“If he talked less, we’d have time to do more,” I mutter to Jake as we walk off the field.
“I heard that, Savage. Get your head in the game.”
I glance over my shoulder at him, expecting to find his hard stare boring into me, but surprisingly I find a sympathetic look on his face. He dragged me into his office after he found Jake and Mason trying to sober me up the day I turned up drunk and demanded to know the truth about what was going on. I understood his, and the guys’, concern. I’ve always been the pretty level-headed one. My life’s always been stable, aside from my parents mostly being in another state to me. While the others on the team have dealt with deaths and separations, I’ve just continued never expecting my life to explode before my eyes.
“You done that paper for English Lit?” Jake asks as we’re getting dressed.
“No. What paper?”
“Mrs. Bailey is gonna have your balls if you don’t hand something in.”
“What was I supposed to do?” I complain, ready to pull something out of the bag at the last minute. English Lit isn’t until this afternoon, I’m sure I’ve got time.
The two of us head of the locker room once Jake’s given me a rundown on what’s apparently been a two-week project that’s completely passed me by. I haven’t even read the book we’re supposed to be writing about.
“Just tell her the truth and get an extension. It won’t be a problem.”
Thankfully, he shuts up the second we come to a stop by our tables. The rest of the team has already congregated seeing as we were the last two out, and the cheer squad are already hanging off their every word. Don’t get me wrong, I like the cheer squad, a lot, but Christ, they can be a bit much at times. I like a willing girl as much as the rest of them but sometimes, it’s just too easy. Sometimes the challenge, the chase, is what it’s all about, and all this group does is open their legs as soon as it’s been suggested and do whatever we demand. I can understand why Jake and Mason haven’t ended up with one of them.
“Hey, baby,” Shelly sings, coming to sit on my lap the second my ass hits the wood of the bench.
“Not today.” I push her off and she looks at me with her brows pulled together and a pout on her filled lips. She soon gets over it though because she turns her attention on Zayn.
With everyone chatting away, it’s easy to see the two giant holes in our group. Obviously, Mason’s out of action after his car crash. This place and the team aren’t the same without him, but according to him, he’ll be back next week. But the other missing person isn’t someone that a lot of people are acknowledging right now after her true colors were exposed. Chelsea. We all know that Chelsea’s got a terrible reputation. She’s a slut, she’s easy, she’s a bitch of epic proportions, but the thing with Chelsea is that she’s the master at wearing a mask. Everyone thought Jake was bad for hiding who he really is… well, they haven’t met the real Chelsea. How do I know this? Because I have.
Chelsea isn’t the mean bitch everyone knows her to be. I know she’s done a load of bad stuff, and I won’t forgive her easily for hurting some of the people I love, but I know that’s not who she really is.
Dragging my cell from my pocket, I find our chat and send her a quick message. Everyone else might have happily forgotten she ever existed, but she needs to know she’s got some friends, now more than ever.
Ethan: Missing you here. I hope everything’s going well x
I close it down before anyone else notices. They all think I use Chelsea for one thing, just like every other guy she probably comes into contact with, but it’s not the case. The times we’ve disappeared off together, we haven’t had sex. In fact, I’ve actually never slept with her, never done anything with her. She always had eyes for Jake, and I made the sensible decision to stay out of the middle of that situation just in case anything were to happen, although Jake made it very clear it never would. I’m all up for having fun, but not if there’s even a chance the girl could end up with one of my guys.
As the bell rings and everyone makes a move for class, I head in the opposite direction to the library. No time like the present to get that paper written—after I’ve read the damn book, of course. It’s probably going to leave me either further behind with the classes I’m missing, but fuck it. It needs to get done, and I really don’t want to be on the wrong end of Mrs. Bailey. She’s one scary woman.
I find myself a quiet corner to sit in and pull out the book that I find hiding at the bottom of my bag. It seems that I was in class for the day it was all set. No excuses there. Fantastic.
I read the first two chapters. It goes in, but by the time I get to the third, I lose all concentration and the only thing I can think about is her. The more I try to forget her dark eyes as she stared up at me earlier, the more insistent the image becomes. My grip on the book in my hands gets tighter and tighter until my need to rip it in two starts to get the better of me.
Shoving the book back where I found it, I throw my bag over my shoulder and march from the library and quickly out of the school.
I put my car in drive and crank up the volume on the music in an attempt to get out of my own head. It works for all of two seconds before the guy singing starts going on about a temptress with dark eyes that won’t let anyone in. It touches too close to home. Turning it off, I continue the rest of the journey to the seafront in silence with only my irritating thoughts for company.
I park in the almost deserted parking lot next to Aces and head inside.
I was in such a rush to get away from her this morning that I didn’t grab anything to eat. I’m now starving after my stint in the gym and our, albeit short, training session.
There are a couple of people here having breakfast but, as expected, no one I recognize. I fall down into our usual booth and wait for Bill to notice me.
“It’s not even ten am,” he says, sliding into the other side of the booth less than two minutes later. “You having that good a day?”
