by J Bree
When the class finally wraps up and I have the syllabus firmly tucked into my bag I follow Harley out and to our next class. Avery is still giving him icy looks but he just grins at her, his charm doing nothing for her and everything to me.
“By the way, Mounty, I meant getting jumped for the sweep.”
My stomach hollows out. He can’t be serious? How could it still be going?
“It’s now well over the million dollar mark and there have already been…ideas thrown around about how to get you into bed. Or against a hard surface really, they don’t care about the particulars.”
Avery scoffs and links her arm in mine so I can stop her from falling while she focuses on her phone. I’ve seen her do it with the guys a thousand times and I smile at her effortless trust in me. Harley shrugs and leads us to our next class. Biology.
“As long as none of the ideas involve rape then I really don’t want to hear about it. I’m not fucking a Hannaford boy.”
I watch as the tension forms in his shoulders but he doesn’t turn to face me. Avery chuckles under her breath and I glance over to see she’s watching him, her phone gone.
“Got your fill of Mounty guys over the break?” he snaps and Avery’s chuckle turns into what can only be described as an evil cackle. He cuts her a glare and she ignores it entirely.
“What do you have against Mounty guys, Harls? That big guy the other night, Luca was it? He was pretty hot. I’d fuck him.” Avery teases and I groan at her. The fastest route to pissing the guys off is the very thought of any guys touching their sweet Floss.
“I wouldn’t ever let you near him. He’s… a good guy but he’s… very loyal to a bad guy.”
Harley sneers at me. “Like you are?”
I grit my teeth and ignore him. It takes serious fucking willpower. Our conversation about the Jackal is still fresh in Avery’s mind and she kicks him in the shin, her polished school heels nicely pointed. “She’s as loyal to him as you are to Liam O’Cronin so don’t be a dick.”
“Difference is I can’t help the family I was born into.” He grumbles under his breath.
Her eyes are pure ice. “Neither can she.”
I sign up to tutor students again and I’m sure I’m going to be as popular as last year.
I arrive to the library early and find a guy sitting at the table I’ve come to call my own. I feel the prickle of irritation and then grumble at myself to stop being so stupid. As I move past the table to stake out the others the guy calls out, “Aren’t you Eclipse Anderson?”
I grimace and then turn back to him. I don’t recognize him at all but he doesn’t look old enough to be an upperclassman. “I go by Lips.”
He smiles at me and I’m struck by the niceness of it. Not that I’m attracted to him, thank god because I have enough trouble containing my hormones, but he doesn’t look like he’s aiming for anything. He’s just smiling.
“I’m Lance. I’ve signed up for your tutoring, the librarian told me this was your table.”
I let out the breath I was holding and pull out my chair instead. He watches me, still smiling, and I glance at the work spread out in front of him. I recognize the assignments straight away. He’s a freshman.
“I’m the new scholarship student. I thought it would be nice to meet the first kid to make it past freshman year since they started handing out these scholarships and see if you have any pointers?” he says and still he’s fucking smiling. I’m starting to get creeped out. Guys don’t smile at me like that.
I give him a stern look and say, “Get as far ahead in your classwork as possible, don’t accept drinks from anyone, and stay away from the Beaumonts.”
The smile finally falters and he watches as I pull out my own textbooks and supplies. “So they roofie drinks at parties here, do they? Typical rich brats.”
I look up to answer him as the library door opens again and in strides Ash and Blaise. I swear under my breath and silently pray they’re here for something else.
The universe does not listen.
“Mounty! Lovely to see you again, though I’m a little disappointed you’re not in your party clothes. Such a shame.” says Blaise as he drops down into the chair besides me. I roll my eyes in his general direction. He doesn’t mention our meeting at breakfast earlier in the week which makes me think he hasn’t told his best friend about it.
Ash glares at Lance as he stands over him with a malicious look. “Move. You’re in my seat.”
