“Bullshit,” I spat in disagreement. “You’re cut from the same cloth as everyone else at Crestwood. The minute you learned about the accident, you knew you could destroy me. You knew I blamed myself for my father’s death and you handed it to that bitch on a silver platter! It’s disgusting.”
“Believe me or don’t,” Kieran countered. “We’re the only ones looking out for you right now. Obviously, someone’s out to get you and it might not just be Hailey. She’s probably just the tip of the iceberg.”
“Why the hell should I trust you?” I demanded. My voice wavered with panic. I felt like I was trapped. “My dad was everything to me, Kieran. Everything. And I—I killed him...”
Tears spilled onto my cheeks and my heartfelt too heavy for my body. Kieran swept his hand across my cheek, collecting my tears. I fell into the ocean of his dark blue eyes, seeking refuge there.
“You should trust us because we don’t give a damn about your past,” Kieran murmured as he held me close. “We don’t blame you for what happened. It was a fucking accident for God's sake and if you’re really going to let someone like Hailey destroy you, then maybe you don’t belong at Crestwood. Maybe you don’t belong anywhere.”
“Everyone knows now,” I whispered. I dropped the empty glass on the carpet beside the bed and tossed my head back with a thud. “I have nothing.”
Kieran dropped his head toward mine, sweeping a tender kiss across my neck and my body reacted with a shiver, yearning for his touch. He lifted his knee, using it to shove one of my legs to the side. One of his hands flickered down my arm, crossing my belly to the base of my stomach, just an inch from the heat between my thighs.
Kieran had always been the one I was most frightened of, the one I was most drawn to. Ever since he’d had the kind of inner volatility and anger powerful enough to bust Michael’s skull in, I’d been fascinated with him, wanting both to keep him at a distance and devour him.
He pressed harder on my stomach, as though I was his puppet and he was the master, in complete control. I remained strewn across his bed; my legs spread out. With a flash of his other hand, he removed his belt and whacked it across the mattress beside me. I quaked with fear, knowing the kind of power and muscle he had and he could rip me in two.
Slowly, he slipped both hands under my dress, feeling at my thighs, the softness of my skin. His nails crept over the strings of my thong, drawing them down my legs, exposing me. Air swept up beneath my dress. Wet, aching, I instantly arched my back and bent my knees. It was like my body had a mind of its own.
“Tell me you want it,” his voice was only a husky whisper — one suited for seduction.
It felt too raw, too exposed to say something so demanding and nodded as my hooded eyes looked up at his. I shivered and arched my back higher, until he dropped down, forcing my dress up toward my hips. His tongue found the wet folds of my pussy, drawing a line up my slit. I knew I was soaked. When he drew back, his stubble was soft and supple with my wetness. I lifted myself back toward his mouth, tearing my fingers through his hair and a moment later, I felt myself cresting — it was almost like it had been at the gala, falling into unconsciousness. Yet when I came, I cried out, recognizing my own noises. I grabbed my breasts, feeling my hard taunt nipples.
He brought his head up after that, looking at me menacingly. He tore open the button of his pants, thrusting them to the ground. His boxers came next. His enormous cock tore up from the folds of the fabric, pre-come glistening at the tip.
In the doorway, two figures appeared and I glanced toward them, initially shocked, yet too exhausted to cry out. Caleb and Dante moved into the room, slipping the door closed behind them. It seemed they wouldn’t join, but they remained statues tucked away in the shadows of the room, their eyes hungry to watch.
For whatever reason, this made me even more ravenous.
Kieran tore at the top of my dress, lifting it over my shoulders and head. My fingers ripped at his shirt and worked the plains of his chest. The ink on the left side of his chest revealed a tribal tattoo. We were both naked, our skin glossy with sweat and desire and he swept over me, using his fingers to part my pussy lips, entering me. He filled me so completely and I arched my neck back, letting out a small gasp. As I did, my eyes connected with Caleb’s, a few feet from the bed. He didn’t move. He looked like he never wanted to do anything but stand there watching for the rest of his life.
