Bad News

by Lilly James

  “She’s all yours, Gallymore,” Hunter calls in. “Well, technically she’s mine, but–”

  I spin around and grit my teeth. “Go.” Hunter holds up his hands and walks away, amused by my humiliation.

  Hunter is gone, and I’m dreading having to turn my head back to the class. They all clearly saw our display from the window. I turn my head, keep it up straight and try not to look at anyone.

  I get to my seat, slide in quietly, push my bag off my shoulders and place it beneath my feet. I am red, I know I am because of the heat radiating from my cheeks. Though I don’t entertain anyone, I take my textbook out, and read, hoping they will forget about what just happened. I know one girl who won’t though.

  “Hunter Holland,” Nicki leans over and grabs hold of my hand, making my pen draw a squiggly line right through my work.

  “What about him?” I rip a page out of the textbook I’m writing in, ball it up, throw it away and start again.

  “He almost kissed you outside class, he sung to you in the diner a couple of days ago, and you say ‘what about him?’”

  I sigh and shift to face her, “He was asking me to Elswood’s party tonight, that’s all. No biggie.”

  “No biggie,” Nicki whispers after receiving a scowl from Gallymore. “It’s a biggie where the double H is concerned. In more ways than one.” She giggles to herself, and I place my head in my hands. Is there something written in a rule book that says everyone apart from me must form perfect sentences, but turn it into something that resembles filth?

  “I’ll come with you. If Hunter's squad are going, that means Dexter is.”

  I glance over my shoulder to look at Dexter, who, just like always, is typing at the same rate as the speed of light. His tongue is slightly poking out of his lips, and that means he’s concentrating hard. I must admit; he is gorgeous.

  I point with my pen. “I very much doubt that guy likes parties.”

  Nicki giggles. “He gets forced to parties by his brother, but he sits in a corner all night looking bored to the point of death.”

  “And you like that?” Poor guy. Poor Nicki.

  “Yeah,” she says it like duh. “If I know he’s in the same radius as me, I don’t care what he’s doing. I just like to stalk him.”

  I playfully inch away from her in my seat. “Creepy.”

  Nicki rests her chin on her arm and glues her stare on Dexter. “Obsessed.”

  Chapter 16

  Louisa

  The moment my footsteps over the threshold of my dorm room, a red dress is being thrust into my face. “This one will look gorge.” Fallon makes me take it into my hands, and I have no idea what’s going on. That is until I notice her makeup caked on, and her eyes so heavily lined in black she looks like a cat.

  “I’m not going.” I protest, throwing the dress back at her. Besides, if it’s one of her dresses, and they are way too short.

  “Oh, I forgot, you’re super busy with your super busy life.” She shoves the dress into my chest. “This will show off those impressive tits of yours. It’s a winner all round.”

  My hand instinctively goes to my chest like she can see through my NewBrook U T-shirt, and I shake my head. “I just want to get into my sweats, a tank, and settle down with a book.”

  Fallon groans. “Now calm down Lindsey Lohan, you may be having way too much fun there.” Her sarcasm doesn’t change my mind, but it does make my look down at the red dress again.

  “Even if I were going to a party, I wouldn’t wear that.”

  “Ah,” Fallon enthusiastically throws the dress over her head, abandoning it. “So, you do want to come?”

  “You’re coming too?”

  “Sure I am.” She winks.

  “Hey, Lou, ready for a chillaxed study session.” I turn my head and watch Axel waltz into the room holding his laptop.

  Fallon glares at him. “Beat it, chicken shit. There will be no chillaxing going on tonight. Lou’s coming to a party. With me.” She steps towards him and prods a finger in his chest. “Not you. Nor are you invited.”

  I flop down onto my bed and kick off my shoes. “See,” I shrug, looking over towards Axel. “I have plans.”

  Fallon drops down onto her own bed looking deflated. “Well, that just cost me $50.”

  I frown. “Why?”

  She takes money from her jeans pocket and starts to count it. “Because I bet Hunter I could get you to come, and he said I couldn’t.”

  “Hunter?” Axel chides, which makes me wince. “You’re still hooking up with that jerk?”

