Spinning back into the home I’ve lived in since birth, I hate it just that little bit more.
My bloody fists catch my eye, and I head to the kitchen to clean them up and inspect the damage. Coach is going to have my balls at practice on Monday when he sees I’ve been fighting. Football is my only escape, and I hope it’s my way into college, but I’m also very aware that it’s the first thing that might have to give if things get tougher. If Mom can’t find a better job, or at least more hours, then it means that I’m going to have to start picking up more of the slack, and finding a job that’s flexible around school and games isn’t easy to come by.
I just want to be a fucking kid and enjoy senior year while I still have a chance. Is that too much to ask?
I wince as the warm water runs over my knuckles, sending the blood spiraling down the drain. It pretty much sums up my life.
I shouldn’t have hit him, I tell myself again. I should have left him there and allowed Camila to find him. She deserves a little bit of the pain I go through every day because of her fucking family.
She walks around like she doesn’t have a care in the world, not giving two shits about the mess they left behind just down the street. We might still be living in this house, just, but the people who are left inside are far from the people she knew.
Turning off the water, I rest my palms down on the counter and stare out at the garden. The garden my dad used to spend his evenings and weekends maintaining when he wasn’t out helping me train for my next game.
Now, it’s overgrown, uncared for and totally unruly. He’d hate it—if he ever bothered to come back and see his kids, that is.
Burning anger fills my veins and I push it away, not wanting or needing the reminder of him.
Taking the stairs two at a time, I quickly check that my brothers are both sleeping soundly in their rooms before ripping off my shirt over my head and dropping it to the floor. I find a bottle of Jack I’d hidden at the back of my closet and twist the top off before falling down onto my bed. Lifting it to my lips, I shudder as it burns down my throat. I hardly ever drink, so it hits me pretty quickly. I’m usually stronger than this and focus on my responsibility, but tonight I need it gone. I need the memories and what could have been out of my head.
My room is bathed in darkness. Not even the light from the moon shines in with the curtains that are permanently closed. If I open them, all I can see is her house, into her room. It used to be great. Everything used to be great.
Darkness consumes me and images of her standing in her bedroom window fade away.
The next thing I know, my eyes flutter open and a blinding light sends a piercing pain through my head.
Motherfucker.
“Mason.” A little voice filters through the alcohol haze surrounding me. “Charlie’s been sick. He’s really upset.”
“Fuck.” Sitting bolt upright in bed, my head spins and my own stomach turns over. Lifting my arm, I find my fingers still wrapped around the now empty bottle.
“Isn’t Mom home?” My voice is slurred even to my own ears.
“I don’t think so. Can you help me clean him up?”
“Of course, dude. Lead the way.”
Case in point as to why I don’t drink.
The desire to drop to my knees and crawl into Charlie’s room is high, but somehow I manage to keep upright with a lot of help from the wall.
Charlie’s sobbing hits my ears long before we enter his room. That along with the stench is enough to sober me up a little.
He needs me, and I need to not be a total fuck-up right now.
I dry heave as I step into the room and get a sight of the mess he’s made.
“It’s okay, buddy. We’ll get this cleaned up and you’ll be as good as new.”
“I’m so sorry,” he wails.
“It’s not your fault. You don’t need to be upset.”
“You can come sleep in my bed, Charlie.”
My head spins and I fight to keep the contents of my own stomach down as I begin stripping his bed, but my heart swells in my chest for these two boys. Neither of them asked for their life to be like this, to have to spend so much time looking after themselves and each other, but there’s only so much I can do without totally ruining my own life and future in the process.
After throwing all of Charlie’s dirty sheets into the washer, I head back up to make sure they’re okay. I find them both curled up in Oliver’s bed, fast asleep.
A smile twitches at my lips as I stare down at them. They might cause me more stress than most seniors are forced to endure, but I couldn’t imagine my life without them. I’m pretty sure I owe them both everything, because without them, I know I could have lost myself pretty easily over the past few years.
3
Camila
“He said Noah was kissing Tasha?”
“Yep, apparently so,” I say to Amalie over a milkshake the next morning after leaving Noah to deal with his parents.
“And you don’t believe him?”
“No, not one word of it. This is Noah we’re talking about. He’s never been anything but totally loyal, faithful, and honest.”
“I know but—”
“There are no buts, Ami. Mason hates me. It’s not the first time he’s done something just to hurt me for breathing the same air as him.”
“Mason? Mason Paine?”
“Yes.” I sigh, getting pissed off with her opinions on this situation.
“But he’s always been so sweet to me.”
“Yeah, well, you didn’t ‘ruin his life’ or whatever shit he spouts at me for the reason behind his douchebag-ness.”
“That’s not a word.”
I quirk an eyebrow. “Do I look like I care? I just want to forget all about this and move on. He totally fucked with my plan for last night. I need a new one.”
“So, you and Noah didn’t get it on after he was accused of cheating and beaten within an inch of his life?”
“Do you have to find this all so amusing?”
