Do What I Want: A High School Bully Romance (Dirty Little Secret Book 2)

by Kai Juniper

  Rather than eat alone, I skip lunch and go to the library. Calvin is there, sitting at one of the study tables. He smiles at me as I walk in.

  "Hey," I say, sitting at the table next to his.

  "Something wrong?" he asks, noticing my mood.

  "Yeah, but there's nothing I can do about it." I open my backpack and take out my laptop.

  He turns toward me. "You want to talk about it?"

  "Not really." I fire up my computer. "Why are you in here and not the computer lab?"

  "They're using the lab for training today."

  "So where's the rest of your gang?"

  "Gang." He laughs. "We've never been called that, but I kind of like it. Makes us sound badass. I don't really know where they went. I think they went home for lunch, or maybe they're having lunch outside."

  "You guys never eat in the cafeteria, do you?"

  "No. It's like a landmine in there. You never know if you're going to have food thrown at you or be punched in the face or be called some stupid name."

  "That sucks. Sorry they treat you like that."

  "They do the same to you."

  "I guess, but I've learned not to let it bother me."

  "I don't know how it can't." He turns back to his laptop and I notice a bruise on the side of his neck.

  "Did someone do that to you?" I ask.

  "Do what?"

  "Your neck," I say, pointing to the bruise.

  "No." He puts his hand over it. "That was just a really bad attempt at playing baseball."

  "I didn't know you played baseball."

  "I don't. I was playing catch with my dad. He threw the baseball when I wasn't looking."

  "It looks painful."

  "It's not bad." He keeps his hand over the bruise as he looks back at his computer. "So what happened with your friend? Still getting texts from that number?"

  "Now it's a new number. And yes, he's still getting them."

  "Maybe he should go to the cops. Is the guy making threats?"

  "Kind of."

  "Then he should definitely go to the cops. This could be more serious than a prank. And if the guy's targeting your friend, he could be targeting other people too."

  "He can't go to the cops."

  Calvin looks at me. "Why?"

  Shit. I shouldn't have said that.

  "It's not that he can't. He just doesn't want to. He's hoping the guy will just stop texting."

  "Did he try blocking him?"

  "Yeah, and that's when the guy started using a new number."

  Calvin shrugs. "It's up to him, but if it were me, I wouldn't mess around. I'd go to the cops and report it. It could be harmless, but it could also be a scam, and if the guy's making threats or making demands, it could become dangerous fast."

  "Dangerous? What do you mean?"

  "It could be the tech mafia. That's what I call them. People who hide behind their computers and make threats to get people to give in to their demands. Usually they demand money, digital currency funneled into their account."

  "How is that dangerous?"

  "If you don't do what they say, they take it farther, hacking into your bank accounts, stealing your identify. Once they have your information, anything's possible. One guy had his house burned down when he didn't do what they said."

  I shake my head. "I don't think that'll happen. He's not demanding money."

  "Then what does he want?"

  "Just forget it. I'll tell my friend your idea about going to the cops. Maybe he'll consider it." I point to my laptop. "I need to finish this assignment before class."

  He nods, and goes back to whatever he was working on. I lied about having to finish the assignment. I just didn't want him asking me more questions.

  At the end of the day, I go out to the parking lot and see Charlotte heading to her car.

  I race up beside her. "Can we go somewhere and talk? We can go to your favorite coffee place. You can get whatever you want. It's on me."

  "Go away, Ella," she says, looking straight ahead as she goes through the parking lot. "I'm not talking to you."

  "Ever?"

  She doesn't answer.

  "Charlotte, we can't do this. We can't let a guy ruin our friendship. What can I do to get us to be friends again?"

  She stops abruptly and turns to me. "End it."

  "What?"

  She glances at the people going by and lowers her voice to a whisper. "End it with Briggs."

  "There's nothing to end," I whisper back. "It's not like you think. We're just—" I stop as Scarlett comes toward us.

  "Move it, Trailer Girl," she says.

  "Walk around. It's not that hard."

  "It is when your ass is so big."

