by J Bree
Chapter Twenty-One
Blaise
The closer we get to finals, the worse things get.
I spend half my time freaking the fuck out about trying to pass all of my classes and the other half is spent stalking Ash to make sure he really has gotten his suicidal tendencies out of his system. Waking up to find him gone wasn’t such a big deal, but I'm so fucking glad that Harley was the first one out of the door, as usual, and made the call to go looking for his cousin.
Joey was going to kill him, and Ash was going to let him.
It makes me fucking cringe about all of the times I’ve put my friends through this bullshit, how many times I’ve let myself get in over my head and let the darkness in my head push me to do something fucking stupid.
I don’t know how any of them forgive me for it because I feel fucking strung out following Ash around all day.
He fucking hates it too.
“Your obsession with me is getting out of hand. Don’t you have secret study sessions to get to or something?”
I wince at the sneer in his tone and shrug with a smirk as we walk toward the dining hall for lunch. “There’s spoons in there that can definitely count as a weapon, so I’ll be babysitting your morbid ass until we’re sure you can be trusted.”
Avery and Harley are already in there waiting, Lips nowhere to be seen. I notice Ash trying to look discreet about checking for her, but he’s about as subtle as I am these days.
We’re all fucking pathetic.
I grab a couple of pizza slices, and Ash ignores all of the food in favor of an iced coffee because apparently caffeine is a three-course meal for him these days. Avery eyes him with suspicion but doesn’t say a word as she slides her salmon over to him.
He sighs and then eats it, knowing better than to argue with her today.
“Why the fuck isn’t she coming down to eat with us?” Harley snaps, and Avery rolls her eyes so fucking loudly I’m surprised Lips doesn’t hear it from wherever she’s holed up.
“She’s freaking about exams and gone full Mounty scholarship girl psycho about it. I think she’s sleeping less than even you do at the moment and there’s textbooks everywhere in our room. I had to move one off of our toilet seat at three in the morning to pee last night.”
He frowns at her and stabs at his lunch dramatically. “Shouldn’t you be forcing her to eat and sleep a bit more like you do with us? Why does she get a pass?”
If looks could kill Harley would hit the fucking floor. “Do I need to remind you that Lips is my best friend and not yours? She’s not a child; I don’t need to babysit her.”
The words ‘like I do with the rest of you’ hang in the air, clear as a freaking bell for us to hear. Ash still doesn’t say a word, only now it’s really starting to look suspicious.
Harley thinks so too. “What the fuck have you done now? This is your doing, right?”
Jesus, the table is about to be fucking flipped and Ash is going to choke him the fuck out.
Except he doesn’t.
He just ignores us all, which is the biggest fucking red flag I’ve ever seen in my fucking life, but Harley is too set on Lips’ ass to follow up on it, instead harassing Avery about her until I’m sure she’s about to stab him in the throat. So I sit in silence with Ash and just eat my lunch, trying and failing to not wonder what exactly it is that Ash did to her.
I do everything I can to forget about the whole thing and I come pretty fucking close until the rumors start during the last class of the day. I’m in math with the rest of the underachievers, trying to take half decent notes for Lips to deconstruct for me later when some idiots behind me start their gossiping.
“I can’t believe the Mounty finally put out and the bet is done. Fuck, two million dollars that my parents didn’t know about… it might’ve been worth dealing with Arbour and the beating he’d have given me.”
My neck nearly fucking snaps as I try to figure out who the fuck is talking about Lips because I’m going to kill them for daring. I never really notice any of the sheep around me, but I need to know who the fuck is dying.
Then their words actually filter into my goddamn brain.
Someone has won the bet.
Fuck.
Fuck, was it Ash? Is this why she’s avoiding us all now? Harley is going to fucking murder him. There’s no coming back from this shit; Avery has no chance of keeping us all together now.
“The Mounty shouldn’t even be eligible to win; all that fucking money and it goes to some slum kid? It’s fucking bullshit.”
