Caught by the Bad Boys Series

by Raathi Chota

  Chapter Four

  Lana

  The feeling of something that is bad, but in a way, it’s okay? I always wondered what it meant. I finally understood as I lay in my bed and stared at the ceiling. I probably woke up ten minutes ago. Through my window, the sky looked gray and dull, another sign that it’s a cold, miserable day in winter. I glanced to the side and watched Levi sleep next to me, his black hair in my face. He was shirtless and only wore his sweatpants while I wore his shirt—just his shirt. I hated him so much yet last night said otherwise.

  My alarm went off, but Levi turned it off. He let out a hoarse groan as he turned to face me. I watched as Levi took his arm and wrapped it around my torso as he brought me closer. I squinted my eyes as he snuggled into my neck, but I immediately pushed him away. I forced myself up and looked at my alarm clock. It was six-thirty as I hopped out of bed. Thankfully, Levi’s shirt ended at my thighs as I walked to my bedside table and grabbed my glasses. I quickly put them on and tied my hair up into a bun. I felt a smack on my butt, and I spun around to glare at Levi. He rested leisurely on my bed with his hands behind his neck as he smirked at me.

  “Stop it!”

  “You never said anything last night when I did it.”

  I flipped him off as I walked to my closet. I didn’t know why, but I felt guilty. He always controlled me and got what he wanted. It made me confused because I’d never hate him. Last night felt so nostalgic as I remembered the past when it was just the two of us.

  I grabbed a warm, comfy outfit for the day, then walked into the bathroom. I shut the door and made sure to lock it, then turned on the shower. Once I was done, I quickly put on my clothes and walked out. Levi was still in my bed. He had a wicked look in his eyes as his lips pulled up into a smirk. I ignored him and spun around to face my mirror. I brushed my hair, noticing his stare through the mirror. Then I saw it. I stared at it. At first, I didn’t think it was real as I ran my hand on it, but it was pure and tender. Right above my collarbone was a hickey. I heard Levi snicker as he realized I had noticed it. I spun around and flung the brush at him.

  “Hey, watch it!” he exclaimed as he ducked.

  “Why?” I hissed as I pulled off my sweater, then rummaged through my closet for the right shirt that covered the hickey.

  “Leaving my mark on the world.”

  I took a thick gray scarf and put it on along with my glasses. Okay, it’s covered, but if the scarf moved, then the whole world would see. I grabbed my backpack, forgetting it was open from last night. Something fell out, and as I was about to get it, Levi beat me to it.

  “Damn. Smoking during periods and not participating. What happened, princess?”

  “Nothing, and I wasn’t even smoking! Blake was!” I said, then put on my brown boots.

  “You gonna let your parents sign this?”

  “I have to, otherwise I’ll get another dete—” I cut myself off as I watched Levi take a pen from my desk. He scribbled on the paper and handed it to me once he was done. “H-how do you know my dad’s signature?”

  “Uncle Griff taught me how to forge signatures years ago. How do you think I barely got into trouble at school?”

  I let out a chuckle as I stuffed the paper in my bag. We strolled downstairs, and thankfully nobody was there. Levi went into the living room as I walked to the kitchen. I made myself coffee and toast, then sat by the island. I nervously tugged on my scarf as I sipped my coffee.

  “Morning, sweetie,” my mother’s voice boomed through the kitchen.

  “Morning,” I replied. Mom kissed me on the forehead, then walked to the fridge, all dressed and ready for work. I watched as she took out a tub of yogurt and spoon. She spun around with an upset look on her face, then sat opposite me. “Everything okay?”

  “Not really,” she sighed. “Lana, I have to talk to you.”

  “Okay.”

  “I know that we had this talk when you turned sixteen, but you’re eighteen now, and at this age, teenagers are quite busy,” she emphasized.

  “Err…okay.”

  “Your hormones are everywhere, and I understand that you just want to experiment,” she whispered. My eyes widened because she must’ve heard us last night. My parents’ bedroom was down the hall, and Levi’s parents were right next door. “It’s the talk…the birds and the bees.” Oh no. They heard us. We’re doomed. Yet I could’ve sworn whenever I wanted to say something Levi muffled it with his hand or mouth. “Or as Miranda says, ‘Netfix—”

  “It’s Netflix, Mom.”