Lance plasters on that friendly smile again and moves across while Blaise chuckles under his breath at Ash’s shitty attitude.
“Is there a reason you’ve signed up for another year of pointless tutoring?” I raise an eyebrow at the arrogant dick and he just stares me down. Lance’s eyes dart between us both and then he breaks the heated silence.
“I’m Lance. Nice to meet you both.”
Neither of the guys even bother to look at him so I sigh and say, “This is Blaise Morrison. Don’t insult his music or beat him in choir or he’ll get pissy and you’ll be miserable for the rest of the year. And this is Ash Beaumont.”
“Ah. A member of the family I should stay away from?”
Blaise’s face has this little smile on it that makes me want to scream. I keep my eyes on Lance as I answer. “Yes. His older brother is insane and his sister would destroy your will to live without breaking a sweat. Ash, here, could beat the life out of you and then run a marathon for shits and giggles. Or just pay someone else to bury you, he’s richer than god.” I say, in my most monotone voice, while I sort through Blaise’s assignments. We’re only two weeks into the year and he’s already behind, I feel like this is his true skill in life. Which is saying something because he’s a musical genius.
I manage to corral them all into working on their assignments quietly for the hour which I count in the top five hardest things I’ve ever done. Ash is moody and petulant and he looks at me with obvious suspicion. I try not to let it get to me but I feel his moody gaze on my skin like a scouring pad.
“How do you stay away from them if you’re tutoring him?” Lance says as he packs away his work. Ash glowers at him and Blaise is watching them both with that dark gluttonous need they all have, like he’s feeding on the inevitability of blood being spilled.
“I don’t. Avery is my best friend and roommate. I tutor Ash even though he hates me. Joey is hell bent on murdering me. I’m saying you should stay away from them if you want to survive the year.”
“You think you’re tougher than me?” He grins at me and I get the feeling he’s trying to flirt with me. I don’t need any more guys following me around, especially not a fellow Mounty. How the hell do I discourage this kind of thing without violence? Fuck.
“Have you ever broken the bones in a guys hand in half a second one handed?” drawls Ash. I forgot I even did that. Lance frowns at him and shakes his head. “Then she’s tougher than you.”
Lance blinks at me.
“Are you here to study or to try to get into the Mounty girl’s panties because you should be warned, she only fucks crime lords.” laughs Blaise and I shove his Math workbook into his chest to shut him up. Lance recovers from his shock to look down his nose at him.
“You think you’re cool because your daddy bought your shitty punk band a record deal? Write another pathetic song about your feelings, dickhead, and stay out of my business.”
My jaw drops and Blaise turns to stone beside me. Ash bursts out laughing, so loud that the students around us stop and stare.
“They’re not going to find enough of your corpse left to get an ID by the time we’re done with you.”
I scrub my face with my hands and then peg Lance with a look. “You didn’t want to take my advice at all then?”
“Mountys stick together. I don’t like the way they talk to you.”
I scoff at him and shove my textbooks and supplies back into my bag. Ash looks between us both with a cold eyes but I ignore him as I walk out. I do not need the complication of
another Mounty at this school.
“I’m going to get a background check on him. I can’t believe he said that to Blaise.”
I groan, slumping onto my back, and Avery swats my leg from where she’s painting my toenails. I swear I’ve had eight different colors since school started back. Avery only ever wears nude polish but her collection of colors is insane. I’m a kind enough friend to let her paint my nails whenever she feels the need. Such a sacrifice.
“I don’t recognize him. He’s probably from a middle class area and he has no clue of what he’s dealing with here.”
She hums under her breath and studies her handiwork. We’re lying on her bed and trying to figure out what to do about Lance. Blaise followed me up to the girls dorms to rant passionately at Avery while I showered. She managed to calm him down enough to leave before I got out and then we decided to cook dinner ourselves and just hang out. The dining hall is always crazy on Friday taco night and I’m still adverse after vomiting them over myself last year. I still give Avery shit for that every chance I get.
