by Bella King
I slowed down as I approached him, wanting to admire his impressive stature for a moment longer before he noticed me. I couldn’t do this for very long. Trent’s sharp eye darted toward me once I was in his peripheral vision, and he stood straight to greet me.
“Took you long enough,” he said as I walked up to him.
“It’s been, like, thirty seconds since class ended, weirdo,” I replied.
“That’s thirty seconds too long, princess. Let’s go,” he said, motioning with his head for me to follow him.
I practically had to run to keep up with his long strides. He was so tall that his legs could move him twice as fast as mine could without as much effort as it took me. He stayed two steps ahead of me as he guided me toward the secret exit from the school.
“Are you aware that we have an exam tomorrow?” I panted as we barreled down the hallway.
“I don’t much care for tests,” Trent answered.
“Are they easy or hard?”
“Easy and pointless. Who cares if you know how long it took the train to move from A to B? That’s what we have google maps for,” he said.
“Yeah, but I don’t want to fail,” I said.
“You won’t. Only stupid people fail,” he said, swinging around a corner and continuing his aggressive pace toward the end of the hallway.
My sneakers squeaked on the linoleum as I sharply corrected my direction. “So, you’re saying that I’m smart?” I asked with a smile.
“No.”
“Oh, come on. Give me this one, just once,” I pleaded.
“No,” he answered again, coming to a sudden stop in front of a pale wooden door. He pulled an old silver key from the pocket of his torn jeans and held it up to the light for a moment before pushing it into the lock on the door. He wiggled it violently in the hole until there was a loud click, then he removed it.
“Get in,” he commanded, opening the door.
It was pitch black inside, the swell of darkness threatening to spill over into the lit hallway. I was afraid of it. What if this was a trap?
“Get in,” he repeated, grabbing the sleeve of my leather jacket and throwing me inside as though I was nothing more than a plush doll.
I stumbled into the darkness, feeling like I was drifting out into dead space. The air smelled like dust and mold, and the floor beneath my feet was rough and unfinished. I fell through the thick air but caught myself with a firm step on the floor. I turned to see Trent coming in after me. I suppose this wasn’t a trap, after all.
Trent closed the door, rendering the room completely dark once again. “Don’t waste my time, Samantha,” he growled, grabbing my arm and practically dragging me down through the darkness.
I didn’t know where we were going, but he seemed to. He had to know this area by memory because there was no way that he could see without any light. Even as my eyes adjusted to the dark, I couldn’t see much more than Trent’s white t-shirt as he pulled be along.
“Watch the stairs,” he said, jerking me to a stop.
I heard his hand hit a switch, and seconds later, a pale light blinked on overhead. We were at the top of a stairwell, long abandoned, with cobwebs along the railings.
“Quickly,” Trent said, once again pulling me along with him as he flew down the stairs.
I had to focus closely on not falling and breaking my neck as he yanked me down. He seemed not to be terribly concerned about me, as though I was more of a burden than anything. I wondered why he had even brought me if he was going to behave this way.
“Why are we in such a hurry?” I asked.
“Because,” he growled, “The sewage system gets flushed out once the bell rings. I was unfortunate to be there when it happened once. Never again.”
I laughed, imagining him sopping wet in the sewer. He deserved it, so I didn’t feel guilty for laughing at his misery. He would have done the same for me.
“Real funny,” he grumbled. “You’re lucky I don’t leave you there to drown in human waste.”
“Have a sense of humor,” I suggested, still smiling at the mental image of him getting washed away in the sewer.
“I do have one,” he said, sounding defensive.
“Sure, you do,” I replied as we reached the bottom of the stairwell and turned into a bathroom.
Trent turned off the light in the stairwell and turned on the one in the bathroom. Neither of them was automatic, a modern amenity that hadn’t made it to the forgotten depths of the school.
“Over there,” Trent said, pointing to a stack of misplaced tiles beside a large hole in the floor. “I’ll climb down first, and then you can follow.”
I approached the hole with him, peering down into the darkness. How had he managed to find a place like this? He must have spent a long time exploring the inner workings of the school. That, or someone else had done it for him.
Trent winked at me as he positioned his large body over the hole and lowered himself down. I watched him disappear into the blackness, a thud sounding as he hit the bottom. It wasn’t a long way down, but I was shorter than he was. I would have to brace myself for the impact.
I scrambled down immediately after him, not wanting to get caught in the sewer storm that was heading our way once the bell rang. I let faith do the worrying as I dropped through the opening and let my body fall. I was expecting a longer fall and was jarred by the sudden stop at the end.
“Take my hand,” Trent said from somewhere I couldn’t see him.
“Where are you?” I asked, looking around in the dark.
“Here,” he said, stepping close enough to where his body was touching mine.
I caught my breath and looked at him in awe. He looked wonderful in the dark, but also frightening. His eyes seemed to glow against the syrupy blackness that surrounded him. He could do anything to me down here, and nobody would be the wiser.
