I scrub until my skin is raw then give up and climb out of the shower with tears staining my face. I’m so damn tired of crying at this point, but I can’t seem to get the waterworks to turn off. It’s beyond frustrating and pisses me off.
I need to find out who did this to me …
After I dry off, I pull on a T-shirt and an old pair of shorts then go back to my bedroom. I’m not sure where my phone ended up, probably in Gabby’s car, so I grab my computer and start glancing around on Queeny’s social media accounts to see if any of her posts from last night could let me know if she was behind this. When I reach a post from last night with the words OMG and a link that leads to what looks like a video file, my hands tremble as I move to click on it. But then I pause as voices float in from outside.
“You need to get it taken down now,” Maxon says, sounding pissed.
“I’m trying, man,” Clove replies. “It’s going to take a bit of time, though.”
“Well, make it happen faster,” Maxon says tightly. “I don’t want Ash to see it.”
“Trust me; neither do I,” Clove replies in a somewhat clipped tone.
“Max, give him a break,” Huntley intervenes. “You know he’s doing his best. You’re just worked up. We all are.”
“Yeah, I know,” Maxon mumbles. “I’m sorry. I’m just worried about her.”
“Me, too,” Clove agrees with a heavy sigh. “I promise I’ll make getting that video down top priority, even if it means blowing off my other TAFS duties.”
TAFS? Wait … Is he referring to The Heartbreaker Society?
I pull back the curtain and peer outside to see where they are. Surprise trickles through me when I spot them standing at my front door. After what happened last night with Queeny, I’m surprised to see them here. Of course, since Huntley is with them, they probably know what happened to me.
Moments later, they knock. I hear footsteps walking across the living room, and then the front door swings open, my mom appearing in the doorway.
So, she’s the one who’s up.
“Hey, Mrs. Wynterland,” Maxon greets her. “Is Ash awake? I tried to text her a couple of times, but she’s not answering. And I just wanted to, well, see how she’s doing.”
“I think she lost her phone last night,” my mom replies, sounding exhausted. “And she’s not awake yet, but I’ll tell her you stopped by when she’s up. If she’s feeling up to it, you’re more than welcome to come over and see her for a while.”
“Thanks,” Maxon says.
As my mom closes the door, the three of them turn to leave. Part of me wants to let them; isn’t ready to face anyone. But they came here to see me, and I really do want to talk to them, even if it’s just to apologize.
Pushing open the window, I stick my head outside.
“Hey.” My voice is quiet and carries uncertainty.
Is this a pity visit? I’m not sure how I feel about that. Okay, honestly, I don’t care. What that says about me, I’m unsure.
Maxon’s gaze finds me first, and his eyes slightly widen. Then he’s hurrying over with Clove and Huntley trailing at his heels.
“Your mom said you weren’t awake,” Maxon says when he reaches me.
I tuck a damp strand of hair behind my ear and rest my arms on the windowsill. “She doesn’t know I’m awake … I’ve kind of been avoiding her.”
He gives me an understanding look, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his black jeans. “How are you feeling?” He quickly shakes his head. “Sorry, dumb question.”
“No, it’s not,” I assure him. “Honestly, I’m not sure how I feel.”
Clove smiles as he reaches me, nudging Maxon out of the way and sticking his arms inside the open window to give me an awkward hug. Not that the hug itself feels awkward; it’s just difficult to hug him back through the window. But I manage to reciprocate, leaning halfway out the window, because there’s no way in hell I’m going to not hug him back.
I can’t believe they’re here.
I’m more than aware, though, that Maxon didn’t hug me.
Maybe he’s still mad at me. Who can blame him?
“What do you need?” Clove whispers. “Tell me. Anything and it’s yours.”
Even though it’s kind of painful, my lips tug upward. “A unicorn.”
He softly chuckles, pulling back. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks.” My grin starts to fade as the happy moment passes.
