Macy and Rachel are my friends but let's face it, they're bitches.
I know that when I’m not around, they say horrible shit behind my back because they can't handle the fact that boys like me better than their skunky asses.
They’re skitches (skunks + bitches) and I’ve gotta watch my back from them.
So Knox is the only person I trust completely, the only one that's always been in my corner, no matter what.
I really don't wanna share him but I also love him too much not to want him to be happy.
“So was it her first time? I don't know why but I can't figure this girl out. She isn't shy but she’s different than, say, Macy and Rachel.”
He barks out a laugh.
“Yeah, you can say that! With all respect for your friends, who I each fucked last year, one time when I was too wasted to know where I was sticking my dick, Aubrey’s different. And no, it wasn't her first time. But I’m only the second guy she's slept with.”
He says that with a smug smile on his face and that totally rubs me the wrong way.
It's as if him being ‘only’ the second guy she’s ever slept with were something to be proud of.
I’ve slept with nineteen people: seventeen guys and two girls.
And no, I’m not bisexual.
I had a huge crush on Tripp last year and he likes threesomes, so I agreed, hoping that he’d see how awesome and open minded I am, but he fucking moved on once he got to have his fun.
I narrow my eyes.
“Are you calling me a slut?”
I know I'm just being a difficult twunt (twat + cunt) right now because my brother loves me, but I’m feeling a bit insecure about the way he talks about Aubrey.
His reaction reassures me immediately.
“No, Gaux-Gaux.”
He uses the name he used to call me when we were toddlers and he just started talking and Margaux was too hard for two year old Knox, so he called me Gaux-Gaux.
And it's still an endearing name between us, like I call him Knoxie.
“I could never call you a slut. Do I wish that you were a bit more choosy about who you spread your legs for? Yes. But it isn't a judgy thing. It's just because I wish you'd find someone who treats you nicer than the way the assholes you sleep with do. And I'm not a hypocrite, because it's exactly the same way I’ve been treating girls until very recently. So if you're a slut, so am I.”
I’m placated by his words and my curiosity takes over again.
“So, are you two together now? Which is like asking you if you're better than Teague in bed.”
I say it with a smirk: I’ve been giving him shit since I lost my virginity sophomore year because I’ve always had a thing for Teague.
I mean, hello?
The guy is fucking perfection and has that bad boy vibe going on that makes me wet only thinking about it.
But since Teague transferred to BHPA sophomore year and he and Knox started playing football together, they’ve always been competing for girls, for who got laid more and my brother laid down only one rule: that I was absolutely off limits and if Teague ever dared touch me, he’d get his ass kicked.
Knox sighs.
“I was planning to ask her to be my girlfriend but again, someone had to be rescued, so I had to go before I could talk to her about it. And she hasn't slept with Teague.”
“So Teague wasn't her first?”
He seems irritated by my question.
“No. As I just told you, they haven't slept together.”
I giggle.
“If you say so ... I’d have thought that those two were fucking by the way Teague was all over her yesterday morning. Plus she's his rally girl.”
My harmless taunting must really rub my brother the wrong way because he snaps.
“No, ok? She didn't sleep with Teague! The only other guy she fucked before me was that asshole you're so into. Devon Archer.”
My head shoots back as if I’d been bitch slapped.
I fucking knew it!
That little twunt is fucking my guy!
That's why they were in that locker room together and that's why I always catch him looking at her.
Aubrey did mention something about it before, but I never thought it was that important, as she made it sound so casual.
But Devon was her first, so she probably still cares about him.
“And you aren’t jealous?”
I ask tasting venom in my mouth at the idea that Devon likes someone else.
“Yeah, I wanna kill that motherfucker! But also no, because she said it was shit. That he came faster than it took him to put a rubber on and it hurt like hell.”
I was fucking right to wanna take that bitch down.
If I had any qualms about my actions last week, now I don't anymore.
And to be honest if Aubrey and Knox became an item, that’d be good for me because it'd take Aubrey out of my way.
But I’m fucking fuming that she fucked him and that she fucked him before I did.
So I can't help but stir some trouble and then may the pieces fall where they will.
I look at my brother and quash the tiny bit of guilt that's licking at my conscience: it’ll be up to him if he wants her but I’m gonna protect him and go ahead with my plan.
Yes, protect him because Aubrey isn't the sweet little angel he thinks she is.
So I put on a knowing smile and tease him.
“By the way, I was right.”
He bites immediately: hook, line and sinker.
“About?”
He arches one blonde eyebrow, his jaw tensing just a little while he keeps his grey gaze on the road.
I’m his sister but I understand why girls literally throw themselves at him: he's hot.
He’s very good at keeping his cool but I know him better than he knows himself and I can tell that Aubrey sleeping with Devon affects him more than he wants to let out.