  Before I answer all defensively, Fallon talks before me. “Why are you still here, Axel?”

  I rub at my forehead with my two fingers. I don’t feel like listening to their arguments a second longer. And it’s only just started. “Look, if I go,” Fallon looks up at me, and I hold up a finger. “For one hour,” she wrinkles her nose. “Then will you let me come back and study with Axel?”

  “Oh,” Axel hides the fact that I just unintentionally hurt him. “I guess I’m not invited then.”

  I place my hand on his shoulder and curse myself for forgetting how sensitive he can be. “Sure, you are. You can accompany me because we all know where Fallon’s going to be.”

  “Oh yes,” she sings. “So far up Rayne’s–”

  “There’s no need to tell me.”

  I look at myself in the mirror, just like I’ve been doing for the last twenty minutes, undecided. “I can’t wear this.” I’ve also said that same sentence about twenty times too.

  I’m right, though, the red dress that shows off way too much cleavage is not me. At all. After debating, and getting a weird look from Axel, I decide to take it off. There is no way I am getting pressured into wearing something I’m not comfortable in. Besides, I don’t have the legs to wear a dress.

  “It’s a club, Lou,” Fallon will not quit. “You can’t wear sweats and a tank.”

  “Jeans and a tank then?” I suggest.

  “Fuck no, we’re not hanging out at the park.” Fallon flicks through my closet again, then makes an ‘ah ha’ noise. “Just the thing.” She pulls out a short white dress. “Just wear the first couple of buttons undone, and wallah.”

  I groan, take the dress out of Fallon’s hands and make Axel turn around while I pull it on. I button it up all the way, and get a Marge Simpson groan from Fallon when she sees me buttoning it all the way. “I’m not going to be a sex symbol, Fal.”

  “Clearly, you look like you belong with the Trapp kids.” I know I didn’t look sexy, but I don’t look as innocent as the children from The Sound of Music either. Even if I do, I don’t care. I don’t want to flaunt my body, why would I? kudos to girls that do, that’s their choice, it just isn’t mine, and I wish people would respect that. I know Fallon does, but it does kind of get annoying the way she goes on at me about it.

  “Hey,” Fallon bumps shoulders with me because she knows I’m deep in thought. “I’m just kidding; I want to perv on you as much as the guys do.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come?” I ask Axel for what must be the hundredth time before we leave. I hope every time I ask; he may change his mind.

  Axel pushes his glasses up his nose, then tucks his laptop under his arm. “No. The last time I went to a party I got thrown into the swimming pool. Naked. Ever wondered why I got the nickname Pencil Dick? It was cold okay!” The way Axel grimaces has me feeling bad for him. Why do kids have to be so cruel?

  “And by the way,” he looks at me hard, and I don’t like it. “It was Hunter and his stupid Rouge team who did it to me.”

  I frown upon his words. Why would he do that?

  “And just for the record,” he leans in while Fallon is busy texting on her phone. “Stay away from Hunter if he’s drunk. He’s an angry drunk, Lou. Everyone knows when Hunter Holland is drunk, shit is going down. He always beats someone to a pulp. Why do guys like him have to act all macho and shit?”

  I hesitate before answering, trying to pr
ocess the thought of Hunter being anyone other than his funny self. “Maybe it's a rumor.” I say, noticing I’m wringing my hands. Something I do when I’m uncomfortable.

  Axel shakes his head at me. “I’ve seen it myself. He’s dangerous, Lou. Be careful.”

  “Let’s go.” Fallon takes a firm hold of my hand, and we’re out of the door before I even get a chance to wave Axel goodbye.

  “I’ll wait for you here, Lou.” I hear him shout before the door closes.

  ***

  A Busta Rhymes song is blasting through my eardrums when we walk into the club. The club is dark, dingy and the smell of alcohol, sweat and smoke is insulting my nostrils.

  “What else did you think it would smell of?” Fallon laughs when I complain, she pulls on my arm and pushes her way to the bar. She doesn’t care that we’re getting death stares from guys and girls who were waiting in line before us. I notice, though, and put my head down to avoid it.

