by Chloe Walsh
"This is bad," Lee muttered under her breath before glancing nervously at me. "Last time this happened I had to take Cam to the emergency department. Colton switched his body lotion with baby-oil." Lee winced. "It was awful," she whispered. "He slipped and broke his nose on the side of the bathtub."
I struggled to keep a straight face when I nodded and said, "That must've been awkward."
"Tell me about it." Lee sighed heavily. "I could barely look the doctor in the face when I arrived back to the hospital less than two hours later with a different son – Cam broke Colt's nose in retaliation."
"Yeah," Cam snapped, suddenly serious again as he stalked over to where we were standing and took the bear – dog's – leash out of his mother's hand, before pressing a kiss to her cheek.
"Glad you're home, mom," he grumbled as he sauntered back towards his house with Ralph. "But here's a little warning, you're gonna be minus a son if he doesn't turn it back on."
Lee sighed wearily before shaking her head and following her son back to the house.
"Oh, have a nice first day at school, honey," she called out.
I should have felt creeped out that Lee Carter was calling me honey having met me less than five minutes ago, but there was something about her. Warmth oozed from her and I found myself grinning like an idiot and waving back at her.
****
Chapter 3
Noah
Please, Noah, I know what you said last time you visited, but you can't do that.
You know what he'll do if that happens and I… I need this.
You can't abandon me like I'm nothing.
We made an agreement. Birthday or not…
You have to do this.
K x
Crumpling the sheet of paper that contained the plea they knew I would never ignore, I shoved it into my jeans pocket and inhaled a deep calming breath, wishing like hell I could punch a hole through something.
I watched a few of my fellow classmates as they chatted happily about school and prom and all that upcoming shit, but none of it moved me.
Instead of feeling excited I just felt hollow inside. I guess that was because deep down inside I truly wasn’t sure if I would survive until graduation…
A pile of books landed on my desk, stirring me from my reverie, followed by the sound of a chair scraping noisily against the lab tiles and then a contented sigh.
"You seem happy considering we're back in this shithole for another year," I stated dryly as I studied the satisfied expression on my friend's face.
Personally, I had no clue how Tommy could be so chipper on a Monday morning, but that was just me. I'd never been chipper a day in my life.
Then again Tommy was probably looking forward to finishing his final year of high-school and moving on to greener and brighter pastures. I didn’t have that kind of future ahead of me.
Aside from Low, Tommy Moyet was about as close as I had to a brother. He was well-built now, but when I first moved to The Hill he'd been an over-grown skeleton getting picked on left right and center by the assholes who roamed the school hallways. When I took up for Tommy in gym class during sophomore year – when Jason Graham and Layton Brooks were tormenting him – Tommy had pledged his allegiance to me. He was about as loyal as they came.
"You will be too," Tommy shot back, grinning like an idiot. "When you see the new transplant." He let out a whistle and sagged in his chair before running a hand through his short blonde hair.
"I'm telling you now, dude, she's mine. Don’t even think about bagging her."
"Considering I haven’t the slightest clue of who you're talking about, you have nothing to worry about," I replied drolly.
Tommy was always like this; competitive as hell when it came to girls. He was under some sick illusion that I gave two shits about who he fucked.
I didn’t.
I had one focus and that was f…
"Everybody, this is Teagan Connolly."
No fucking way…
I froze the second Mr. Shaw said her name aloud and my eyes shot to the front of the classroom.
I was sitting in the back row, but I had a clear view of her and…Jesus, she looked amazing today in shorts and a plan white t.
I hadn’t realized she was a senior.
"Teagan moved here in the summer from the west coast of Ireland," Mr. Shaw informed the class and to give her credit, Teagan didn’t blush or get embarrassed at being introduced to the class. Instead she looked mildly amused by the whole ordeal.
Then her eyes met mine and the atmosphere in the room changed.
Teagan's entire frame stiffened, her cheeks turned red and her eyes narrowed on my face.
She gave me her best I-hate-your-guts looks and I leaned back in my seat, cocked my head to one side, and told her blow-me with my eyes.
Teagan looked wholly pissed off as she chewed on her juicy bottom lip and in a sick way I was thrilled I could get that kind of reaction from her – I was glad that I unsettled her.
Because she sure as hell unsettled me…
For some strange reason, every time that girl put her eyes on me I felt…alive – like someone attached sparkplugs to my fucking body and lit me up.
Jesus, I felt weird as hell when those hazel eyes were on me. It was probably the anger simmering between us that caused my whole body to go on high alert every time she was close by, but fuck anger never felt so good.
"Keep her out of our business, Noah… don’t give me a reason to get involved…"
George's words of warning drifted into my mind but right at this moment I couldn’t have cared less. Every fiber inside of my body demanded I let that girl get all up in my business.
"Let's make her feel at home," Mr. Shaw announced. "Teagan, you can take a seat in the front – yes, next to Layla."
Teagan didn’t move.
She didn’t take her eyes off my face and I seriously hoped she would because if she continued to look at me with those fucking amazing eyes, all pissy and cute, I was going to have to do something about it.
