Jake blinked up at me in surprise. “Well, shit, dude. Why didn’t you just say so?”
I gave him a small shove, and he laughed. I didn’t understand my best friend at times, and I doubted I ever would, but I was glad I had him. Before Dallas, I never thought I’d find someone I liked quite as much.
Chapter 12
Dallas
I wanted to die. I wanted the crappy laminate hallway flooring to swallow me up like quicksand, but as fast as humanly possible. I was in shock. How could I turn down the one guy I wanted to go to prom with? I had to, but that didn’t make it hurt any less, especially when he was so sweet about it. I wished I could have told him what was on my mind. Shane would have been the perfect person to confide in.
“Nicely done, stud,” Sasha said, sidling up to me the second I turned the corner.
Sasha was the second to last person I wanted to see right now. The last, of course, being Wes. The worst part was I needed to play nice with her, and not for the same reason I needed to play nice with Wes. Sasha was going to be my only friend at Gromley’s party. However, being there with Sasha was probably the same as being there alone.
When I didn’t reply to Sasha’s comment, she flicked a curtain of long inky hair over her shoulder and continued as if she didn’t notice.
“We’re going to have way more fun at Gromley’s party than that stupid prom. I’m so excited that you finally stopped being such a wet towel and decided to come.” She linked her arm through mine and started dragging me toward our next class. I stumbled along, hardly registering the words that she tossed back at me.
“Wes’s dad is such a babe. It’s so stupid that I can’t get into his club yet, so he hasn’t seen me. This party’s going to be the ultimate opportunity for me to strut my stuff in front of him.”
I frowned and stopped, pulling Sasha to a halt. “Wes’s dad is going to be there?” I asked.
“Of course.”
“But...isn’t Wes a little too cool to have his parent chaperone his party?”
Sasha gave me a blank look as if she were wondering if I was messing with her. When she realized I was completely serious, she threw her head back and laughed.
“Oh my god, Dallas. Could you be any more of a virgin?” She started yanking me forward again, and I stumbled to keep up. “It’s not going to be some stupid high school party where the most action is going to be some wasted jock trying to cop a feel while we play spin the bottle. Preston Gromley and a bunch of his business associates will be there—and I do mean the ones from the shadier side of the business. It’s going to be epic.”
A bolt of panic flashed through me, white hot and insistent. I gulped and tried to slow my runaway heart.
“Sasha, don’t you think that sounds a little dangerous?”
“Dangerous?” She shot me a contemptuous look. “More like delightful. They’re all rich, cupcake. And I’ll be the hottest girl there, so I’ll have my pick of them.”
I hadn’t seen Sasha this excited for anything since her boobs first came in. Despite the fact that I’d been feeling distant from her recently, I was still protective of her. I didn’t want anything unsavory to happen to her, and this party screamed trouble in the worst kind of way.
“I really don’t think you should go,” I said. “Preston’s the real deal, and I doubt his business associates are the kind of glamorous you think they’re going to be.”
We arrived at the classroom doors, and Sasha spun on me, staring down with contempt in her heavily lined blue eyes.
“Oh, so just I shouldn’t go? You want them all to yourself, don’t you?” she said snottily. “You should be careful, Dallas, because your good girl act is fraying at the edges and soon everyone is going to see right through you. If I were you, I’d embrace the bitch inside sooner rather than later.” She huffed a breath. “Honestly, I don’t know why Wes prefers you.”
Tears threatened to burst from my eyes, but I held them in. I shouldn’t have said anything. Sasha didn’t know that I was going to this party against my will, and she couldn’t if I wanted to keep her safe. Besides, she probably wouldn’t believe me if I told her. She was set against me. It had never been so obvious.
“I’m sorry,” I squeaked out. “I just know that I’m going to be spending a lot of time with Wes at the party and I’m worried about something happening to you.”
