by Mae Doyle
I smirk at Teague before looking at Mr. Tate and answering him.
“Yessir, I’m just not feeling well. Big game this week, you know, and the coach has us all on new diets.” I lean back and stretch, showing off my physique. Yeah, I know that the girls in the class are looking. They can look all they want, but since Tiffany died I haven’t been with anyone. My shirt pulls up and I run my hand across my as, enjoying the way people’s eyes widen as they watch me.
Being the star quarterback in a small town affords you the benefit of the doubt, even when you don’t deserve it, and one benefit is that Mr. Tate believes me.
Hell, coach has all of the other assholes on my team on diets, but not me. He doesn’t have to worry about me getting any better. I’m at the top of my game, which is why I’m being scouted for colleges. Just gotta make it through the end of the football season and the spring semester and I’m golden.
Well, I was going to be golden, but now with that eerie bitch at my school, it’s going to be a little harder.
And Bethany looked so fucking happy to be parading her around the halls. She probably took her to show her off to all of her stupid little friends. Like they really give a shit. They have no idea what I lived through when Tiffany died.
Hell, I can’t close my eyes at night without seeing Tiffany’s face. She haunts me, as well she should, since I’m the reason that she’s dead. Now there’s a new girl who looks just like her?
It’s some weird karma bullshit.
“Well, make sure that you pay attention today so that you don’t have to miss practice this afternoon. We wouldn’t want the town’s best quarterback sitting inside while everyone else is running drills after the pep rally, would we?” He smiles at me and then turns back to the board.
I flick him off behind his back and Teague chuckles.
“What’s wrong, Clay? You look like you saw a ghost.” He keeps his voice low so that Mr. Tate won’t hear him and leans back in his chair. I take a moment to look at my best friend. He was there the night that I killed Tiffany.
Hell, he’s part of the reason that she’s dead, but I won’t let him take on that guilt. It was my idea to go drag racing, not his. It’s not his fault that the road was wet and that I lost control. It’s not his fault that he and I walked away, and Tiffany didn’t.
What sucks is that we both walked away, but I see Tiffany at night. Every fucking time I close my eyes, I swear, I could reach out and touch her. She’s almost there, but she’s a fucking ghost, and when I open my eyes, she’s gone. Even if I could see her again, I don’t know what I would say to her.
There’s no good way to apologize for killing the person you love.
But wat I wouldn’t give to pound my cock into her sweet little pussy one more time. It throbs in my pants as I think about her. Then a picture of Elle flashes into my head.
Fuck. That girl has got to go.
“Nothing, man, my little sister got to me.” I roll my eyes at him and try to look calm while inside I feel like I’m raging. “Have you seen those new cheerleading outfits? They’re fucking ridiculous.”
There’s nothing like seeing your little sister dressed like a whore each time we have practice or a game. She parades around the school like she owns it, but you’d think that what happened after Tiffany died would remind her not to look like such a slut.
It’s a good thing that she’s under my protection or I’m sure that someone would want to take advantage of her.
Again.
Teague makes a jerking off motion with his hand and winks at me before turning back around.
Glowering, I sink back down in my seat. How the fuck am I supposed to concentrate on anything when I’ve just got a glimpse of Tiffany’s doppelganger walking around?
It’s just not normal. If she thinks that she can just stroll in here and start going to Kennedy Academy without any problems, then she’s got another thing coming. I don’t know who she is or who her family is, but it doesn’t matter. She’s not from here, she’s not old money, and she doesn’t belong. I’ve never been afraid of telling people when they don’t belong, and she’s no different.
I remind myself every day of Tiffany’s death. I don’t need some stupid bitch with a matching face doing it for me. Even though I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t like catching a glimpse of Tiffany when I looked at Elle, this shit simply won’t fly.
I’m the prince of this school. Hell, I’m the king of the whole fucking town, and this stupid girl shouldn’t be here. There are other schools for her to go to, and she’ll have to find another one.
