatened to kick me out. To disown me. To take away my car, my trust fund, my college savings.
Yet…he was unsuccessful.
Mom stood in front of me and took his wrath. Chose me over him. Ended a twenty-year marriage because protecting her son was more important than protecting her marriage.
I love her for that.
I also hate me for that.
She shouldn’t have had to choose. She shouldn’t have had to leave her cushy life as a surgeon’s wife to move out west to Oregon. Away from her friends. Away from her life. Away from everything. Sure, we could have stayed and continued our life there without Dad, but Mom said she needed the support of her sister.
“What’s wrong, honey?” she asks, sipping from her coffee mug, her hip propped against the countertop in my aunt Karen’s kitchen.
I stiffen, hating that she caught me deep in my self-loathing thoughts. She’s so perceptive, so normally I do everything in my power to keep that from her. My mother has enough to worry about with Charlotte and Penny.
“Nothing, Mom,” I tell her with a bright smile. “Just thinking about school.”
She sets her mug down and walks over to me. Her fingers ruffle my dark blond hair that matches hers exactly. “I can read you better than I can read myself. You’re nervous.”
“Yeah,” I lie. “New school, new friends. It’ll be fine.”
Her lips press together. “I can try and get you in the private school, but you insist on public. I can manage a way to pay for it.”
But she can’t.
Again, because of me.
Mom now works as a bank teller and we live with Aunt Karen until she can get on her feet. Dad will eventually have to pay obligatory child support and alimony, but it’s not enough for Mom to buy us a house and pay for private school. And until the divorce goes through, she’s scraping by just to feed us.
“I swear,” I assure her. “It’ll be fine.” This time, I mean it. I came from a school where I was well-liked and popular. Most of my friends I had since kindergarten. I’m an easygoing guy and tend to make friends without having to try too hard. That’s not what I’m worried about.
I’m worried about Mom.
“Promise me you’ll let me know if the academics aren’t what they should be. I want you to still have all the same opportunities you had back home.”
“The academics are better at Hood River,” Aunt Karen says in her no-nonsense principal voice. “We’ve gone over this, Kelsey.”
Mom sighs and steps away, shaking her head at her sister. “I know. I’m just worried. They’re starting in the middle of the school year.”
“Garrett knew what he was doing when he gave you that ultimatum,” Aunt Karen tells her gently, stroking her fingers through Mom’s blond hair. “And my strong sister stood up to him, even if it meant a little chaos for her children. You did the right thing.”
Once again, the guilt threatens to drown me.
“Hollis is the most resilient kid I know.” Aunt Karen smiles fondly at
me. “And if anyone gives you grief, I’ll give them detention.” She shrugs and chuckles as though she’s teasing, but we both know she’s not. I’m not sure having my aunt as the principal is a good thing or a bad thing.
“I really will be okay.” I give them both a reassuring grin. “Four months and I’ll graduate. I’ve got this.”
As they set to preparing breakfast for my little sisters, I flip through my phone. Dad canceled our phone plan, so Mom got us new ones once we got to Hood River. I had to input all my old friends and text them from my new number. Some haven’t responded back and I don’t know what to make of that.
This will just have to be a fresh start. I’ll skim through the next four months unnoticed and when I go off to college, I can be the Hollis I was meant to be. Guilt-free and gay. At Hood River, I plan to be invisible Hollis.
“My hair won’t act right,” Charlotte wails as she stomps into the kitchen. Her blond hair is sleek pulled back in a ponytail and doesn’t look bad, so I don’t know what her deal is.
“You look beautiful,” Mom assures her.
“I look gross and no one will want to be my friend.” She turns on the waterworks, making my mom’s shoulders hunch with defeat. It kills me.
“Toughen up, Char,” Aunt Karen barks out. “If you go into middle school crying, they’re going to make fun of you. Your hair is beautiful and so are you. That’s enough.”
Mom winces at Aunt Karen’s harsh delivery, but she doesn’t correct her. This only makes Charlotte cry harder. I don’t remember being so emotional in the eighth grade.
“My iPad is broken,” Penny complains, walking into the kitchen shoeless and still half asleep. At twelve, she’s more worried about her stupid apps than school.
“Your iPad is going to go into the trash if you don’t get ready for school right now,” Mom threatens, pointing upstairs.
Penny pouts and stomps off.
“Right,” I say with a sigh. “Who wants a ride to school?”
“I’ll take the girls to their schools,” Aunt Karen says. “Just get yourself settled in. When you get there, ask for Ms. Sommers. She’s the counselor and will have your schedule. If you need anything during the day, come see me.”
Bully Me: Class of 2020 Page 66