by L. J. Woods
"Not until you answer my question." Balancing on my elbows I lift an eyebrow. "What are we?”
“You’re whatever I want you to be and right now that’s spread on this bed.”
Why can’t he just admit it? “Are you into me?” I don’t back down. “Or am I just your drug mule? A game to you?"
“You’re not an idiot, Jo.” He trails a finger down my leg. “You should know I’m done playing games.”
“How am I supposed to know that?” I hope he knows how hard it is to have this conversation with his head between my legs. I deserve a medal for my resilience. “You only seem to notice me when you want something.”
"Hm,” Damien pauses, his eyes narrowing at my face. “Looks like I have to show you how bad I want you." He doesn’t wait for me to answer before he plunges his tongue between my folds. He speaks between my legs, vibrations on my skin. "And when I'm done, you're not going to want anyone else."
The way he’s moving his tongue shows me he’s hungrier than usual and when he pushes into my dripping hole, I’m his. I can’t find any more words. I just want to feel him.
I’m completely naked by the time I’m bucking against his face. His strong hands sliding up under my ass. He’s cupping my cheeks, completely locked on my centre. With nowhere to go, his tongue lashing against my clit, I'm already feeling a release rolling in. We've been like this enough times for him to know just how to make me explode.
“Damien?”
My eyes spring open when I hear Lea’s voice. And it’s coming from the door. I sit up to see Lea in the door with her mouth wide open, her grip tight on the knob.
“I fucking knew it!” She screams.
Damien takes his time moving back, wiping his mouth as he does. “Can I help you?”
“Wait, let me,” I say, hopping off the bed, not even bothered that I’m nude. I saunter towards the door. She looks disgusted but I'm on top of the world.
“You think Damien King will ever be with someone from The Grove?" Her face looks like a red snapper. "You’re only a snack before his main course."
I smile. “That’s cute. Now if you’re done, we have some mind-blowing sex to get back to.” I take a step forward and she can’t keep her eyes off my tits as I do. I'm pushing her out the door with my naked body, no contact necessary. "But I doubt you know anything about that."
Once she’s out the doorway I give the door a swing, and it closes with a SLAM! I turn back to Damien who has a wide smirk on his face before he starts a slow clap. Moving towards me, he unbuckles his belt. “Now, where were we?”
I don’t know how long it's been, Damien and I locked away in this room. Or if these walls are as soundproof as he says, but I never want to leave.
We’re on top of the covers, Damien tracing something along my neck. A part of me feels like the minute we leave this room, it’ll be right back to the same old Damien. Not the boy next to me right now.
“You know your lips are heart-shaped?” he asks. “And your eyes they’re…”
“Enough for you to call me Medusa.”
He chuckles and it makes the flutters in my stomach go on a frenzy. “You wanna know why I call you Medusa?”
I turn to face him. “Why?”
My stomach grumbles and it makes Damien smirk. “Hungry?”
“Don’t change the subject.” I poke at his chest but my stomach grumbles again. “Okay, I do need to get some food but we’re coming back to this!” I move to get up but he grabs my arm.
“Wait a minute.” He brings my head closer to his, planting a kiss on me that’s so tender. So soft, I have to open my eyes and make sure that it’s Damien King. “Alright, now you can go.”
I smile at him, dazed at his show of affection before he smacks my ass. “C’mon, Rowland, the longer you take, the longer it is to get an answer.”
“What is happening?” Shaking my head, I shimmy on my dress. “You’re something else, King.”
He sits up, eyes lowering, voice husky. “Did you just call me King?” Damien has a look of hunger in his eyes like he’s out for the hunt again.
“Keep looking at me like that and I’ll never get fed,” I say as he reaches out for my hand. I’m too caught in his gaze to not give it to him.
Biting his lip, it looks like he's ready for another round.“Oh, I’ll feed you just fine.”
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A loud knock on the door startles me.
“Fuck off!” Damien yells at the door, pulling me on top of him.
BANG BANG BANG!
“Joelle Rowland?”
My eyebrows lower, and Damien sits up. Looks like he's wondering the same thing.
Who the fuck is that?
Before I can answer, the door bursts open, two big police officers with guns pointed at both of us.
“Joelle Rowland?” One of the officers with sunglasses has his head in my direction.
My heart stops. Is it Willow? Did something happen?
Why the fuck do they have guns at us?
“Y-yeah?” I answer.
“There better be an explanation,” Damien demands, pulling on his shirt.
The office approaches us, grabbing my arm, pulling me off Damien.
“Hey! Wait!” Damien pulls back, and the office tugs harder.
The officer lowers his glasses, “Sir, you need to unhand the suspect.”
“Suspect?” I repeat.
The other officer comes to help and the next thing I know I’m pressed chest first against the wall. Their hands are all over me, in my dress, between my legs.
“Hey!” Damien calls. “Do you even have a fucking warrant?”
That’s when cold metal hits my wrist. The officer’s voice booms, “Joelle Rowland you’re under arrest for possession.”
Fuck.
No.
The police officer wiggles the baggie of coke I was holding for Isaac in front of my face before pulling me off the wall.