She does have the decency to look slightly regretful. “I’m sorry, it’s just that I’m glad this kind of drama isn’t directed at me. It’s nice to see someone else with boy issues.”
“I don’t have boy issues. Noah is my boyfriend and Mason is…”
“Mason is…”
“No one. He’s no one and needs to back the fuck off.”
“You ever going to tell me what happened?”
“He just blames me for how his life turned out.”
“That’s all you’re giving me?”
“Sure is. You want more, ask him.”
She wraps her lips around the straw sticking up from her milkshake as she thinks. I know she’s desperate to learn more about what happened, but I really just want to forget about the whole thing and that Mason Paine even exists. It’s bad enough I’ve got to walk past his house every day and stare at his bedroom window every time I open my damn curtains. I don’t need him to be the focus of my every conversation today.
“Have you even asked Noah about it?”
“Of course.”
“And?”
“And he said he loves me and that I’m the only girl for him.”
“Convenient.”
“What do you have against Noah all of a sudden? You seem to be suggesting that he’s guilty here.”
“I have nothing against him, Cami. I’m just intrigued. Mason doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who starts fights for no reason.”
“No offense, Amalie, but you don’t really know him. You’ve only met the Mason who’ll do anything for his best friend. To be honest, they’re about as fucked up as each other.” Her mouth opens in an attempt to fight for her boyfriend, but I cut her off. “Don’t you even think about trying to defend him. Some of the shit he did to you should have been unforgivable.”
“Can’t help who you fall in love with, Camila.”
“Christ, you sound like your gran,” I mutter, reaching for my own milkshake
. “I know that, and I’m not criticizing you for it. It’s just... Mason is part of my past. Do I miss the sweet boy from down the street? Some days. But life has turned him into an asshole, and my life is better off without that kind of drama in it.”
“Okay. I’ll drop it.” I don’t believe a word of it. Her eyes are still assessing me like she can see something I’m not aware of.
“Good, because Noah’s been so good to me. The perfect boyfriend. He’s the one for me.”
Her eyes hold so much, but thankfully she keeps her mouth shut. I don’t need to spend the rest of the morning rehashing this.
“What’s going on with Jake’s mom? She still around?” I ask, desperately needing to change the subject.
“Sadly. Jake’s refusing point-blank to talk to her, hoping that she’ll up and leave again, but it doesn’t seem to be working.”
“You think she’s serious about fixing everything she fucked up?”
“I have no idea, honestly. I think too much damage has been done. Jake’s never going to give her the time of day.”
“Understandable.” Silence descends around us as we slurp our milkshakes. “So... how’s the college search coming?”
“I’m still trying to convince Jake to come and have a look around Florida U and Maddison with me but—”
“Whoa, hold the phone. You’re going to college together?”
“No decisions have been made. He just promised me he’d look into it. I found his grades stuffed at the back of one of his drawers in his bedroom. Any college would be stupid not to let him in. Plus, he’s got the obvious bonus of being a fucking awesome quarterback.”
“Aw, look at you getting all involved in the game. I’m so proud of you,” I say with a laugh. It took enough convincing when she first got here to even see a game, let alone understand it enough to know just how talented Jake is.
“Shut up. Anyway, Maddison has potential courses for both of us, so if we did decide to go together then we could. That’s still a long way off though, and I don’t want to freak him out too much. He still doesn’t think he has a shot at a scholarship or being accepted.”
“That’s crazy.”
“That’s what I keep saying. Plus, he could defer a year if he wants, get a job, save some money, and we could start together.”
She might think the idea of going together hasn’t been made yet, but the way she’s talking, I think it’s kinda set in stone. I’m happy for her. She had her life turned upside down but somehow, she’s managed to create something pretty fantastic here, not to mention snagging Rosewood’s most eligible bachelor. I never thought I’d see the day that Jake Thorn handed his balls over to a woman, but Hell must have frozen over because he is seriously whipped by my new best friend.
“What about you? Noah still want to go to Virginia?”
“Yep,” I say sadly. “I still have no idea, really. I’ve applied for a bunch of places, but the idea of moving across the country scares the crap out of me.”
“You’ll figure it out.”
“I guess.” I shrug, feeling the pressure landing on my shoulders. Everything at the moment seems to be about college. It’s all everyone is talking about, no one more so than my parents, and I don’t know what to tell them. I want to go to college, of course I do, but I have no idea what I want to do with my future. English is my thing. I love reading, writing reports, that kind of stuff, but do I want to do it for a job for the rest of my life? I have no idea. The decision seems so huge and I don’t feel at all prepared to make one yet.
I drop Amalie back home after our little morning rehash of the night before and our possible futures.
“Morning, sweetheart. Good night?” Mom asks as I head for the kitchen for a glass of water.
“Uh... yeah,” I lie. It was entirely not what I was expecting, not to mention that I’d planned last night to be the night with Noah, and here I am, still a virgin.
