Boys That Read: A High School Romance

by Rosewood, Betti

  “Chill it with the threats,” the bouncer hissed. “I’m just trying to do my job here.”

  “Well, then you should know a girl in there is seventeen,” I hissed. “And if I - or her parents - find out something’s happened to her in your precious bar, they won’t just shut this whole joint down and blame it on you, but get you deported, too.” He paled. “Oh, struck a chord, did I? I’m assuming your visa is expired.”

  “Fuck off,” the guy groaned. “Fine. Go in. But don’t make any fucking trouble, kid. And try to fucking blend in at least.”

  “Sure.” I pushed past him inside the bar.

  Loud, pounding music enveloped my in an instant. The floor of the bar was sticky with spilled drinks, with people making out in every corner. I scanned the place for Estella, but couldn’t see her anywhere. Taking a walk around, I turned around several girls who reminded me of her, but none of them were my Stells. Worry twisted my stomach as I kept walking along.

  “Hey, handsome,” a drunk blonde purred as I neared the bar. “Want a drink?”

  “No thanks,” I muttered in response. “But hey. Have you seen this girl?” I scrolled through my phone until I found a photo of Estella.

  “Ummm… What’s it to you?” the blonde giggled. “Just leave her and have some fun with me.”

  I groaned inwardly. “I’ll pay for a round for you and your friends if you tell me where she went.”

  Her eyes brightened and she pointed to the back of the club. “She went back there with Harlan.”

  “Harlan? Who the fuck is Harlan?” I pulled out another hundred and slammed it on the bar.

  “Only the owner of this place,” the blonde purred. “He’s like, a huge deal around here?”

  “Enjoy your drinks,” I muttered, feeling her eyes on my back as I made my way to where she’d pointed.

  There was gold carpet leading up the stairs into a sectioned off area. I felt sick thinking of what the fuck Estella was doing back there. A possessive need to throw her over my shoulder and carry her the hell out of there overtook me as I stopped in front of two bodyguards with stony expressions. Behind them, a glittering curtain separated the club from the private space. Right away, the guards blocked my path, but they weren’t fast enough.

  A different song was playing inside the space, a slow, sexy dance number. There was a loveseat in there, and a man sat on it, legs spread wide and a drink resting on his knee. In front of him, a girl twirled and danced sensually to the sound of the music, pulling up her dress more and more as she moved in front of the stranger. And she wasn’t just any drop-dead-gorgeous stunner. She was my drop-dead-gorgeous stunner.

  “Estella!” I called out just as the two bouncers descended on me. “Stells, over here!”

  She turned to face me, and worry settled in the pit of my stomach even more firmly when I saw her glazed-over eyes. She was either high or drunk on something.

  “Stells, get the fuck out here,” I yelled as the two men tried to force me to get away. “I’m taking you home, Princess, come the fuck on.”

  I struggled with the two burly men and a moment later, she appeared in the doorway, followed by the sleazeball who’d been watching her dance.

  “Stells,” I begged. “Come on, we need to leave.”

  She looked heartbreakingly beautiful that night, and my stomach twisted even more when the dude put a proprietary hand around her waist.

  “Why are you disturbing my private party, kid?” the man ground out at me. “The girl’s here of her own volition. What are you, a jealous boyfriend?”

  “Milo!” Estella giggled, running up to me, ignoring the bouncers completely and throwing herself at me. “I missed you. I miss everything. I miss bouncy castles.”

  I groaned but held her up. “Let’s get you the hell out of here.”

  “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” The light-haired man - Harlan, I assumed - appeared in front of me, glaring. “She’s with me.”

  “Look at her,” I hissed. “She’s fucking bombed. Did you get her drunk?”

  “She’s only had one drink,” the man laughed dismissively. “Not my problem she’s a fucking lightweight. Now leave.”

  “You don’t tell me what to do,” I said. “If I’m leaving, she’s coming with me.”

  The man wrapped a hand around my forearm, and I glanced down at his thick fingers. Predictably, there was a wedding band on one of them, making me shake my head and laugh out loud.

  “You’re interrupting a private event,” Harlan growled. “Get. Fucking. Lost.”

