by L. J. Woods
“Will you guys walk me to my class?” my sister asks. I’m surprised at her bold question but Christian laughs. I haven’t heard his laugh in a while and it makes a knot tighten in my stomach.
“Sorry Willow,” Christian says. “We gotta talk to your sister. But you tell those freshman boys to carry your books for you and I bet they will.”
“Off you go.” Damien takes her hand and sends her towards the school.
“Have a great day little Jo,” Isaac says, kissing her on the cheek.
I push him away as she takes off up the stairs. “Alright, alright. She gets the flattery, and her name is Willow. What do you guys want?”
I look towards Christian but he looks away.
“You free second period?” Isaac asks.
Lea's still glaring at me from the steps, but I’m only looking that way to make sure Willow gets inside untouched.
“I have Algebra and as much as I’d be happy to skip a class with the Wicked Witch of Eden, I’m behind as it is.” I straighten my backpack on my shoulders. “No thanks to you guys.”
“Pft, King here will take care of all that,” Isaac says with a smile.
“That I will,” Damien says. “I’m off to take care of that right now.” He smirks, brushing a finger against my cheek before he saunters up the stairs.
Lea calls out to him but he doesn’t answer.
“You don’t have to do it,” Chrisitan says.
“Not that there’s a thousand dollars on the line or anything,” Isaac follows.
My eyes widen and I have to be careful to keep my voice low. “A thousand dollars?”
“Yes!” Isaac yells. “A thousand dollars! You don’t have to whisper that here. It’s like ten bucks to us.”
I roll my eyes, giving Isaac the laugh he was looking for, but I’m much giddier about the good news. “Alright. As long as it's not like last night.”
“Sorry, but blame Damien,” Isaac says. “Regardless, you handled yourself pretty well and got the product sold so that’s all that matters. I had to calm Damien down after he saw you with Craig. I got what you were doing but dude has a temper."
"I’ll catch you guys later.” There's a hint of anger in Christian's voice as he turns to walk away. I call out to him but he doesn’t respond.
Isaac stops me, “Man let him go. He’s been weird lately. Let's worry about you. You’re basically Queen B. Be happy. You deserve it. See you at noon.” Isaac kisses me on the cheek before he takes off after Christian.
It stuns me for a second, his lips soft and gentle, a burning on my skin but I’m not far behind them, my mind on Isaac's words. Queen B? That's Lea. Not me. Even if it was up for grabs I don’t want it.
“Slut,” Lea says when I walk by. “Sucking off all three of them?”
Christian stops when he hears and turns to face her. “Lea, your jealous bratty act is getting tiring. Why don’t you take your minions and do something worth talking about and I don’t mean fucking your algebra teacher.”
Now I’m stunned by Christian. He’s not usually confrontational but those words came with a sting. He glances at me before he storms into the school and I’m damn near speechless. Whispers erupt around us, giggles coming from students nearby.
“See you later, Jo!” Isaac calls behind him, leaving Lea to sit with her jaw dropped.
I smile as I pass her. Looks like this job comes with perks.
At second period, I tell Allie I have a meeting with a guidance counsellor. I walk her to Algebra before making a beeline for my locker.
Isaac’s waiting there with another manila envelope and I follow him to his car. We head out to a cafe in Ancaster Acres and he instructs me to find Jasper Montgomery. He's the great-great-grandson of oil tycoon, Reginald Montgomery.
I’m relieved this task is easy. I much rather assist during the daytime at crowded places. Less chance for a repeat of last night. Jasper invites me to lunch but doesn’t ask that I try the product. I decline and by the time I’m back in Isaac’s car, I’m a thousand dollars richer.
“What do you get out of this?” I ask.
Isaac turns up the radio with a smile and drives us back to the school.
Once we’re back on campus, the school is abuzz with the lunch rush. The halls are overrun with hungry students and it's starting to smell like today’s special. Smoked salmon bagels.