“Didn't I tell you that you making QB1 would seal the deal with Aubrey? The minute you got a starting spot on the team, she let you in her pants. So I expect her to lose any possible interest she might still have in Devon, as long as you keep your spot. I mean, there's rumours that she was the one that drugged those three. Maybe she did it to help you, so she could be QB1’s girlfriend?”
I see the look in my brother’s eyes and I know that I hit my target.
Aubrey should’ve never gone after the guy I wanted.
But after all, I’ve been warned about her and I should've expected it.
Aubrey
THE LAST FEW DAYS HAVE been a crazy emotional rollercoaster both in a good and in a bad way.
That date with Teague on Sunday was so sweet and hot and I felt so close to him.
I was able to catch a glimpse of the real him, beyond the cool bad boy image that he likes to project at school.
And he was sexy and sweet and made me feel so good ... he gave me my first orgasm and with him I felt beautiful and wanted.
And then the fact that he could believe that I put something in his drink, hurt more than I can possibly explain.
I’m not surprised that Devon believed it.
Honestly after how he's been acting since I saw him again, it actually makes perfect sense given how self-centred he is.
Landon’s the only one who didn't hesitate to take my side.
And then there's Knox.
I blush just thinking about Knox and the things we did yesterday.
I still feel pleasantly sore between my legs and not because he was rough or anything but we had sex three times and I guess the soreness is both because I’m so new at this and also because Knox is really, really big.
And again, I lost count of all the times he made me come: he's like the orgasm whisperer.
Of course by his own admission, he's been with quite a few girls, so he knows his way around a vag.
Yeah, that's what Abi and I call our pussies and I can't wait to Skype with her on Friday and tell her how mind blowing sex with Kn
ox was.
But he didn't call me like he promised when he left.
For a second I thought about texting him but then I decided against it because I don't wanna act too clingy.
I know that the first time we went out he said that he wanted to get to know each other, and that there were no promises of anything more than a good time but it certainly felt like more than that yesterday.
At least for me.
I think I could fall for Knox, for his sexy, quiet, and covertly sweet personality.
And maybe I’ve already started to fall for him but I keep trying to keep my feelings in check, because I don't ever wanna feel the way I did when I realised that Devon didn't feel the same way I did about him.
It hurt way too much.
I keep checking my phone while I get ready for school but the wretched object stays quiet, the screen a dark rectangle of cold glass.
I know I get fucking dramatic but, I don't know, I felt so close to Knox yesterday that I’m surprised not to have gotten even a text.
As I drive to school, I debate if I should stop to get a chai latte for Teague, as a peace offering and I decide that regardless of the way he treated me yesterday, I want to try and mend things between us, hopefully talk.
I know I tend to overreact to things in the heat of the moment and I can only imagine how scary it must've been to risk expulsion from school.
And I fucking blame it on Devon: he's the one who's been accusing me the most, thinking that I would do something so psychotic like drug someone just because he fucked me and then dumped me.
Sure, I think that karma's a real bitch and maybe that's payback for being a selfish asshole, but I’d have never given karma a hand, let's put it this way.
So, unless the boys took something that they didn't realise could alter a drug test, and assuming that the sports drinks were the tainted source, the only people who could have put something in those drinks were the cheerleaders and the team management staff.
Margaux, Macy and Rachel asked me to help with the drinks and that stuff is kept in a stock room adjacent to the cafeteria and the only keys are respectively in Mrs Stubbs and Coach Benson’s offices.
I sigh as I park my car:
I’m not gonna solve this mystery today, but I need to start keeping my eyes open because I’m not gonna go down for something I didn't do.
I know that today the guys have morning practice and maybe that's why Knox didn't call me, it's quite an early morning for them.
So I stand at the edge of the training field, waiting for the team to be released by Coach Benson.
A bunch of guys walk towards me at the same time and I immediately spot Teague and Devon, talking to each other about some new play that coach explained today.
They're still allowed to train with the rest of the team despite being suspended, as long as they agree to weekly random drug tests.
They stop a couple of feet away from me, green and blue eyes intensely fixed on me.
I take a deep breath and approach them, intentionally ignoring Devon and offering the chai latte to Teague.
“Hey Teague, I thought you’d like one of your favourite hot drinks as an encouragement—”
I try to play the rally girl angle but he sets ice cold blue eyes on me, distant like two faraway stars and yet full of something that tells me that he’s not as detached as he wants to look.
His voice is sharp, missing his usual amused tone and loud enough that all the guys around us can hear him.
“Really? And what did you put in it this time? Are you trying to make sure that I get expelled?”
His words cut deep and I know that I should walk away before the tears that I feel coming threaten to spill out in front of every football player in the varsity team.
I know that I didn't give them all a great first impression, in fact a lot of them still call me ‘fuck me’ since that welcome assembly, when I blurted out those unfortunate words when I saw Devon on that stage.
But I'm still hoping that he’ll listen to me against all the odds or maybe I’m simply a glutton for punishment, because I stay there, despite Teague’s unyielding expression and the fact that all the other players are stopping to watch our interaction.
