by Ivy Blake
Chapter Three
Megan
“What are you doing about lunch?” I asked Lola as we pulled up to school. She hadn’t looked away from her compact mirror the entire drive to school as she made sure she looked like a Barbie doll. She frowned at my question.
“What do you mean?”
“Do you want me to come and find you?” I asked half-heartedly.
“Oh God no, don’t you dare pity me, Meg. You’re the one we should be worrying about. Why is your tie like that?”
The tie in question was just done properly, meanwhile Lola’s tie was hanging loosely around her neck, complementing the few buttons she’d undone on her shirt.
“Fine, you suit yourself, I was just trying to be nice,” I snapped.
“I wouldn’t be able to tell from all that attitude you’re giving me.”
“Lola shut up and get out the car,” I said through gritted teeth. We were already later than I’d planned. I wanted to be at school a bit earlier so that I could familiarise myself with my surroundings, but Lola didn’t care about what I wanted, even if I was the one driving her to school in the first place.
“Calm down, Megan, jeez- it’s only a joke.” Lola rolled her eyes as she tucked her lip gloss away. “How do I look?” She turned to me and pursed her shiny, plump lips.
“You look fine,” I muttered as I felt a pang of insecurity in my chest. She looked amazing as always, I couldn’t even be mad.
“Don’t boost my ego too much,” said Lola as she got out the car. “Meet you here after school?”
“Don’t be late, I want you here straight away because I have shit to do after school!” I called out to her as she waved goodbye and blew me a kiss.
I turned off the engine and sank into my seat. I took some deep breaths to quell my anxiety as students began walking past my car and into the main school building. There was still a few minutes until homeroom so I decided that I’d read in my car for a bit. I opened my window slightly so as not to suffocate on my own breath and cracked open my book, taking extra care to keep the cover hidden. After each page, I checked the time on my dashboard, counting down the minutes until I officially became the New Girl.
“Hey, what the hell are you doing?” My head jerked up to the sound of a deep unfamiliar voice. I almost jumped out of my skin when I looked out of the window to see a tall, dark haired guy leaning against my car, his tanned and chiselled face mere inches away from mine. My cheeks flushed as I fumbled with my book and my words.
“I- urm, I’m not doing… anything,” I stammered nervously under his steely gaze. I suddenly realised that he was the guy who had stared me down in his car yesterday. I tried to smile but his face stayed hard until his eyes spied the cover of my book, and a smirk spread across his face.
“Oh you’re reading that Twilight trash,” he said scornfully, and without hesitation he reached into the car and grabbed the book out of my hands before I could protest. He grimaced at the cover and chuckled darkly.
“How fucking sad!” he laughed and looked over his shoulder. “Ross, Nate, look at this crap that the new girl is reading- what a virgin!”
“Give it back!” I said indignantly, and like an idiot I tried to reach out of the window to grab it back. Of course, my tormentor was only just beginning his games and instead of returning the book to me he raised it higher out of reach, taunting me with his icy eyes.
“Bet you were touching yourself over the vampires weren’t you? Were you about to cum?” he mocked me and shame flooded my body as students walking past slowed down to witness the scene. I had to stop this. The smart part of me knew that I should just ignore him, but that was a special signed edition I’d gotten for my birthday that he was holding, I wasn’t going to give it up. Fuelled by adrenaline, I got myself out of the car, closing the distance between myself and the jerk.
“You’re gross, it’s just a book. Give it back, you misogynistic pig!” He growled, a clear indicator that he didn’t appreciate me raising my voice and calling him out in front of everyone. His height and his demeanour made me want to cower in fear, but it was too late to back down now.
“Well you’re just a sad little virgin,” he spat back, his eyes lingering on my lips for just a second too long. To that, his friends, two guys who were equally as big as the guy who held my book laughed and a few ‘ooh’s’ spread around the student body. I looked from my tormentor to his friends, to my book and back to my bully again. Tears pricked in the corner of my eyes and I scrunched my fists in frustration as I realised how fucked I was. I lunged again for my book and this time, instead of dangling it above my head, the stupid prick turned over his shoulder and tossed it into the trash can in one swift motion that earnt him plenty of cheers from our peers.
“If you really want it, go and get it, Virgin,” he growled. He stared at me for a moment, taking in my body from head to toe and I shook with rage as he undressed me with his intense eyes. Not only was it rage, but there was a heat that his gaze sent coursing through my body that I couldn’t understand.
