Low: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Suffolk Academy Book 1)

by Lilah Walker

  Away from his stare, that seems hard to believe, but her words have a ring of truth to them. And I don’t want any assholes in my life… even if Lowell is the best-looking asshole I’ve ever seen.

  I’m not looking for a boyfriend, anyway. I need to get used to this school, and I need to get used to living with my grandparents for now, until my mom comes back for me. I hope I won’t be down here for long—I know it’ll take at least a week or two for Mom to get her senses back and realize she’s abandoned her daughter for a guy, but she will get her senses back, and then she’ll apologize and we’ll go back to New York. At least, that’s what I’ve been telling myself since I read her note.

  So, Lowell can look all he wants to, but there’ll be nothing between us.

  I’ve just gotten to the point where I feel like I’ve caught my breath—which itself is a crazy reminder of how much an effect Lowell’s gaze had on me—when there’s a commotion behind us. I glance back in time to see a figure blur by and dart around us, Lowell and another guy coming up quick behind him. Before I can think to say anything, I’ve heard Katelyn squeal, and I turn around to see the guy has cut Katelyn off before she could pull us into our first class. He steps in to press us backward, and suddenly me and Katelyn are right up against the lockers in the hall, and this group of ridiculously good-looking guys is more than crowding us, with other kids passing around them as none of us exist. There’s no doubt in my mind that everyone else is just pretending to not see us, thankful it’s not them who this group has cornered.

  And now that I can see these guys up close, the menace feels real, but they’re also all more mesmerizing, the closer I am to them.

  Lowell Bartlett has long, thick eyelashes that cut off the view to his electric blue eyes every time he blinks. I am grateful for the blinking; at least I know he’s real. When the electricity of his blue eyes hits mine, though, I feel a spark of fear rise up in me from somewhere deep inside of my soul.

  I don’t like this feeling. It’s definitely telling me this guy is way too close. I don’t need a foot of distance from him—I need a fucking mile.

  “Looks like the giraffe found a new friend,” Lowell comments to Katelyn, reaching out to put his hand loosely around her neck.

  “Yeah, it looks like her neck has grown even longer over the summer,” laughs the dirty blonde-headed guy next to him.

  I can feel my eyes bugging out of my head as I watch to see what Katelyn’s going to do. She’s plastered an awkward smile on her face, but she’s not making any move to fight them—it’s like she’s frozen, just standing there letting this guy hold her neck!

  “Right. The giraffe can look over the crowd to find herself a new buddy, Alec,” says Lowell, stretching his neck and pretending as if he’s looking for something on the ground, still holding onto Katelyn.

  The guys laugh, and as if on cue, all of the kids passing by erupt in their own giggles from the harsh jokes. There’s no question of anyone stopping to help us. We’ve got a few bystanders now, but most people are just passing by, laughing at the spectacle and the jokes as they hurry to their classes. Seeing it, I feel my head swelling with anger at how cruel they’re being to the girl who’s the closest thing I have to a friend here. I haven’t known her long, but she’s genuinely nice, and even if she wasn’t, nobody would deserve this.

  I want to swipe his head off of his stretched neck for saying those things. “You should—” I begin.

  Katelyn puts her hand up against my mouth to silence me, moving for the first time since Lowell grabbed her.

  “Yeah, control your little friend, Giraffe,” Lowell says, moving in closer to us both.

  I’ve seen some crazy people in New York, but I’ve never had to deal with one up close and personal like this. And I definitely wasn’t expecting my first day in this fancy private school to start with having to fight off a lunatic.

  Suddenly, Katelyn pulls away, bends down, and darts away from him before he and his friends can totally block us in. But I didn’t take the cue and follow her—I wasn’t fast enough. I’m left standing alone with Lowell bearing down on my five-foot-four frame. Before I can think to move or speak, he wraps his large hand around my neck, pulling me into his chest. I can feel his grip tight on my throat, pressing into the skin, and I know it’s tighter than he held Katelyn. I struggle to find a way to breathe, let alone talk.

