by Chloe Walsh
Well, I had aimed for his head but he was a lot taller than me so I connected with his shoulder instead. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Ellie and her friends standing a few feet to the side of us.
"Goddammit, Teagan, calm down," Noah snarled as he jerked to his feet and grabbed me by my arms. "Stop it."
"You're a cruel, heartless bastard," I screamed, tears pooling in my eyes, as I shoved free from his hold and lunged for him.
"And you're a hypocritical little bitch who jumps to conclusions," Noah roared, chest heaving, clearly livid, as he glared down at me. "You automatically assume I did this."
"You're a foregone conclusion, asshole," I hissed as I scratched and slapped every part of him I could reach.
Someone grabbed me from behind and lifted me away from Noah kicking and screaming. I realized that someone was Colton when he whispered, "Calm down, Beautiful," in my ear.
I tried to break free from Colt but quickly gave up when I realized his arms were like bands of steel around my body. All of a sudden I felt so defeated that the fight went out of me and then I did something I really hated doing.
I cried.
I heard Colt sigh heavily before turning me and wrapping his arms around me.
Hope, who was standing nearby, stepped forward and picked up what was left of Martin before turning to Noah. "Did you do this to Teagan's guitar, Noah?" she asked him in a level tone.
"No, Hope. To put the record straight I didn’t do it," he snarled as he wiped blood from his cheek – where I'd scratched him, I realized. Noah looked over Hope's head and stared directly into my eyes. "But I wish like hell I had."
****
I ended up with a week's worth of detention for my outburst in the parking lot – which I thought was pure crap considering Noah wasn’t even reprimanded for his part. Apparently broken guitars didn’t constitute as a good enough motive to attack a fellow pupil – regardless of how much sentimental value they had.
The principal had even gone as far as calling Uncle Max into school for a meeting about my behavioral issues, so along with a week's detention I was also grounded and car-less.
I'd tried to explain to Max the reason why I reacted the way I did, but apparently I was too old to throw tantrums and until I could get my violent urges under control I could walk my ass to school and back.
On top of all that I was currently trending on most social media platforms. One of Ellie's disciples had recorded the whole damn thing and uploaded it to the internet. So yeah, between the damn online video and rumors raging about me at school, my day had gone from bad to disastrous.
Hope texted me after Uncle Max left for work, inviting me over for dinner, but I lied and told her I'd already eaten. Within minutes I felt like a horrible human being and decided to bite the bullet – and break my grounding.
There's no such thing as ghosts…
There's no such thing as ghosts…
There's no such thing as ghosts…
That was my mantra as I stood outside Hope's red-bricked house with my finger on the doorbell.
No one answered so I rang it again and again, and then I let my mind wander therefore completely psyching myself out.
It was Halloween night, pitch black outside and I hated the dark, truly detested it, so when the front door opened inwards after ten minutes of constant knocking, and I was greeted by baby Carter, I bolted inside without a second thought for the ghosts – or an invitation.
"Come on in," Logan chuckled as he closed the door behind me.
I swung around to apologize to him for my lack of manners, but quickly turned my head again when I saw he was dressed only in a pair of gray sweatpants – which, by the way, totally complemented his gray eyes.
What the hell was it with these boys?
"You're half-naked," I told him and my voice sounded oddly accusatory. "And your eyes are gray."
"To be fair I was in the shower when you started banging on my door," Logan replied dryly as he shrugged the t-shirt I hadn't realized he was holding over his head. "And I really don’t know what to tell you about the whole eye color thing," he added softly. "I guess you can blame my mom?"
"Sorry," I replied lamely. "I'm not a fan of the dark – it makes me jittery."
"That's all right," Logan replied calmly as he gestured me to follow him. "Everyone's afraid of something."
"Is Hope here?" I followed him into their kitchen, glancing around nervously.
"Nope," Logan mumbled as he rummaged in the fridge and handed me a can of coke. "She went to the hotel for dinner with Cam and Colt."
