by KC Kean
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I ask, and he just rolls his eyes at me, pointing for me to do it. I relent since the parking lot is already nearly full, and pull into his space. I give him my best glare as I put the SUV in park. “And for the record, I am not a cookie,” I grumble, which he ignores as he steps out.
“If you need me, and I mean it, you call, text, whatever. I can drop the Switzerland act in a second if you need me to,” he offers, again, the softness in his eyes showing me how serious he is, and it only adds to my confusion with him.
“Why? Why would you do that?” I ask, unable to just leave it be, and he glances over his shoulder at his friends before responding.
“Because your soul is a little bit broken, like mine. But theirs—theirs are already shattered into a million pieces, and there’s no coming back from that. I don’t want that for you.”
Without waiting for a response, he shuts the door and heads for the group of football players waiting at the edge of the path.
I finally let my eyes drift over to them fully, and I’m not really surprised to see the three Allstar dicks staring straight at me.
A knock on my window catches me by surprise and I about jump out of my skin as I whirl around to find Charlie smiling through the glass and waving at me like a maniac. Her brown hair is pulled back in a ponytail, thick black rim glasses sit on her nose, and a light touch of makeup. I love the cute dress she’s wearing, covered in little sunflowers, falling to mid-thigh.
My hand falls to my chest as I try to calm my racing heart and take a deep breath.
Charlie opens the door before I even get a chance, her smile widening as she sees my outfit. “Girl, you are trouble on legs, you know that?”
“And you almost gave me a heart attack,” I say with a pout, but she only grins wider.
“No more hovering, let’s get this over with, shall we,” she states, not really asking me a question at all, and I try not to grimace.
Making sure to grab my gym bag along with my purse, I climb down from the G-Wagon and brush off my shorts as Charlie shuts the door for me, already feeling the heat of the day on my back.
She takes off for the long path, lined with perfectly manicured lawns on either side, leading up to the stairs, and I fall into step beside her.
Instantly, I feel eyes on me from all directions, whispers and snickers picking up as we near the walkway, but I place my sunglasses on my nose, covering my eyes from view as my wavy blonde hair floats around my face.
With each step we take, we get closer to the douches, but I lift my chin up, straighten my spine, and continue walking.
Thankfully, they are standing more on the grass to the left of the path, so we have a clear walking area to the steps. There must be another six guys standing along with Archie and the Allstars, in addition to the two bitches from Friday, and a handful of more girls rubbing themselves up against any guy they can.
I hate that my eyes take in every inch of Xavier, Hunter, and Tobias, committing their muscular frames, messy hair, and piercing eyes to memory. Especially since they’re bound to open their mouths and ruin everything anyway.
Just when I think I’ve managed to get by the group, I hear someone clap their hands in slow motion, and I force myself to keep on walking.
“The whore has arrived ladies and gentlemen,” a girl sings out, and I hear laughter burst from a few people, but I don’t stop putting one foot in front of another. I hear a deep voice grunt something, and everyone in the group falls silent, but I don’t dare look back to see who. I just hope it wasn’t Archie.
“It’s all good, girl. We made it through arrival, just the next six hours to go,” Charlie offers, bumping her shoulder against mine, and I shake my head at her.
“Charlie, where are your friends? Aren’t some of those girls on the cheer squad?” I ask, unable to stop myself, and she scoffs in response.
“Eden, I said I was shielded, not popular.” I have no idea how that worked, but she seemed okay either way. “Have you got calculus first?” she asks, moving the conversation, and I pull my phone out to check.
“Yeah, sadly.”
“Good, me too. The teacher is super chill, so I should be able to get you up to speed on everything that has happened since Monday,” she offers, and I smile appreciatively.
I hate gossip, but fuck, I’m pretty sure ninety-nine percent of it was about me, and I’d rather be in the know than shove my head in the sand.
I follow Charlie blindly to her locker, then she shows me where my own is, across from her, and my heart pounds when she murmurs that Hunter’s is beside mine. I make quick work of dropping my gym bag inside and hightailing it to class with her.
I should have visited here on my first day, but there was no time in the morning, and by the end of lunch, I wasn’t even here.
Taking the seat beside her when we arrive, no one really pays us any mind until Xavier walks in with Tobias and Hunter hot on his toes.
My skin prickles as Xavier stops just inside of the door, the other two douches flanking his sides as he glares at me, stopping anyone else from stepping through the doors.
Xavier’s chiseled jaw is set tight as he stares me down, his biceps bulging under his black muscle fit T-shirt as his fists clench at his side. Looking to his right, I almost grin at seeing Tobias wearing his beanie in this heat, but I can’t deny the fact that it suits him. In his white tee and grey joggers, he is way more casual than Xavier. While Hunter is rocking jeans and a checkered shirt with a tank underneath, his blond hair swept to the side in disarray.
God, I’m always a sucker for the villains in the movies, it makes sense I think they’re hot here too. The Allstars scream town bad boys.
“Price,” he calls, not taking his eyes off me, and the teacher quickly stands from his desk, his sole attention on Xavier as he swipes his comb-over down on his head. Fucking suck-up.