Trent reached out his hand and clamped down on mine. I felt a jolt from his touch like he was hooked up to a power generator. I had never experienced a touch like his. I was shaken, but he didn’t let me dwell on it. Instead, he pulled me down into the depths, guiding me through the dark to reach our destination.
“Keep your feet spread if you don’t want to get them wet,” Trent ordered as we moved toward the sound of running water.
I did as he said and found that the floor inclined on either side. We were in a tunnel, and there would be water flowing down the middle. We slowed down as we both waddled over the running water. I could smell the steady growing stench of sewage as we approached a light.
“Almost there,” Trent assured me as we made our way down the pipeline.
“Good, because it stinks in here,” I replied, gripping his hand tighter. I felt small with him leading me this way but in a good way. Instead of feeling afraid of him, I felt like he was protecting me. It was a seductive feeling to have toward a man, and ultimately dangerous. Just because I felt that way, didn’t mean his intentions aligned with mine.
“Up,” Trent said, pointing at a grate in the ceiling, just a foot from his head.
We stopped, and with a firm push, he shoved the heavy rusted grate out of place, revealing our exit. I could feel a light drizzle of rain coming down as we stood under the hole. The tiny drops fell into my eyes, but I was just glad they weren’t sewer water.
I felt the steady hold of Trent’s hand leave mine, and for a moment, I felt panicked. Then, as though I were being flown to the heavens, he lifted me up toward the exit.
My head popped up above ground, revealing our new location. My hands found the grassy slope on either side of me as I took over my rise through the hole, pushing myself further outside. Trent’s hand pressed against my ass, almost between my legs as he gave me a final shove out.
I toppled over into the grass and rolled over, laughing as felt the pure earth beneath me. It was glorious to be free again. Even being outside of campus for a few seconds made me not want to ever return. Would it be so bad to run away?
I didn
’t have long to think about it before Trent popped out of the ground after me. He came up with grace, his large muscular arms making easy work of the task. I looked up at him as he stood above me and moved the grate back into place with his foot.
“This is it,” he said, placing his hands on his hips and looking around. He looked like an emperor surveying his land.
He looked down at me as I gazed up at him. “Are you going to stay down there?”
I nodded. “You want to join me?”
He chuckled, grabbing my arm and pulling me to my feet. His power was exciting, and his touch was like lightning. I doubted that he felt the same way, but I was having trouble keeping my composure around him. It was stupid that I was so smitten, but it was difficult when he was this commanding.
“Where’s the lake?” I asked, looking around.
“Behind you,” he replied.
I turned around and gasped at the sight before my eyes.
Chapter 12
Bayside Academy was built like a castle, towering at least ten stories high even though most of the floors were unused. It looked beautiful from across the lake, even with the tall walls that separated it from the civilized world. The light of the setting sun reflected off the glass windows in a dazzling display of gold and orange, scattering rays across the land as far as my eyes could see.
“It doesn’t look so bad from here,” Trent said from beside me, his voice deep and thoughtful.
“It’s beautiful,” I said, in awe at the building that had become my prison.
“It’ll be even more beautiful when you leave,” he said, shaking his head. “I hate this fucking place.”
I looked at him. The setting sun painted his face in a dramatic light, accenting his strong features. I smiled. “We’ll both be out soon.”
“True,” he said. “But until then, it’s time to get fucked up,” he said with a mischievous grin. “Come on. Let’s go to the cabin. Everyone is already there.”
I had the urge to hold his hand while we walked there, but I kept it to myself. There was no need for me to escalate the situation with Trent. He was a bad guy, and I had to keep my head straight. Maybe if I kept telling that to myself, then I would do it, but I was already drifting off the golden path into the woods. Things were getting risky.
All I could do was trust Trent at this point, as I was unsure of what would be going on tonight by the lake. I hadn’t seen anyone yet, but he insisted that there would be many people there with us. Personally, I wouldn’t have minded getting more time alone with him.
“Have fun. Don’t do anything stupid,” Trent said as he opened the door to a large cabin overlooking the lake.
“Got it,” I said with a nod, and we stepped inside.
The cabin was full of people drinking, smoking, and playing card games. There were at least twenty-five people there, but probably more. It was glowing with life and laughter, something far removed from the gloomy interior of Bayside.
“You made it,” one of Trent’s thugs said as he approached us with open arms.
Trent gave him a powerful hug, the two men nearly beating each other’s backs with enthusiasm. “I brought the lady,” he said, motioning to me.
The man held out his tattooed hand, which I recognized as the one that had held my mouth shut when Trent stole and burned my money.
I shook his hand cautiously as his eyes danced over my body.
“She’s nice,” he said with a sly grin.
“And not yours,” Trent grumbled, shoving the man away from me. “Go play cards or something.”
The man rolled his eyes but sauntered off toward the card table, where some of the other gang members were playing poker and smoking thick cigars.
As Trent had said, there were other women here, but they looked like they could snap you in half if you looked at them the wrong way. They were beasts compared to me. I was like a lamb in the den of wolves, which made me cling closer to Trent.
“Have a drink,” Trent said, opening a small fridge that sat against the yellow wooden planks of the wall. He pulled out a cheap beer in a green can and handed it to me.