"Thanks." I took the coke from Logan and followed him back through the hallway towards the lounge. I knew we were heading into the lounge because the outlay of this house was exactly the same as my house. "Do you think she'll be much longer?" I asked as I stepped through the doorway, freezing to the spot when my eyes landed on…
"What are you doing here?" I demanded at the same time as him.
"First, you're in my street," Noah growled, dropping the Xbox controller he was holding on the coffee table before climbing to his feet and stalking towards me. He folded his arms across his chest as he glowered down at my face.
The black wife-beater he wore was sewn to his ribbed chest, and he looked entirely too sexy in the gray sweatpants that were hanging low on his hips. I could see his man V – his very sexy man V... "Then you're in my school, and now you're in my fucking friend's house."
The muscles in Noah's tattooed covered biceps rippled as he glared at me. "Are you intentionally trying to get under my skin, Teagan?"
"Sorry for breathing, asshole," I snapped, feeling wounded by his words, but unwilling to let him know that. "But you don't own the whole damn world, Noah. It's a free country."
"Where's my money?" Noah demanded, getting in my personal space. He had a nasty red scratch on his cheek – because of me – and I momentarily felt a smidgen of remorse until his words registered with me.
"The same place it was earlier," I snarled as I reached up and flicked his forehead. "In your imagination."
Logan, oblivious to the blistering tension between me and Noah, strolled over to the couch and picked up an Xbox controller, before taking a seat. "You're both welcome in this house," he stated calmly. "So play nice, children."
I narrowed my eyes at baby Carter. "I wouldn't play with him if the whole of mankind depended on it."
Noah laughed darkly. "No, because you prefer to play with paint, don't you?" He smirked. "I gotta tell you, Thorn, you're a fucking terrible artist."
"Maybe I should try using a different canvas, ass-muncher," I shot back through clenched teeth. "Your face, perhaps?"
"Try it," Noah hissed stepping so close to me our shoes touched. "I dare you."
Of course I went one step closer and pressed my chest to his. "You're not worth the price of the paint."
"Goddammit," Logan muttered before pausing the game he'd been playing. "What the hell is with you two?"
"He broke my guitar," I spat.
"No. No, I didn’t," Noah roared.
"And he slashed my tires," I hissed.
Noah's face turned purple. "Jesus Christ, how many times…" Noah cursed and ran a hand roughly through his hair. "I didn’t slash your fucking tires."
"All right, I really don’t care," Logan grumbled as he got up and stalked into the hallway. "Take your domestic to your own side of the street," he added as he glared at the big ape next to me. "Now, Noah."
Nodding stiffly, Noah made a low rumbling noise in his throat before grabbing my elbow and pulling me out of the Carter's house.
"Get off me," I spat as I tried to free myself from his grasp. Noah wasn't hurting me, but he wasn't being gentle either. And I was burning mad. He seemed to bring the worst out of me…
"You're not happy with ruining my car," Noah snarled as he dragged me down the driveway, releasing me roughly when we reached the road. "You wanna ruin the one fucking friendship I have that's worth a damn."
"Awh," I mocked as rubbed my arm, spitting daggers at the guy in front of me as I walked backwards in the direction of my house. "Poor big, bad Noah, should I get my violin out while you cry me a river?"
Noah stalked towards me, backing me up against something incredibly cold and hard.
"Don't come any closer," I warned him, but my voice was shaking.
"Or what?" he snarled as he leaned closer, pressing me onto what I now realized was the bumper of my car. "What are you gonna do to stop me?" He pressed against me roughly. "Come on, tough-girl," he hissed. "Stop me."
"I'll bite you," I panted, as I lay on the flat of my back, trapped under the weight of Noah's body as he pushed his legs between mine. His hands were on either side of my face. His mouth was a hare's-breath from mine and if anyone saw us they would think we were having sex. Our bodies were touching in the right places to have sex, and we were both breathing hard.