“No, of course not. Please, Teague, can we just talk? You must know that I had nothing to do with what happened. And the drink is just because I know that you like it and I wanna say sorry about the rough times you're having and as your rally girl, I—”
Teague looks at Devon and then at the other players before addressing me again.
“Look, Aubrey, I won't drink anything you ever give me, ever again. And as for this rally girl thing? I’ll ask coach to assign you to someone else. Now if you don't mind, I’ve gotta go shower before I’m late to class, or is this your end game, since being suspended from the team put me and the others on automatic probation?”
Almost the whole football team is here, witnessing my exchange with Teague.
“No. I’m not trying to cause any trouble for you, like I never did anything to your drink last week. You know what? Whatever!”
This is when Landon and Knox walk by, from a different part of the field where they were both talking to one of the deputy coaches.
I look at Knox and I wanna throw myself in his arms, feel his strength and his warmth, like yesterday.
“Knox—”
He looks distant, all the emotion that I thought I saw in his eyes not only yesterday but since our first date, is completely gone.
It's as if I were a ghost and he saw straight through me.
His voice is also cold and distracted, almost bored.
“I’m sorry, Aubrey, I can't talk right now. I’ll catch you later.”
And he and Landon walk away in a hurry.
That's when I feel my tears come out in earnest and I know I have literally moments before I break down right by the football field, so I walk away as fast as I can without running and attracting even more attention.
I think I’ve offered enough of a spectacle lately as it is.
I walk inside the school building, into the athletic wing and storm into the first girls’ bathroom I find.
I find an empty stall and let all my tears fall freely, trying to stifle the sobs that want to erupt with my despair.
What the fuck is it with me?
I must be really terrible in bed, there's no other explanation.
First Devon, who by the way said it out loud yesterday that I was a ‘lousy fuck’, and now Knox.
After yesterday I definitely didn't expect indifference from him.
I thought that he really liked me but he acted as if he didn't even see me.
And so did Landon!
Did Teague and Devon convince him that I’m guilty?
Does Knox believe him too?
I know that we aren't officially together but after yesterday afternoon, I thought ...
I can't stop crying when the first bell rings and I hear footsteps coming into the bathroom.
“Aubrey, is that you? What's wrong, girl?”
It’s Margaux.
12.
Team Work
Knox
I didn't call her last night because I’m a stupid asshole and my sister’s words kept ringing in my ears:
‘She'll take her panties right off for you now that you're QB1. Every girl wants a popular boyfriend.’
I kept wondering if it was true, if Aubrey slept with me only because I got the starting spot on the team.
The timing of it does line up, but then while I was tossing and turning, unable to shut my fucking stupid brain down, I realised that Aubrey isn't like that.
That she agreed to go on a date with me way before there was ever a chance of me replacing Devon in the team.
That if she were looking for popularity, she'd have bragged about her fling with Devon rather than keeping it a secret.
And by the way, if she wanted a popular boyfriend on the starting team, she had Teague and Landon vying f
or her attention too.
‘But one thing is a boyfriend on the starting team, another thing is QB1 ... no one’s more popular than the quarterback ...’
I groaned at the sound of Margaux’s voice in my ears.
I know she's into all this popularity hype, but this is one of the things that attracted me to Aubrey to begin with: she doesn't give a shit about who's who in the school ranks.
She treats everyone nicely, regardless of who they are.
I don't know her that well but I noticed the way she talks to everyone, from people at school to waiting staff in a restaurant, to a random stranger in the street.
It's that warmth and that genuine smile that drew me in, together with her hotness, and her slight klutziness that makes her all the cuter.
So I wanted to call her to tell her that I missed her, once I got my head out of my own ass, but it was two am and somehow, I thought that it was better to wait for the morning.
And then when I got up and picked up my phone to call her, Tripp called me instead to ask me if it was true that Aubrey was behind Devon’s suspension from the team.
“Of course not! Why would she ever do anything like that?”
Tripp’s tone is apologetic when he tells me what he heard.
“Look, man, I’m only repeating something I heard just in passing. Don't shoot the fucking messenger, ok? I heard that she did it because she wanted to fuck him and he turned her down. After all she did yell ‘fuck me’ at the welcome assembly, when he walked on the stage.”
Fucking high school!
This is why I hate it sometimes.
People have got nothing better to do than run their mouths on stuff they know fuck all about!
I don't set Tripp straight on the fact that Devon did fuck Aubrey because it's not my truth to tell, but I tell him it's nowhere near the truth.
“Dude! That's fucking bullshit. Look, there's some kinda history there between Devon and Aubrey but nothing like you heard. And Aubrey has nothing to do with that shit. She isn't that type of girl.”
He gets defensive.
“Calm down, man. I haven't said she did, I’m only telling you what the rumours are. Actually there's also another rumour that you did it.”
The Retribution: A High School Light Bully Romance (Beverly Hills Prep Academy Book 3) Page 14