  “And you’re assaulting a seventeen-year-old girl,” I spat back him. “Do you want me to call the cops? Tell them the owner of bar Heartbreak is a kiddie molester?”

  He paled. “She’s not seventeen. She said she was eighteen.”

  “Yeah, cause she’s in such a great state to tell the truth,” I spat out at him. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

  “Watch how you’re talking to me.”

  “You should take your own advice.” I tore my arm out of his reach and he flinched as I neared him, motioning for his guards to cut me off. “Do this again and I’m calling the cops on you, you fucking pervert.”

  “Get out,” he growled. “Now.”

  “Gladly.” I wrapped an arm around Estella’s waist. “Say goodbye, Stells.”

  “Goodbye Mister Fucking Pervert!” Stells giggled drunkenly.

  They stared at us, their eyes shooting daggers as we made our way out of the bar. Nobody bothered us on the way out, and moments later, we were standing outside in the fresh air.

  “I’ve got you, Stells,” I muttered in her ear as I half-carried her to my car. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you.” She leaned her head on my shoulder, groaning as I made her keep walking. “You need to tell me what you did, Stells. Did you take something.”

  “No,” she let out. “Just Rum and Coke…”

  “Any pills?” I questioned. “Did you smoke anything?”

  She shook her head, grimacing when we reached my car and I let go to unlock it. “Pretty pretty pills.”

  “What pills?” She stared at me blankly. “Stells. What pills?”

  “Romi said there was one,” she mumbled. “In the drink…”

  “The drink he gave you?” I questioned, and she nodded. Fury bubbled in the pit of my stomach like an angry monster ready to strike. If she hadn’t been depending on me then, I would’ve left and turned that guy’s Harlan’s face into a pulp. “Did you drink it?”

  “All of it,” she whispered.

  “We need to get you to a hospital.”

  “No!” She grabbed onto me, staring at me with tear-filled eyes. “No, Milo, please… papa will… find out.” She looked green, and I groaned as she leaned over and threw up all over the pavement.

  “Good girl, Stells,” I told her. “Get it all out, you need to get it out.”

  I knew we had two options - either I took her to the hospital, or I made her throw up until whatever that piece of shit had put in her drink had left her system. And I had a feeling Estella wouldn’t let me do the former. I didn’t want to get her in trouble with her dad, not before we’d made sure her family was safe. But I couldn’t just leave her alone, either.

  “Come on,” I muttered, opening the backdoor. “Let’s get you home.”

  I helped her into the car, and she laid down on the backseat, groaning as she rubbed her eyes. Her face was streaked with mascara now, her lipstick smeared. I covered her with the picnic blanket I kept in my trunk and got in the driver’s seat- I took a deep breath, willing myself to calm the fuck down. I was of no help to her if I was panicking. I needed to get my shit together and help her.

  “Stells, I’m taking you to my place,” I told her. She muttered something I didn’t catch from the backseat, and then started snoring the next second. I kept driving, mentally doing some math to see when we’d be back. It was at least a fifteen-minute drive to our place.

  Putting my phone on speaker, I calle
d Natan. I didn’t want to, but I didn’t know what else to do. Besides, he was still her boyfriend, even though I’d been the one to save her the last few times.

  He picked up, sounding groggy. “Bro. You good?” He didn’t even have time to make a joke. He seemed to realize this was serious.

  “I’m driving home,” I told him. “Get the guest bedroom ready. Wake up Dads.”

  “What the fuck is going on?” Natan questioned, and I could tell he was getting up from the rustling of his sheets. “Something happen at Miss James’ place?”

  “Estella’s with me,” I told him, and a silence followed. “Long story, but she’s… she’s been roofied or some shit, I’m not sure.”

  “Fuck,” Natan mumbled. “Why don’t you take her to the hospital?”

  “Her dad,” I reminded him.

  “He’s not that bad, is he?” I could picture my brother pacing the room now. “This isn’t her fault.”

  “Trust me, Nate, he’d turn it into her fault,” I muttered. “We’ll be there in ten. Get everything ready.”