“Wait a fucking minute!” Damien's on his feet, attempting to push the officer aside. "I'm Damien King. You can't just walk in here!"
“I’m sorry Mr. King. You’ll have to visit her at the station." The officers start leading me out of the room and Lea is the first person I see.
Her hands are on her hips, a huge grin on her face. “I knew having someone from The Grove would be bad for Eden's reputation.”
“You did this?”
So she did hear.
The rest of the party has come to a halt and students are gathering around to see what the commotion is all about. Even the stereo is silent. No officers stop the party for underage drinking though. Other students don't seem bothered, gawking our way.
I’m seeing phones pointed in my face, flashes going off. At this point, all I want is for the officers to get me the fuck out of here.
“No, I didn’t do anything.” Lea straightens her stance. “This was all you.”
Twenty-Four
“Joelle Rowland?”
An officer stands in front of the small white barred cell. It's cold. Concrete and empty. Fluorescent lights only make this headache worse.
I’m shivering as I look up at him, crumbs on his fat lips. I can’t go to juvie. I can’t leave Willow behind.
If I end up in jail, all of this will be for nothing. No post-secondary education for sticking it out at ERA. No money for an apartment and a lawyer for Willow. She's about to get stuck in another home with people that don't give a fuck about her.
As for me? My life is pretty much over.
Kids like me get stuck in this system. Kids like me don't get a happy ending.
“You’re free to go," he says, sliding open the cell and all I do is blink.
It takes a second for his words to settle, pushing myself off the floor.
Free?
I'm free to go?
I’m still in a daze as I follow the officer. I can hardly listen to his instructions as he leads me towards the exit.
If they alerted the Archibalds, I don�
��t know what they have in store for me. I’ve seen Eric’s wrath and worst-case scenario, they’ll send us back to The Grove.
Lea’s right. There’s no one to blame for getting myself into this scenario but myself. I meant to keep my head down, keep my job, get into a good university…but I don’t know what happens after this.
When I get into the lobby, my jaw clenches when I see who’s waiting for me.
“Jo.” Damien approaches me, a stocky man in a suit behind him. This isn’t his dad. This guy is rounder, face like a potato with a balding head.
When they reach me, Damien takes off his leather jacket, putting it around my shoulders.
“Miss Rowland?” The man behind him reaches out a bulky hand. “We’ve cleared everything, you have nothing to worry about.”
I furrow my brows and I’m a mix of emotions.
Damien clarifies, “I handled it all. I made everything go away.” He eyes me up and down before he smirks. “All a part of the business right?”
That’s when the anger flows to my arm and before I can think it through, my palm comes to his face.
He freezes, dark eyebrows lowering. The man who I assume is his lawyer stands in front of us. He's blocking us from the view of the officers. "Uh, you two should take this outside.”
Damien grabs my arm and leads me to the door. I try to pull back but he pulls harder and if I compete with him we’ll be making a scene.
When we get outside, the man in the suit heads towards a Benz parked to the curb. “Call me if you need anything, kid.” Damien nods as I pull my arm from his hold.
“I can’t do this!” I yell.
He raises an eyebrow, taking a joint from his pack. “Chill out, it’s not like you haven’t got arrested before. It’s no big deal.” He lights it as if we’ve had the most casual experience in the world.
“No big deal?” I’m boiling, but when I go to lift my hand again, he stops me. I let him have it anyway, my wrist in his hold. “For you, it's not! But for me? My life could have been over Damien. My sister would have been all alone. My future—”
“Well, it’s a good thing you know people in high places.” I pull my hand from his hold and he lets me. “So we good?” How can he be so calm about this? He takes my hand. “Speaking of high places. I have some of Isaac’s OG Kush back at mine. How about we get naked, smokey and forget this ever happened?”
He pulls me in but I pull away. He pulls harder, his lips coming close to me but I meet him with another slap instead. Damien growls, his eyes on my hand. When he finally lets go, I turn around, heading for the station. I'll call Henry to take me back to Willow.
He calls out, “Where the fuck are you going?”
“Home,” I say, my hand on the metal handle. "I’m done with you."
I’m happy Henry doesn’t ask questions on the way home, but when I get inside, Nancy and Eric are waiting for me at the door.
“This is unacceptable,” Nancy says. “We can’t have our child dealing drugs and getting arrested like you’re a part of some cartel. What will our friends think? What about our business?”
I'm not sure how they found out so soon, but I’m not surprised the Archibalds are more worried about their appearance than me. “Lucky for you,” I say, arms crossed. “I’m not your child.”
Eric grips the rail. “And you won’t be in this house for much longer if you keep these shenanigans!” He takes a step closer and Nancy gasps as he gets in my face. “We don’t house delinquents.”
“You knew about my record before you took us in,” I scoff.
“I’m starting to think this was a bad idea,” Nancy sighs, thumb and index on the bridge of her nose.
"We can't have this. This shit is prime material for press." Eric clenches his fist before his hand goes through the wall. Nancy's scream causes Eric to stiffen, his hands dropping. Turning around he calls behind his shoulder, “I have to think about this."
When I arrive at school the next day, Willow is waiting for me on the front lawn. There's a look of worry on her face and I'm guttered. My stomach sinks. I’m the one who helped put that look there.
