The Maxwell Series Boxed Set: Books 1-3

by Alexander, S. B.

  Dad told me his private conversation with the principal had gotten tense, but ended on a good note. When I asked him to be more specific, he’d said it was just two adults disagreeing. While I was curious, I dropped the subject. I had a lot on my plate, and Dad didn’t seem concerned.

  In between practicing and studying, Becca and I hung out, too. She became my cheering section when I was on the mound throwing pitches to Tyler. I liked her a lot. She was honest. She didn’t beat around the bush, she didn’t sugar coat anything, and best of all, she wasn’t fake.

  It was the end of the school week and Becca and I were sitting on the hood of my Mustang, chatting. We still had about thirty minutes to the first bell. I’d swung by the coffee shop in town and picked up a latte for me, and a hot chocolate for Becca. I sipped on my coffee, hoping the hot liquid would take away the chill that had settled in me.

  “You know it’s going to get much colder than this,” Becca said, smiling.

  “Yeah. And your point is?”

  “You look like you’re about to freeze to death and it’s only forty-five degrees out.”

  “So why don’t we go in and hang out before the bell?” I knew the answer, but I asked it anyway.

  “The halls have ears,” she said, rolling her eyes. “When are you going to get your winter clothes, anyway?”

  Great question. I had no clue. Dad had been busier than he had ever been with this new club, Rumors. He’d told me that with the college semester in session, his club was packed just about every night. It was good for him, but bad as well. We had little time to talk. I’d only seen him briefly after school. When I got up in the morning he was sound asleep. Since he was going to be home this evening, I made a mental note to ask him for some cash to go shopping. I’d offered to get a job when we moved here. He’d said to concentrate on school. With Dad’s businesses, lack of money wasn’t an issue. He’d given Rob, Julie, and me allowances as we were growing up, provided we did our chores around the house. I didn’t have any specific chores now. Dad and I had fallen into a routine of picking up after ourselves.

  “Hey, maybe we could go to the mall this weekend,” Becca said. “That way I can get a new outfit for Saturday night.”

  I’d forgotten all about Saturday night. Her dad owned a teen-only club in town. He opened it several years ago as a place where the high school crowd could go to eat, dance and sing karaoke. The only adults allowed were the ones who worked there.

  “I’m not sure I want to go,” I said, taking another sip of my latte. Clubs weren’t my scene. I’d been in my dad’s club in LA on a few occasions when I had to drop off something he’d forgotten, like his wallet. The club was like standing in a fireplace with all the hot bodies packed in, not to mention the sweaty bodies I had to plow through to get from the front door to his office.

  “You’re going. You need to see my dad’s club. Besides, your dad will be there, too.”

  My father had gotten a call from Becca’s dad when she found out that Dad owned Eko Records. Apparently, Mr. Young was in the market to hire a band or two to headline on the weekends. Dad had made some calls, but most of his clients were currently on the West Coast. Maybe he could book some new clients who needed exposure.

  “I don’t have anything to wear.” It wasn’t a lie. My wardrobe consisted of casual clothes—very casual clothes. Well, I still had a few dresses from the charity events I’d attended, but those were way too fancy for a teen club.

  “Hence the mall, silly. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

  I guess I’d been told. I blew on my hands, since my latte was now cold and almost empty. I was all for finding warmer clothes, especially gloves with warmers in them.

  “Lacey, if you’re this pathetic now, what are you going to do in subzero temps and mile-high snow?” Becca asked.

  “Fly back to LA,” I joked. It wasn’t a bad idea.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” Becca said. “I just made a friend that I like.”

  “Okay, don’t get all huffy on me. I was just kidding.” I’d been curious why she didn’t hang out with any of the other girls in school. It wasn’t like she was the new girl. I’d learned her best friend had moved at the end of last year. Since then, she just kept to herself. Sure, everyone knew her and she talked to other girls in school, but there weren’t any that she cared to hang out with on a daily basis. She said a lot of them were fake and just using her to get into her dad’s club.