It was the closest I could get to the truth, but it seemed to do the trick. Sasha’s expression softened, and she stepped back a little bit to give me some room. I pretended that my former best friend hadn’t just glared at me with eyes like diamond-tipped blades and passed on a smile.
“Let’s grab a seat,” she said, grinning. “Come on.”
Sasha grabbed my hand and pulled me into the room, where we took a seat near the back. Wes sauntered in a second before the bell rang and winked at me as he crossed the floor and took the seat just across the row from me.
I stared obstinately toward the front of the room, even as I felt Wes’s eyes burning holes into my cheeks. To distract myself, I thought about what Sasha had said.
The good girl act is fraying at the corners.
It wasn’t an act, of course, but she was still onto something. The part of me that was good, the part that wouldn’t make it an hour at Wes’s party, was eroding faster than I ever expected. The only problem was I didn’t know what lay underneath. What if there wasn’t anything there at all? What if I cracked and broke open, only to find myself a hollow shell? Wes’s party wouldn’t be the end of it. I already knew that. I had no idea what he had in store for me afterward, but I knew I could count on it being a severe test of my will and strength. As I was now, I wouldn’t make it. The only question was whether I had something inside of me that would persevere or if I was just going to crumple into the broken little girl he undoubtedly hoped I would. That was the only way Wes would have me, and he knew that. He reveled in the knowledge that breaking me would mean my submission. Why else would he make me go to this fucked up party?
It was a power play, designed to show me who was boss. Rather than getting to go to prom with the boy I liked, I’d be chained to Wes’s side at a nightmare of a party.
I did my best not to think about my uneasy fate all through class, but it was easier said than done with Wes’s eyes burning holes in the side of my head. When class was over, I practically vaulted from my seat in an attempt to get away before he could talk to me.
No dice. Sasha’s hand latched onto my arm and prevented my escape.
“Where are you going in a hurry?” she asked. “Let’s walk to lunch with Wes.”
Sasha knew that Wes wanted me more than he wanted her, and she was willing to use me as a pawn to get close to him. If it weren’t for the fact that he’d chase after me, she probably wouldn’t give a rat’s ass whether I left without her or not.
Wes appeared at my side, standing too close for comfort. He reeked of cologne. It was probably something expensive, but to me, it smelled no better than the crappy body sprays that all the boys doused themselves in.
“Yeah, let’s walk to lunch together,” he said. “Unless you’ve got somewhere better to be.”
I thought about all the places I would rather be than lunch with Wes and Sasha. A graveyard. The bottom of a well. A deserted island with only a fish hook and a shell bra.
“I’m all yours,” I said, hoping he picked up on the edge of disgust to my tone.
Wes chuckled and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. The smell intensified.
“Damn right you are,” he said. To his credit, he noticed how put out Sasha looked and pulled her under his other arm. “You both are.”
She preened on that the whole way to the cafeteria. I held my books to my chest and tried not to think about anything at all. The emptier I could keep my head, the better.
Wes found us a vacant table in the middle of the room. By that, I mean he told a bunch of freshmen to vacate it. We sat down on either side of him and soon his friends joined us, trick
ling in from their last classes.
Everyone began chatting together, exchanging stories of pranks and gossip in animated voices. Wes turned his body to me and smiled.
“I’m excited about the party,” he said.
I nodded with a tight smile. “Me too.”
He knew I wasn’t.
“Are you going to wear something pretty for me?”
My chest tightened, and I fought back tears. I pictured another bit of my “good girl” exterior flaking away.
“I always wear something pretty,” I replied, trying to sound harder than I felt.
Wes smirked. “I like it when you talk back.”
“Good. Get used to it.”
He laughed uproariously at this until everyone at the table turned to see what we were talking about. Sasha’s eyes glinted with malice. It wasn’t fair that she hated me for reasons beyond my control.
“Dallas is getting sassy with me, guys.” Wes circled my shoulder with his arm and pulled me in close. He tightened it around my neck. “Isn’t she cute when she gets sassy?”