“Jo!” Willow runs to me the minute both my feet hit the ground. She wraps her arms tight around me and I do the same, squeezing her.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, resting my chin on her head.
She breaks my hold to take a look at me. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“No.” I shake my head. “You shouldn’t have to worry about this stuff. I won’t be so stupid next time.”
“Jo!"
His voice makes my body tense but I ignore it. I have nothing to say to Damien King. Not after last night. He didn't care when I was shaking, scared and worried. I don't want any part of his world.
Ushering Willow along to her friends, I tell her we’ll catch up after school. Without turning to see him, I head towards the school doors a few feet behind her.
There's a grip on my arm but I pull away before he can tighten it. I turn to walk away and Lea’s now at the top of the stairs. Great.
“Don’t walk away from me, Medusa,” Damien calls from behind me. “You’ll regret it.”
I spin on my Docs and let spitfire reign, “Are you fucking threatening me right now, Damien? What more can you do to me? See that? That’s why you need to leave me the fuck alone.”
“Jo.” He’s drawing a crowd, but he doesn’t seem to care. Neither do I. “Will you stop and listen to me?”
Damien’s coming up fast behind me, his boots pattering on the steps before he pulls my hand. I pull away and people gasp and whisper. “Just … stop,” I sigh.
My heart almost breaks when I see that same expression he gave his dad in the hallway that day. Like a little boy lost and forgotten. It makes me freeze but I know it’s not worth it. I turn around anyway, and his hand goes limp as I pull away once more.
Whispers and chatter erupt around me but I’m beyond the school doors before I hear Lea say, “At least you got her out of the picture."
“Finally,” I hear Damien’s voice and I can’t help but stop in my tracks. I know he’s saying this extra loud to get under my skin but it does its damage. “A real woman to admire. Not that slut from The Grove.”
I fight back a tear and swallow that lump. That’s all I’ll ever be to these people. That slut from The Grove. Or that whore from The Grove. It’s like I have a scarlet “G” forever painted on my back.
There’s one thing though, I won’t be a fucking pawn in their games anymore. As much as I hate Nancy, Eric and everything about Eden Gardens, it’s my ticket to a better life and I need to stop fucking that up.
I spend most of the day in the library hoping that by staying away, the chatter and gossip will go with it. This morning the whole school was talking about me yet again. Either about my arrest or what happened on the steps with Damien.
I’d never seen him beg any girl like that before, despite what he said to Lea. There might be something behind that cold facade. Should I be blaming Damien for what I agreed to? For what Lea’s bratty ass decided?
I have art last period and I’m excited to talk to Clara about this scholarship thing she keeps on mentioning. If I'm serious about making our lives better I need to start acting like it.
When I get to the art room, the students are all lined up like a row of ducklings heading out the door.
“What’s going on?” I ask Clara.
“Assembly.” Clara rolls her eyes with a sigh, “I think it’s a waste of time, but what do I know? I’m an art teacher.”
“What for?”
“School conduct,” Clara says. "Hey, is everything okay with you?"
Shit, has Clara heard about my arrest too?
I try a reassuring smile that I hope doesn't come off as weird as it feels. "Yeah, I'm okay."
"If you need to talk about anything, let me know."
I follow the line down to the auditorium and once inside, there’s already a projector screen on display. The room is like a mini th
eatre, with rows of cushiony seats. Balconies for performances and a grand stage with a huge display of lights above it.
Allie and Nate sit by the back. Willow way at the front in a row with her friends. Allie sits up and waves me over but I’m not sure I’m ready to deal. I'm also not about to take a seat in front of the entire school. So I choose to sit next to Beth a couple of rows up.
“Hey,” I say, flipping down my chair, but she doesn't look at me.
“You sure you wanna be here?” she whispers.
“What?”
“Welcome to today's assembly!” Lea appears onstage behind the wooden podium, a few groans starting around me like a chorus of frogs. Mr. Beckett and his secretary sit behind her.
“Teacher fucker!” Someone calls and I can see Lea’s grip tighten around the wood.
Fixing her green headband she continues, “If you don't know, I'm Lea Huang, Student Council President. Headmaster Beckett asked me to lead today’s assembly because well, look at me I’m perfect.” He clears his throat from behind her, and she carries on, “ERA is all about making the best out of the youth in Eden Gardens. As the best, we act like it. In school and out."
My name is a whisper behind me. It's coming from Damien but I act like it's not there. It's hard to listen to Lea. She's babbling on about the many successful rich assholes who graduated from ERA. How they continue to carry the legacy through their contributions to society.
"Our alumni help change the world," Lea keeps talking. “Doctors. Lawyers. Mayors.” I'm almost completely zoned out when her eyes land on me. "They're not murderers."
Headmaster Beckett sits up. “Miss Huang?"
“That’s right. Our very own Joelle Rowland committed real-life murder. Death by fentanyl.” Lea points a finger right at me, eyes like slits. “Looks like our resident drug dealer wasn't always known for her clean product. Don’t worry Jo, as a new student at ERA, we’re here for you.”
Lea's smiling but I’m fuming.