“Virgin! Virgin! Virgin!” someone started chanting loudly, and soon enough, many others joined them. It wasn’t even true, but they didn’t want to hear that. And it wasn’t even the fact that they were yelling false information, it was the disdain in their voices and the fact that school had barely started and I was already going through hell. The bell rang abruptly causing the student bystanders to stop chanting as they made their way to homeroom.
“Fuck you,” I spat at the dark haired guy who still stood before me with a hardened look on his face. A growl erupted from his throat and he took a step closer, allowing me to be engulfed in his intoxicating cologne. My heart thrummed against my chest as his eyes locked me in once again.
“You might find that this is my school and that it’s you who’ll be getting fucked here, Virgin” he said in a low throaty voice so that only I could hear. His threat sent tingles down my spine.
“My name is Megan,” I murmured.
“Megan,” he traced the syllables carefully with his tongue. “I think Virgin suits you better,” he chuckled. Before I could respond, his friends called him over.
“Let’s go, Austin!” yelled his skinhead friend. Austin. It was weird to give the devil a name.
“I meant what I said,” said Austin, and with a final glare that confirmed that this encounter would not be our last, Austin joined his friends with confident ease and they each high fived him, before disappearing into the school building.
I felt utterly humiliated and I just wanted the floor to swallow me up. As I walked over to the bin, feeling like Loser of the Year, I seriously contemplated getting back into my car and driving home to return to the comfort of my bed that wouldn’t bully me or call me names. I sighed heavily as I fished the book out of the heaving trashcan, forcing myself to ignore the giggles and stares of other students. I pulled out a tissue from my pocket and wiped down the book half-heartedly.
“You’re Megan, right?” I looked up from my book to see a nice looking ginger girl smiling sweetly at me, her blazer adorned with many badges.
“Yes?” I responded warily, unsure if I was about to find myself in my trouble or not.
“I’m Sophie, and I’m supposed to show you around this week.” Sophie paused and pointed at the book in my hand. “It seems you’ve already familiarised yourself with the boys.”
“You saw all of that?” I groaned as I retrieved my bag from the car.
“Just the end of it,” Sophie grimaced. “Just try to ignore them, and don’t take it personally.”
“Are they always like that with the new students?”
“Urm… let’s just say that no one is safe from Austin, Ross and Nate.”
“Why?” I asked, feigning nonchalance, when really I wanted her to spill all of the beans. Sophie looked down at her watch and a panicked expression swept over her otherwise calm face.
“I would love to go into this, but we’re actually going to be late so we need
to get a move on!” Her insistent tone forced my lips shut but as I followed her into school I couldn’t help but think back to Austin’s threat: It’s you who’ll be getting fucked here, Virgin. My brain raced to think of all the things he could possibly mean. What did Austin want from me? Why did I feel like I never wanted to see him again while simultaneously aching to see cross paths? It had to be something in those eyes, the memory of his warm body close to mine. Fuck, this was way too much for a Monday morning.
* * *
Austin
As I sat at the back of my English class, looking out the window to watch the other students walking down the hallway.
“Austin, you might want to look at this,” said my English teacher, Mr Jones. I tore my eyes away from the window and forced myself to acknowledge the test paper he’d placed in front of me. C-. Shit. This was going to be the grade that ended me.
“There must be some mistake,” I shot at Mr Jones, trying to keep my voice low so that only he could hear me.
“No, that’s your grade, Austin,” said Mr Jones apologetically, at least the old bastard seemed concerned. He knew that the football team needed to average a B+ in order to stay on the team and get more chances of getting into the elite colleges.
“Thanks,” I muttered under my breath, scrunching my test paper in my fist when Mr Jones moved on to return test papers to the rest of the class. I had to pull my shit together, and seriously this time. Clearly, whatever I had done before this test hadn’t worked, I was getting desperate now. Getting that grade meant college, and college was my way out of that hell house and closer to my dreams. Plus the fact that even though we’re one of the richest families in this town, my mom has been convinced by Steven that I shouldn’t be allowed to access my ‘fund’ until my 21st birthday. I couldn’t hold off freedom for that long, so college it was.
A flash of curly brunette hair outside the window caught my attention. It was that uppity bitch from earlier who’d moved onto my street. I stood up from my desk and slung my backpack over my shoulder. I felt the eyes of my teacher and classmates on me but couldn’t give a shit.
“Austin, what do you think…” Mr Jones’ voice trailed off as I made my hasty exit. Class was basically over anyway and it’s not like there were any real consequences for my behaviour.