The other guys all chimed in their assent. I didn’t fight against Wes’s hold, even though I wanted to, because I recognized it for what it was. He thought I was cute when I talked back, but at the end of the day he was still the boss. I wondered if his dad had taught him intimidation tactics or if it was naturally inherited.
I was quiet the rest of the lunch hour. Hell, I was quiet the rest of the day. I got home after school to an empty house, and when I called Dad around five to ask if he was going to be home for dinner, he told me he wasn’t going to eat. I made some food for him and brought it down to the shop, though I was quiet then too. I didn’t have anything to say to him, and he was too wrapped up in his work to talk to me. I wasn’t sure whether he was staying at the shop extra late because he was ashamed and couldn’t face me or if he was just throwing himself into his work in an attempt to pay off his debt a little sooner. Maybe it was a bit of both. Either way, he still wasn’t home by the time I went to bed. The house was quiet. I was quiet. My life, for the moment, was quiet, but I knew it soon wouldn’t be. Whatever Wes and his father had in store for my father and me was going to change my life forever. This party was only the beginning, but what a vile beginning it was going to be.
The first sob was so loud, so violent, that it surprised me. I turned my face to the pillow, needing to stifle the sound even if there was nobody around to hear it. I couldn’t stand the echo of my wails as I came apart at the seams.
I cried for my dad, for the broken man he’d become and everything he’d lost. I cried because I missed my mom and because if she were still alive, everything would be okay. I cried because of the terrifying unknown that lay in front of me, and because there was nothing I could do about it.
I didn’t just cry, though. I wished too. I wished for someone to save me because I couldn’t save myself. The first person who flashed through my mind was Shane, with his piercing green eyes and the conviction that rested in them. The thought of him and his comforting embrace was what finally lulled me to sleep.
Chapter 13
Dallas
Dad turned off his bike, staring over at the flashing lights coming from inside Preston Gromley’s sizable mansion. One of the front windows was busted, and from inside came pulsing bass beats that rattled through my bones. I got off the bike and handed him my helmet. There was no point in lingering.
“Wait,” Dad said, pulling off his helmet.
His eyes were red. I wished he’d kept it on.
“Dad...”
I didn’t know what else there was to say. I was already trying my best not to blame him for this, not to hate him for what I was about to endure. The uncertainty was the worst part of it all. Any number of horrors could await me through that front door. The people milling around out front didn’t look like they came here to play pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey or musical chairs. The women were all dressed in skimpy skirts and dresses, and the men wore giant gold chains and low rise jeans. I just wanted to go home.
“Dallas, I need you to promise me something,” he said.
“What is it?”
“No matter what happens—“ His voice cracked, and he looked down to avoid me seeing the tears collecting in his eyes.
My heart broke, and I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Everything’s going to be okay, Dad. The party’s a little rough around the edges, but I’m sure it’s going to be just fine once I get inside. I’ll find Sasha, and we’ll stick together all night.”
He sniffed and nodded, finally bringing his head back up to look at me. I’d never seen him look so old, so beaten. This was the man who used to be my hero, who used to bandage me up when I hurt myself on the playground, and who promised me he would always protect me. I guess neither of us ever thought there would come a time when he’d have to break that promise.
“Whatever happens, pumpkin, please fight,” he said. “Gromley said you have to attend the party, but he didn’t say...anything else.”
I understood his meaning and tried on a reassuring smile. “I’ll fight,” I said. “I’m going to be fine. I’ll see you in a few hours.”
“Okay.” He pulled me into a tight hug. If he didn’t need to, he wouldn’t have let me go. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Dad.”
With one last look at me, he put his helmet back on and roared off into the night.
I took a deep breath and hoped to God I wouldn’t have to look too hard to find Sasha. I hadn’t expected so many people, and I was feeling a lot less confident than I made out to my dad.