“Yes, Mr. Knight?” Even I almost laugh at how much of an ass-kisser he sounds like right now, but Tobias does, patting him on the shoulder as he walks away from them and straight towards me, but my brain is too focused on what Xavier will say next.
“I think it would be best for the new girl to sit in the back row with me. We don’t want her up front distracted by her friends, do we?” He says it like he’s a fucking angel of god, not a disciple of the devil. My hands instantly clench, my nails digging into my palms once again, and I hate that he gains any kind of response from me. Asshole.
“Uh, yes. Yes, I agree.” The teacher turns to face me, guilt in his eyes as he tries to find the words to follow through on what Xavier just said. But there’s no need when Tobias is standing by my desk, my purse in one hand as he uses the other to grab my arm and pull me from my seat.
I try to shove him off, but he just grins down at me, licking his lips. “Fight me, you know I’ll love it.” He grins, and I stop.
“I don’t know you for shit,” I grind out, letting him pull me through the aisle of desks, and stopping at the one at the end. He dumps my purse beside it but doesn’t release his hold.
“We can rectify that whenever you like,” he whispers, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear, and a shiver ripples through me. Fuck. “Especially in this little sexy outfit.”
Pushing at his chest again, he releases me, and gives me no space but to sit down. Glancing around the classroom, I find everyone staring. I can either put up a fight, giving everyone what they want, or succumb to their little power play.
Taking a deep breath, I brush my hair behind my ear and fall into the seat, turning to face the front, and I don’t miss the smug grin on Xavier’s face as I do so.
I give him the middle finger, which makes Hunter grin and Tobias clap his hands with glee. They either like my sass or the challenge I seem to offer.
Training my gaze at the board, I attempt to ignore them as Tobias takes the seat to my right and Xavier takes the spot to my left, leaving Hunter to sink down in the seat in front of me.
Gr
eat. Fucking great.
“You’re ours, Nafas, and you’ll do well to remember we own everyone.”
With that, Xavier turns to face the front, ignoring me, and the others do as well, all while I sit waiting for them to pounce. I barely catch a word the teacher says, I feel so off-kilter. Every breath they take, the slightest movement, I feel it, spending the whole time forcing myself not to flinch.
And when the bell rings, drawing the damn lesson to an end, I realize that was their plan along.
Narcissistic.
Manipulating.
Motherfuckers.
13
Eden
Every. Fucking. Lesson. Is. The. Same.
As soon as the bell rings, I stand, grabbing my oversized purse and hightail it out of the classroom, and every time, they let me.
Fuck. They don’t let me. I don’t let them let me. Shit. They’re messing with my brain.
I can’t catch a break. They’re in every class except track, but they’re still out on the field at the same time.
I get up and leave like I have control, then the second we step into the next class, one or all of them make a show in front of everyone, clearly reminding them and me who’s in charge here.
Arrogant motherfucking assholes.
I’ve officially got today’s schedule memorized, I’ve stared at it so much. Track, followed by lunch, and then homeroom. Perfect. I can run off some steam, eat, then ditch for the last hour. Give myself some breathing space.
Maybe I could convince Charlie to go get lunch off-campus with me and drag it out over homeroom.
She doesn’t seem as surprised with the Allstars’ actions as I am, neither does Archie, who has sent me four text messages asking if I want him to pull me out of the middle of them, but I keep refusing. Let them make a show, it’ll only make bringing them to their knees all the sweeter.
Because I’ve decided that’s my new fucking challenge, alongside finding answers to my life that is nothing but a mess. I’m going to prove to these douches that I’m not their little ragdoll to play with. They don’t deserve my revenge or rage, not yet at least, but I will stand taller and reign higher than them so they can’t break me like they want to.
Stepping into the changing rooms, I follow Charlie to the far-left corner of the white tiled space and drop my gym bag beside hers.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Charlie asks again, concern in her eyes as she pulls her cheer outfit from her gym bag. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a school where you don’t have to do any other sports if you’re on the cheer squad.
“I’m fine, Charlie, honestly. I’m not going to let them intimidate me,” I answer, not even truly believing my own words as I say them, but she lets it settle.
Quickly changing into my track shorts and tank top, I slip my phone in my pocket. I don’t have a sports bra with me, I guess that’s my fault for forgetting and letting Archie pick up the slack.
I’m lacing my sneakers up when the chatter around me quietens, and the hairs on my arms stand on end, my gut telling me the sudden silence has something to do with me.
Since my back is to everyone as I have my foot up on the bench, I force myself to finish what I’m doing and look unaffected as I slowly turn around to find the bitch I smacked in the face, standing before me.
Seeing her for the first time today, I have to force the smile off my lips as I take in her bruised nose. No amount of makeup seems to be able to cover the purple coloring on her face, and I’m not even sorry about it.
With her hands on her hips, her perfectly pressed cheerleading outfit in place, and red hair pulled back off her face, she stares me down like I’m shit beneath her shoe.
Rolling my shoulders, I raise my eyebrow, refusing to voice any acknowledgment of her presence, but letting her know I see, I just don’t really care.
“You think you’re something special because you managed to convince Xavier to fuck you. You are nothing but a fucking whore, and I want you gone.” I refrain from rolling my eyes and shrug my shoulders instead.