  The floor is sticky, the shouting of conversations all around me as they try to talk over the music is becoming overwhelming. Looking around I see girls huddle in corners, glancing at the guys discreetly. The boys are not so much discreet. Couples are dancing, gyrating in a way that makes me blush when I look. Some couples have their tongues down each other’s throats, and girls are willingly having their asses grabbed and loving it. No, this is one hundred percent, not my scene. For. Sure.

  “Down it in one.” Fallon passes me a small shot of something and clinks her glass with mine. She drinks hers down without so much as a wince, then scowls at me because I’m still holding the glass.

  “We’re underage Fallon!”

  “Who cares! Live a little.” She goads, turning back to the bar to take two glasses of who knows what in her hands. “Stop being a pussy and shoot it.”

  I roll my eyes and take it to my lips. I can do this - I tell myself.

  I count to five, go to drink it and back out again. “I can’t,” I whine. “I can’t knock it back.”

  Fallon laughs. “Then give it here.” She’s about to take it out of my hands, but then I feel like I’ve missed out on something and if I give it back to her I have been defeated by a damn drink.

  “No, I’ll do it.” I count to six this time, and down it. “Oh, my God.” I gasp as the burning sensation fireballs down my throat. My hand goes to my mouth to stop it coming back up and my eyes water as I heave. “That was vile.”

  “Here,” Fallon hands me a glass of brown stuff. “Wash the taste away with this.”

  I take the glass from her hand and eye it suspiciously. “What is it?”

  “Rum and Cherry Coke, it’s to die for.”

  I pull out a straw from my purse and plop it into the glass. Only God knows how many people have touched this glass with their lips. Fallon takes my hand and leads me through the crowd that are on the dancefloor. I bump shoulders, get elbowed, brush against boys' fronts and girls’ backs, all to get across the room to where Fallon has spotted Rayne.

  “Fallon!” Rayne looks super excited to see Fallon, and it's only then does Fallon let go of my hand. I take a second to get a good look at the girl that Fallon hasn’t shut up about over the past two weeks. The first thing I notice is her long blue mermaid hair, her electric blue tresses come right down to her bum, her arms are covered in tattoos that I notice are all Disney princesses. I love her tartan trousers, and platform shoes, but I’m guessing she’s sweating out in her leather jacket because I know I would be.

  “This is Louisa, the bestest, but most boring roommate ever.” Fallon teased, pulling me into their small circle.

  “Hey,” Rayne leans in and kisses me on the lips. I freeze, shocked at the invasion and unexpected juicy smack to my mouth. She tastes of cherry.

  “You two wanna get fucked up?” Rayne digs into her pocket and pulls out a see-through bag that contains things that look like pills. Fallon shoves Rayne’s hand down to her side in fury.

  I stare, and I know I’m wide eyed, so I glance at Fallon, begging with my eyes for her not to even dare take those. My thoughts on Rayne are immediately redundant. I place my glass of Rum and Cherry Coke down onto the table and turn my back on the girls.

  Fallon quickly steps in my way, blocking my view of the sex pit of bodies on the dance floor. “You know I wouldn’t take those, right?”

  “I hope not.” I scowl at her. “You know what drugs do to people?” I didn’t want to go into one of my lectures, but she saw by my face how unhappy I was. I already wanted to leave. That was until I saw his face, straight across the club, his blue eyes seem to instantly catch me out.

  I smile at the way he smirks when he sees me and raises his glass to me. I eye him up from where I stand, and my heart races. His muscles are screaming to let them free under his black shirt. His black jeans are tightly fitted framing his long thick legs. I quickly turn around to retrieve my glass from the table, and uncharacteristically down the whole thing. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, place down the empty glass and turn back around. I watch Hunter take slow strides towards me, fist-pumping guys who he passes, and getting seductive looks from girls who he has no choice but to push past to get to me.

  “You came,” he smiles, kisses me on the lips and holds me at arm’s length to check out what I’m wearing. His eyes are devouring me, and as he gets to my heels, his lips part, and his tongue is licking across his full bottom lip.

  I lean back on the heels Fallon made me wear, and swing my arms. “I came,” I repeat on a nod.