  "Scarlett, wait up!" Aubrey yells, coming up behind her. "Why are you standing next to the trash?"

  "I'm trying to get to my car, but I can't get around Ella's fat ass."

  "At least I have an ass," I shoot back.

  "Go this way," Aubrey says, walking to the next row. "It'll be faster than going around her."

  "What the hell?" I say, looking back at Charlotte. "I don't have a fat ass, do I?"

  "I'm leaving." She looks behind me. "Your boyfriend's heading this way."

  I turn and see Briggs coming toward me. He walks right past me, not even acknowledging me.

  "Yeah, he really seems like he's changed," Charlotte says sarcastically. "Does he insult you before or after you have sex?"

  "Keep your voice down," I whisper.

  "Whatever." She rolls her eyes and continues to her car.

  She needs more time to get over her anger. Usually when we fight, we're back to being friends by the next day, but I think this time it'll take longer. I'll give her all the time she needs. I just hope she doesn't end our friendship.

  When I get home, my dad's in the kitchen, going through the mail.

  "What are you doing home?" I ask. "I thought I was meeting you at the Henderson's."

  "We can go there together. I came home to check the mail." He hands me an envelope.

  "What's this?" I look at the envelope and see it's from Yale. I open it up and yank out the sheet of paper. "Another rejection letter."

  "I'm sorry, honey."

  I shrug. "I didn't expect to get in. I think it's time to apply to some other schools. I hope it's not too late."

  "You still haven't heard from Stanford."

  "No, but with two rejections I'm not feeling confident about Stanford. I'll go online tonight and start applying to my safety schools."

  "There's nothing wrong with going to a state college."

  "I know. I just wanted to aim higher than that."

  He comes around the counter and gives me a hug. "I love you no matter what school you go to."

  "I know." I smile, relieved he's not still angry at me for lying about being with Briggs last weekend. I wish he'd accept me being with Briggs. He's always saying we shouldn't judge people, but then he judges Briggs without even getting to know him.

  "You want something to eat before we leave?" he asks, opening the fridge.

  "Just give me a soda."

  He hands me one, then closes the fridge, staring at the floor.

  "What's wrong?" I ask.

  He looks up at me. "We have to be out by May." He picks up a piece of paper from the counter. "We got another letter. They want us out by May first, but I'm going to try to extend it until June so we can get through your graduation and have time to pack."

  "May? Are you kidding me?" I grab the letter from him. "They're not even giving us time to fight this!"

  "Honey, calm down. It's all going to work out. I talked to a lawyer today and he says there's a good chance we'll get an extension until at least June."

  "But you're still being forced to sell the house! Why aren't you getting more upset about this?"

  "Because I knew it was coming. Ella, look around. This neighborhood is lined with homes worth ten, twenty, thirty million dollars. You can't have a house like ours
next to those. People won't stand for it, and the city agrees with them. We'll find somewhere else to live. I'm just glad you were able to finish up high school at Devonshore."

  "With the people who are forcing us out of our house?" I toss the letter on the counter. "Yeah, it's been great. I've loved going there."

  He sighs. "Go change. We need to leave soon. I'm going to call Susan before we go."

  I wish I could call Briggs, but he's at rugby practice and won't be home until after five. They have their first game on Friday and the coach is extending practice to get ready for it.

  My dad and I work until six, then he cleans up and goes out with Susan. He didn't say when he'd be home, but it'll take at least an hour for them to have dinner, which is plenty of time to see Briggs.

  I text him. Can I come over?

  Just got home, but yeah.

  I grab my keys and go out to my truck, getting to Briggs' house minutes later. Just seeing his house makes me angry because it's the reason I soon won't have one. Why does anyone need a house this big? It's just Briggs and his dad, but they live in a house with six bedrooms and countless other rooms that have no purpose and don't get used.

  "Hey." Briggs answers the door in gym shorts and no shirt, his hair wet, giving me that sexy Briggs smile, and looking at me with those gorgeous blue eyes. Damn, he's hot.

  "Can I come in?" I ask, noticing he's not moving from the door.