“Sweetheart, is it because my notch is higher on his bedpost than yours? ߵCause let me tell you, I won’t be going back for a repeat, so I’m sure you will be able to convince him to slip inside your loose pussy again without any problem.” My voice is sickeningly sweet as I widen my eyes and stick out my bottom lip like a child, and she practically growls as she fists her hands at her side.
Not waiting for a response, I head for the gym door, swinging it open without a backwards glance and making my way to the field.
Charlie is at my side in an instant, a grin on her face as she tightens her ponytail. “You’re fucking fire,” she says with a chuckle, and I can’t stop my grin in response as we step onto the grass, my eyes automatically searching out the football team.
Standing in the center of the field in a team huddle, my heart rate increases as the three assholes feel me on their radar, their eyes tracking my every move.
The football jerseys’ colors are green and white. No one should look that good in green and white. Standing side by side with their white helmets in hand, they look every inch of the rugged football players I could only dream about.
Forcing myself to look away, I glance at Charlie.
“Stop, I—”
Something smacks the back of my head, not hitting me hard enough to knock me to the ground thankfully, but as I turn around instantly, I see the same bitch wanting more attention from me.
Refusing to rub my head, I glance down at my feet to see a football. This bitch threw a fucking inflated oval at the back of my head.
A fucking brand-new, hard as shit football. At. My. Head.
Yet she still couldn’t knock me down.
Oh. She’s fucking dead. Has she suddenly forgotten how I responded last time?
“Bitch!” she screeches at me, and if I wasn’t so angry, I’d laugh.
Marching towards her, I wave my finger in the air like an idiot. This girl gets under my fucking skin. I can deal with mind games. I can deal with massive catcalling and rumors, but don’t fucking hit me when my back is turned.
She’s a coward. Coming at me while my back is turned is the pussy way.
“You are so fucking stupid. I’m—”
Suddenly lifted off my feet and thrown over someone’s shoulder, my threat cut off. I don’t say a word, not a fucking peep. I don’t even try to shake out of their hold or hit out because I fucking know that’s what he would want—a scene.
There’s no need because I already know how this narcissistic fucker works, and nobody has ever had a woodsy scent like his.
Xavier.
He says nothing as he takes long strides separating me from everyone else, but I don’t miss the sound of Hunter’s voice as Xavier carries me away, his uncomfortable shoulder pads digging into my stomach like a bitch.
“Nobody fucks with her except us. Understand?”
“Fuck you, Hunter,” the girl spits out in response, and I rack my brain to try and remember her fucking name, but my body is taking over as all my focus is on Xavier.
His strong arm is braced against the back of my legs as his fingers dig into my thigh, and I’m embarrassingly close to squirming.
Just as I try to lift my head up to see where we are, Xavier slowly lowers me to the ground, dragging my body down every inch of his, and I fucking hate how my body reacts.
My feet must be barely six inches off the ground when he pauses, pinning me to him with his arm now firmly around my waist and my face perfectly in line with his.
His hazel eyes pierce mine as his brown hair falls over his forehead. With his shoulder pads on, he looks even bigger than usual, and I can feel myself almost melting against him, but I refuse.
I push off his chest, but he doesn’t budge as he continues to hold me firmly in place, clearly not impressed with my efforts.
“Put me down,” I bite out, continuing to push on his chest with my fists as he literally does nothing. “Put. Me. Down.”
“Have you not been paying attention, Eden? You don’t get a say in what happens here at Asheville High, or in Knight’s Creek in general. No. Fucking. Say,” he adds, repeating my same tone from only a moment earlier.
Glancing around, I ignore him as I realize we are on the complete opposite end of the field by the bleachers.
“Why did you stop me? That bitch keeps pushing me, and I deserve to push back. Why are you smiling? Stop fucking smiling,” I growl out, watching as the menacing smile only makes him look even crazier.
“You don’t get a say. Remember? Now do as you’re told. If someone pushes you, you fucking take it. No pushing back, no violent little tantrums from you, Nafas. Do you understand?”
“Quit calling me that!” I yell, my heart pounding in my chest as frustration pumps through my body. “I’m fucking sick to death of everyone thinking good old Eden will do as she’s fucking told, because let me tell you—I won’t.”
“Put her down, man,” Archie interrupts, and my head quickly whips around to see him standing beside us, his helmet tucked under his arm as his eyes flicker between us.
“It’s fine, Arch—”
“Fuck off, Archie,” Xavier interrupts, not moving his gaze from me as I shake my head at Archie, pleading with him not to get involved.
“I can’t, Xavier. I told you guys she’s going through a lot right now, and I know what that feels like. There is enough going on in her mind with her dad being murdered to have to deal with you guys too. Not on top of the girls as well.” His words are firmer than I’ve ever heard from him, and I appreciate his protective nature, but I did not need him telling them my private fucking business.
“Archie, that was not your fucking shit to tell,” I spit out, my heart beating wildly in my chest as I try to push out of Xavier’s hold, but if anything, he manages to grip me tighter. How is he not fucking bored of gripping me like this yet?