George was right about one thing. Teagan was a brat. A sinfully sexy and audaciously sassy brat…
"That's her," Tommy hissed as he nudged me with his elbow. "Shit, that's her, dude, the transplant."
Teagan, noticing the douche beside me, snapped out of her trance, shook her head and took her seat at the front of class.
"I have eyes," I snapped, shoving him back. I normally wasn’t possessive guy – I'd never cared enough about a female – and I didn’t care about her, but I wanted him and every other guy to stop fucking looking at her like she was a buffet. No, I needed them to stop looking at her or I was going to flip the fuck out.
Tommy fell sideways off his chair and landed on the floor. "You dick," he chuckled, rubbing his arm. "I'm sensitive."
I shook my head as I studied all six feet of the muscular – sensitive – varsity receiver.
Of course the class and Mr. Shaw turned around at the commotion.
She turned around in her seat and glanced at me again, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand.
Tommy rose to his feet and grinned. "Sorry, Mr. Shaw," he said with a smirk. "But I think I'm falling for her Irish charm already."
The class erupted into a mixture of giggles and wolf-whistles, but Teagan didn’t take her eyes off mine.
"Forget it, T," I told him as I kept her stare. "She's not for you."
****
Teagan
Okay, so I'd watched tons of movies set in American high-schools and I'd read dozens of books, but none of those films or books had prepared me for this…alternate universe.
Back home in Ireland where I came from, at the very most four or five hundred students filled the halls of most secondary schools. But here? I'd never seen the likes of it. At least eighteen hundred students roamed the halls of Jefferson High.
Moving halfway across the world had certainly been a huge lesson in cultural differences.
Three hours in and I be
grudgingly had to admit that high-school wasn't as bad as I had initially thought it would be.
Aside from that one uncomfortable class I shared with Noah I only received the odd stare here and there in the hallways – most of the students were wrapped up in their own problems.
I prayed it was only one class that Noah and I shared because there was something about the guy that completely unnerved me. He was intense. The way his eyes burned into mine…
"Hey." A tall, bubbly brunette with a wild head of curls stepped in front of me on my way out of History, distracting me from my thoughts, and I had to crane my neck up to see her face.
"I saw you talking with my mom this morning," she told me with a smile. "I meant to say hey then, but I was busy trying to drag Colton out of my closet."
She smiled, revealing a set pearly white straight teeth, and the clearest blue eyes I'd ever seen. "You're Teagan, right?" she asked as she shifted her books to her side.
"Yeah, and you're Hope?" It wasn't really a question. It was pretty obvious from the dark hair, blue eyes and dimples that she was a Carter.
God, they had some good genes…
"The one and only," she chuckled as she fell into step with me. "What's your next class?"
"I've have P.E – gym class." I told her as we strolled out of the classroom. I removed my timetable from my pocket and handed it to her.
"Sweet," she said as she gazed down at the piece of paper. "Looks like we're in a few classes together. So how's your first day going, Teagan?"
"So far it's been pretty uneventful," I told her drolly, blocking out the image of Noah staring at me with those intense brown eyes.
My gaze fell on a group of girls who were staring at us as we walked past. "But ask me again at the end of the day."
"No doubt," Hope chuckled as we descended the staircase to the ground floor. I had to step behind Hope at one point because the staircase was so jammers with other students.
"You made quite the impression on my brothers," Hope added as we made our way through the main hallway towards the exit. "Colton's particularly smitten – he practically talked my ear off on the way to school, rambling on about you."
"I bet seeing my ass helped sway their opinion," I replied dryly, remembering how close to naked I'd been when I met her brothers.
I told Hope about the street fight last weekend and how I'd met her father and brothers. When I mentioned I'd met her uncle Hope had glared silently ahead and I learned very quickly not to bring the uncle up in conversation again.
As we walked Hope chattered animatedly about her summer vacation.
And it was as easy as that.
Hope Carter had clearly decided we were going to be friends and I, being friendless, had gratefully accepted.
While we walked I had the distinct feeling we were being watched. "This is the fish-bowl effect," Hope mused, nudging me softly. "Happens to every newbie. Don't sweat it," she smirked. "By the end of the day one of my brothers will have caused havoc and everyone's focus will be on them."
I didn't doubt her.
I barely knew the Carter triplets, but they seemed like colorful characters.
"Teagan, meet Ash." Hope grinned like a madwoman at the stunningly attractive African-American girl who bumped shoulders with her. "Ash, this is Teagan, she moved into Thirteenth Street during the summer."
"Hey," we both greeted each other.
"So, Teagan, do you have a boyfriend?" Ash asked.
"I had," I told her. "Liam. We were together for three years. He's back home in Ireland – we called it off when we found out I was moving. It didn't make much sense to continue with it when the Atlantic Ocean separated us." Blah, blah, blah, my words felt like something I'd rehearsed off a cereal box – because they weren't my words. They were Liam's…he was the one who'd made the decision. I was the one who'd made a holy show of myself when he informed me of his decision...
"Wow," Ash said softly. She looked genuinely dumbfounded as she led us into the changing rooms. "I thought Hope had it bad."
"What do you mean?" I asked as I unzipped my gear bag and swapped my chucks for my sketchers.