  “Yes! Yes! Netflix and chill!” she said.

  “What about it?”

  “Ever since I saw Carter in your bed, it gave me chills. A million scenarios ran through my head, but I saw that both of you had clothing on and a pillow separating you two,” she explained as I gripped my coffee mug.

  “Then why did you say ‘How was your night with Mr. Blondie’ instead of shouting at me?” I asked as the thought of Carter entered my mind.

  “I trust you, Lana, and well…I didn’t see any protection in the bin.”

  “Mom!”

  “I’m sorry, but I just wanted to let you know that I’m here for you, honey, and we’ve all been through that phase!” she added as I scrunched my nose. “You’ve been hanging out with a lot of boys lately, and one of them is bound to fall in love with you, so just remember.”

  “I don’t want to fall in love ag—”

  “I’m a doctor, and I don’t want to deliver a baby from you when you’re so young.”

  “Why do you bring this up now?”

  “Well, your father and I wanted to talk to you about it, but he’s stubborn, so I had to sooner or later.”

  “So not for any other particular reason?”

  “Nope. Oh, and next time let me know when you’re having a boy over. Other than Levi, of course…we trust him,” she said as a smile broke onto her face.

  “I feel like a whore now.” I frowned.

  “Oh, don’t worry, dear, we’ve all been through it,” Mom assured me as she stood up. I sat with a puzzled look on my face as she walked out of the room. That’s one way to start a Tuesday. I grabbed my backpack and walked into the living room. Levi was on the sofa. He was casually playing his electric guitar. He offered to take me to school, and I gladly accepted, because I had to tell him about the conversation I had with my mother.

  ***

  When I walked down the hallways of Jefferson High, I was still ignored but conscious about the scarf around my neck. Anyone who towered over me could peek at it. I kept my head down as I strolled to my locker. I opened it yet wanted to get to Miss Rosa’s class as soon as possible.

  “Morning, gorgeous.” I looked over my shoulder to see Carter.

  “Hi, Carter.”

  “You okay?” He leaned forward as I squirmed.

  “Yes!” I turned away, but it was too late, because being the annoying player that he was, he saw it.

  “No freaking way, and here I was going to tell you what night I had!” Carter exclaimed as he tugged on my scarf. I smacked his hand away as I turned to him.

  “Not helping!”

  “Aww, Lana wants to cover it up so she won’t get into twouble,” Carter cooed as he pinched my cheeks.

  “Are you gonna help me or just make fun of me?” I asked as I slapped his hands away.

  “Ugh, please, Lana, you’re talking to Carter Halls, professional hickey star and sex god.” I rolled my eyes. “You wanna see mine?” He raised his shirt.

  “No thanks.”

  “This is how you do it,” he said as he began to fix my scarf. He lifted it up and took a quick glance at it. “Damn, that’ll take a few days to go away.” He whistled.

  “Just fix it, please,” I begged. Carter continued to adjust my scarf as I glanced over his shoulder. My eyes widened as I spotted Blake walking down the hall. “Shit!” I muttered as I pulled away from Carter and looked at my locker.

  “Wha—oh, ’sup, bro?” Carter greeted.
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br />   “What are you two doing?”

  “Oh, nothing! Just enjoying this lovely day!” Carter laughed nervously as I shook my head in disappointment. My thoughts went back to the day of the drugs, and he tried to play cool, yet he was the worst liar ever.

  “It’s raining outside,” Blake stated.

  “I don’t care. It’s still a lovely day,” Carter said uneasily. Blake raised a brow at his friend’s weird behavior.

  “Are you trying to hide the fact that you didn’t get laid last night?”

  I scrunched my nose up at the thought of why Blake assumed that, of all things.

  “No! I did get laid, in fact by twins. Goddamn, bro, you mus—”

  “Okay, eww! I don’t want you guys standing by my locker and talking about that stuff.”

  “Yeah, you got plenty of that last night,” Carter mumbled as Blake walked to the other side of my locker. I sent Carter a glare as Blake leaned on the locker next to me.