This one’s mine.
***
“So, did you like your little surprise today?” Bethany struts up to me, snapping her gum. I give my sister a once-over and roll my eyes. She smells like bubblegum, all sweet and sugary, but I happen to know that there’s nothing nice about her. That wasn’t how we were raised.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Who the hell is that bitch?” I asked around at lunch and everyone was as spooked as I am, but nobody else has as good a reason. Shit, I even had some people hinting that this was a great time for me to have a do-over. Assholes.
There’s no way that the new bitch could even come close to Tiffany. I don’t care if she sings like a fucking angel and saves puppies on the weekend, she can die for all I care.
Hell, I’d be happy to be the one putting her in the ground. If it meant that I wouldn’t have to see her again, I’d do it now. Today.
Bethany glances around her to see if anyone is listening in on our conversation. Luckily, most of my team is cooling down and my friends know better than to interrupt us. I’m pissed at her and I’ve made no sign of hiding it all day long.
Teague glances curiously at us, but looks away as soon as I catch his eye.
“Her name is Elle Suttles,” Bethany spits out, rubbing the toe of her shoe into the ground. “She’s a total goodie-two-shoes from what I can tell and had no idea that she was walking into a school where everyone was going to hate her. Well, not everyone. Some guys thought that she looked cute.”
I hate it when my baby sister smirks at me like this – like she owns me just because she has a little information that I don’t. She’s done it since she was little and I’ve always wanted to smack her, but I’ve always held back. Right now, though, I’m so pissed that I may just do it. She sees the dark look on my face and takes a step back.
“Who? Who the hell was looking at her?” As much as I hate to admit it, I don’t want anyone to want Elle. I don’t want her for myself, but I sure as shit don’t want to see Tiffany’s doppelganger walking around on the arm of some other guy. My hands clench into fists and I have to take deep breaths to calm down and release them.
It’s one of those coping skills that I learned when I was in therapy after Tiffany’s death, and while most of the time I spent talking about my feelings was a fucking joke, this trick actually works.
Most of the time, anyway. Right now I’m so pissed that nothing could calm me down. Maybe some good pussy.
“Just some guys at lunch. She and I have the same period, so I kept an eye on her. In fact, I asked her to try out for the squad. She didn’t seem thrilled, but I think she will. She thinks that if she makes the squad then I’ll hate her less than I do now, but have you seen how tiny she is? She looks like she’d be a perfect flyer and I just want to toss her up into the air.” She grins at me. “Hope she doesn’t get hurt.”
“Why the hell would you do that?” It’s bad enough to know that this girl is here, but to see her during games and practices, bouncing around in a tiny outfit? Nope. Too much. “What game are you playing at, Bethany?”
“Me? No game, dear brother. Although, you may want to put your game face on. Looks like little miss is actually going to try out.” She points over my shoulder and I resist the urge to turn around and look.
I know what I’ll see if I do turn around. Tiffany’s fucking ghost walking towards me looking just like her before the accident.
No, thanks, I have other things I need to think about, not how to avoid my own living hell.
This has to be some fucked-up joke that my sister is playing. Even for Bethany, though, it’s going a bit far. She’s cruel, but making me look at the doppelganger of my dead girlfriend at every game? That’s fucked up, even for her.
“Hey! Elle! Over here!” Bethany calls over my shoulder and waves. Then, in a lower voice, she adds, “we really don’t need someone on the squad, but I’m calling in a favor. As long as she isn’t afraid of heights then she’s a total shoe-in. Won’t you like having her cheer you on?”
I have to bite back the words I want to say because suddenly Elle is at my side. She’s changed from the jeans and black tank top that she had on this morning into tight leggings and a cheer top. I watch as she pulls the hem of it down self-consciously, trying to cover her stomach.
Not that there’s much there to cover. She’s as skinny as my sister but with great tits. I pause and peruse her body, starting at the top and working my way down before I speak to her.