  "Yeah." He steps aside, and the moment I'm in the foyer, he shuts the door, grabs me, and kisses me.

  I guess he's missed me as I much as I missed him.

  I missed Briggs Chadwick. There's something seriously wrong with that, and yet it's true. I missed him.

  "Been wanting to do that all day." He lets me go and walks off.

  "Wait! That's it? Where are you going?"

  "The kitchen. I'm starving. Coach made us run five miles after practice."

  I follow him to the kitchen. "We have to be out in May."

  "Of your house?" he says, opening the fridge.

  "Yeah. My dad's going to try to extend it to June, but either way, we have to go."

  "That really sucks."

  "Yeah, I know, but my dad doesn't seem that upset about it. I guess he's just accepted it."

  Briggs takes a container of Chinese food from the fridge and sets it on the counter. "You want any?"

  "No, I'm good."

  He grabs a fork from the drawer and eats from the container. He's not reacting to my news the way I wanted him to. I know it doesn't directly affect him, but it affects me and that should make him care.

  "So what do you think?" I ask.

  "About what?"

  "My house."

  "I'm sorry you have to move, but you were going to move anyway for school, right?"

  "Yeah, but I'm losing the house I grew up in. I'll never be able to go back there."

  "It's just a house. I can't go back to the one I grew up in. Well, I could, but other people live there."

  I sigh. "I guess I'll just go."

  "Why? You just got here."

  "I wanted someone else to share my frustration, but you don't seem to care."

  He puts his food down and comes over to me, his arms going around my waist. "I care, but there's nothing we can do, and we have a lot of other stuff to worry about."

  "Speaking of that, I talked to Calvin today and he thinks whoever's texting you could be dangerous."

  "He's not dangerous. He's just an asshole who gets off on playing stupid games to feel powerful. You shouldn't be talking to Calvin about this, or anyone else."

  "I didn't tell him anything specific, and I didn't bring it up. He asked."

  "Stay away from that guy. I don't trust him. I don't trust any of those computer geeks."

  "And they don't trust you. Maybe if you got to know them, you wouldn't hate each other so much." I smile. "It seemed to work for us."

  He smiles back, then kisses me, softly at first, then more forcefully as he lifts me up on the counter. "I've been thinking about this all fucking day."

  He goes to lift up my shirt, but I stop him. "Let's go to your room. We can't do this here."

  "Why not?"

  "What if your dad comes home?"

  "He's still at the office." He kisses me, slowly sliding up my shirt.

  "Briggs!"

  We both jump at the sound of his dad's voice coming from the hall.

  "Shit," Briggs mutters.

  "Told you!" I say, hopping off the counter and fixing my shirt.

  "He said he was working late."

  "He obviously changed his mind."

  "Briggs, are you home?" His dad comes in the kitchen, stopping when he sees us. "Ms. Quinn. What are you doing here?"

  "We're doing our assignment," Briggs says.

  His dad looks down at Briggs' gym shorts, which do nothing to hide his erection. If anything, they accentuate it.

  "Your assignment," his father repeats, a smirk on his face. "Without a shirt?"

  Briggs shrugs. "I was hot."

  His father sighs. "I have guests who will be here shortly. I need you to get dressed and ask Ms. Quinn to leave."

  "She doesn't need to leave. We'll just go to my room."

  "Briggs, this is not a request." He sets his eyes on Briggs. "Get dressed, and tell your friend she has to go. We are having guests over and they will be here shortly."

  "What guests? Who's coming over?"

  "Mr. Lagoria and his wife."

  Lagoria. Why does that name sound so familiar? Is he one of my dad's customers? I don't think he is, but I know I've heard that name.

  "The guy who was here before?" Briggs says.

  "Yes. Now hurry up and get dressed." His dad looks at me. "I'm sorry, Ms. Quinn, but you'll need to leave."

  "Is Mr. Lagoria one of your clients?" I ask.

  "Not currently, but I'm hoping he will be. Why do you ask?"

  "That name sounds really familiar." As I say it, I see it in my head. It was on that piece of paper from the city. The notice was signed by Mr. Lagoria. Could it be the same one?

