by Becky L Bell
As I listen, I cannot help the tears that fill my eyes. Markus basically said I’m ugly. I have to get out of here before I start crying. Keep it together; don’t let these bitches see you cry, I think as I blink back tears.
“I will stay away, you have my word,” I whisper back. Thankfully, they move, and I am able to leave. Walking out the front door, I don’t care the I didn’t drive. I am not going back in there. So, I walk down the road, passing all the cars from the party.
I continue to walk even though it will probably be an hour before I get home, I don’t care. In the quiet of the night, I finally allow the tears to fall.
A few moments pass before I wipe off the tears in anger. God, why am I letting those bitches’ words hurt me? Okay, Tristan and Markus think I am ugly, so what. Once I got a look at the quad, I knew I was so out of their league. What if Carter’s kiss was a pity kiss? Oh God, that would be embarrassing to say the least. Ugh, stop right now Tuesday; stop this little pity party right now.
I have been walking for about 30 minutes when my phone rings. Ugh, great. “Hello,” I answer the phone without looking at it. “Hey Red. Where are you?” I hear Ren’s voice on the other end. Tears fill my eyes again just hearing his voice. I cannot help the sob that escapes. “Hey, Red. What’s wrong?” “Sorry, nothing. It’s just nice to hear your voice,” I reply, my voice thick with tears. Get ahold of yourself, geesh. “There is something wrong, your crying,” he adds with concern. Taking a deep breath, I exhale before saying, “it’s nothing, just walking home.” “Walking home? From where?” “The football party,” I whisper feeling suddenly tired. This has not been a good day.
“What?! Way out there. I am coming to get you,” he growls into the phone as I hear what sounds like a car door slam. “No really, I am halfway home,” I agree. “I am coming and that is final.” I feel so bad that he is coming way out here to get me.
Five minutes later, a beam of headlights comes my way. Is this him? He made it in record time. The car slowly pulls up beside me, but I cannot see inside the dark truck. I don’t remember Ren driving one of those. My heart starts to race and my palms sweet as I slowly back away from the vehicle.
Chapter 9
Get out of here and now, my inner voice screams. I am not one to ignore my instincts, so I turn around and run.
Before I know it, I hear cursing and footsteps. Oh God, the person is following me. Come on Tuesday Malory get your ass in gear. I continue to run as the footsteps get closer and closer.
Suddenly, an arm wraps around my middle pulling me off the ground making me scream. I am not going down without a fight, I think as I as I kick my legs and swing my arms. “Damn it, Red,” I hear causing me to stop. What? Only the Wolfe brothers call me Red.
Before I know it, I am back on the ground looking at Tristan’s handsome face. What is he doing here? “I have been looking all over for you. You would have to take the long way back, wouldn’t you,” he growls with a scowl making me mad. How dare he get mad at me? The nerve of some people. “Well excuse me your assness,” I snap back which only seems to make him angrier. Well too bad.
“Get in the truck,” he growls again. Whoow, I am not getting in there with his bitchy girlfriend. No way in hell is that happening. “No, I would rather walk,” I snap back before turning around and walking the same way I just came. I know it is the wrong way, but I am not passing that truck. “Don’t walk away from me, I said get in the truck.”
Before I can reply, another vehicle comes to a stop from the other direction making me stop in my tracks. Suddenly the door is flung open and out comes Markus. Great just great, that is all I need. “You found her,” Markus says looking from me to his brother. “No shit Sherlock,” I snap getting really fed up with these two.
First, they treat me like the plague and now they are here to help me. I already have Ren coming, I don’t need these two. As I glare at Markus, I cannot help but hear Tristan laughing behind me. Turning around, I narrow my gaze at him. What the hell is he laughing about? I don’t see anything funny.
“What is so funny?” I snap before it hits me. Oh course, they are laughing at me just like their little girlfriends said. Tuesday Malory you’re so pathetic and a big ugly loser. My anger slips away as I look down as tears fill my eyes, ugh. Do not let them see you cry, damn it.