No one had ever filled me the way Kieran did. I felt him deep inside me, his body shuddering against mine, as though with each thrust he was trying not to come. This gave me an incredible feeling of power that the softness of my body could affect him so much.
But this softness lasted only a moment. As was his way, Kieran wanted things hot, fast, and volatile. He thrust faster, forcing me to grind my hips in time with him. We created a rhythm of grunts and moans, bouncing tits and his hands gripping my ass. I no longer remembered where I was or that I was Ridgewood scum fucking a wicked Crestwood blueblood. I was stretched out on an expensive bedspread in a mansion at the top of the cliff. I was just a body, acting recklessly, knowing nothing but orgasms, life, death, screaming, and moaning.
Chapter Eighteen
But when it was over, there was a strange instant shift in the room. Caleb and Dante shuffled out into the hallway, muttering together. I strained to hear them, while Kieran stripped himself off me and he yanked a t-shirt out of his wardrobe and lifted it over his head, looking at me ruefully—a smirk playing at the corner of his handsome mouth.
“Get up, Ridgewood,” he said, his voice hollow. “There’s no way you’re staying here.”
“I—I know that,” I stammered, feeling suddenly smacked. I forced myself up, trying to hide my body from him and quickly buttoned my dress back up, watching as he kicked the door open wider and walked into the hallway, not bothering to wait for me.
My eyebrows ticked into a frown and I reached for my shoes and followed after them. As they’d carried me up from the car, I wasn’t entirely sure how to find my way back to the entrance. My ears hunted for any sign of them, but I came up empty. The house was huge and echoed at the slightest sound. It was one of those new-age designs with strange, hard angles, metal bars, and glass walls. I paused at the start of one of the winding staircases and I gazed out at the ocean beyond. The sun had set hours ago. An enormous cruise ship blinked back at me, looking so empty and enormous out there alone. Of course, it was surely filled with some thousand-plus people, all enjoying themselves to their heart’s content.
When I finally found the front door, I turned back, still hunting for the boys. On the back wall of the foyer hung a painting very similar to the one that I had found in the back, hidden room of Headmaster Blair’s office—a creepy painting of Kieran, Governor, and Mrs. Winters. The painting was rather recent, capturing the inauguration and the governor beamed out, his eyes glowing, while his teenage son glowered beside him. He peered out of the painting the same way he had looked at me after he had come across my stomach—like he fucking owned me and would do whatever he wanted to me.
I realized now I had been taken advantage of in my weakened state. Fuck, was I stupid!
I had never felt so low as I marched out of the front door and meandered down the long, skinny staircase that snaked between Kieran’s house and several of the other mansions on the cliffside. He lived close to Teony, and I found my feet guiding me there, as though I was led by some unseen force.
When I reached Teony’s gate, I rang the bell, praying someone was home. As I waited, the California wind ripped through me, billowing through my hair and skirt. I could smell the remnants of my sweat and passion as I stood there waiting for someone to answer.
Finally, Teony’s voice crackled over the speaker. “I see you on the camera, Kennedy. I know it’s you.”
“Please. Can you help me? I—I’m kind of stuck over here. The last bus went to Ridgewood over an hour ago and my mom can’t come all the way over here to get me. It’s too far and it’s her onl
y night off.”
“You expect me to join in on your pity party, then?” Teony demanded her voice was angry.
“It’s not that,” I tried to explain. “I just... for old time’s sake. I really need your help.”
There was a long, painful pause. I thought for sure she had walked away, choosing to ignore me. But then, I heard the garage door on the other side of the gate. The gate opened, revealing the butt of Teony’s car. She backed out onto the street, her hands gripping the steering wheel with a ferocity I had never seen her do before. Before she could dart away, I hopped into the front seat, thanking her over and over again as tears sprung to my eyes.
“Don’t thank me,” Teony shot out, her voice low. “If anyone asks, I didn’t drive you home. I’ve been home all night. That whole—for old time’s sake bullshit really got me but only this one time.”