“You have no idea,” I mutter.
He’s silent for a beat before he leans on his elbows, closing the space between us, and lowers his voice. “Have they moved in?”
I rear back in surprise. I wasn’t sure anyone was aware of our new house guests. I want to say they’re temporary, but just seeing Dad and his new toy so happy last night, it makes me wonder if he really is serious about this.
“How’d you—”
“Not much that goes on in this town that I don’t know about, son.”
“Great.” I slump back in my seat, staring out the glass at the front of the diner to the beach beyond.
“Just give it time. I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but things will feel normal again. How’s your mom doing?”
“Honestly, I have no idea. She makes out that she’s fine, but I can hear the sadness in her voice. I haven’t spoken to her since I found out about them moving in. I have no idea if she’s aware or not, and I don’t want to be the one to tell her that Dad’s moved in her replacement.”
“You need one of my burgers. It’ll sort you out right now,” he says, clearly out of helpful advice for me.
“Give me the works, Bill.”
“Coming right up, kid.” He walks off but stops halfway to the counter. “Don’t let this affect your schoolwork. We need you out on that field, you hear me?”
I nod because it’s the only thing I can do, but trying to focus on bullshit assignments right now is the last thing I want to do. My need to cause some pain is burning hotter than my need to graduate right now.
I pull the book back out and attempt another two chapters while Bill cooks my food, but although I read the words, I couldn’t tell anyone what they were about. Feeling hopeless, I push the book across the table as if its mere presence offends me.
I’ve never been the best student, or the most gifted in the classroom. I much prefer doing things with my hands than sitting with a book. I’m a practical person, logical and methodical, but only on my terms, and most definitely n
ot with a shitty English book I’m forced to read. Dad’s paid for tutors for me in the past, but honestly, they’ve made fuck all difference. They just wound me up, having to spend more time on stuff that frustrated the hell out of me.
I’ll achieve enough to get into college, especially with my football skills, but I’ll never set the world on fire like Dad hoped I would. I don’t know what his issue is, he was a terrible student in high school. He’s even admitted on occasion that he almost never finished college, but look at him now. He’s got a business empire most people in this town are jealous of and earns more than he could ever spend in a lifetime. Why can’t I do that?
I finish my burger, and when the diner starts filling up and getting louder, I grab my stuff and head out, hoping to find some peace to attempt this fucking assignment somewhere else.
6
Raelynn
I walk down the street for a few minutes before I come across a bus stop. After discovering that one is due any minute, I hang around with my hip against the pole and wait it out.
The street that the Savage house sits on is a stunning tree-lined road. The houses get bigger the higher up the small hill you get, and, surprise, surprise, Eric purchased the house right at the top. The ones around me now are quite obviously smaller, but they’re still stunning and way more than I’ve ever had the privilege of living in before.
I’m just starting to think the bus isn’t coming when it appears out of nowhere and comes to a stop beside me.
Digging in my purse, I manage to scrape together the fare and walk to the very back of the bus, past all the elderly passengers who look at me with shock on their faces. I guess I don’t fit the ideal of the uber-wealthy around here. Oh well, sucks for them, because it seems I’m going to be here for a while.
I keep my eyes on the passing scenery, attempting to remember the trip back. I have no clue where this bus is headed, but when it turns onto a street that runs along the beachfront and then slows to a stop where there’s a whole crowd ready to get on, I decide it’s my time to get off.
I thank the driver and step out into the morning sun. It’s warmed up significantly since I walked on to my balcony. My balcony. What the hell has my life become?
The blue sea glistens in the clear sky above, and I’m powerless but to walk toward it. It’s been a lot of years since I’ve been to the coast. Too many to actually count. I don’t even remember what the place was called that Mom moved us to when I was probably seven, maybe eight, and we ended up in a trailer not far from the sea. We didn’t stay there long. The boyfriend she found was a druggie and thankfully she found out sooner rather than later and off we went once again.
I shake my head at the memories. The best part about that place had been being able to sneak out when she was preoccupied and walking along the wet sand with the waves splashing at my feet. Everything seemed that little bit easier when the beach was involved. I wonder if it will feel that way here once I’m a little more settled.
I move along a little before finding steps down onto the beach. Dropping down, I place my boot covered foot on the soft sand. I make quick work of pulling them and my socks off until I feel the grains seep between my toes. I sigh with contentment and allow myself to drift back to the peaceful times I had on that beach as a kid. I was naïve back then, I had no clue what my life was going to be or how I was going to be dragged around the country like a kid carrying their favorite rag doll as my mom attempted to find what it was she wanted out of life.
I begin walking. I pass young families making sandcastles and wonder what it must be like to grow up with two parents whose main focus is their child. Don’t get me wrong, my mom cares, it’s just a little misguided. She’s done her utmost to ensure I have everything I could possibly need over the years. I think her wanting to give me the best is one of the main reasons she goes after these supposedly rich guys who promise her the world. She wants me to have the best opportunities in life, the kind she never had. But without her realizing, I think she’s turned into her own parents, the ones she swore she’d never be like, always chasing the possibility of an incredible life but never quite getting hold of it.