  “Of course.” I cut the call, checking on Estella in the rearview mirror. She was either passed out or asleep, though the sound of her soft snoring convinced me it was the latter, so at least I didn’t have to worry too much just yet.

  The events of the night played out in my head, finishing just as we pulled out into the driveway of my home. Dads and Nate were already outside, with my parents in their monogrammed robes and my brother in nothing but PJ shorts.

  “Is she okay?” Nate questioned me as I stopped the car. He glanced at the backseat. “Holy fuck. How the hell did this happen?”

  “Help me.” I motioned for him to get her out, and between the two of us, we picked Estella up. She groaned.

  “Milo, she needs to go to the hospital,” Dad told me. “She might need her stomach pumped and-”

  “She threw up,” I said. “Three times. She’s just groggy, I think - I hope. We need to watch her all night.”

  They all nodded. Nobody mentioned sending her back home. A silent agreement passed between us. Stells wasn’t going back home, that was for fucking sure.

  We got her into the guest bedroom, and I helped Nate lay her on the bed. She opened her eyes briefly as we got her down, looking right at me.

  “I knew you’d save me, Milo,” she whispered. “You always do.”

  I blushed, glancing at my brother and hoping he hadn’t heard.

  But his hurt face told me everything I needed to know.

  13

  Date: September 15th, 2019, 10 a.m.

  Location: Milo's place

  Estella

  "Stells? Stells, are you okay?"

  My eyes fluttered open and I groaned as I felt the pounding in my head. Fuck. What's happened? Where am I? I sat up in the bed I was in, rubbing my eyes, still laden with mascara. This never happened - I always took special care to remove my makeup before bed.

  "Where... where am I?"

  A figure clouded my vision, sitting on the bed. As my eyes adjusted to the light in the room, the person came into view. For a moment, relief flooded me, thinking it was Milo. But soon enough the similarities faded, and I realized Natan was sitting next to me.

  "Nate," I croaked. "I..."

  "It's okay," he said, taking my hand in his. "You're okay now."

  "What happened?" I asked, even though I was starting to get an inkling of the terrible things I'd done the night before. Fuck. "Does my... does my dad know?"

  "No, you're at my place," Natan patted my hand. "It's fine."

  "Fuck, I should get home," I muttered.

  "Wait, babe."

  "What?" I looked up at him, furrowing my brows. "Nate, I know I fucked up last night... You have no idea how sorry I am. I think I just-"

  "Stells, it's fine," he interrupted me, raising his hand and stopping me in my tracks. "You really don't owe me an explanation."

  "But I do," I whispered. "You helped and you're my boyfriend." Even though I don’t treat you like that.

  He smiled, retrieving his arm. Goosebumps went down my spine, the premonition of something bad happening warning me to stay quiet.

  "Stells," he started, sighing. "I'm not your boyfriend anymore."

  "What do you mean?" My heart was pounding, panic setting in. "Why wouldn't you be?"

  "Because it's over." He shrugged. "Come on, Stells, we can't keep pretending any longer."

  "Pretending?" The word came out in a broken whisper, but my heart was still pounding away, terrified of what he was about to say. "We weren't pretending."

  "That's a lie, babe." He got up, walked over to the window and turned the blinds so light poured into the bedroom. I squinted against the sunshine. "Look, there's no use in lying to each other anymore. We both knew this wasn't going to last." I stayed quiet as he came to stand next to me, kneeling next to the bed. "We both knew it was Milo all along, not me, didn't we?"

  I stayed quiet, my bottom lip trembling. I didn't know what to tell him. I didn't want him to get upset, but we both knew his statement was true. "I'm so sorry, Natan."

  "Don't be." He grinned at me, the old Nate I used to know. "Look, this thing had an expiration date. It's better we cut things off now, before anyone gets hurt. And you want my advice, Estella?"

  I gave a half-shrug, laughing uneasily. "I'm not sure it's really the moment to-"

  "He likes you, Stells."

  "W-who?"