She stabbed her foot on the gas, guiding the car down the steep hill toward the center of Crestwood, where the highway picked up and went off to Ridgewood. I shivered, wishing I could think of something to say, anything to bridge the distance between us.
“You know...” I began, feeling as though I would regret anything I said. “I really didn’t mean for everything to get so fucking messy.”
Teony let out a wry laugh. “You must be just as crazy as everyone is saying.”
My neck craned at her words. “What do you mean?”
“You’re letting those boys do whatever they want to you,” she spat. “Like... you knew they were evil, that they ruled the school. I told you from day one to stay away from them, to not trust them, but you literally let them videotape you...”
“That was Hailey!” I cried out. “And how was I supposed to know...”
Teony cast me a dirty look. “Listen. If you think that was all Hailey, then you really are a fucking idiot. I heard rumors after that they had planned that shit since you walked through those Crestwood doors.”
“That’s ridiculous. It happened really spontaneously,” I debated, but even as I spoke the words, I started to doubt them. Their meaning began to dry out.
“Hailey’s a fucking piece of work. But I don’t know if you’re high on some kind of power, thinking the boys are all in love with you or something. You need to cut it out immediately, or you’re going to get hurt. No wonder you came to my house, like some sort of lost pet. They abandoned you, didn’t they?”
I let her words sink in for a moment, biting down hard on my lower lip. I didn’t want to admit any of this or play into the horrible story that Teony unfolded before me. But it was all true. The truth was that Teony was a Crestwood and understood how these kids worked. She knew the rules. I clearly did not.
Suddenly, she slapped her hand against the steering wheel, muttering, “I really thought you were different, Kennedy. When I met you, you weren’t letting anyone walk all over you. Sure, you made out with Caleb at the party and danced with Kieran. But I thought you were doing it with like, this power, this ability to see yourself as you did it. I thought you were kind of mocking Crestwood, in a way, since you were so solidly from Ridgewood.”
“I believe in journalistic integrity just as much as you do!” I cried, my chest feeling tight.
“Whatever,” Teony said, letting out a heavy sigh. “I don’t really give a fuck anymore.”
We drove in silence again as she cut past the stop sign without even pausing. If that sort of thing happened in Ridgewood, a cop would yank you over immediately, demanding a fine that he would never report.
“How did Hailey know about my Dad?” I suddenly asked, surprising myself.
Teony shrugged. “How should I know? I didn’t even know. I feel like that’s the sort of thing you should have told me before them.”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “It’s not something I like to broadcast. Jesus. It’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. I wish I could take it back. All of it.”
Again, the images and sounds of screeching tires from that night rang through my head, my super-drunk dad yelling out, “KENNEDY! STOP! Watch out—“
I blinked several times, trying to force the memory out of my damn head and the lump in my chest rose up into my throat.
The only explanation that made any sense was the boys. On the way to the horse race, I had told the boys about the accident—thinking I was revealing to them a part of my soul, something they would keep as though it was sacred. Instead, one of them had obviously gone to Hailey with this information, which she had relished and blared out to the entire school.
God. How could I have been so fucking naive?
I let my chin drape to my chest.
“And now, the Ridgewood scum realizes all the mistakes she’s made...” Teony smirked as though she was narrating something on a nature show.
“Fuck off,” I retorted.
“You want me to drop you at the side of the road?” she demanded.
I kept my lips sealed after that.
Teony had driven me home several times during the brief period when we had been friends, so she didn’t have to ask for directions. When she pulled up to my tiny house, all the lights were on and the music blared from the windows.
“Is your mom hosting a frat party?” Teony asked, her voice icy.
I rolled my eyes, unbuckling my seatbelt. “No. It’s probably just her and her boyfriend, Jeff.”
“Really?”
“My mom has been seeing someone. Someone living between Crestwood and Ridgewood,” I said. “He’s really weird, always lurking around and going through our stuff. I keep finding him in places he shouldn’t be in the house.”