“Do you always avenge the guys when people insult them? It puts a lot of work on your plate.” I ask. I’m genuinely curious.
She screws the bottle of polish shut and puts it back into the shelving unit she has hung on the wall. I find it funny that I was so worried about pissing her off by being messy when we first moved in. Her belongings are slowly migrating onto my half of the room purely by need because she has so damn much. I think she has a shopping compulsion, last week she misplaced some of her dance gear and the next day I woke up to find dozens of boxes being delivered to replace it all.
“People stay in power by being proactive. If I let the Mounty boy insult Blaise without consequence then what’s to stop one of the privileged kids from doing it? It keeps me busy and the sheep where they belong.”
My head tilts as I consider her words. It sounds like something the Jackal would say and it’s exactly why I’m terrible at this type of politics. I just don’t care about the social hierarchy. But Avery does so I’ll have to help out. I’m not saying I’m going to actively terrorize the guy but I’m interested to watch Avery work.
I shrug. “So what do we do?”
Avery gives me a look and sighs. “I’ll look into his background and find his weak spots. Blaise will beat the crap out of him and I’ll turn him into a pariah. He’s not a priority at the moment so I’ll just make it known that we don’t like him and the lower students will start it off for us.”
I hum under my breath for a minute while I think. I’m lost in my head when Avery pokes me. “What’s your truth today, Mounty?” she says with a smirk.
I groan and scrub a hand over my face. “I don’t know how to flirt.”
Avery laughs at me and says, “That’s not a truth. That’s a sad revelation. We need to get out of this school and find some hot, random guys to play with.”
That doesn’t appeal to me at all. I don’t want random hot guys. I want a mobster’s son with the face of an angel and the rap sheet of a street kid. I want the singer with a soft heart wrapped in barbs and trip wires of devastating wit to keep it safe. I want the billionaire’s unwanted son with eyes of ice and an endless love for his sister.
I can’t tell Avery that truth.
She gives me a little smile but her eyes are sad. She doesn’t look like a Beaumont right now. She looks like a teenage girl who needs a hug. It’s weird. “I think I’m going to start dating again. I think it’s time to wash away Rory and what he did to me.”
I exhale sharply. “If you think the guys are protective of you, you have another thing coming. I’m vetting anyone that comes near you and they’re going to answer to me. I’m also going to teach you how to castrate a guy properly. I mean it, I’m going to teach you how to cut a dick off.”
Avery laughs all over again and the haunted look fades from her eyes.
Chapter Four
“There’s a party tonight, out in the old groundskeeper’s cottage. I think we should go.”
What the hell is with rich kids and partying on school nights? I watch Avery at she manages to shovel pancakes into her mouth and still look like a delicate, refined lady. I’m sure I look something like the cookie monster as I tear into my muesli. I’m trying to get more variety in my breakfast because I’ve gorged on french toast for weeks. Not great nutritionally but it’s done wonders for my boobs. Namely, I have some now.
Avery decided to take the higher Math class this year but she’s relaxed some of her other subjects so we have less overlap. When I asked her why she shrugged and said she likes to piss her father off in low risk situations. I decide not to push the subject.
“Is there a specific reason why or are we enjoying our youth?” I say and she scoffs at me.
She pokes her knife at me as she replies. “We don’t ever do things for fun, Lips. We’re just not wired that way.”
I shrug but she has a point. I can’t remember the last time I did anything for fun. Avery arches her eyebrow at me with a little smile, fusses with her phone, and then hands it to me. There’s a photo of Joey with his arm around a woman who is definitely not a student at Hannaford. She must be at least twenty-five and she’s dressed in a sharp pantsuit and heels, a sleek bob haircut and minimal makeup. She’s attractive enough in an understated way, nothing like the girls I’ve seen that flock around him.