  "Don't play games," he said. "He isn't into that, and it's all you've been doing for years. Milo deserves the truth. And if you hurt him... trust me, I'm going to have his back, not yours." I nodded numbly, too shocked to say anything else. "Look, you're welcome to stay until you feel a bit better. Dads are at work but Milo's in the living room watching something."

  "Thanks," I muttered, my mind blanking on anything else to say.

  "You should go see him," he suggested.

  "Where are you going?"

  "I have a date." He gave me a defiant stare. A pang of jealousy hit me, but it was gone in the next moment, like a sad little reminder of what we used to have.

  "With who?"

  "Harlem."

  "Harlem?"

  "You don't get to judge, Homecoming Queen." He grinned at me wickedly. "I'll see you at school. Don't worry about the rumors. I'll say it was amicable, the break-up."

  "Thank you," I managed again, just as he waved me off and disappeared down the hallway. I picked myself up, groaning. I was still wearing the dress from last night, now all dirty and wrinkled. I'd been in Milo and Natan's house often enough to recognize their guest bedroom, and the bathroom that was next door. I forced myself to get up and walk into the bathroom where I stripped my clothes off and stepped under the cold shower. The water jolted me awake, and I felt better in a few moments, though everything that had happened the previous night was still a blur.

  After my long shower, I got out, realizing I had nothing to wear. I found a pile of laundry in the corner of the room - the bathroom was also a laundry room - and pulled out a T-shirt. I didn't know it was Milo's until I saw the logo for Wildwood's chess club. I only hesitated for a moment before pulling it over my head. It went almost down to my knees.

  I was getting nervous, knowing I'd have to make my way downstairs soon. Milo and I were alone in the house, and I had some serious apologizing to do. It was as if the previous night had flipped a switch inside my head. I'd finally hit rock bottom, but now, I was determined not to leave things as fucked up as they were already.

  Slowly, I walked down the staircase, lingering when I saw Milo downstairs watching some animal documentary on the huge TV screen. He was wearing boxers and a vest top, his glasses pushed on top of his nose, and he looked... He looked like everything that was missing from my life.

  "I can feel you staring at me from the stairs, you creep," he called out without moving his head, and I laughed, taking the last few steps until I was next to him, plopping down on the couch.

  "What are we watching?"
I asked, reaching into his lap into the bowl of popcorn.

  "Tiger documentary," he said, motioning to the screen before giving me a once-over. "Feeling any better?"

  "Yeah." I fiddled with a piece of popcorn before popping it into my mouth. "Milo. I'm so, so sorry about last night." He nodded, not saying a word. "I shouldn't have called you. I shouldn't have done what I did."

  "That guy you were with," Milo went on. "You know him?"

  "No, I just met him last night. Romilly works for him, kind of."

  "He's a bad dude," Milo muttered. "He was going to take advantage of you."

  "I know." I worried my bottom lip between my teeth. "I... I knew he'd put something in my drink."

  "You did?" He glanced at me, obviously confused. His eyes were about to snap away when he noticed my outfit, and he drank me in, smirking to himself.

  "Yeah. I drank it anyway."

  "Why the fuck would you do that, Stells?"

  "Because..." I twisted the hem of his T-shirt between my fingertips. "Because I wanted someone to save me. And I wanted that someone to be you."

  "You don't need saving, Stells," Milo shook his head, eyes glued to the TV. "You just need to stop crying out for help and do something about this shit yourself."

  I stayed stubbornly quiet, fixing my gaze on the TV and watching a tiger devour a gazelle on TV. "This is gross. Can we watch something else?"

  "Fine." He reached for the remote, turning off the TV before he turned to face me. "I don't want to watch TV, anyway."

  "What do you want to do?" His eyes darkened as they took in my bare legs, and I became painfully aware of the fact that I wasn't wearing any panties underneath his shirt. "Natan dumped me."

  "He said he was going to," Milo said without missing a beat. "I think you deserve it."

  "I think so too." I laughed nervously. "I kinda had it coming anyway."

  "How are you holding up?” I shrugged, carefully raising my eyes to his yet again. His gaze was darkened, intense. I wanted nothing more than to crawl closer and sit in his lap, but I forced myself to push those thoughts away. "Stells. Do you need me to take you home?"