“Sounds like a real winner,” Teony smirked.
“Yeah, whatever.” I scoffed.
Teony didn’t respond after that. Her eyes were glassy, showing just how little she cared. I suppose I didn’t blame her because of my actions; I had made people question the integrity of the Crestwood Chronicle and also sidled up with the cruelest boys in school. And all for what? Some sort of sexual fantasy?
All because I had thought maybe the Crestwood boys thought I was special or different or interesting.
What a fucking idiot I am.
“I just have one thing to ask you, Kennedy,” Teony turned to me then.
“Okay...”
“Seriously. You need to really consider what I’m about to ask before answering. Like, go over every single fucking fold in that weird gray brain of yours and then tell me. Okay?”
“You’re acting insane,” I whispered, wishing this was the sort of thing I could tell her as a friend, rather than as a new enemy. We’d always had great talks, during that brief period when all had been okay.
Teony swallowed. “Is there anything about your family that you wouldn’t want people in Crestwood to know about?”
I turned my head so quickly toward her that I felt my neck creak. Teony stared at me with fear in her eyes. Just in front of us, Mom’s speaker from the nineties blared an old seventies record, probably something Jeff had brought over. That wasn’t Mom’s style.
“No...” I said, genuinely shocked at the question.
“Are you really, really sure?” Teony asked.
I looked at her dead on. “My entire dirty laundry was just displayed to the entire fucking town of Crestwood. What else could I possibly be hiding? I’m known now as the girl who killed her father. What could possibly be worse than that?” I ran a shaky hand through my hair, not understanding where she was going with this.
Teony glanced toward her lap. There was a horrible moment of silence.
“Tell me what you’re talking about, Teony,” I demanded and stole a sideways glance at her.
“Not if you can’t tell me the truth,” Teony returned her face was like stone, void of any emotion.
“That’s ridiculous. I’ve told you everything now. Yes, I was just fucking Kieran. Yes, I’ve hooked up with all of them. Yes, they’re treating me like scum beneath their feet. I’m fully prepared to confess to all of that...”
This was an impossible conversation, and I didn’t understand any of it. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“You don’t think you’re like, owed something—due to your family history,” Teony tried again.
I was getting annoyed. Sure, it was great that Teony had driven me all the way out to Ridgewood. But this never-ending abuse was bullshit. I pushed open the door and gave her my best try at a smile.
“Thanks again for the ride. I’ll never bother you again,” I scoffed.
“Good. I hope you don’t,” Teony returned. “Because I know what a big fucking liar you are, you and your secrets.”
“What the fuck?” I demanded, cutting toward her. I felt so exhausted and I nearly fell back into the vehicle. “What the hell are you—“
But Teony cranked the engine again, stabbing her foot against the gas. I had to hustle to make sure the car door didn’t ram into me. I shot to the right, while the car door slammed itself. I watched Teony race down the road and then squealed her wheels as she took a sharp right turn back toward Crestwood. I couldn’t fathom what she had been asking me. But an ominous feeling stirred in my belly, making me sit on the front step for a long time, just staring into space.
I felt like I didn’t belong anywhere.
Chapter Nineteen
When I went downstairs the next morning, I found Jeff and Mom acting like two drunken love teenagers in the kitchen. Mom had cooked up some pancakes and was rustling around, cracking jokes and wearing just her little white nightgown. Seeing it made my stomach turn because I knew Dad had bought it years ago after they’d called off talks of divorce.
Didn’t she care that the nightgown had a memory to it? Didn’t she care that that memory had nothing at all to do with her new fling? The lace had been hand-crafted, something she had bragged about endlessly after they’d brought it home from their second honeymoon in Malibu. This had been something they hadn’t really been able to afford. “But God, I’m so glad we went,” Mom had said endlessly after the funeral, as though she would forever live in those Malibu memories.
Wicked Blue Bloods: A Highschool Bully Romance - Crestwood Academy Book 1 Page 14