  "Does he work for the city?"

  "Ella, let's go," Briggs says. "I'll walk you out."

  I go up to his dad. "Does he work for the city or not?"

  "Yes, I believe he does."

  "You believe or you know?" I ask, an uneasiness coming over me. It can't be a coincidence. It's not that common of a name.

  "Ms. Quinn, I don't have time for this. You need to leave."

  I stare at him. "It was you."

  "Ella, what are you talking about?" Briggs asks, coming up beside me.

  "He's the one who did it," I say, my eyes still on Briggs' dad. "He paid off this Lagoria guy to get him to take our house."

  "What?" Briggs says.

  "Tell him," I say to his dad. "Tell him I'm right. Tell him it was you. I know you did it."

  "Ella, dear," he says with a smirk, "my son is well aware of what was done to protect the value and integrity of our neighborhood. In fact, he was the one who encouraged me to bring this up to the city again."

  I look at Briggs to explain, tears threatening to fall. Is this why Briggs didn't seem to care when I told him the news?

  "Ella, he's lying," Briggs rushes to say. "I have no idea what he's talking about."

  "Why would you do this?" I look in his eyes. "You know how much that house means to my dad, and to me."

  "I'll let you two talk things out," Briggs' dad says, walking away.

  "Tell her it's a lie!" Briggs screams at his dad. "Tell her it's a fucking lie!"

  But his dad's already gone, leaving us alone in the kitchen.

  "I should've known you'd do something like this." I wipe my eyes. "I never should've trusted you."

  "Ella, no!" He grabs me as I start to leave. "You have to believe me. I swear I didn't do this."

  "You really think I'm stupid enough to believe that? Ever since you found out I live in that house, you've called me Trailer Girl. You got the whole damn sch
ool to call me that. You hate that house. You hate having to look at it as you drive by. And now you're getting what you wanted. You're finally getting rid of it." I shove his chest. "How could you do this to me? How could you be that cruel?"

  "I didn't do it!"

  I storm out of the kitchen, down the long hallway to the front door. When I swing it open, a man is standing there, his hand up like he was about to ring the bell. A woman is standing next to him, smiling.

  "Hello," she says to me. "I didn't realize Mr. Chadwick had a daughter."

  "I'm not his daughter," I snap. "I'm the girl who lives in the house down the street." I glare at the man. "The house you're forcing my dad to sell because he's not rich enough to defend himself. That house is the only memory he has left of my mom, and of his parents, and you're tearing it down! And for what? Just because some rich guy told you to?"

  The wife looks at her husband. "What is she talking about?"

  "Nothing dear. Let's go inside."

  Briggs comes up beside me and talks to Mr. Lagoria. "Tell her I didn't do it."

  "I don't know what's going on here, but I've had enough." Mr. Lagoria turns to his wife. "Let's go."

  "Tell her I didn't do it!" Briggs yells, following after the guy. "Tell her it was my father!"

  "Briggs, get back here!" his dad yells, coming outside. "Mr. Lagoria, I'm so very sorry for my son's outburst." He catches up to the man. "He's been very upset about the divorce and unable to handle his emotions. Please accept my apologies and come inside for a drink."

  Mr. Lagoria looks at his wife.

  "We're already here," she says.

  Mr. Lagoria nods, then he and his wife follow Briggs' dad back in the house as I race to my truck.

  "Ella, you have to believe me," Briggs says, keeping pace with me.

  "No, actually I don't, and I never should have." I get in my truck and speed down the long paved driveway. I'm forced to stop and wait for the gate to open, and as I'm waiting, I look back and see Briggs going back in the house.

  I'm too angry to go home, so I take a drive, passing by Charlotte's house and wishing I could talk to her, but knowing she wouldn't even answer the door for me.

  Why is everything falling apart? The hit-and-run was bad enough, but now I find out the guy I was falling for—the guy I gave my virginity to—was working behind my back to take my house? And not only am I losing my house, but I lost my best friend because of that asshole! I can't even get her to talk to me.