My heels clicked across the pavement, earning the attention of some of the people outside as I approached the front door.
“Who’s this fine young thing?” one guy asked in a deep baritone that made my skin crawl.
“She looks a little young for you, Frank,” said another.
I ignored the fact that they were talking about me like I was a piece of meat. If any of them tried to touch me, there would be hell to pay.
They made a couple of lewd comments as I passed by, but luckily that was where it ended. My relief was short-lived, however, as I entered the house and some stranger immediately slapped my ass. I turned and glared at the man, who couldn’t have been a day younger than forty.
“Don’t touch me,” I spat.
“Kitty cat has claws,” he slurred. “Meow.”
“Ew, you old pervert,” said Sasha, coming up beside me. I’d never been happier to see her in my life. “As if.”
She grabbed my arm and pulled me away with her, chattering the whole while. “This party is the tits. I haven’t seen Preston yet, but I’m sure he’s around here somewhere. Do I look okay?”
We stopped in the kitchen, where she grabbed a cup off the kitchen island and handed it to me. I did a once-over of her outfit, a skin-tight red mini dress that looked like she’d painted it on. It barely covered her ass, and her cleavage was pumped up to her chin.
“You look hot,” I told her, barely suppressing the urge to say she looked like she fitted in. She would have found that offensive, but only because her principal goal in life was to stand out, not because the party was a cesspool of sin.
“Good.” She smiled approvingly and grabbed a cup for herself. “What the hell are you wearing? You can’t even see that you have boobs.”
You could see that I had boobs, my cleavage just wasn’t visible. I’d opted for a navy fitted dress that came to mid-thigh but was high in the neck. It was classy and fit me like a dream.
“You know I’m a little bit more—“
“Boring?”
I frowned. “I was going to say modest.”
Sasha laughed. “Whatever, Sister Dallas. Drink up.”
She tilted her cup back and drank. I sniffed mine first, not that I’d be able to tell if it was drugged. Sasha finished her drink and glared at me.
“What? You’re too good for beer? Should I find you a wine cooler or something?” she said sn
idely.
“No, I’m just not sure if I want to drink tonight. This party is intense.”
Sasha rolled her eyes. “You’re such a boring virgin. I should have guessed you’d go all Sandra Dee on me.” Her eyes scanned above my head, and she waved.
A guy appeared at my side. He was tall with a shaved head, tattoos snaking out from either arm of his t-shirt and up his neck.
“You look like the kind of guy who knows how to have a good time,” Sasha said, fluttering her lashes.
“You’re damn right I am. What can I do for you, gorgeous?”
“This is a great party and all,” she said, “but so far I haven’t been able to find any party favors. Do you know where I could get some?”
He grinned licentiously and grabbed her hand. “You’re a naughty girl. Why don’t you come with me and we can see about getting you some pixie dust. Does your friend wanna join?”
Sasha laughed. “She’s a total prude. You don’t want her anyway.”
Sasha and her new friend flounced off, leaving me in the kitchen with a bunch of strangers who showed a new interest in me now that I was alone. I walked over to the floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the backyard. There was an enormous pool, part of it practically lapping up against the side of the window. It was lit up in a cold shade of blue, and around it, people danced and drank while tiki torches flickered and spat sparks into the sky.
Someone moved behind me, and I refocused my gaze on the reflection in the window. It was Wes.
“What are you doing here all alone?” he asked, sliding an arm around my waist.
I tried to pull away but he held me tight, mouth pressed against the back of my head. “You’re much too innocent to be by yourself. One of these guys is going to eat you up.” He made a biting motion in my hair and caught eyes with me in the window.
“You’ll protect me?”
I think he was too drunk to catch the sarcasm in my tone. The stale smell of beer and cigarettes wafted to my nose, as well as something sickly sweet in his breath. If it was between Wes and one of the strange, scary looking guys I’d seen around, would he really be the lesser of two evils?
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