Isaac has hockey practice so he goes his separate way and I head to meet Allie and Nate by my locker.
More whispers come from students when I walk by but they're much less hostile.
“Did you hear? She’s one of the Supremes now.”
“She's off the blacklist.”
“King says if anyone touches her they’re dead.”
“I love her hair.”
Shaking my head I pull my locker door open, and a box falls out onto the floor. It’s a grey box with a black bow, the letters “JO” in fancy cursive.
I pull on the ribbon to loosen the top of the box and open it. I jump at what’s inside and the box drops to the floor, the item rolling out with it. The little black nub, a big gem on the end, rolls down the hallway stopping at a black shoe. A girl with pink hair picks it up, holding it out to me. “Uh…”
I snatch it out of her hand as she starts to snicker, girls laughing around her. Slamming my locker door closed, I head to Allie’s car instead of standing in the hallway humiliated. Damien is still up to his twisted fucking games and I don’t get what he’s trying to do. How can someone so twisted be so fucking irresistible? This kid is going to be the death of me.
As I approach the side doors to the parking lot, I take out my phone to text Allie and Nate where I am. When I push open the doors, I’m stopped in my tracks. I can see Allie’s car from where I’m standing and she’s already inside but...there’s someone in the driver’s seat and it’s not Nate.
He’s wearing a hockey jersey and I make out a ‘P’ and a ‘Z’ but the rest of the name and number is too frumpled to read. That's already enough to make my jaw clench as the back of this guy is starting to look familiar.
Allie has her head down and when my phone buzzes I see why.
Allie: No, let’s meet at the front steps. See you soon!
She reaches across and hugs him before she gets out of the car. Is this a secret date? Allie walks around to the other side and my fists clench, confirming what I thought.
Christian Perez.
“There you are my queen of darkness,” Nate’s voice comes from behind. “Got your message. What are you—”
I shush him, taking a step back as Christian looks towards the door. The hallway darkens again and I turn to Nate. First Lea, now Christian. I have to know what’s going on. Can I trust her?
“Why is Allie with Christian?” I ask.
Nate shrugs. “Probably more family drama.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Family drama?”
He tilts his head to the side. “You’re joking, right? She didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
He hesitates, staring into my eyes before his shoulders drop. “You don’t know that they’re related? Allie and Christian are twins!"
Twenty-Two
“They’re what?”
I didn’t hear that right.
Nate’s eyebrows knit together. “Yeah! Alejandra and Christiano Perez. C’mon sis, get with it.”
My heart’s racing and my palms clammy. How did I not notice Allie and Christian are twins?
“Why wouldn’t she tell me?” I start trying to process the situation but my brain scrambles.
First Lea, now Christian. What else is she hiding?
“No clue.” Nate shrugs. “I assumed you knew."
The door opens and Allie’s standing in front of me. I let my question fire, “Where were you?”
“Getting gas?” She says this as if I’m the crazy one and so I don’t slap her, I walk away.
“I gotta go.” I'm trying hard to keep my arms by my side. “You guys enjoy lunch.�
�
Allie calls my name. So does Nate but I don’t answer. As far as I know, Allie lied to me. She's supposed to be an ally and now, I don’t even know if I can trust her. I don’t know where I’m going until I get to the front steps of the school. With nowhere to go my anxious energy makes me pace, the fresh Eden air helping to cool me down.
The rev of an engine comes from below. I look down the steps to see Damien’s Lambo. He rolls the window down and waves me over with his hand.
I shake my head, way too annoyed for any of his shenanigans. He honks the horn as long and loud as it was that night. It makes him impossible to ignore and I don't need any more attention.
Sighing, I walk towards him. It's like the universe is telling me the only person I can trust is the devil.
He leans towards the window, "Did you get my gift?"
“That was you?” I'm quick to hop down the last few steps so I can hear him better. And so I can throw my lighter through his window.