“Ash.” Maxon’s voice is so gentle as he reaches forward and brushes his hand across my cheekbone, guilt flooding his eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
I blink at him. “For what?”
“For getting upset with you yesterday.” He sucks in a shaky breath. “If I hadn’t gotten upset, you never would’ve wandered off and this wouldn’t have happened.”
“First of all, you had every right to be pissed off,” I assure him. “And second, I chose to leave. No one made me. Clarissa even said I could sit on the porch.”
His guilt remains. “I—we’re going to make this up to you.” He swallows hard. “Tell us how we can.”
“I’m not going to do that, because this isn’t your fault. I made the choice to leave, just like I made the choice to get you guys kicked out of the science competition.” I suck in an inhale through my nose as tears burn my eyes. “I’m a terrible person. I really am … And maybe I deserve what happened.”
“Don’t ever say that,” Huntley says firmly, startling the crap out of me, seeing as how he’s been so quiet up until now. He steps forward, moving between Clove and Maxon and looking me straight in the eye. “You’re a victim, and you’re going to get justice.”
“How, though?” I whisper. “I can’t even remember what the SUV looked like, let alone what happened to me.”
“We’re working on it,” he promises, scrubbing his hand over his head. “It might take a bit, but we’ll figure it out.”
“You keep saying we,” I state dubiously. “Do you mean the police?”
He shrugs, scuffing the tip of his boot against the dirt. “Sure.”
I glance between the three of them, wondering what’s going on. Wondering. Wondering. Wondering.
Finally, I decide to just ask. “Does this have anything to do with The Heartbreaker Society?”
They all blink at me in surprise. Well, except Huntley. He almost looks as though he expected this.
“The Heartbreaker Society had nothing to do with your attack,” Huntley assures me at the same time Clove and Maxon ask, “How did you find out about that?”
“I never thought they were part of the attack,” I tell Huntley. “I just … Well, I found this card the other day, then I heard you guys talking about it just barely, so …” I shrug. “What is it? And what’s this video you mentioned? Is it the same video Queeny has posted on her wall?”
All three of them pale.
“Can you do me a favor?” Maxon brushes some strands of my hair out of my face, his fingers noticeably shaking. “Can you not look at that video?”
Worry weaves through me. “Why? What’s on it?” When none of them make any sign that they’re going to tell me, I add, “Was it …? Was it a video of what happened to me last night?”
“Sort of,” Maxon answers vaguely. “I haven’t seen it myself, but Huntley watched it, and it’s not … well … Just don’t watch it, okay? It’ll only hurt you if you do.”
My stomach clenches at what could possibly be on that video. “But maybe if I watched it, it could help me figure out who did this to me.”
Huntley promptly shakes his head. “I doubt it, since it doesn’t show anyone but you.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets. “I think you should just let my dad know about it so he can look into it.”
“But it’s on the internet,” I say hoarsely. “Everyone can see it.”
Clove’s gaze locks on me. “I’m going to get it down soon. I swear I will.”
While I’m grateful, I can’t help wondering … “Why? Because
the society is making you?”
“No. Well, I mean, they asked me to, but I would’ve done it anyway.” A crinkle forms between his brows as he trades a look with Huntley and Maxon.
Maxon looks equally as confused, and Huntley sighs.
“The boss had Clarissa purposely drop a card in the locker room the other day so Ash would find it.” He glances at me. “They want to recruit you.”
Wariness floods Clove’s and Maxon’s expressions, and I’ll admit, it sort of hurts.
Don’t they want me to be part of … well, whatever the society is?
“Look, we’ll talk about this later,” Huntley tells them. “Right now, we need to focus on getting that video down.”
They nod then turn to me.
Maxon’s lips part—
“Ash?” My mom knocks on the door.
“Um, just a second,” I call out, turning back to the guys.
“We’ll go and let you talk to her,” Maxon tells me, giving my hand a squeeze. “I’ll stop by later today and give you an update on the video.”