  At that moment, Tyler walked up with Grace Edison tethered to his arm. Just like he’d said, the head cheerleader ruled her clique of friends. If she said jump, they would ask how high. She was in my English class, but it wasn’t until chemistry that I had a chance to meet her. She was nice to me, but it was a phony nice. She’d smile, but it never reached her eyes. I wasn’t certain what her deal was yet, so I kept my tongue in check.

  “Hey, guys,” she said in her mousy voice. Her brown hair was swept up into a high ponytail with a blue and black ribbon wrapped around it. All the cheerleaders displayed the school colors somewhere on their clothes or bodies. I’d even spied one of her minions who had a tattoo on her wrist with the school colors. I wasn’t sure if it was real. I’d always wanted a baseball inked on my upper right shoulder in the back. I had to wait until I was eighteen, though.

  Becca growled her annoyance.

  “Hey, Ty,” I said.

  “Lace, how goes it this morning?” he asked.

  Becca glowered at Grace’s hand glued to Tyler’s arm. “Is there something you need, Grace?” Becca mashed her lips into a thin line.

  “No. I saw Tyler coming out of the sports complex, and I walked with him over here.” Her voice had a bitter undertone.

  Tyler eyed me, trying to give me a signal of some kind. It didn’t matter. I wasn’t going to bite her head off—not today, anyway. I couldn’t say the same for Becca.

  She stuck out her chin. “You’re not wanted here,” she said.

  Wow! This was a side of Becca I hadn’t seen before. Sure, she was feisty, but not this bitchy, even when she had that small altercation with Tyler at the beginning of the week. I had yet to ask her about her and Tyler. I was saving it for a time when we knew each other a little better.

  “Grace, why don’t you head inside? We’ll talk later. Okay?” Tyler pried her fingers from his arm.

  “Sure.” She pinned a death look on Becca before traipsing off.

  Once she was out of earshot, Becca let loose on Tyler. “What the hell, dude? You know I hate her.”

  “She hasn’t done anything to you,” he shot back.

  “What’s with all this animosity, Becca?” I asked. I was the newbie and still learning the hierarchy of all the cliques in this school.

  “Just old history between me and Grace.” Becca hadn’t spoken much about Grace except the usual cliquey stuff of the “Barbies with claws,” as she liked to call them. Did I want to know? No. Did I need to know? Yes. Only because she was my friend, and friends took care of each other. If she needed a shoulder to cry on or someone to back her up, I’d be there for her.

  “She’s been nice to me,” I said.

  “That’s because it’s just the first week and they’re feeling you out,” she said. Anger still laced her tone. “Trust me. It’s the calm before the storm. I’ve heard the rumors already. The cheerleaders don’t like you.”

  “Hey, calm down.” I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t care about who likes me and who doesn’t. And until they give me a reason, I’ll be nice to them.”

  Her dark brown eyes shot daggers my way. We studied each other for a second.

  “I’m sorry, girl. Grace gets under my skin.” She smiled.

  “We don’t have much time before the bell,” Tyler announced. “Let’s head in.”

  Becca frowned at Tyler.

 
So Becca and I had our first little spat as friends. Given that we both had strong personalities, I was certain we would have more. While she was starting to become a good friend, I wasn’t going to hate Grace just because Becca did. Sure, my intuition was telling me that Grace and her posse were bad news. I just hoped for their sake that they didn’t give me a reason to go toe-to-toe with them.

  As soon as we were inside, I threw my coffee cup in the trash and blew on my hands as I made my way to my locker. I had to get my trig book to study during my free period. I was cramming for the test that was set up for early the next week. My calculus test was scheduled for the week after that. Whatever Dad had said to the principal seemed to help my schedule.

  “I’ll see you two in English,” I said over my shoulder to Becca and Tyler, who both had been scooped up by some friends. When I turned back, my face collided with a hard chest.

  Strong hands grasped my shoulders. “Watch where you’re going, Lacey,” a male voice drawled.