  He lifts my chin with his other hand so I can look into his face as I’m gasping for air, and the world shrinks down to just him and me. His dangerous gaze and his grip and me in front of him, trying to make my brain form an escape plan.

  He continues to hold my neck, but I guess he realizes I was struggling to breathe, because his grip loosens just a touch and I gasp in oxygen. Before I can think of what to say, he’s jerking my chin up to make sure I look into those electric blue eyes. He looks as if he could electrocute me with them, like he could send electricity throughout my entire body and leave me dead on the floor without any hesitation.

  He tightens his hand around my neck again and leans in close to my face. “You will not take what is mine.”

  I find the breath to try to speak, and start again. “I don’t—”

  He covers my mouth with the hand that was holding my chin, cutting off my words entirely.

  “Better do like Giraffe tried to show you and shut the fuck up.”

  And then, before I can even process what he’s said, the guys are gone.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  I don’t understand what to expect after that crazy exchange in the hallway, so I’m not too enthusiastic about going into my first class, Environmental Science. I try to slink in and blend in behind Katelyn, but the teacher holds me back to stand with him at the front of the class. As all of the other students clap for me after my undesired introduction, I make a mental calculation of where to sit. In this case, it’s pretty darn easy.

  It’s an instinct-based thing, but a seventeen-year-old can trust her instincts about a bunch of other seventeen-year-olds. Lowell and one of his buddies are at the back of the class, so that’s a no-go automatically. There are also a few hostile zones where non-clappers are sitting, and then there’s Katelyn, who smiled at me as she clapped. Her seat is close to the front, and I would really prefer to sit in the back…but there’s a seat beside her. I make my choice.

  “Hi, I’m Katelyn, remember me?” she asks with a giggle as I sit in the space next to her. Her smile is light, and it helps alleviate some of the stress of our hallway escapade and that awkward introduction the teacher insisted on making. Taking her cue, I do my best to put all that behind me.

  It being the first day of school, the teacher doesn’t actually begin teaching. Instead, he reviews the syllabus with us. Then, he reviews what students should have learned last semester and familiarizes students with what to expect in the new school year. As a sort of impromptu spot-check, he asks questions on random topics students should already be familiar with. And it seems like the curriculum is similar to what I had in New York—I’m able to nod along with everyone else, and I don’t get lost once.

  Near the end of class, he asks a girl to detail the process of photosynthesis. She mumbles for a few seconds before she reveals she can’t explain. There’s an uncomfortable silence in the class. Nobody seems ready to handle the task. And then the teacher points at me.

  “You, our new class member, can you tell us about the difference?”

  I feel my heart leave my chest as he speaks to me. I know what he’s asking—science has always been a class I excelled at, and considering how close we are to the end of class, I know he doesn’t actually want a ton of details here. I take a deep breath and clear my throat before supplying the explanation he requires. I haven’t even finished when a smattering of applause rings out in the classroom—chiefly, from the teacher. Apparently, most of my classmates knew what to say, but didn’t care to say it. Or maybe the students knew he’d get around to asking the new girl, and I passed some sort of test? I didn’t know it
would mean a thing, but getting recognition like this on my first day in a new school boosts my morale. I’m pretty pleased with myself.

  As soon as the applause ends, I note the look on Katelyn’s face. She looks stunned. I think I did a good thing, but the teacher has kept going with his questions, and there’s something else about the way she’s staring at me for these twenty seconds or so. Her jaw is open, and I can’t make out the meaning of her expression. I just smile back at her. A few seconds later, her attention goes back to the teacher when she’s asked a question, too, and the answer comes to her easily. She appears to be a smart girl, too.

  We have a ten-minute break in class before the next one. This is time we can spend on recreation and socializing among ourselves, and it’s one of the perks of a block schedule that I really appreciate. At least, back in New York, that was how we spent our break time, so that’s what I’m expecting here.