He dodges it before he returns with a smirk. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Why can’t you give me gifts like a normal person? Why do you have to embarrass me in front of the entire scho—”
“Are you done talking? Or are you going to get in here so I can show you how to use it?"
He cuts me off and I realize that’s exactly what I need right now. Something to take my mind off everything. It looks like Damien might know me better than I realize.
Rolling my eyes I reach for the door. “I left it in my locker.” His scent overtakes me when I climb in. "But, really, what were you thinking?"
"I was thinking of it shoved up your ass." He smirks and I give him a push on his shoulder but the thought gives me a tingle. Damn Damien King. Damn him to hell.
"You're insufferable." I sink into his seat, calmer now than moments ago.
“I guess we’ll have a toy for school.” He opens the glove compartment to reveal another plug. This one is purple with a matching gem. “I have backups.”
The boys greet us the same way the next day. Damien with a sunflower for Willow instead of a rose. At some point, I’m going to have to tell my sister what’s going on.
Or I can avoid that conversation. She’s made friends with the popular kids in her class in her way. Why couldn’t I?
Damien sends her off to class with swoons from her friends. It's out of character and sort of creeps me out, but it's nice to see him treat her this way.
Once she's off with her friends, I agree to meet Isaac during fourth period for another job. It’s not worth as much as the first two, but at three hundred dollars, I’m still very much down. At this rate, I'll have little to worry about come the big eighteen.
With no morning conversation from Allie and Nate, I'm in my homeroom early. Damien hardly looks my way when he enters but there's a twitch of a smirk before he takes his seat. Christian strolls in shortly after.
“Parcel for Joelle Rowland?” Beckett's secretary is at the door, square box in her hand.
"Uh…it’s Jo,” I say, raising my hand halfway with a glance at Damien.
“Thank you. Jo, make it quick,” Mr. Hill says this as if we’re going to do anything besides reading in his class.
For Damien, that means texting, but he’s well aware of the package that’s arrived for me. So is Christian. He’s staring over at me as the parcel drops on my desk.
Beckett’s secretary walks out of the room, my eyes on the white ribbon. Another look at Damien gives me a shrug as he leans back in his seat. “You should open it.”
“Yeah,” I say, tucking it under my desk. “Later.”
“Could be important,” Damien pushes.
I raise an eyebrow. “Doesn’t look like it is.”
“How would you know?”
“Jo?” Mr. Hill sounds tired. “Do you want to open the package?”
“No.”
“She does," Damien speaks for me at the same time.
“Fine!” I make it quick, untying the ribbon and popping off the lid. Inside sits a pair of clamps attached to chains. “What the fu—”
“Oh my…” Mr. Hill's face is like a baboon's ass, fingers to his lips.
“Russian grade nipple clamps,” Damien says amused, but my face boils. “Good choice.”
The class erupts in laughter and I glare at him, but he returns to his phone. It’s clear that Damien King isn’t your usual flowers and chocolate kind of guy either but this…
“Alright, settle down!” Mr. Hill waves a spread hand up and down. “I’m all for you kids exploring but you can put that away now, Miss Rowland. It’s very inappropriate.”
I realize that it’s still on my desk and jump before I push it back in the box. The class laughs again, heat moving from my face to my core.
“One second Mr. Hill,” I say, jaw tight. I plop the cover back on before I get up and drop it on Damien’s desk, glaring. “I need to return it to sender.”
“If you both don’t mind,” Christian pipes up. “I’m trying to get some work done.”
As if. That bullshit response gets Christian a glare of his own.
"I don't know what this is." Mr. Hill adjusts his glasses. He glances back and forth between us before he clears his throat. “But if we can all get back to J.D. Salinger?”
I do, going back to my desk and sliding way down behind my book and out of sight of the rest of the class. Including Damien.
Damien’s out of class before he gets a piece of mind, and on the way out, Christian calls my name.
Turning around, he’s slinging the strap of his duffle bag over his head. “Be careful,” he says.
“Are you threatening me now too?”