  Oh, no! A tingle skittered up and down my spine. I slowly lifted my gaze, and Kade Maxwell was grinning as his dimples flashed, causing the butterflies in my stomach to take flight.

  I glanced behind me in search of help, but Tyler and Becca had their backs to me. I eased away, landing against the door of a janitor’s closet. He grinned as he tilted his head to one side. I swallowed. He scanned the hall in both directions. I followed his line of sight. Kids talked with their friends. Others disappeared down another hallway.

  “You have a problem?” I asked, looking up into his copper eyes.

  Without a word, he tugged me into the janitor’s closet, shutting the door. It closed with a resounding thud. I flinched. My brain screamed to run. My body didn’t agree. I stood frozen. Sweat beaded on my forehead. Then he switched on the light.

  Holy hell. I was alone in a closet with this god-like guy. A quick glimpse of the small space showed shelves of gallons of cleaning liquids and paper towels. Great! There wasn’t anything of value to use to protect myself. Suddenly, my throat closed, and I struggled to swallow.

  He backed me into one of the shelves, positioning his hands on either side of my head. He studied me with an intense glare, as if he were trying to pluck the life out of my soul.

  My breathing became shallow. Don’t panic. I silently laughed. I was in a closet being held captive by a guy I’d held at gunpoint. To make matters worse, I wanted to reach up and lock lips with him. How freaky is that? I should be worried about what he was going to do to me, especially after I sucker-punched him too.

  “Nice shiner,” I managed to squeak out. I’d meant to tell him that the first day of school when he walked out of the principal’s office. At the time, though, it hadn’t been this black.

  He blinked, then a muscle ticked in his jaw. Oh yeah. I hit a nerve.

  My heart pounded in my ears. My tongue became sandpaper rough. I tried to get saliva to wet my mouth. A combination of fear and excitement had my knees weak. I locked them just in case my body decided to betray me. What was I saying? It was already betraying me as tingles spread way below my belly, and down through my legs.

  “What do…you…want, Kade?” I asked in the same strange raspy voice as I had that first night in the parking lot.

  At the sound of his name he flinched. “An apology to start.” His right hand came down, and he trailed a finger along my jaw, as his gaze dropped to my lips. He stared at them as if he were trying to decide whether to kiss me or not.

  He wouldn’t dare.

  Then he lowered his head, so our lips were a hairsbreadth apart.

  I couldn’t concentrate. All I wanted him to do was touch me. I wanted those lips on me. I wanted his arms around me. I wanted to wrap my legs around his waist while I buried my hands in his hair, and to learn every muscle, dip, and valley on his body.

  Yeah, right—like he would let you do that. You pulled a gun on the guy and gave him a shiner. Think about it. He’s messing with you right now.

  “Back away.” I raised my hand and placed it on his rigid, toned stomach and pushed. He wasn’t going to kiss an apology out of me.

  He didn’t move. “Not until I—”

  “Either move or I’ll make you.” What was up with the stare? Was that how he scared women? If I yell, would anyone hear me?

  “You think so,” he whispered practically against my lips. His breath smelled of minty toothpaste.

  “You want to go another round like the other night?” I asked. My lips were tingling, and he wasn’t even touching them.

  His hand snaked around my neck, cupping the back of my head. “Where’s your gun?”

  “Do you value your manly parts?”

  His eyes grew wide. “You wouldn’t.”

  “You want to test me? I mean, that shiner is looking pretty good. I could have your balls match it in color.”

  He laughed; I struck. My knee hit him square in the balls and he dropped to his knees. Pain etched his face along with a freaking grin that spread from ear to ear. The jerk was actually smiling.

  “Who the…heck…are you?” His voice was strained.

  “I’m your worst nightmare and your best wet dream all wrapped into one.” Oh, God. Why did I say that last part?

  His grin grew wider.