I let the door slam shut behind me hearing my classmates muffled ‘ooh’ sounds and let my eyes fall on my prey. The new girl stood at her locker, staring at her timetable with a puzzled look on her face, clearly overwhelmed by the sheer size of Valley High’s campus. She was yet to notice me, and I took pride in startling her as I silently made my way over to her.
“Lost, Virgin?” I breathed into her ear.
“Oh my god!” she exclaimed, as she took a step back from me. Megan’s eyes widened and her cheeks flushed a deep red as she took me in once again. I took a step toward her, and as I dared her to move away with my eyes, I couldn’t help but notice how good she smelled. Once she had regained her posture, Megan frowned at me and turned to her timetable once again.
“Did you not hear me, Virgin?” I said through gritted teeth. “Or do I have to make you listen?” This time, I grabbed her face in my hand and glared into her helpless eyes.
“What do you want from me?” she squeaked, her eyes cutting to the side to see if anyone around would help. Even if there had been anyone in the hallway, no one would have interfered. Valley High was my school, I was in charge here and everyone knew to leave me to my business, or else they’d regret getting in my way.
A deep chuckle rippled through me and I couldn’t help but smirk at Megan. I tightened my grip on her jaw and lowered my gaze to her full pink lips.
“What do I want?” I said. Megan nodded and I could tell that she was holding her breath. I loved how she looked both scared and intrigued by me, like I could tell her to do anything right there and then and she’d comply. I felt a twitch in my pants as I thought about all the possible ways I could dominate and command her.
“I don’t get why you won’t leave me alone,” whispered Megan.
“That’s no fun now, is it?” I taunted, releasing her from my grasp. I glanced down at her timetable and saw that she had Algebra II next. “You need to go across the football pitches and to the building opposite the science labs.”
“Oh,” said Megan sheepishly. “Thanks.” Avoiding further eye contact she shut her locker and headed in the completely wrong direction, as per my instruction. I watched her walk away, my eyes glued to her long legs and the way her hips swayed as she walked. I needed to see what was underneath the skirt that fit her frame so perfectly. I wondered if anyone else had. I snarled to myself as I thought about the possibility of Megan being with another guy. I wish I could be there to see the anguish on her face when she realised I’d sent her to the wrong place and that she was about to be even later than she already was. I laughed to myself as I whipped my phone out of my pocket and texted Nate and Ross to meet me by the pitches for a mid-morning joint. It would be a nice pick me up from my subsiding hangover, and would also help take my mind off Megan and all the ways I wanted to taunt her.
Chapter Four
Megan
What a fucking asshole. Why did I take instructions from Austin of all people, the guy who had clearly demonstrated his hatred of me from the moment we met only mere hours ago? Of course he’d sent me to the wrong place, making me look like even more of a fool in front of a sophomore English class consisting of some students who’d clearly seen the interaction earlier. I’d wanted the ground to swallow me up when I heard whispers of the cruel nickname that Austin had baptised me with and unflattering retellings of the morning’s events. I didn’t even wait for the teacher to finish directing me to the right class before I made a hasty exit out of her classroom.
Why hadn’t I double checked where all of my class were with Sophie? To be fair, Valley High was huge, it was literally ten times the size of my old high school, it was more like a college campus or fancy art museum than a school.
Seeing that I only had a few minutes left of my Algebra class, I thought it best to skip and take the consequences rather than face even more embarrassment. I just had to get through lunch and one more class and then I could be free. Free to go home and escape into Netflix before my mom could ask me how school was. I just had to stay out of Austin’s way as best as I could.
I brought my hand to my jaw as I remembered how he had held me and forced me to look at him. His hand had been warm and his cologne had been intoxicating and overpowering. In that moment, as he towered over me and held me still, I’d been completely powerless to Austin for the second time that day. I hated myself for not saying anything, for not fighting back especially after he’d literally made me the subject of ridicule when I hadn’t done anything to him. All day, I’d tried to work out what he wanted from me and despite our interaction in the hallway, I was no closer to figuring it out.
My stomach growled, notifying me that it was time to eat. I thought about texting Lola to see if she wanted to sit together, but thought against it. Word about my mishap would have definitely reached her by now, and if she didn’t want to publicly associate with me before that, there was no way she would want to be seen with me now.
“You ready to eat?” I jumped at the voice and looked up to see Sophie smiling sweetly at me. I needed to stop letting people catch me off-guard like that. Seeing Sophie’s face was a massive relief and I almost wanted to hug her, but knew not to because that would be weird considering we didn’t actually know each other that well yet.
“How did you know where to find me?” I asked. I’d been hiding in an alcove, hoping no one would find me, and yet here she was.