There’s little sparkle in those emerald eyes as he makes his way to the door. “I mean with Damien. Don’t let him treat you like that.”
The nerve. “You might not be as menacing as Damien, but you’re just as indecisive.” His mouth shuts, eyes lowering but I continue, “If you’re not on my side, leave me the fuck alone.”
I’m so sick of his shit, his holier than thou attitude. I let him know by turning around and leaving him standing with that dumb look on his face.
Lea’s not in class which makes the second period a breeze but when the lunch bell rings I’m not at all hungry. I avoid my locker along with Allie and Nate's. I still haven’t spoken to them. Not sure if I plan on it.
Allie must have been up to something if she didn’t tell me that she and Christian are siblings. As for Nate, well, he didn’t do anything. He’s the one who told me, but I know he’s loyal to Allie and for that, I don’t know if I can trust him either.
I’m on my way to the library when my phone buzzes in my hand. I’m hoping it's Willow asking me to join her for lunch but I get something else instead.
Damien: Meet me in the Red Room #314.
Don’t keep me waiting.
Damien's number is finally saved on my phone and I refuse to think of what made me pull the trigger. I’m also refusing to think about why I’m so eager to see him.
It’s not like we’re an item. So why am I hurrying down the halls, my heart racing as I get to Room 314.
“Jo!” Allie’s voice comes from down the hall. So I speed up. “Jo, wait!”
Her hand is on my arm before I clear the hall. I turn around to glare at her. “Don't.”
“Well stop and listen," Allie sighs, her hand dropping when I pull my arm away.
“Why didn’t you tell me that Christian’s your brother?"
“It never came up.”
Scoffing, I show her I'm unimpressed with that answer, turning around.
She grabs for me again, “I didn’t want you to think I'm like them!"
Pulling away from her grip, I let her know that I’m not falling for her bullshit. “That wouldn't have changed anything, Allie. Lying to me does."
I walk away before I give her any more time to retaliate and a few minutes later I find the room I’m looking for.
I’ve never been to the phot
ography class but it’s as fancy as Clara’s room. Projects hang from the ceiling like clothes on a line. A shelf at the side of the class holds a variety of lenses. Shaking my head, I laugh. My old schools would never keep expensive equipment out like that.
The class is empty, chairs on the desks, but there’s a red light on top of the room in the back. My eyes wander around the room as I make my way closer. “Damien?” I call, but I don’t get an answer so I knock on the door. “Da—”
The door cracks open, a long arm coming out. A cold grip is on my wrist before I'm pulled inside. When the door slams shut, the smell of vinegar, peppermint and pine take over. Looking up, red lights make him look like the devil he is. “I didn’t know you were into photography.”
“I’m not.” He takes a step closer and that’s when I see the clamps from earlier in his hand. “But I’m into you.”
I pull back. “Wait? What?”
Did Damien King say he’s into me? Like, officially?
He’s unbuttoning my shirt, his teeth on my neck before he brings his mouth to my ear, “I’m into you, Jo.” Pulling on my shirt, buttons pop off as he exposes my chest.
"Is that why you keep embarrassing me?" I ask. It's hard to be mad at him when his thumb rubs my tip, my anger pushed aside by pleasure.
"Everyone here thinks you're a slut." His teeth graze my neck. "Now they know you're my slut."
Cold metal grazes my nipple, they pucker and I gasp but he catches it with his lips. Sinking into Damien's kiss is too easy, his lips like that first puff of weed. When we part he hangs the clamps between his two fingers. The chain is long, rubber at the tips of the clamps that look like tweezers.
His free hand moves under my skirt, squeezing the fleshy cheeks of my ass, a finger moving to the crease. There's a pinch on one nipple, followed by the other, his hand moving to my front, cupping my mound. A small hint of pain comes before a burst of tingles spread down to my core. He pulls on the chain and with his finger between my slit, I lose the power to hold in my cries, "Holy shit."