  As soon as the teacher step out of the classroom, the atmosphere changes. Nobody’s in a hurry, it seems, and the well-behaved class quickly becomes rowdy. I guess these rich kids aren’t very different from the kids I went to school with in New York. Just like my old friends on the first day of a new school year, these students talk with each other loudly. There are so many conversations going on that I can’t make out anything they’re saying. As they talk, some head out of the classroom. Smiles, loud laughter, and hugs fly around the room. I try to note as many as I can without staring, but Katelyn’s absorbed in paging through our newly delivered homework package, so I observe what I can. I don’t want to attract any unnecessary attention to myself again. Katelyn hasn’t left her desk and I know my next class is nearby, so I decide I’ll just follow her lead and hang out here. At the moment, she’s my only friend.

  Katelyn finds whatever she was looking for and turns back to me, and before I know it, she’s filling me in on what our science teacher’s like, and what to expect from others. I focus on trying to absorb every detail, and Katelyn and I are still sitting and chatting when Lowell is, suddenly, sauntering up to our desks from the back. I’ve been ignoring him, but I can feel his approach coming from my peripheral vision, and suddenly Katelyn’s words aren’t making sense. It’s like Lowell is the only one in the room with me.

  He walks with a different swagger compared to the others. They’re all rich kids, it’s true, but he is obviously in a class of his own. A different level of confidence oozes out of him. I don’t think I actually expect him to make his way up to my desk and stop—I thought me and Katelyn were a quick amusement for him, and what’s done would be done.

  But then I’m looking up to see his smiling eyes as he stares into mine.

  What is up with this guy? And what am I supposed to do or expect here?

  Is this some kind of fucked-up S.A. mating ritual he expects me to fall for?

  This is obviously some kind of statement. I just can’t make out what it means. I do know this, though…. His face lights up when he smiles. It almost looks like he just wants to offer a friendly welcome.

  I make the mistake of smiling back, like everything in the hall was a joke, and I guess he sees the thought forming. His smile quickly turns into a frown, and then a full glare. I’m swallowing down confusion, trying to will myself to look away…and then, slowly, like this is some kind of emotional game, his expression returns to that smile he approached with. And through it all, he hasn’t taken his eyes off me.

  I want to look away, and I think I can now, too, this is so weird, but I still hesitate. From my observation of wild animals on television, you do not take your eyes off of the enemy—and despite what I might have thought for a moment there, this guy is clearly not someone I want to mess with or befriend. After about two minutes, he walks away without saying a word.

  What a weirdo.

  Katelyn laughs awkwardly, as if to break the silence, and I heave a vast sigh of relief as I see his back walk out the classroom door. I realize how disturbed I am as I think about the situation. What the hell does this mean? I turn towards Katelyn, who’s uncomfortable laugh is just trailing off.

  “Do you know him from somewhere?” she asks me quietly.

  “Who?”

  “Lowell. Lowell Bartlett. Again.”

  “I don’t know him,” I respond. “I tried not to pay him any attention, like you told me. I barely realized he was in our class.”

  Katelyn nods, but I’m not sure if she believes me. “Wow, that was fast,” Katelyn finally says, studying my face.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Lowell’s a bully, but I don’t think he’s ever taken to intimidating a new student so quickly. He usually lets a new girl enjoy the first few days before introducing himself, if you know what I mean.” She looks away and gives that awkward laugh again, shaking her head like it’s me who’s confusing.

  “You’re serious?” I ask her. “He really gets away with stuff like what he pulled in the hallway…all the time?!”

  Katelyn’s shrugging, looking away from me. “He bullies who he wants to bully, even some teachers.”

  With prompting, Katelyn then tells me more about this Lowell Bartlett. He’s the wealthiest student in the entire school. At seventeen, he’s rumored to have a net worth higher than that of Miami’s largest kingpin. Mr. Dale Bartlett, his father, owns a giant tech company and is also some big-shot investor. He rakes in millions of dollars every month.