  I rolled my eyes. What guy laughs when his crotch is in severe pain? I wrenched open the door and bolted out of the closet. I had two minutes before the final bell rang. When I got to my locker, the adrenaline was still coursing through me, and a small twinge of excitement made me laugh. I shouldn’t be laughing. The guy was going to have my hide on a silver platter. Once I had the books I needed, I slammed my locker and ran to homeroom.

  The door to the classroom opened and I jumped.

  “Problem, Ms. Robinson?” Ms. Vander, my homeroom teacher, asked.

  I shook my head vigorously.

  “Then get in before I mark you late.” She flicked her thumb toward the open doorway.

  I walked in and dropped into my seat. Closing my eyes, I sighed. As I thought about everything I’d done to Kade, Tyler’s warning flashed across my mind. Stay away from Kade. I still wasn’t sure what that meant, but after our most recent little incident, maybe it should be the other way around.

  During announcements in homeroom, the principal sent out good luck wishes to the football team—they had their first home game tonight. A pep rally was scheduled after lunch. She also reminded everyone that baseball tryouts were scheduled for next Wednesday and Thursday. I had two shots to show Coach Dean my fastball, slider, and curveball. Even though I still had a few more days to practice, my stomach did a flip at the mention of tryouts.

  I had just slipped into the hall when Tammy Reese, one of the cheerleader Barbies, stalked up to me. She was a beautiful girl. Her reddish brown hair was cut short to highlight her wide blue eyes and full lips. Pity she ruined her pretty features with a scowl. I flashed her one of my winning smiles.

  “You think you’re so much better than us, don’t you?” she asked.

  Becca’s words suddenly resonated in my head. They don’t like you.

  As if to prove Becca’s point, she grabbed my arm, hard. Biting my lip, I glanced at her hand on my arm then up at her.

  Her brown eyebrows lowered. “Well, you’re not,” she said. “Just because Tyler’s your friend doesn’t protect you.”

  “Good to know,” I shot back. “Now, get your slimy claws off me.”

  “Or what?” she taunted.

  A crowd had formed. Surprise, surprise. A tiny voice in the back of my head warned me to keep it together. I didn’t want to disappoint my dad.

  “I don’t want any trouble,” I said in a softer tone.

  “Are you afraid, bitch?” she spat out as her nails dug into my skin.

  I could take name-calling, but I stopped
at “bitch.” Sure, the word did describe my moods sometimes. That didn’t mean I had to hear it from a person who didn’t even know me. Not only that, I hadn’t done anything to warrant her animosity.

  That buzzing sound whirred in my head. Anger bubbled to the surface so fast I shuddered. As I blinked, the hall narrowed to just her and me.

  Walk away. Baseball, baseball, baseball. I had to remind myself why I was here at this new school. “Take… your… hand… off me.” I clenched my teeth.

  “Or what?” she scoffed. This girl was relentless and itching for a fight. Then a malevolent grin split her burgundy lips. Her cocksure smile broke my resolve. I jerked my arm out of her hold. In the process, my elbow accidentally connected with the underside of her jaw. She stumbled backwards, her backpack falling to the ground.

  “Next time, think before you put your hands on someone.”

  The voices grew louder as the buzzing faded in my head. Several clicking sounds from camera phones echoed in the hall.

  “Watch your back,” she hissed, holding her jaw.

  I stalked closer to her. “Newsflash—I’m not afraid of you or anyone at this school. Spread that around.”

  The warning bell rang.

  As I turned on my heel, a camera phone flashed in my face. Great! Now there was evidence. Whatever. As I strutted away, a group of girls rushed to Tammy’s side. I was surprised that teachers didn’t storm the hall.

  All of a sudden another hand grabbed me, and my fist came up before Tyler caught it. “What the heck, Lacey! It’s just me.”

  “Oh.” I kept walking to my locker, trying to shake the nerves.

  “What happened?” he asked as he followed me.

  When I got to my locker, I punched in my code. I stuck my head inside and took several breaths, trying to quell the adrenaline pumping through my veins. On my last breath, I turned toward Tyler.