“And when you’re feeling up to it,” Huntley says, “there’s some stuff we’d like to talk to you about.”
“About this society?” I question.
His eyes sparkle with playfulness. “The first thing you should know about societies is that you never openly talk about them.”
“But this is a good kind of society, right?” I feel the need to ask.
A smile touches his lips. “Of course. We’re part of it.”
Well, at least he’s smiling at me. Part of me thought that, even though he was nice to me last night, he was going to return to despising me.
Speaking of which …
“Maxon, Clove, can you hang on for a second?” I ask. When they nod, I hurriedly grab the letters from where I hid them under my pillow then return to the window. “I just want to say that I really did mean to tell you about the science competition and what I did … not that it’s an excuse for what I did or for not telling you sooner, but …” I sigh at my rambling and decide to just give them the letters. “I wrote these the other day and was planning on giving them to you … They’re apology letters.”
They trade a look then take the envelopes from me while Huntley stands a ways back, watching us curiously. I realize maybe I owe him a letter, too; a letter that should include a thank you for what he did for me last night.
I’ll get started on that ASAP.
“Thanks for doing this, Ash, and we’re going to read the letters”—Maxon traces his finger along the edge of the envelope—“but—”
“We forgive you,” Clove cuts him off, giving me another awkwardly angled hug. “I’m so sorry about what happened to you last night. Nothing like that is ever going to happen to you again. I promise.”
Before I can ask him how he knows that, he steps back and starts across the grass toward Maxon’s trailer. Huntley gives me a strange look before following after him.
Maxon shifts his weight and scratches his wrist. “Clove’s right. We’re not going to let anything like this happen to you ever again … We probably should’ve been making sure it didn’t happen already.”
“Why? I’m not your responsibility. And you guys have really been there for me this last week.” I hug my arms around myself. “That alone was more than I deserve.”
Maxon sighs, inching closer to my window. “Ash, we forgive you. And you really need to start working on forgiving yourself.”
“You’re too nice to me,” I say. “But I’ll try—”
“Ash,” my mom calls through the door again. “What’s going on in there? Who are you talking to?”
I sigh. “I should probably go talk to her before she gets even more stressed out.”
He nods, rubbing his lips together, his gaze dropping to my lips. At first, I think he’s going to kiss me, and despite everything that’s happened, I realize I want him to. But then he steps back, and I internally sigh.
“Wait,” I say.
He pauses, his brows dipping. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s not … It’s just that …” Summoning up what little courage I have left, I lean farther out the window and brush my lips against his. “Thank you for forgiving me.” When I slant back, his eyes are shut.
“You’re welcome,” he murmurs, lifting his eyelids open, a small smile touching his lips.
I start to smile myself when my gaze drifts to Maxon’s trailer and I spot Clove standing on the front porch with a frown on his face. When he notices me looking at him, he plasters on a fake smile and gives me a thumbs-up before stepping inside the house.
“I’ll stop by later to check on you and give you an update on the video and stuff.” Maxon starts to back away. “If you need anything at all, call me.”
I nod, feeling the slightest bit better. “Okay.”
He offers me one last smile before spinning around and hurrying into his house. I duck back inside and close my window before getting up to open the door, but then I pause when my gaze lands on my computer.
Part of me desperately wants to see what’s on that video, but the other part of me is afraid. And Maxon, Clove, and Huntley asked me not to, and I trust them.
Trust.
I actually have friends I can trust.
Knowing that—that I might not be alone in this—I blow out an exhale and shut the computer down, hoping I’m not making a mistake. Hoping Clove can get the video removed. Hoping that, when I show it to the police, it’ll help with the case.
Hoping they’ll catch whoever hurt me.
Chapter 25
Maxon
I’ve never been one to get upset, but I’m kind of irritated with Huntley right now. Huntley, Clove, and I have been friends forever, and I rarely get this irritated with one of them, so the feeling is new to me.