“So. My darling sister here tells me that you’re going to try out for the squad.” Elle looks at me, a flash of fear in her face. Good. I want her to be afraid of me. She shouldn’t be here, and I plan on reminding her of that every chance I get.
“Yeah, she’s rather convincing.” She pauses for a moment and Bethany cuts her off.
“Get your ass over there in just a minute, Elle.” Bethany points across the field. “But right now, I bet that you two have so much to talk about.” She grins at me and winks. Before I can stop her, she turns on her heel and runs across the field to join the rest of her squad. Half of my team whistles at her and she flips them the bird as she goes.
“Can I ask if I did something to upset you?” Elle’s voice draws my attention back to her and she reaches out to touch my arm, but then lets her hand fall uselessly between us. Standing this close to her I see how easily I tower over her. It wouldn’t take much for me to overpower her and make her want to leave this school. Too bad there are so many people here.
My pulse starts to throb in my ear as I think about all of the ways that I could make her pay for daring to set foot at Kennedy Academy. My cock is hard in my shorts and I step forward, wrapping my arm around her shoulder and pulling her to me.
Anyone looking over at us would think that we were just two friends talking. Hell, some of them would probably do a double-take thinking that I was walking with Tiffany. I’m not surprised when Elle doesn’t pull away from me. She wants to feel welcomed and safe, and while my gesture looks nice, it’s not.
I need to get her on her own so I can show her what I think about her being here. I want to drive her out of this school so I never have to look at her again.
Her lips are parted slightly, and she sucks in the bottom one to chew it while she waits on my response. I’d be crazy not to want to part those lips with mine and see them wrapped around my cock. Just thinking about her on her knees in front of me makes my cock twitch in my shorts.
I have to ignore it if I’m going to get through to this stupid girl.
“You piss me off. Everything about you, Elle, is upsetting.” She looks like I’ve slapped her, but I don’t let up. “You being here is not okay, and you need to know that.”
I can tell that she wants to pull away, but I’m not going to let her. Instead, I turn, pressing myself into her side. My cock is hard and her eyes widen as she realizes what I’m doing.
To anyone else, we look like we’re having a lovely chat. But she can feel me, I know it. When I’m pressed this hard up against her, she has to know how badly I want to take her for my own.
“I don’t want you here, Elle.” Leaning closer, I brush some of her hair behind her ear and whisper in it. She shivers under my touch. “You need to leave.” My lips graze against the soft curve of her ear.
She looks hurt and takes a step back, but I keep my arm around her.
“What did I do to you?” I see the flush rise in her cheeks, but she doesn’t move away from me. Stupid girl. She’s so close that I could easily kiss her. There’s nothing stopping me from getting a little closer to sweet, stupid, sexy Elle.
She hasn’t done anything to me but make me think about Tiffany, but that’s enough. I smirk at her as she steps away and then I take a step forward, again closing the gap between us. She freezes and I reach out, pulling her by the hip so that she’s pressed up against me.
Digging my thumb into her hip, I hold her in place so that she can’t move. She’s so thin that I can feel her bones under my grip, but she doesn’t pull away from me. “You think that you want to be on the squad, little Elle? You think that Kennedy Academy is a good place for you? You have no idea what you’ve done. You better keep your distance from me.”
She shivers but can’t step back. Reaching up with my other hand I brush some hair back from her face and then drag the pad of my thumb across her lower lip. She sucks in a hard breath when I touch her, and I feel my cock throb in my shorts. Her skin is hot under my touch, and I can imagine it burning me.
“What did I do?” Her voice is so soft that I can barely hear it. I lean down to get my mouth close to her ear and I’m reminded how tiny she is. How fragile.
“You, Elle, didn’t do anything. But your presence here reminds me of something that I’d rather not remember.” She’s standing perfectly still, and I take her chin to force her to look up at me. “I’m the prince of this school, Elle. You don’t want to cross me.”