  “He pays a hefty salary to his son every month,” Katelyn tells me. “If Lowell never works a day, he’s set him up for life. Mr. Bartlett likes to keep a low profile in the area, but his son is different. Lowell is quiet, too, when he wants to be. But when he needs something done, he knows how to force people to do it.”

  I’m still taking this in, unsure what to say, when Katelyn leans toward me to whisper, “He never really has issues with anyone for the first few weeks of their arrival, Aleta. He at least needs time to figure how someone can be valuable to him.”

  Huh? We just met, though, so what can he want from me?

  “That’s why I’m asking if you know him from somewhere,” she adds.

  “I don’t!”

  “Well, it seems you’ve got something coming.”

  I try to tell if this is some sort of cruel joke, but Katelyn has been nothing but nice, and she was as nervous as I was in the hall. “Should I worry about him?” I ask.

  “I mean…” Katelyn trails off, observing me, and then she shakes her head as if she’s come to some decision for herself. “Nope. You don’t really need to worry. He’ll just be a lot of pain in your side. As long as you don’t challenge him, you should be fine. But, seriously, don’t challenge him, Aleta, okay?”

  I can barely believe what Katelyn is saying, but I nod anyway. Everyone fears this one boy at this school? This whole thing seems absurd.

  At the same time, I can’t help thinking about how I felt in the hall, with his hand around my neck…. That definitely felt real, and not a teacher or student stepped in.

  I am not the person who bows to bullies, I remind myself. But then, I also prefer to steer clear of trouble at this point, because I have enough issues on my plate on top of navigating around my new school. Katelyn’s still staring at me, though, so I try not to show the nerves I’m feeling.

  “I’ll just have to stay clear of him,” I promise with a weak smile.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “H

  ey, do you want to go to the cafe, Aleta?”

  “I’m not hungry, but sure, let’s go,” I tell her, not without some relief.

  I thought I wouldn’t be able to find Katelyn after the last class before lunch. Luckily, we run into each other as I’m following the crowd toward the lunchroom. I’d planned on skipping lunch until I got a chance to see the cafe get a good idea of how these students congregate during lunchtime, and what the space is like, but I’ve got a little bit more confidence now that I’m with Katelyn again. I tried talking to a girl in my last class, but she was way more interested in a guy I have t
o assume is her crush—as a result, Katelyn’s still my only connection in this place.

  The cafe at Suffolk Academy differs from anything I’ve ever seen in a school. It’s like a big-city restaurant. The first thing that impresses me is the futuristic furnishings. The chairs and tables are like something out of a sci-fi movie—all unexpected angles and shiny metals. They’re not at all your typical, stiff plastic chairs and tables. The way they sparkle makes me wonder how the food will taste.

  We choose a table before getting our food. Little do I know, the technology is about to blow me away entirely. As soon as we sit down, words are displayed on the glass table. It instructs us to put our thumbprint on a part of the glass. My name and class details show up on the table after it reads my fingerprint. It’s the same for Katelyn, so it’s not as though the table’s only taking my information because I’m a new student.

  By the time it processes our fingerprints, another page has appeared. This one displays the meals available for the day. It’s a fucking digital menu.

  I stare at it, and then realize Katelyn has already made her choices. Everything sounds good, though—and not at all like school food. “I’m having a tough time choosing between lemon pepper steak and sauteed chicken breasts,” I tell her. “It’s unbelievable that I can make such a choice for lunch in the cafe of a school. Which one should I choose?”

  “Go with the chicken, for sure. The sauce is always amazing.”

  I pick the sauteed chicken breasts and then choose water to drink. This café is fascinating. The meal arrives in less than ten minutes. Cutting into it, I’m already salivating from the sight of the beautiful-looking entrée.

  “You’re right—this is amazing,” I say in between forkfuls of the chicken breast. It’s all but dripping with a rich, creamy sauce, and the mushrooms and carrots accompanying it are better than any I’ve had before. I didn’t even think I liked mushrooms!