Hope blushed, which I found odd, as she tied the lace on her tennis shoes. "My boyfriend Jordan," she said in a low tone as if it was some hushed up secret. "We've been together since…well, since forever, but he moved away a few years ago." Her eyes lit up as she spoke. The girl was clearly smitten. "But he comes back here for me. He always has. And we've…well we've made it work."
Ash rolled her eyes and tossed a can of deodorant towards Hope. "What she hasn’t told you, Teagan," Ash chuckled in a teasing voice. "Is that Jordan is refusing to work it."
"Work it?" I shook my head and stared at the two girls in front of me. "Help me out here."
Hope's face was beet-root red and Ash was unabashedly snickering.
"I hate you," Hope hissed.
"And I love you," Ash shot back before blowing a kiss. Turning to face me, Ash's brown eyes twinkled with mischief. "It means…"
"It means I'm a virgin," Hope said dryly as she slipped into her shorts and pulled her hair back in a ponytail.
"Not by choice," coughed Ash.
Hope rolled her eyes. "And Slutty Betty here thinks it's freaking hilarious."
"It's not hilarious," Ash shot back. "It's a crying shame. Have you looked at your boyfriend, like ever?"
And it was during that harmless conversation, as I made my way down the steps towards the outdoor football field with Hope and Ash, that I came to the conclusion I could manage this.
High-school was doable and I was even enjoying myself, sort of…that was until I tripped on the second last step and crashed head first into a wall of muscle before bouncing backwards from the impact.
A pair of tattooed arms shot out and grabbed my shoulders, saving me from my second ass-landing of the day, and I could have groaned in despair when I saw who those arms belonged to.
"You just can't stay away, can you?" Noah smirked down at me. "And here I was thinking I'd have to thaw you out before we came to an arrangement…"
"There's not enough sunshine in the sky to do that, buddy," I shot back as I took a step backwards and desperately tried to ignore the way my skin prickled and heated from his touch.
Hope, who had been standing next to me, gestured towards the field. "I'm gonna go warm up, Teagan," she called out before jogging off with Ash.
Don’t leave me with him, I mentally begged them.
I moved around Noah to follow after them, but he stepped in front of me and blocked my path.
I shook my head and went to go around him again, but Noah intercepted my move and blocked my path again.
"Move," I told him as I glared up at his stupid, smug face.
He was a good foot taller than me and I hated that he was using his height as an intimidation tactic. He wasn't even kitted out for gym class, clad in dark jeans, boots and a hoodie, so why the hell did he bother coming down to the pitch?
"I noticed you had your windshield replaced," Noah said as he stepped towards me, forcing me to take a step back from him. I didn't like the way my heart fluttered and my pulse hammered in my fingertips.
That was not good.
Not good at all.
"What's your point, Messina?" I snapped as I stepped backwards. "Hang on…" My gaze locked on Noah's mouth – on what was inside his mouth. "Your tongue is pierced." I hadn't noticed that before now, but then again why would I?
"And?" he drawled, dragging out the word, as he stared down at me.
"And nothing." I shrugged uncomfortably and stepped back. "I didn't realize it before now. That's all."
"Are you sure that's all?" he chuckled, stepping forward.
I wasn’t sure that was all. I wasn’t sure of anything when he crowded me like this…
My brain and my body were on two different picket lines when it came to him.
Noah stepped closer, invading my space and I felt the fencing around the field against my back. "
You kinda look like you want to touch it."
Resting one hand on the fence next to my face, Noah lowered his mouth to mine. His breath fanned my face when he spoke. "Do you, Thorn?" he whispered, brown eyes deep, delicious and locked on mine. "Do you want to touch me?"
Yes, yes, bloody hell yes…
"I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot barge pole," I shot back, lying through my teeth, as my heart-rate soared.
Where the hell was the teacher?
Why wasn't someone stopping this big dick from attacking me?
And why did a huge chunk of me not want him to be stopped?
I was a seriously screwed up seventeen year old.
"Just leave me alone, Noah," I breathed, eyes locked on his mouth…on those lips. "You heard the cops – keep your distance."
"I will," he replied, moving even closer to me so that his body was flush with mine. "When you pay me what you owe me."
His eyes danced with humor and the way he lazily traced his finger on my bare arm had my body in flames. I shoved him hard in the chest. He didn't budge. Damn he-man animal…
"Have you thought of how you'd like to pay me back?" His lips were just shy of touching mine.
"I have actually," I breathed. "And it involves you kissing my ass."
Pulling back from my face Noah raised his brows and smirked. "You want me to do what to your ass?" The way he said it, loud enough for our classmates nearby to hear, was disgusting enough, but the sincerity in his voice when he spoke was just evil.
"Bastard." I was fairly certain all the blood in my body had rushed to my face and when Noah stepped closer I swelled with rage…at least it felt like rage.
Holy hell, my body was on fire.
I was pulsing…actually throbbing down there and had to clench my thighs together to get some relief.
This was completely abnormal behavior on my vagina's part considering Liam had wasted numerous nights over the course of our relationship trying to get a response with his nimble fingers but to no success.