I’m not sure what she’s thinking. Her face is almost expressionless. At the very least, I was expecting some tears or her to flush harder and try to pull away. She’s close enough to me that I could easily kiss her. I could claim her as my own.
As much as I hate the idea of seeing her around school, I hate the idea of seeing her with someone even more. That would almost be like seeing Tiffany with another man.
Even before I know what I’m doing, I’ve made up my mind. I don’t want to have Elle Suttles. Hell, I don’t want to see her stupid face anywhere near me but I sure as hell don’t want to see her with someone else.
I can play with her. I can take out all of my frustration and anger over losing Tiffany on her. But nobody else is allowed to touch her.
She’s under my protection. But she’s also my toy. And like any hunter, I like to fuck with my toys.
“Can I go?” Her voice is even quieter than before and I realize that my thumb nail has dug a halo into her skin on her hip. Pushing her back from me, I nod. “Good luck with tryouts,” I smirk. “I think that Bethany mentioned they want you as a flyer, so you better hope that nobody accidentally drops you.”
Her eyes widen and she takes one step back from me, then another, before turning and jogging across the field. My whole team is watching her now, but nobody whistles or calls out. Teague must have told them. Elle is mine to play with and nobody else in the school can touch her.
Nobody can look at her.
I give myself a shake and start walking toward my team, but my eyes are on her ass as she jogs away. My hands burn where I touched her and my cock is hard as I think about pressing her little body up against the wall, pinning her in place, and taking her for myself.
Elle can run all she wants, but I’m faster. She’s like a scared little rabbit, and rabbits tire out long before predators do.
I’m going to keep an eye on her.
And then I’m going to destroy her.
Chapter 3
Elle
I’m sure that my mom and Ted want me to tell them about my first day at Kennedy Academy, but the last thing I want to do is try to explain Clay. How would I even begin?
So, there’s this guy…well, he’s got the body of a god, but I’m pretty sure that he’s an evil sadist. Oh, and his preppy little sister wants me to join the cheerleading squad, but I think that she only wants me to do that so she can have me injured. If they toss me high enough into the air and then drop me then I might completely shatter when I
hit the ground.
I’ve never felt this fragile before, but it’s true.
I’m so close to shattering. I’m doing everything that I can to hold it all together, but today was hell. The designers at Kennedy Academy spared no expense when making their school, but it ended up being a beautiful prison.
Nothing more, nothing less. I hate everything about it, from the amazing skylights and incredible classrooms to the gorgeous grounds and the inspiring teachers.
It could burn to the ground tonight and I wouldn’t feel any sadness, as long as it meant that I never had to see Clay again.
But even though I hate Kennedy Academy, it’s still better than being at my home. Hell, if I got dropped while cheerleading and ended up in the hospital it would be better than being at home. Life in a hospital feels preferable to staying in the same house with Ted. So, mom, wish me luck.
Nope. Not a conversation that I want to get into right now, or ever.
That’s why I’m already in my room when my mom and Ted come home with some pizza for dinner.
“Elle! You hungry? Ted and I would love to hear about your day!” My mom doesn’t have to yell since our voices carry so well in this house, but it’s just like her to make a scene. Ever since she met Ted she’s been trying to be “more authentic”. In her eyes I think that that means trying to be true to herself, but it really just means that she’s more of a pain in the ass than ever.
Instead of answering I walk into the bathroom and turn on the shower. The only cool thing about my room is that it has this attached bathroom, which means that I have my own private space. I got all of my toiletries unpacked and moved in, and now I sprinkle some fragrance beads into the shower while the water heats up.
In just a few minutes the entire room is filled with steam and the scent of lavender. Stripping, I step in, enjoying the way the hot water streams down my body, burning me. I want it to wash away everything that happened today. When I close my eyes, I think about the way that Clay looked at me…