“That’s good. I’m glad you had fun.” She gives me a kiss on the cheek as she passes and heads for her home office. Mom’s job is being a social butterfly. If there’s an event running in Rosewood, you can bet she’s had a hand in it. Dad had a promotion a few years ago that allowed her to give up her job and focus on what she loves: party planning. It’s great knowing she’s enjoying herself, even if it does mean they’re almost always out of the house, attending events.
“I’ll be up in my room if you need me.”
Pulling a packet of chips from the cupboard, I take them and my water up to my room. I turn my speakers on and stop in front of the window.
As always, his curtains are shut. It makes me sad to think that his room must always be as dark as his heart’s turning out to be. He was so much fun as a kid. I have so many memories of bouncing out of bed and running down the street to find out what trouble we were going to get into that day.
But that’s all it is now: memories. That Mason is long gone. In his place is someone I’d rather forget.
He’s angry.
Cold.
Cruel.
4
Mason
“You’ve got to be fucking shitting me.” Walking into school Monday morning, the first thing I see is them. Together. Like nothing fucking happened.
Noah’s got her pressed up against the lockers and is staring down at her like she’s the most precious thing in the world.
She looks up at him in a way I remember all too well, and it makes my blood boil.
He was kissing someone else while she was mere feet away. What the fuck is wrong with her?
“Just leave it,” Jake says, noticing the tension that must be radiating off me.
“But he—”
“I thought you hated her. Why do you care if she’s not dumped his cheating ass?”
“I do hate her. I’m just shocked, is all.”
“Really?” he asks, a knowing twinkle in his eye.
“Yes. Now stop looking at me like that.”
“Fine. Fine.” He wants to say more, I can sense it, but thankfully Amalie appears out of nowhere and cuddles into his side.
His hands immediately wrap around her waist and his lips go to hers. I’m happy for them, even happier that he’s stopped being such an asshole.
I let out a sigh as I watch them. Something twists my stomach, watching how close and easy they are with each other. I haven’t made a secret of the fact that I want that. The guys all think I’m crazy, although Jake should have a better understanding now he’s been whipped by Amalie.
“You okay?” she mouths, placing her hand on my forearm and dragging my eyes away from the car crash happening in front of me.
“Never better,” I mutter, grabbing a couple of books from my own locker and slamming the door as I head out toward our benches.
Chelsea and a few of her girls are already there. She immediately gets up when she sees me walking her way, but it’s not her I’m interested in.
“Tasha,” I greet, a wide fake-ass smile on my face. “Enjoy the party on Saturday night?” All the blood drains from her face.
She knows what she was doing in that bathroom. So do I, and so does Noah.
Wrapping my hand around the back of her neck, I pull until she has no choice but to stand. She shudders against me as I drop my mouth to her ear. To anyone else, it might look intimate as I dig my fingers into her waist.
“Didn’t have you down as a geek lover. I thought you all only went for jocks.”
“I, uh…” Her voice quivers, and I can’t help the smile that tugs at my lips. “I was drunk.”
“Sure you were.”
When I pull back, I find exactly what I was expecting: Noah looking this way from his spot by the lockers. He’s far enough away that no one around him would think anything of it. But I know.
The second our eyes meet, he looks away.
You’re going down, motherfucker.
“Mason, please don’t—”
“Tell anyone? Oh, Tash, you’re going to regret that.”
She’s a good head shorter than me, and as she stares up at me with panic in her eyes, they fill with tears.
“Play with fire and you will get burned.”
My hand lifts to her chin and I crash my lips to hers. I know he’s watching, and I need to make this as painful for him as possible. I hold still for a second before I drop her as I step away. She stumbles backward and lands awkwardly on the bench. Her friends are too distracted by the rest of the team who’ve descended to notice her.
Running my eyes over each of them, I shake my head. Ethan’s got Shelly on his lap, his hands tucked up the back of her tank. The other guys either have one or multiple girls’ attention, and I wonder what it must be like for your only concern to be about which cheerleader you want to bang. It’s no secret that I’ve spent private time with more than one of them in the past, but it was only to blow off steam when things got a little too much.
Backing away from the group, I look to where Noah was only a few seconds ago, but their group has dispersed, leaving only one behind.
I move toward her without really thinking about it.
“What the—” she squeaks, trying to free her wrist from my grip, but I’m stronger. Much stronger.
I drag her along with me until we reach the girls’ bathroom.
“Mason, what the hell are you doing?”
“Out,” I bark at a handful of students. Some I recognize and some I don’t, but all scramble for the door. One benefit of being on the team and Jake Thorn’s best friend is that if I say jump around here, students immediately ask how high.
Pulling Camila in front of me, I run my eyes down her body. She’s hot. There’s no denying that. Her curves were designed for a man, not that fucking pussy.
My fists clench as I think about him having his hands on her body. A body that should have been mine to take, if her family didn’t fuck everything up.
Her chest heaves, keeping my attention on her larger than average tits. My mouth waters and I take a step toward her. She has no choice but to take a step back, making her hit the tiled wall with a thud.
PAINE: ROSEWOOD HIGH #2 Page 2