Pinching the skin between my thumb and first finger, I take a deep breath. “Get in the truck Ren,” I hear Tristan repeat. Thankfully, just at that moment, another vehicle pulls up, Ren’s SUV. Relief floods me as Ren gets out and circles the front of the vehicle as he walks towards me. “What the hell is happening?” he snaps looking between his brothers and me.
Before I know it, I race the few steps to Ren and jump into his arms. “Thanks for coming,” I whisper against his neck as I wrap my legs around his waist. “I will always come for you sweetheart,” he whispers back making my stomach fill with butterflies. Is it right to fall for more than one guy?
“Come on Red, I am taking you home,” Ren adds. Oh, that sounds great. I cannot wait to take a hot shower and try to forget this horrible day. “Wait, I was going to take her home,” Tristan growls not sounding very happy which is ridicules. Vanessa and Tammy made it perfectly clear how those two feel about me. “Well, I am here, so I will be taking her home,” Ren says as he walks to the passenger side and sits me down gently before he kisses my head.
Closing the door, I see Ren head over to his brothers. As I watch, the three brothers start to argue, about what, I have no idea. The look on both Markus and Tristan’s faces makes me pause. Why do they look so angry? They should be happy they don’t have to deal with me. “Back off! This is your fault,” I hear Ren shout in fury as he turns his back to them and heads my way.
Once he’s in the car, he slams the door and we drive away leaving a pissed off Markus and Tristan still standing in the road. We sit in silence when I look over and notice Ren’s knuckles tightening on the steering wheel. Oh man, this is my fault. “I am sorry. I shouldn’t have told you I was walking home.” “What?” he says in shock. “I mean, I could have walked home. I didn’t mean to bug you,” I reply turning from his gaze to look out the window.
Quickly, Ren pulls the car over taking me by surprise. Good job Tuesday, you should have kept your mouth shut. “Don’t you ever say that,” he snaps, “I told you I would come for you anywhere are you.” Looking at him, I am taken back by the anger I see in his beautiful eyes. “Do you understand, Red.” All I can do is nod before he leans down and kisses me for all its worth. Oh, my goodness, I cannot believe Ren Wolfe is kissing me, me Tuesday Malory. His kiss is possessive at the same time, loving, and just plan amazing.
When his lips leave mine, I feel the loss to my core. Damn, I could kiss him forever. “Damn, I wanted to kiss you for so long,” he whispers before kissing me again. He wanted me even back then? That just seems surreal.
For the second time, he pulls away. “Now tell me what happened. What made you decide to walk home and why were you there at the party?” he asks making my stomach hurt. Of course, he would want to know. Taking a deep breath, I need to get this over with. Think of it as a band aid, and just ripe it off. “Well, um, Logan asked me to hang out with him tonight. I thought we would go to the movies since I hate these parties, but we ended up there anyway. I was not happy to say the least. Once we got inside, a while later he wanted to dance. He must have been on something because the next thing I know he is grabbing me and trying to bite my neck,” I say all the while watching Ren’s face. Several emotions flitter across his face, mostly concern and anger are front and center. “He tried to bite you? The bastard,” he growls. “Yes, well, then a fight broke out. End of story,” I add. “How did Tristan and Markus find you?” he asks after a while. “Oh, well, they were with their girlfriends, so they must have seen it happen, and pulled Logan off me.” “Of course, they were. Those girls are like leaches,” he grumbles.
Relief floods through me, so I am not the only one who doesn’t li
ke those two girls. In the silence, he pulls back onto the road and he takes me home. This has been a crazy day for sure.
Chapter 10
Sunday is quiet as Mom and I go to church then I help her with the bakery. Throughout the afternoon, my phone rings and every time I look its Logan. Ugh, why cannot he leave me alone. I don’t want to talk to him right now, cannot he take a hint. “Are you going to get that, Tues,” Mom says pulling me out of my funk. “No, it’s just Logan,” I reply as I put the brownies in the oven. “Okaaaay, are you two fighting?” “Yeah, you could say that,” I reply, cleaning up my mess. I cannot help but feel mad at him after what he did last night. “Well, he has been a good friend to you, and I think you should think about forgiving him.” Yeah, I was thinking along the same lines, but I just need time to stop being mad at him. “Yeah, I know,” I add, thankful Mom drops the subject and doesn’t push.