"Then fucking do it, Teagan," he roared. "I dare you."
Never one to back down from a challenge, and with the current streak of violence coursing through my body, I lifted my face to his, and then I bit him.
I was aiming for his nose, but caught his chin instead.
His stubbly chin.
Baring my teeth I locked onto his face like a piranha. Noah snarled and tried to pull away from me, but I didn't let go. Instead I moved with him and ended up kneeling on the bumper of my car with my legs spread, Noah's body glued to mine, his hands wrapped around my throat, and my mouth attached to his chin.
"Let go," he snarled.
"…-ake -ee…" I hissed back, jaws locked around his chin. I knew how it looked, I knew just how crazy I was being, but still I couldn't stop.
Noah growled, literally growled like an animal, and I truly thought he was going to physically hurt me, but then he did something completely unexpected.
He dropped his hands to my butt and lifted me.
Instinctively I wrapped my legs around his waist, and then we were moving.
Noah moved with such speed the air left my lungs when my back hit the front door of my house. Then he did something only one boy had done before. Noah pushed his hand between our bodies and slid his hand into my underwear.
Then he was cupping me, all of me, eyes locked on mine, dark and dangerous, and I felt…oh god, I felt…
My eyes fluttered when he slipped two fingers inside me as he slowly pulled his chin out of my mouth before replacing it with his tongue. I sighed into his mouth and my arms wrapped around his neck of their own accord.
He was kissing me.
Noah Messina was…Ouch.
Motherfucker…
"If you ever bite me again," Noah snarled as he stood me on my feet and backed away, eyes fiery and full of…hate…passion? I couldn't tell. "I'll do more than just put my fingers inside you."
I could do nothing but stare blankly and touch my throbbing lip with my fingers.
****
Chapter 9
Teagan
School was torture for the next month. Most of the students ogled me and whispered about the parking lot incident. I ignored their stares as best I could, managing to keep my head down and, surprisingly, my mouth shut.
I couldn’t count the number of times I had a phone shoved in my face over the past few weeks – the video of me whacking Noah with a guitar was a huge hit.
One guy even had the balls to ask me for an autograph. Apparently half the school had labeled me a badass for taking on the infamous Noah Messina and the other half had labeled me bat-shit crazy. To be fair, I was probably a bit of both.
Loner personified was my latest coping technique and the only person I felt comfortable being around anymore was Hope – who had been a noble friend by not mentioning any of my prior satanic antics.
But the memory of Noah on Halloween night caused my body to break out in a hot, muggy sweat. Weeks later and I was still reeling. He'd kissed me and then destroyed my guitar before putting his fingers inside my body…
"I'll do more than just put my fingers inside you..."
I felt like I was splitting in half because when I thought of Noah my brain raised huge, giant, enormous red-flags, but my body…my body was all kinds of slutty when it came to thoughts of Noah.
I managed to stay out of trouble for the next month – that was until I walked outside for gym class – minus Hope, who faked a headache to get out of class – and caught sight of someone who made my blood boil and my heart race.
Noah was standing at the edge of the field with a string of girls swarming him. He looked like his usual annoying self, showing off his tattoos in a gray sleeveless shirt, his muscular legs on display in a pair of gym shorts, and the wolf tattoo on his leg looked fiercer than ever.
Noah was giving one particular brunette his undivided attention as he stretched his arms over his head and smiled down at her.
Jealousy flowed through me and I balked.
What the hell was I feeling?
I wasn’t jealous.
I hated him.
Layton, who had come to stand beside me, noticed my tension. "You okay, Teagan?"
I looked up at Layton and saw nothing but affability in his golden eyes. "Do you think I'd get off on diminished capacity if I killed him?"
"Ignore him," Layton chuckled, wrapping his arm around my shoulder as he led me onto the field. "He's not worth getting upset over."
Noah, as if he sensed we were talking about him, looked our way and the look in his eyes was of pure rage.