I turn around completely, ready to rip Sebastien’s fucking head off. “What the fuck kind of shit are you dribbling right now, dickhead?"
He blinks at me like he forgot I was even here in the same class before fumbling over his words. "The bet... the scholarship freshman kid won the bet last night; he's getting the money. I wasn't... I wasn't saying shit about any of your friends, just talking about the money, man."
There's no fucking way.
"Spreading fucking rumors is talking shit, dickhead."
He gulps. "I'm not! He handed in proof; ask anyone!"
I get up and walk the fuck out.
The teacher calls out to me but I don't give a fuck, my feet just fucking propel me away from that tiny-ass room before I do something stupid like break Sebastien's fucking face just for being the bearer of bad news. It's such a bad idea, but I text Harley and Ash.
Better they both hear it from me than some other asshole.
Lips fucked Lance and he's taken proof to Darcy for the winnings.
Classes let out before I make it back up to my room, the entire school population fucking buzzing over the news that Lips finally put out and I want to fucking punch something. I get it, I'm a hypocritical asshole, because this is definitely the longest I've gone without sex since I first got my dick wet, but this just feels... wrong.
She was better than sleeping around. Fuck, that still makes me sound like a fucking asshole but no matter what insults we all threw at her, she always was just better than us. She didn't fuck around or go out of her way to get back at us for anything. Hell, there's a fucking list of guys she could've made a deal with to split the bet, but not once did she lower herself to the bullshit games that are played in the halls of Hannaford.
Until now.
And with that fucking piece of shit.
Of all the guys in this place, she picked that loser. I'm halfway up the staircase when the text from Avery comes in. At first I think it's Ash ranting about her again or Harley starting a fight but nope, Avery is calling us all in for a family meeting.
Dinner in our room. Attendance is compulsory, this means you, Ash.
I’ve barely made it through the text when another comes through from Harley but in our group chat that the girls aren’t in.
Don’t say a fucking word about the bet, I’m dealing with it.
Jesus H. Christ.
I don’t know whether that means the Mounty fuck is dead or if he’s going to strap a chastity belt on Lips and tattoo his name on her fucking forehead, but I get the feeling my night is only going to get worse.
Fuck. How it can get worse than imagining her rolling around in the sheets with that fucking cunt, I’m not sure. Funny thing is that the thought of her fucking Harley isn’t half as bad as this, fuck, if only it were him who’d won the stupid bet. Don’t get me wrong, I’d still be jealous as all hell but I wouldn’t be feeling so… fucking sick.
The thought of anyone else touching her makes me want to throw up.
I'm the only one who shows up to the boxing session down at the gym.
It's frustrating to have to hit the bags by myself, but probably for the best because I doubt any of us can be civil to each other, or anyone, today. Fuck, Ash might even admit just how much he is fucked over the Mounty at this rate.
We all are.
When I've finally hit the bag so hard and for so long that my arms feel as though they've stopped working, I call it quits an
d hit the showers. Even the freezing water doesn’t help cool me down and, fuck, if my dick had any fucking interest outside of the Mounty, I'd be finding someone to burn some of this anger out on, but she's fucking ruined that option for me.
I grab the food Avery ordered in on the way up and walk slowly to the girls’ room, the whole time trying to convince myself that there's nothing to be so fucking pissed about. It's just sex, it's not like they're fucking married and running off together. Maybe she did need the money and now she's got a bank balance higher than any Mounty kid could dream of.
If anything, it just makes things worse.
When I get to the door, I'm right behind the girls, catching it before it closes and brushing past them both. Harley looks like a fucking serial killer waiting to happen and Ash is fucking glowing with asshole energy.
I don't want to be here.
“What’s Joey done now?” Avery snaps, and then when none of us answer her, she snarls, “Well?!”
“It’s not Joey. Harley’s got some emotions he would like to express but he has to work through them first,” says Ash, the condescension dripping from every word. I guess we should be glad Arbour is so fucking focused on Lips otherwise Avery would be losing some furniture in the fight between the cousins.