  Hunter smirks and steps forward, so close that his hand catches my arm. His fingers slide up my bare skin until they are resting on my neck. “You look beautiful. And next time, I want to hear those two words gasping out of your mouth when you say them.”

  I lean back to get some space. Space that I don’t want but I want to see his face when I talk to him. “I came?” I say the words again, this time confused. Confused until Hunter spreads a wide and entertained smile across his lips. Then I close my eyes and mock myself for being stupid. “Oh.” I drawl.

  “And the penny drops.” He winks. I didn’t realize I was wringing my dress in my hands until Hunter takes them from creasing up the material.

  “Hey,” Fallon pushes her way between us and holds out her palm to Hunter. “You owe me.”

  Hunter glances at me uneasily.

  I cross my arms, pretending to be pissed. “Oh, yeah. I heard you betted on me not coming to this party.”

  Hunter scratches the back of his neck. “It’s not–”

  “I’m kidding.” I smirk. “Just pay Fallon.”

  He groans and hands her over the money. She kisses it and then drags Rayne to the bar.

  I raise my brow to him. “Did you have no faith in me?”

  His arms snake around my hips and he pulls me into him. God, he smells so good.

  “I always have faith in you.” He breathes into my ear, then reaches around me. “This one yours?” I give a quick glance to the glass, I know it’s not because I have already drank mine, but I feel like I need it to calm my nerves, so I nod, taking it from him. I’m giddy, and nervous, and feeling things inside of me that I haven’t felt since having a crush on young Nick Carter from the Backstreet Boys. And Hunter is nothing like Nick Carter. He’s even better. And I’m in trouble.

  I take two long sips from the glass, and the contents is gone. I continue talking to Hunter, but after a couple of minutes, my mind seems to be floating elsewhere. I can’t concentrate on what he’s saying. It feels like my body is floating even though I am partly aware that my feet are on the ground. My vision is slowly becoming hazy, and I’m beginning to panic.

  “Lou?” I hear Hunter's voice, he sounds panicked, but I’m so confused. My head is spinning. “Have she drunk that much?” It’s Hunter's voice again, but I’m not sure who he’s talking to. I try to reach out to get a grip on the table, but I miss. All I can see is the dancefloor coming towards my face, then I’m scooped up into warms arms.

  “She hasn�
�t drunk that much.” I hear Fallon. “Oh, shit.” Then I see her face right in front of me, but it’s blurred, and my head won’t stay still. “Lou, which glass did you drink from?”

  I shake my head from side to side, still feeling hands around my waist that is helping me stay balanced. There is talking, but words are not coming from me because I can’t seem to produce any.

  “Are you fucking shitting me?” Hunter sounds angry. It’s then I realize that it is his hands around my waist because his voice is so close. “I’m taking her home with me.” He says.

  “No, let me take her.” I’m not sure if Fallon is angry or crying, all I know is that I’m being picked up and my eyes are starting to close.

  Chapter 17

  Louisa

  I’m so warm, too warm as I come around from my sleep. I feel like I’m sweating. I don’t move because when I blink my eyes open the light that is coming in from the window is blinding me and causing a massive headache.

  “My head,” I mumble to myself, eventually opening my eyes fully. I glance at the window, offended by the light, then realize, shit, that window is not my dorm window. I glance down and see an arm wrapped around my waist. At the same time, I notice the top I am wearing isn’t mine either.

  “What the f-” I jump out of bed, too hot, too confused and scared out of my mind. That is until I see who is looking back at me from the bed. A bed that is not mine. “Hunter?” I gasp. I’m looking at him, in bed, shirtless. Then I glance down my body and see the t-shirt I am wearing is the only thing that I am wearing.

  “Where are my clothes? Why I am in your dorm? Why did I sleep in your bed?”

  Hunter displays an adorable lazy smile as he kicks the blanket off himself and slides out of bed. Oh, wow, Hunter is wearing nothing but black boxers!

  “Holy mother of… I mean. Do you work out?” Lou! Mentally slap yourself in the head! Of course, he does!

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” He gapes. “I didn’t get this body by doing nothing. Do I work out.” He mocks. “Look at these pecs?” he clenches his biceps. “And my arms? Fucking beautiful.”