“Why didn’t you tell me Clarissa gave Ash a card?” I ask Huntley after we’ve gone into my trailer.
He plops down on the sofa and shrugs. “Because Boss gave me strict orders not to tell you.”
I sink down on the edge of the coffee table and rake my fingers through my hair. “Why?”
He gives a typical Huntley, nonchalant shrug. “Because you’re close to Ashlynn, and Boss was worried you’d try to talk us out of recruiting her.”
I may very well have. Not that the society is bad. But it’s risky being a part of it, especially when we’re working against a lot of Ash’s old friends who are currently tormenting her. The last thing she needs is for them to have more of a reason to bother her. That is, if they found out about the society. Currently, they don’t have a damn clue.
“It’ll be good to have Ashlynn on our side,” Huntley adds, stretching his arms out across the back of the sofa. “She’s been a part of Queeny’s group for years and could give us a lot of intel on her and her fucking minions.”
I nod, knowing he’s right, but I’m unsure if I want to get Ash involved. The truth is, I care about her. Have for a long time, even when she was treating me like shit. Was I pissed off at her? Absolutely. But I get that she was afraid. Afraid of being ridiculed, of being bullied, of being tormented, which is a really common thing in our town. And the shitty part is hardly anyone does anything to try to stop it, not even authority figures, which is part of the reason we created the society. There’s more to it than that, though. It’s also about getting revenge against the people who have hurt us. And everyone who’s part of the society has been brutally hurt by someone. Someone who they once thought cared about them.
“Max, she’ll be okay. Ash is tough. And we’ll make sure to look out for her,” Clove assures me as he makes himself a sandwich in the kitchen, using one hand.
His other hand is typing away on his keyboard as he works to get that stupid video taken down. A video neither of them will let me watch because they’re afraid I like Ash too much and won’t be able to handle what’s on it. Although, sometimes I wonder if Clove might like her that much, too. Not that he’d ever say anything to me—he
’s known I’ve liked Ash for a long time. But lately, he’s been acting weird when I talk about her. And when she’s around, I sometimes catch him staring at her.
I pick up a screw lying on the table and fiddle with it, spinning it around like a top. “What does the society even want from her? Do you know?”
“Not yet,” Huntley replies, but I think he might be lying.
“I hope it’s not going undercover and trying to get her to act like she’s friends with her old crowd.” Honestly, though, even if that’s what Boss wants her to do, I highly doubt Ash’s old friends would take her back.
But one of our main missions of the society right now is to get dirt on all the popular kids—like Queeny and Knox—and the families in this town who are constantly bullying, tormenting, and doing illegal shit that hurts others. Eventually, we’re going to work on getting justice for the people who’ve gone through something similar to what Ash is going through right now. And, of course, get justice for everyone else who’s been hurt by the hand of another in this town.
Huntley and Clove sometimes refer to us as vigilantes, but I have my own personal reasons for why I’m doing this. I just wish I didn’t freeze up when bad stuff happens, like when Knox yelled at Ash. I have issues with yelling and fighting … Issues no one fully knows about.
“I want to be there when she meets Boss,” I tell Huntley, setting the screw down.
Huntley thrums his fingers against his leg. “I’ll see if I can get permission, but you know she likes to do the interviews on her own.”
“I know, but Ash has been through a lot, and I don’t want her to be alone in this.” My fingers ball into fists as I remember the fear I felt last night when I found out Ash was missing. And then this morning, when Huntley told me what happened, I thought I was going to lose it. Usually, I can keep my shit together, but I care about Ash, and hearing that someone had attacked her made my blood boil and my need for revenge grow.
“Calm down, Max,” Huntley says when he notices my balled-up fists. “We’ll figure out who did this to Ash. We already have a pretty good idea. We just need proof. And my dad’s working on the case privately, so hopefully, no one will try to fuck it up for him.”
Opposite of Ordinary: (The Fareland Society, Book 1) Page 25