I start setting out all of the food to stay busy. Lips thanks me, but I can't open my mouth right now without saying something, so I just give her a curt nod. Avery glares at me, then Ash, before finally settling her ire on her Harley, who is still staring at Lips with a mix of fury and writhing jealousy.
We eat in complete silence.
It's awkward as fuck and I kind of want to die. My fingers itch for a blunt and the beer Avery is letting me drink barely touches the sides... it's not enough. Fuck, whiskey straight from the bottle wouldn't be enough right now.
Harley waits until every last one of us is done before he strikes. “I didn’t peg you for a liar.”
Ash laughs and throws a napkin at him. “Of course she’s a liar. If you chose to believe anything she’s said that’s your own fucking insanity.”
Jesus Christ.
I take a second to finish off my beer and then I grab Harley's unopened bottle. If I have to sit here through this then I'm going to have a buzz, goddammit.
Lips pulls herself up into a fighting pose if I ever did see one and, I'm not going to lie, I start to fucking sweat for Harley. “What is up your ass now, Arbour?”
He doesn't see it at all, too fucking butt-hurt about this entire situation. “You. You lied about being in danger, you lied about hating the other Mounty, and now you’ve gone and fucked him. I hope the money was worth it.”
The girls share a look across the table and then Ash catches my eye.
That look tells me more than it should, but I still don't know what the fuck is going on. Is Avery cool with her fucking the Mounty? Was she in on the planning? Jesus fucking Christ.
“Uh no, I didn’t. He threw himself at me and I said no,” Lips says, her voice still just a little too calm.
Harley snorts at her, pushes out of his chair, and stalks over to the fridge to grab another beer. Avery stands to start cleaning up our dishes, another red flag, and snaps, “What does it matter to you if she did fuck him?”
He shrugs casually but the sneer stays fixed to his face. “You said you didn’t want to fuck any guy at Hannaford but you made an exception for him.”
Ash is watching Avery with narrowed eyes. There's very fucking clearly something going on and if Harley wasn’t so pissed, he’d notice the cleaning, too.
“I didn’t fuck him. I kind of thought you’d believed me over the gossiping bitches but clearly I was wrong,” Lips says through clenched teeth.
Harley slams the beer bottle on the bench and moves to stand over her. Even though she's fucking tiny, she doesn't back down an inch, her shoulders rolling back and her jaw tight; it's fucking hot to watch but I can't enjoy it because of how fucking... jumpy she is.
“He handed in proof. He’s been declared the winner and he gets the sweep. All two million dollars of it.”
All of the color drains from her face.
All of the air gets sucked out of the room. All I can see on her face is pure panic and not the kind you get when you're caught in a lie, nope, this is the life-or-death kind.
Ash goes into high alert instantly, shifting to his feet with his fists clenched like he's going to punch his way out of whatever the fuck is going on.
I put the second beer down because, apparently, now isn't the time for a buzz.
“Right. This is bad.” Avery’s voice is thready and high-pitched, her own panic coming through. Harley looks like he's going to put his fucking foot even further in his fucking mouth, so I do the right fucking thing and throw myself under the bus for him.
I'm a fucking saint today.
“So some asshole Mounty guy ends up with the money, what does it matter? With the bet over with Lips won’t be followed around anymore. We should have a word with him about the money. He should really split it with you.”
Apparently, even that is the wrong thing to say.
“She didn’t fuck him! Get your heads out of your fucking asses and believe us both. We’re fucked because of that asshole’s lie!” Avery screeches at me and then Lips fucking collapses to the ground without a word.
I scramble to my feet to check she's breathing because, fuck, maybe someone poisoned her and I’m going to fucking lose her before I ever get the chance to… fuck, I don’t know what. Tell her I’m fucking obsessed with her? Or that curating the playlists for her is the best part of my day? Maybe I’ll tell her every song I’ve been working on since I first saw her has been about her?