"Yeah, I'm just going to…" I mumbled, letting my words trail off and I broke into a run, silently thanking the heavens above it was track today. A nice isolated sport and I was fast.
When Coach blew his final whistle I was the first one off the field and into the locker rooms. I showered and dressed in record time, desperate to get out of the hellhole and avoid confrontation.
As I passed the door of the boys' locker room a huge body stepped out, blocking my exit.
"What do you want?" I hissed, looking up at Noah with narrowed eyes.
"We need to talk," he replied harshly as he crowded me, invading my personal space.
"No, we don't." I tried to shoulder past him, but Noah grabbed my elbow and pulled me down the hallway before shoving me into the small alcove behind the bathrooms.
"You just don’t learn, do you?" Baring my teeth I made a snapping gesture and backed further into the alcove – basically backing myself into a corner.
Space was limited and Noah was taking up most of it. "You know I have a tendency to bite when threatened by repulsive creatures," I told him as I pressed my hand against his chest and tried to claim back some of the space he was taking up.
Noah grabbed my forearm and held it roughly to the wall above my head, as he stepped even closer to me, his face mere inches from mine. "And you know what I'll do if you bite me again," he snarled. "So shut the hell up and listen to me for a second."
"You shut up," I shot back petulantly.
Noah shook his head and exhaled impatiently. "I want to make it clear to you that I wasn’t the one who broke your guitar."
"Whatever, Noah," I snapped, chest heaving. "I heard what you said – you seem attached to that thing." I did a terrible impersonation of his voice before rolling my eyes and glaring into his furious looking eyes. "I know it was you."
"I kissed you, Teagan," he spat, his tone incredulous. "Why the hell would I break your guitar if I ...fuck," he growled as he looked up to the ceiling before glowering down at me. "You're the biggest fucking headache I've ever dealt with."
"Because I kicked you in the balls, that's why you would break it." Shaking my head, I planted my free hand on his chest and glared at the man beast in front of me. "And as far as headaches go there's not an aspirin on this bloody continent strong enough to handle a pain in the brain like you."
Noah stared at me for what felt like an age before nodding stiffly and stepping away from me.
"Just so you know," he sneered as he
ran a hand through his thick black hair. "Ellie did that to your guitar. Not me."
My eyes narrowed. "Like I'd believe you…"
"I don’t give a damn what you believe anymore, Thorn," Noah spat before turning his back on me. "That's the truth."
****
"He's looking at you again," Hope chirped as she bumped her shoulder against mine. "He's been watching you all class," she added with a smirk before blowing a bubble with her gum.
"Stop saying that," I snapped as I reached up and stabbed her bubble with my pen.
We were sitting in English class on Monday morning and I knew Noah was staring across the room at me. He had been burning evil lasers at the side of my face for most of the class. I couldn’t blame him. Not after what happened on Thanksgiving…
"I'm serious, Hope. Just pretend you don't see him." I wasn't feeling quite as brave around Noah as before – and last weekend's events made me even more uncomfortable around him.
Thanksgiving night, after swiping a bottle of Uncle Max's vodka, I'd gotten as drunk as a skunk and had been pumped with Dutch-courage.
Having already made one poor decision that night, I had then decided – along with an equally drunk, equally pumped Hope – in my idiotic state of debauchery to take revenge on the neighbors for their crimes against me.
Our first mistake had been egging their house.
Our second had been throwing the flour balls.
Our third mistake had been getting caught.
Screw it, I regretted nothing. Our only mistake was getting caught...
We'd stumbled back to the sanctuary of my house the second Ellie opened the front door, laughing our asses off, and we had then proceeded to finish off the bottle of vodka.
Of course, Ellie didn't go down without a fight and had sent the big guns after us. But I swear, I truly hadn't known it was Noah at the front door banging and neither had Hope when she tossed the dish of water out my bedroom window and onto his head.