  “You coming to detention?” he asked.

  “Like I have a choice.”

  “How’d you get it signed?” he asked, and I tried so hard not to grin.

  “Levi forged my dad’s signature,” I said, then turned to Blake. “I heard he came to your house?”

  “Yeah, turns out we have a lot in common, and he’s not such a bad guy, right, Carter?” Blake asked. Carter nodded.

  “He said something happened between you two?” Carter asked.

  “Yeah, one day he was here, and then the next…he was gone,” I mumbled, then pressed the books against my chest. Carter’s eyes flicked to Blake then me as the silence stretched between us. The bell rang as I shut my locker. Blake walked off while I went with Carter to Miss Rosa’s English class.

  ***

  I stared at the detention slip in my hands as I walked to the classroom. I thought Thanksgiving would be the last. It was all Blake’s fault; I did nothing. Well, I did do nothing as in not participating. I let out a sigh as I pushed open the door. There were a few people already there. It was the same girl and boy from the last time who asked if I was in the right place, then a few other people along with Blake. I glanced at the teacher’s desk and resisted the need to roll my eyes. I’d prefer Mr. George who slept, or even Coach Harris, but Mr. Bronx?

  “Lana, you need an invitation to sit down or what?” he asked as I handed him the slip. I gave him a blank look as he read the sheet then let out a chuckle. I spun around and sat behind Blake. He stood up, then sat on his desk, putting his feet on the chair to face me. “Hey, redhead?” Mr. Bronx piped up as he looked at us. Everyone turned to look at the girl and boy who were in the back of the classroom. She bobbed her head to absolutely nothing. The guy widened his eyes as he stared at Mr. Bronx. Blake and I turned back to the teacher, only to see his arm stretched out. We watched as the guy rose from his seat and strolled to the front. On the way, he stumbled and almost fell as people snickered. I watched as he pulled out a bag from his jacket and gave it to Mr. Bronx, who had his legs on the table. My eyes widened as I glanced at the bag of weed. “Don’t know why West hasn’t expelled you two yet,” Mr. Bronx said as he shook his head.

  “Word would get out that his students are smoking weed and shit,” the guy stated, then slowly walked back.

  “You should consider going to church once in a while,” Mr. Bronx said as he observed the bag. “And while you’re at it, dunk your head in the holy water.”

  I watched as Mr. Bronx stuffed the bag in his jacket, probably to get rid of it later. He then went back to his phone as I looked up at Blake. He already stared at me with a blank look. I raised a brow in which he squinted his eyes. I awkwardly fiddled with my scarf because I was worried he might see.

  “Err…so you and Levi are getting along quite well, I see?” I asked.

  “Yeah, he’s all right.” Blake shrugged. “Cool car, though.”

  “Uh huh. He loves racing with it,” I said as Blake turned to me.

  “How do you know?”

  “He told me.”

  “Oh, okay…damn. I’d love to drive his car in a race.”

  “I thought you were the typical motorcycle guy?”

  “So you think I can’t race?”

  “I never said that!”

  “You were implying it.”

  “No, I wasn’t,” I replied. I felt someone’s gaze on us and wasn’t surprised when my eyes flicked toward Uncle Griff.

  “Okay, then I’ll prove it to you that I’m not just the ‘typical motorcycle guy’ and can actually race,” Blake said.

  “How?” I asked, suddenly interested that he wanted to prove something to me.

  “By racing,” he said with a smirk. “Against Levi.”

  I let out a snort as Mr. Bronx watched us in amusement. Blake didn’t seem to find it funny as I stared at him.

  “With what car?”

  “I’ll borrow one of Ethan’s.”

  “You’ll never win. Like Levi said yesterday, he always wins, and he’s been doing it for years.”

  “Well, he hasn’t gone up against me.”

  “Even if he did, he would win,” I stated with a smirk molded onto my face. It was the truth; Levi loved his car, and he was damn good.

  “Okay, tell you what…next time there’s a race, we’ll go against each other with a few other people. When I win, then you’ll know I’m not a typical motorcycle guy.”

  “And what if you lose?”