If I was brutally honest, I’d tell her she’s the melody in my head now, the sweet notes that get me through each day, and that Ash, Harley, and Avery have been my family since grade school and yet she tempts me to fucking ruin everything with them just to keep her and that terrifies me.
She’s a fucking trembling mess on the floor but at least she’s alive.
“What are we missing here?” Ash asks, carefully, and she glances over at him with her wide eyes. There’s something between them, something has definitely gone on there, but then she squeezes her eyes shut and starts mumbling in gasping French.
Is this some sort of stroke?
“I’m telling them, Lips. We need their help to fix this, that little fuck Lance needs a beating and we all know I can’t throw a punch to save my life,” says Avery, and Lips nods with a jerk of her head. “Okay. If word gets back to Mounts Bay that Lips has fucked Lance her life is in danger. The Jackal will kill Lance, no question, and he deserves it so fuck him. But there’s a good chance he’ll also kidnap, torture, and rape Lips.”
Holy fuck.
Holy. Fuck.
“What?! Why?” snaps Ash as Harley starts cursing up a storm behind him, regret and fucking loathing rolling off of him.
“Because he’s a sadistic egomaniac who thinks he owns her. He threatened Joey away from her because he doesn’t like to share his toys. He’s waiting her out, playing a game that he thinks he’ll win, and if anyone messes with it he takes them out. If we don’t fix this he’s going to rape and kill her.”
Lips lifts one shaky hand up to her face and covers her eyes, her breath rattling in her chest, and we all just fucking stand there and watch as she composes herself. It’s a sight to see, watching her just piece herself back together on the ground until she’s whole again. We’ve underestimated her.
She’s stronger than any of us.
When her eyes finally open, she looks us all over, radiating calm like a fucking pro.
Harley gives her a nod and turns back to the rest of us. “We need to fix this and we need to do it now. Ideas?”
Well.
That’s kind of obvious, isn’t it? There’s only one real option that will clear her fully. “The bet says proof has to be either a photo or a video. We get our hands on it and prove it’s a fake.
No one wants Lance to get the money so it’ll be an easy sell if we can find something.”
Ash snorts derisively, his voice a twisted snarl. “How exactly would that be good proof if no one here has fucked the Mounty before? Who could vouch it’s her?”
“Besides the obvious that her face would have to be in it? The photos last year,” says Harley.
Fuck.
Those fucking nudes. They’d circulated around the school for months and dodging them was harder than it had any right to be. I wouldn’t ever willingly check out revenge porn, and it fucking kills me to think of how many guys have seen them.
Jerked off over them.
Great, now I want to kill everyone just as badly as Ash and Harley do.
“We need to get the photos and pray. Lance is taking photography and advanced digital design. I’m sure he’s got the fake photos damn near perfect,” Lips says, her voice strong and steady even as she rubs her face with shaking hands.
Lance is a dead man walking.
I turn for the door, stalking out as I say, “Give me twenty minutes. I know who’ll have them.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Harley
Lance the Mounty is fucking dead.
Beyond dead, I’m going to torture him in the most horrific fucking ways before I kill him, because he deserves nothing less than the worst fucking death possible.
Avery shoves Lips into the shower while we wait for Morrison to come back with the photos and the second the water cuts on, Ash turns on his sister with a snarl.
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell us about this? The fucking Jackal? Have you lost your fucking mind, Avery?”
She huffs at him and turns to walk away but he catches her arm and stops her, gently because he always treats her like glass, but firmly enough that she takes notice and rolls her eyes at him.
“At no point have I been in danger, Ash, so don’t get all overprotective—“
“I’m not angry about that, I’m angry that she’s been fucking stalked and terrorized by a literal crime lord of the Bay and you didn’t say a fucking word to us. What if he came here for her? What if he sent someone here for her and none of us knew? She’s been in danger this entire fucking time and we’ve been chasing our own asses thinking it was some school bullshit when it’s been the fucking Jackal this whole time. He’s one of Joey’s dealers for fuck’s sake!”