Monday finally comes, and I am dreading it. Since Ally is mad at me, Carter and Ren have graciously offered to take me to and from school. At first, I was uncomfortable since I kissed both brothers. What if they found out, would they hate me? I cannot imagine choosing one over the other, they are both incredible guys. Thankfully, they don’t seem jealous, and by the time with get to school we are laughing and joking around like old times.
We say our goodbyes as we part ways. The morning goes by quickly without any issues with Logan or Ally. They leave me alone and I couldn’t be happier at the moment. I will forgive Logan eventually, but for now, I am still upset with him.
Thankfully, it is time for lunch as I shut my locker door; I feel a strong hand against my back making me jump. “Sorry, Red. Didn’t mean to scare you,” Carter says with a sweet smile. I could never be mad at Carter; he is just the sweetest guy I have ever known. “Your fine, Carter,” I reply with a smile of my own and can’t help stepping up to him and wrapping my arms around him as I give him a hug. I don’t know if I feel brave enough to kiss him in the hallway since I really like Ren too. Taking a deep breath of his ocean scent, he calms my rattled nerves, I just cannot help myself. He smells nice.
“Car, don’t hog her,” I hear Ren say as I am pulled from Carter’s arms. “Why can’t you wait your turn Ren,” Carter says with a smile in his voice. Laughing at my impatient Ren, I turn around and give him a hug too. Pulling me tight against him, I feel the same way I did with Carter, I feel at home. “I missed you Red,” he whispers into my hair. Laughing, “you just saw me a few minutes ago.” “Well, it was too long for me,” he adds before kissing my head. “Let’s go to lunch,” I hear Carter say. “Sounds good to me. How about it Red?” Ren asks as I pull away. “Okay, but let’s go off campus,” I say not wanting to eat in the cafeteria right now. “Okay, sounds good,” Carter replies as Ren picks me up making me laugh.
The big goof. I do what any girl would do, I wrap by arms and legs around him and we head out the front doors. I am probably causing a scene, but I don’t really care. The Wolfe brothers are my home; just wish the hole left by the others would heal.
Chapter 11
Lunch with my guys, was the best I have had in a long time. We ate at one of my favorite dinners in town, Aunt Ethel’s. The Wolfe quad and I used to come here all the time before they left. It felt like old times except two were missing. Unfortunately, it did not last that long before we had to head back.
Walking to history class, I am passing an empty classroom when someone grabs my arm and pulls me in shutting the door behind me. My adrenaline kicks in and I start to struggle because I am so not going down without a fight. My long red hair tumbles out of my bun and into my face blinding me for a moment as the hand tightens on my arm. “Damn it Tuesday stop fighting me,” I hear making me stop. Pushing my hair out of my face, I am stunned to see an angry Logan looking down at me as he finally let’s go of my arm.
Boy, is he angry, his face filled with rage. I can feel myself start to panic as I back away from him as he follows until my back it’s a wall. Damn. Now what? “Guess what I heard at lunch?” he growls as he slaps his hands against the wall on either side of my head making me jump. I have no idea what he is talking about. “You don’t know! You were seen hugging the Wolfe brothers while Ren carried you out of the school,” he snaps as his eyes flash a red color for a split second before going back to normal. It happened so quickly, I must have imagined it. No way could someone’s eyes change color like that. No way.
“Tell me it was a lie. TELL ME!” he bellows, as his face gets closer to mine. For some reason I cannot explain my fear turns to rage as I hit his chest with all the strength I have to get him off me. Frozen in shock, I watch as he flies through the air hitting the wall on the other side of the room. What the hell? Logan is way bigger than me, I should have only made him move a few steps back if at all. From the look on his face, he is shocked too. It must be the adrenaline rush like you here where a person can pick up a car to save their kid.
Gathering my wits, I race for the door, but he somehow gets there before me. Grabbing me up like a weigh nothing, I am slammed on top of the teacher’s desk. “Get off me!” I scream as I fight. What the hell has gotten into him? First the party and now this. Unfortunately, what happened before does not happen again as he over powers me. One of his hands holds both of mine to the desk as he sits on top of me. “Get off me,” I cry as panic sets me. I need to get free. “You are mine do you hear me. I waited fucking years for you, I am not letting them take you away from me,” he snarls in my face.