I took it, the cold stinging my hand. It was nearly frozen, just the way it should be. God, it had been too long since I was allowed to have a drink. My father was always fine with me drinking in the house, but since the trials and imprisonment, I had been too sober for my own liking. I needed to loosen up.
“Thanks,” I said, cracking open the can and savoring the angelic sound of the fizz as the smell of crisp beer wafted up to my nose.
“No problem,” he replied, grabbing one for himself and closing the fridge. “We try to keep the place stocked as best we can.”
I looked around at all the people enjoying themselves. “This really is something else. Aren’t you worried about getting caught?”
He shook his head. “No. Bayside authority ends where the walls do. They’d have to catch us sneaking out for us to be in danger of getting caught. Now,” he said, leaning against a couch by the wall, “If you try to cross the road and make a run for it, I can almost guarantee the cops will rain down on you like angry wasps.”
“Has anyone tried?” I asked, taking a sip of my golden beer.
Trent raised his shirt, displaying an impressive grid of defined abs, along with two scars next to his ribcage. “I tried and got tased right there. Non-lethal my ass. Those prongs just about punctured a lung.”
“You tried to escape? That’s wild,” I said, covering my mouth. “Did it hurt?” I asked, reaching out to touch his stomach.
“Not too bad,” he said, a hint of arrogance returning to his voice.
I ignored it as I brushed my fingers against his hot skin, feeling the two bumps where the prongs had penetrated his flesh. I let myself enjoy the softness of his skin as I lingered there for a second longer than I should have.
“I have more scars. Maybe I’ll show them to you later tonight,” he said, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
“We’ll see,” I replied, leaving my response open-ended.
Trent let his shirt fall back down, covering his glorious abs. He tilted the tall can of beer to his lips and chugged the entire container in one go, letting a burp rip through the air immediately after.
“Charming,” I said as he brought his head down with a goofy smile.
“I knew you’d think so,” he replied, throwing the empty can across the room into a blue recycling bin.
Trent moved around the couch that he had been leaning on and fell back onto it, throwing his hands back over his head and stretching as he relaxed into the faded cushions. I joined him, plopping down beside him, close enough to where are legs could touch. I liked being close to him. He smelled nice.
Trent pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and pulled out a white stick with a little silver band near the end. He placed it in his mouth and held a lighter to it, puffing a few times before withdrawing it from his mouth. “You want one?” he asked, looking over at me.
I shook my head. I had never smoked before and didn’t plan to.
“I’m asking because you’re staring,” he said, taking a drag.
“I’m not staring,” I blurted, but I knew I had been. For some reason, I was fascinated by his movements.
“Sure,” he replied, taking another drag. He appeared to be enjoying it, leaning back with a satisfied smile on his face. I wondered if that’s what he looked like after sex.
Stop it, Samantha. That’s enough!
My mind barked a reminder not to get pulled into stupid fantasies about Trent. He was a gang leader and a bully. What good would come of getting close to him?
I had the urge to try a cigarette with so many people smoking around me, but I didn’t want a fresh one from Trent. I knew I wouldn’t be able to finish it.
“Can I have a puff?” I asked, pointing to the slender white tube between Trent’s lips.
He pulled it from his mouth and held it out to me between his two fingers. I took it between my thu
mb and forefinger, holding it like a blunt to my lips as I took my first hit. I could feel the wetness of Trent’s lips on the paper as I placed it in my mouth. I sucked the smoke from it into my mouth, letting it sit there for a moment before I removed the cigarette from my lips and breathed the smoke into my lungs.
It felt uncomfortable and harsh in my virgin lungs, but I didn’t cough. I blew it out gracefully, handing the cigarette back to Trent.
“You like that?” he asked, taking the cigarette back and placing it between his soft lips.
I shrugged. “It’s not really my thing.”
“It wasn’t my thing either until I got locked up,” he said, staring off into space.
“What are you going to do when you get out?” I asked.
“Go to college,” he answered.
I wasn’t expecting that response. He didn’t seem like he enjoyed education very much, but then again, it was impossible to enjoy the education we were getting at Bayside. It just wasn’t very good.
“Anywhere in particular?”
“Bayside University,” Trent said with a straight face.
“Oh god, I would die,” I said, laughing at the thought of four more years of this.
“Me too. I’ve been thinking about it, but I don’t really know where yet. Are you planning to go?” he asked.
“Yeah. I don’t know what else I would do,” I said. “My father doesn’t get out of jail for a long time.”
“Oh?” Trent asked, leaning in.
I realized I had just given away more information than I should have. I was letting things slip because I was getting too comfortable.
I waved a hand and took a sip of my beer. “It’s nothing. I’ll be fine, though.”
“What is your father in for?” Trent asked, unwilling to give up such a juicy lead.
“Nothing,” I snapped.
He chuckled. “You don’t usually go to jail for nothing.”
I took another drink, considering whether it would hurt if I actually told this man the truth. He might even have more respect for me after the fact. I wasn’t sure, but I was tired of trying to jump through hoops just to avoid talking to him about my past.