“This charming lady is one of our guidance counsellors. She’s supposed to be advising Joey on how to best achieve his career goals and instead she’s sucking his dick in her office every Tuesday and Friday during their scheduled meetings.”
I pull a face as she swipes her thumb across the screen and I see the photo evidence. “For future reference, I’ll take your word on shit like that.”
Avery hums under her breath and pulls the phone back to pocket it. She looks around the busy dining hall in a way that makes her look haughty. I used to think she was looking down at everyone but now I know this is her plotting action. She’s planning and making connections in her head, the students milling around her have no idea of the scale of manipulation going on while they eat.
“I need to get some photos of him at the party, ideally with girls and blow, so I can send her a nice little slideshow ending with the photo of her on her knees. She needs to know how far out of her league she really is with him.”
“Why not call the cops?” I’m curious for her answer as I’m sure it will show me more of her family dynamics.
“He’s eighteen so it’s not illegal. I could send the photos to the school board but then my father will get involved and he will just make her disappear.” her voice becomes clipped towards the end and she clears her throat uncomfortably.
“Pay off or burial?”
She looks up at me and I see the hesitation. “Usually it’s a threat. Senior doesn’t part with his money for any woman. If she doesn’t take him seriously then he sends chaos.”
Chaos.
There are many things I could send someone’s way if I wanted to send a message so I can only imagine what the billionaire Joseph Beaumont could do. I nod and wipe my hands thoughtfully, mulling over her plan. Finally, I shrug and say, “We’ll go. I can get the photos you need. Information collection is my specialty.”
Avery changes into a sleek, gorgeous navy dress and a pair of stiletto heels that make my own feet cringe in sympathy. She rages for a half hour about her favorite Louboutin’s being missing, one of a kind and irreplaceable, and I bitch her out for being too rich to take care of her shit. She lets her hair down and wears only a little makeup. The look doesn’t scream high school party to me, she looks like she’s twenty-one and heading out clubbing at some exclusive rooftop nightclub in New York.
I decide not to tempt fate with a skirt. After Harley’s warning about the money still up for grabs I’m wary about how tonight is going to pan out but it’s still too hot to wear jeans and a jacket. I go with a black playsuit with a halter top that just manages to cover my ass and I put o
n the thickest cotton underwear I own. I’m not planning on drinking because peeing in a romper is a bitch. Plus if there’s no working toilets at this cottage I’m not getting naked in the woods to pee. I lace up my black Doc’s and wiggle my toes in sheer joy.
Avery grimaces at the sight of my shoes and I give her a playful nudge. We’ll see who’s laughing when we stumble home at the end of this stupid party.
I follow Avery’s lead out of the girls dorms and through the school grounds. We purposefully decided to arrive two hours after the party got underway so Joey would be drunk and high before he has a chance to see us. My hand keeps slipping into my pocket and gripping my knife like a security blanket. I gave Avery a can of mace back in our room and she had tucked it into her bra like a pro.
“Does Ash come to these parties?” I ask as we trudge through the wooded boundaries in the school campus.
“Yeah, and the other two. They all get wasted and pick fights over girls.” Avery rolls her eyes and manages to look superior even as she’s wobbling in her heels in the dirt.
“I bumped into Harley last year at Joey’s party.” I blush at the memory. God, I really don’t want to find him like that again.
Avery snorts when she sees my face and links her arm in mine. “Let me guess, Annabelle was bent over a table.”
“On her knees actually.” Avery’s nose wrinkles and she shakes her head. I want to ask her what part she’s grossed out about but then I see the lights and I realize that low throbbing sound means we’re coming up on the party.
I can feel the music in my chest as we walk into the groundskeeper’s cottage.
Cottage is a terrible word for the building; its huge but old and dilapidated. I find myself cringing the further we get in, like that will somehow save me when the ceiling caves in. It’s definitely coming down and the pulsing beat coming from the speakers seems to be teasing the cracked plaster, coaxing it into giving up.