Oh God, my heart continues to race as I feel his other hand touching my bare skin under my shirt. Oh God, please make him stop. “STOP!” I scream as tears run down my cheeks as I close my eyes. Please make him stop.
Suddenly, his weight is gone. “What the hell were you doing?” I hear Ethan, Logan’s brother snap. Ethan is the youngest teacher here at 23 years old and looks like an older version of Logan. He is one of my favorite teachers and I would like to think a friend even though he is older than my 17 years, well 18 in four months. He has been nothing but kind to me since Logan and I became friends.
Now, I watch as Ethan has Logan by the throat and boy is his face filled with rage. “You don’t try to rape your possible mate, you idiot.” “I wasn’t going to, I swear,” I hear Logan say as he tries to push his brother off. “That is not what it fucking looked like. I don’t want you near her again, do you understand me?” Ethan growls. As I watch, Logan’s face turns ash white. “No, you can’t do this. I feel the link to her, she is mine as much as yours.”
What are they talking about? I am not his or Ethan’s. I sit in shock as I watch them argue before Ethan makes Logan leave the room. Thank God, I sigh in relief when Logan leaves, but I cannot seem to stop shaking. “Sweetie, everything is going to be okay,” Ethan says as he gently cups my face in his strong warm hands. His warmth feels so good against my cold skin. “Logan is never coming near you again. I have to ask you a question okay?” I watch, as Ethan looks uncomfortable. Tears fill my eyes, as I understand what he is having trouble asking. “Oh shit. He is fucking dead,” he growls as he leaves me and heads to the door. “No. He didn’t rape me, you got here in time,” I sob.
“Sweetie, I promise he is not going to hurt you,” I hear him say as I am wrapped in his strong arms. I sob into his chest as he pulls me close. I hope it is right.
Chapter 12
Now I am sitting in Ethan’s office, a small room attached to his classroom, which was the one Logan pulled me into. Thankfully, Ethan allowed me to stay in here instead of going to the rest of my classes because I don’t know how I would make it without bursting into tears especially seeing the Wolfe quad. I really should have never become friends with Logan, they were so right about him.
Suddenly there is a knock at the door making me jump. “Tuesday, sweetie, open the door. School is over, and your ride is here,” I hear Ethan’s voice. Strange, I don’t remember hearing the final bell ring. “You need to stop calling her sweetie,” I hear Ren snap through the door. “Why don’t
you back off. You don’t know anything,” Ethan growls back. Ugh, are they fighting?
I cannot believe they are here. I throw open the door to see Carter standing there. Fighting back tears, I hug him as I start to cry. I just cannot help it. “Honey, why are you crying?” I hear Carter ask as he wraps his arms around me. Shaking my head, I just cannot tell them yet. Not right now. As Carter holds me, I feel another hand running up and down my back, offering comfort. Comfort I really need right now. “Red, what is wrong?” Ren asks. “I just want to go,” I cry. “Okay, let’s go,” Carter says as we start to walk towards the door.
Before we get there, I turn around and head back to Ethan to give him a big hug. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know what would have happened. Uh, yeah, you do, I think making me shudder. “Thank you for everything Ethan,” I whisper into his chest. “I would do anything for you sweetie. Just remember that you are safe,” he whispers into my ear as he lets me go. I do believe him, I know he will not let Logan hurt me again.
Pulling away, I give him a watery smile before Ren grabs my hand and we head out of the room. I cannot wait to get out of here.
Chapter 13
On the way home, the guys decided to head to their home instead of mine which I am thankfully for. Mom is home early today, and I really don’t want to explain what happened. I am so grateful that Carter texted my Mom to let her know where I was going.
These two have been so nice as I go between vacant stare to crying like a crazy woman. Through the whole ride, they have been holding my hands lending me their support without saying a word. You cannot know how comforting it is after what Logan tried to do. First with what happened Saturday and now today, all I can think of is he must be on drugs. That is the only thing I can think of that makes sense. He was never like this before. Never.