When I get to some sand dunes, I slip between them and make myself a little seat in the sand. I fall down and drop my boots beside me as I stare out at the crashing waves.
The sun heats my face, and after a few minutes, I pull my jacket off and lie back. I wouldn’t be able to do this in the height of summer. My porcelain skin wouldn’t allow me. It burns at even the mention of summer sun, but this November sun is perfect for me.
With the sound of kids playing in the distance and the water crashing on the sand mere feet away, I find myself drifting off in a way I never do when I lie down in an actual bed.
I relax for the first time since I found out about this move and drift off.
When I start to come around again, my skin prickles. I have no idea how long I’ve fallen asleep for, but my thoughts about the sun being safe might have been wishful thinking as I feel it burning.
Lifting my arm, I use my hand to shield my eyes from the sun before attempting to drag them open.
I startle when I do and find a shadow before me, but that shock is nothing compared to what hits me when I realize who that shadow actually belongs to.
He takes a step forward, his body protecting my face from the sun, although I’m sure he’s not doing that out of the kindness of his heart. His face is blank, there’s literally no expression. The only thing that gives away how he’s feeling is the haunting look in his eyes as he stares down at me.
My heart begins to race as he comes even closer. I’m used to being at a disadvantage height-wise seeing as I’m a total short-ass, but being looked down upon while he looms over me is slightly terrifying, not that I’ll allow him to know that.
“So turning up unwanted in my house wasn’t enough. You need to ruin my peace and quiet out here too?” he fumes, his fists curling at his sides.
Pushing myself up so I’m sitting, I drag my eyes away from him. With the sun behind him, it makes him glow like he’s some kind of fucking angel. What a joke. The guy standing before me is all devil. I think anyone would be hard pushed to find anything angelic.
I stand and close the space between us. I don’t for a second think it’s threatening at all, but I feel better for standing up to him and not cowering down like I think he’s expecting me to.
“Shouldn’t you be at school, little boy?” I tilt my head to the side in the hope that I look and sound patronizing as fuck.
His eyes run over every inch of my face, taking note of everything that’s changed since he cornered me this morning.
“What’s with the war paint? Don’t want anyone to see your real face?”
As usual, my makeup is dark. My eyeshadow and liner are heavy and my lips a dark matte purple. My hair’s the same though, pulled back from my face and out of the way. It might be long, but that’s only because it’s easier to tie up and forget about.
We stare at each other, neither of us saying anything as the air between us crackles with hate.
“You don’t belong here. You need to go back to the trailer park you fell from.”
A bitter laugh falls from my lips, an unamused smile curling at one side of my lips.
“Wow, that the best you can come up with, posh boy? If you want to get rid of me, you’re going to need to try harder than that.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot his arm come out moments before the warmth of his fingers wraps around my wrist. I gasp in surprise when his touch burns.
He tugs and I have no choice but to step forward. My breasts press against his chest, my temperature increasing as his warmth surrounds me.
I have to tip my head back in order to keep eye contact, but as uncomfortable as it is, I refuse to break it.
“You want me to try harder. Are you sure about that, trailer trash?” I swallow and try to keep any fear or trepidation from my face.
I lift a brow at him,
and his fingers tighten on my wrist. “And what exactly are you going to do?”
His eyes narrow, pure hatred pouring from their dark blue depths as his chest heaves and his increased breaths fan across my face.
He releases my wrist, but he only loses contact for a second because that same hand is suddenly wrapped around my throat.
“What am I going to do?” He laughs, and it’s the sound of pure evil. His fingers squeeze but only lightly. He’s not cutting off my air supply—not yet, anyway. “I’m going to make sure you leave this place with your tail between your legs and tears streaming down your cheeks.”
“And where exactly am I going?” I quip.
“Anywhere. I’m sure your whore of a mother will open her legs for some other poor mug and you can move in with him.”
My teeth grind. “She’s not a whore.” His grip tightens, and for the first time, my eyes water and I start to panic a little. There are people not so far away, but I have no idea if they’d hear me scream. If I even got the chance to.
“Oh no. So she didn’t seduce my dad while he was a married man?”
“Whatever has happened between our parents, it’s got nothing to do with me. I’m unfortunately along for the ride.”
“I. Need. You. Gone.”
“And I need you to let me go.”
His eyes hold mine. His jaw pops and the muscle in his neck pulsates with anger.
“I’m going to fucking ruin you.”
“Do your worst, posh boy. I’ve handled worse than you before, I’m sure it’ll be a walk in the park.”
“Fuck you,” he spits, releasing me with a shove that’s just about hard enough to force me to the ground. “Now get the fuck out of here.”
A huge part of me wants to fight him. I was here first and this is a public beach, but as he stands with his arms crossed over his chest, the fabric straining against his muscular forearms and shoulders, I decide the best thing to do is what he says—for now, at least.
SAVAGE: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Rosewood High Book 3) Page 4