  “Me losing is like Carter not getting laid in the past forty-eight hours…impossible.”

  “Okay, but don’t come crying to me when you have to get out of that car and see everyone cheering Levi on.”

  “You want a bet, Willson?” Blake asked as the corner of his mouth rose. From the corner of my eye, I saw Mr. Bronx wave his arms and mouth the word no. I turned back to Blake and nodded with a smile. “If I lose, which will be a tiny chance, then you can decide on the punishment.”

  “And if you win?”

  “Then you have to kiss me.”

  Chapter Five

  Lana

  I walked down the empty hallways as I thought over what I had agreed to with Blake. I knew Levi would win, so that I wouldn’t have to kiss him. I didn’t want to mainly because of the night when we were about to kiss, he pulled away. Now suddenly, he wanted to kiss me. I’d make sure Levi wins. I exited the school to see Blake on his motorcycle. Once he noticed me, he tossed the helmet toward me—I caught it.

  “Wanna take the scenic route home?” he asked as he got onto the bike.

  “Err…sure,” I answered as we put on our helmets. Blake started his motorcycle, and off we went. I didn’t even know that there was a scenic route to my house. Thankfully the weather cleared up as Blake went through a back road. The sky faded with a few clouds, yet it looked so aesthetic. Trees rushed past us as we drove on the smooth road. Blake looked over his shoulder as if he wanted to say something. He pointed forward so I leaned to the side. The view was fantastic with a straight, flat open road. There were very few cars as we drove on. I leaned in to Blake and said, “It’s incredible.”

  “You get a better look if you see above,” he yelled. I sat back with a puzzled look on my face as I tried to think of a way to see above. I sat for a few seconds until my face broke into a smile. The craziest idea ran through my head as I lifted myself up. “Be careful!” Blake called out as I stood on the foot peg. Once I was balanced, I glanced up to take in the view. With the beautiful skyline and never-ending road, it looked breathtaking. A bright smile crept up on my face as I sat back down and laughed. All good things had to come to an end as we soon arrived at my house. A smile was molded onto my face as we took the helmets off.

  “That was amazing!”

  “Uh huh.”

  “Well…I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then,” I said, then spun around. I glanced up and saw Levi against the porch frame with a grin.

  “Harley Davidson. Nice one, dude,” he said and looked at Blake’s bike.

  “Thanks,�
�� Blake replied. They started talking cars, so I walked into the house. Mom and Jade were in the living room watching a soap opera. I greeted them, and they silenced me as their focus was on the TV. I rolled my eyes as I walked upstairs and into my bedroom. I shut the door and turned, only to see that the bed wasn’t made up. I scoffed because Levi must’ve gotten back into bed after he dropped me off. I quickly made up the bed and arranged my room a bit. I sat down in my desk chair and began my homework. I turned on my Beats Pill and hit shuffle.

  ‘Primadonna’ by Marina and the Diamonds echoed through my room as I did my homework. I put the book in my lap as I propped my legs on the desk. I bobbed my head to the beat as I filled in the formulas. The sooner I got it done, the better.

  “What crap is this?” a stinging voice asked. I glanced up to see Levi enter my room. I squinted my eyes as he collapsed on my bed. I also noticed Blake leaning against my doorframe.

  “It’s not crap! Marina and the Diamonds is fantastic.”

  “You do realize that’s due next year?” Blake asked as he entered the room.

  “Yeah, but I don’t want to do it during winter break.” I shrugged as he stepped closer. Levi took my phone, and I rolled my eyes and turned to Blake. He strangely inched closer and towered over me as he rested his hands on my desk. We locked eyes as I saw his left arm. I heard a drawer open then close as Blake raised his hand. I stared at him and then at the pack of cigarettes in his hands. Our faces were inches away as he stared at me with a blank look.

  “What is this?”

  “From the shape of the box and the smell, I guess it’s cigarettes,” I sarcastically replied as Levi snorted.

  “These are mine,” he said as he twirled them in his hands.

  “You gave them to me,” I said as I shoved him away with my pen.

  “Nope. These are the ones I bought from the store months ago, then Parker started getting them for me,” Blake stated as he stood up straight.