“What the hell was that all about?” I ask, and he shrugs.
“Vic'll explain tonight,” he tells me, and then his eyes rove my body again. “You give a fuck about missing first period? Because I don't.”
“It's sort of like high school roulette,” I explain, shrugging one shoulder. “You know those automated calls they send out when you miss class? If my mom happens to answer one, she might tear me a new one. If not, all is rainbows and unicorn shit.”
Hael grins at me.
“Want to take a risk?” he asks, and I feel this heat creeping up into my chest. I swipe some pink-tinged blond hair behind an ear and shrug.
“Maybe at lunch?” I retort, acting like I know way more about this sort of shit than I really do. How many blow jobs have I given in my life? One? Two, maybe. But there's this challenge coupled with eagerness in Hael's face that I want to see through. I just can't risk missing anymore class, not when Pamela is still a threat. Sending Havoc after her is an option, but I was sort of saving her for last, after the Thing had been dealt with. I'm hoping that whatever the boys come up with, it neutralizes him as a threat.
I just want my sister safe, that's the only thing that matters.
“Lunch then,” Hael replies, stroking a thumb down the seam in his jeans and giving me a devilish sort of grin in response. “Meet me in front of the cafeteria.”
“Deal,” I say, leaning back against the door to study him. I swear, it still smells like sex and sweat in here. “But don't think I'm not expecting you to return the favor.”
“Oh, I see how it is,” Hael growls as he pulls us out of the driveway and starts off toward the school. I always know when we're headed in the direction of Prescott High because the houses get considerably less nice, smaller, and much closer together.
“Am I not allowed to ask for reciprocation?” I quip, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Ehh, on the contrary, I think that's how a Havoc Girl should sound,” Hael says, parking in his usual spot, right next to the dumpsters and just outside the perimeter fence. It's the exact same spot we fucked in yesterday. “But don't worry.” He leans over to take off my seat belt and puts his hot mouth right up against my ear. “I give as good as I get.”
Hael climbs out, leaving me to follow along behind him and around to the front of the school where we both endure the usual pat-downs, metal detectors, and rude inquiries intended to make us feel like fucking terrorists.
As soon as I get in the hall, I can feel it, his eyes on me.
“What?” I ask as Vic steps out of the shadows of one of the classrooms, and Hael freezes up. Maybe our having sex isn't as much the non-issue as he made it out to be? But Victor doesn't say a word, sweeping up the hall toward his first class and carrying a dark shadow with him that makes me shiver.
“Fuck me. We might be in trouble,” Hael murmurs, but then he just shakes it off and keeps going, leaving me to brave my English class alone.
Kali isn't present today which is a goddamn blessing. I swear, I can still see a drop of red blood on the floor near her desk. It makes the class a little easier to get through as Mr. Darkwood returns both of my poems covered in red marks and asinine suggestions that I'll never take. My poetry might not be good, but his is lifeless, rigid to form, and dull as drying paint. I ball both of the pages up, chuck them, and then start over again.
Guilt tastes like ash on my tongue.
I'm tasting the remnants of yesterday.
But a cherry-red Camaro can't take away the question in your eyes:
Who are you? And what have you done to me?
Victor Channing is not in a good mood when I pause outside the cafeteria and find him standing there. He's waiting, maybe? I guess we've all been eating lunch together every day since I joined Havoc.
What'll it look like if Hael and I both disappear, as we'd planned?
I stand there awkwardly, trying to think of what to say. Vic seems quite content to keep silent, staring at me and refusing to avert his gaze. Luckily, Aaron, Oscar, and Callum show up before the stifling silence chokes me to death.
“Are we intending a funeral?” Callum asks, trying to lighten the mood with one of his deep, dark chuckles. “Because the atmosphere is tense as fuck.”
Hael appears, swaggering down the hall like he owns the world, and wearing a cocky take-no-shit smile.
Vic doesn't smile back.
“After school, we all head straight to Aaron's. Is that clear? Any other deviations from the plan I should know about?” he snaps, and Hael's smile disappears.
“No boss,” Callum says, lifting his hands up in a placating gesture. He exchanges a look with Hael who at least has the good grace to cringe, running a hand over his red faux hawk.
“About yesterday—” he starts, but Vic is already pushing his way into the cafeteria, and Aaron is staring at me like he's never seen me before.
“Interesting,” Oscar observes, slipping in after Vic. Callum looks between the three of us, pushes his hood off his blond hair, and then chuckles again.
“Jesus Christ,” he says, and then he leaves, too.
The dynamic between Hael, Aaron, and me isn't pretty.
Aaron is clearly furious, but doesn't know what to say.
“We're gonna go take care of that errand and then smoke by my car,” Hael says, his voice neutral, edging on the verge of a challenge as he stares Aaron down. “That cool?”
Aaron just stares right back at him. They're about the same height, same build. If a fight were to break out, it'd be a close one. But we really don't need to show any discord on campus.
I should just suggest we eat in the cafeteria. That'd be the simple solution to a tense afternoon. But somehow, Aaron's and Vic's attitudes make me want to leave with Hael.
“Smoke, huh?” Aaron asks carefully, and then laughs, this caustic, awful sort of sound. “Right. I bet that's what you did yesterday. Smoked.” He shakes his head and shoves his shoulder into the swinging door, the one covered in Sharpie and stickers. There are more penises drawn on that door than there are in the entire student body.
“Am I in trouble here?” I ask Hael, turning to look at him. His gaze is on the cafeteria door, jaw tight. He moves his honey-colored eyes over to me, but he can't seem to force that cocky smile onto his face. “I thought this was part of me joining Havoc. I recall Vic using the word 'plaything'.” My own jaw is clenched when I say that. It's a cop out, I know. Me and Hael, this has nothing to do with me trying to be a good Havoc Girl and perform my duties, and everything to do with trying to piss Victor off. Apparently, I'm succeeding. “Are we not allowed to fuck each other?”
“Maybe we're just not fucking each other to their specifications?” he muses, shaking his head. “Whatever. If Aaron or Vic are mad about it, they can friggin’ talk to me.” Hael tucks his inked hands into his pockets and then gestures with his chin. “You coming, Blackbird?”
I follow him down the hall, opposite the direction of the front doors and straight toward the principal's office.
Hael has the keys which doesn't surprise me; I bet Havoc has access to every room on campus.
“Here?” I ask, and he laughs, this shit-eating, I-own-the-world asshole sort of laugh. It makes me want to punch him, not suck his dick. “We'll get caught. And there are cameras.”
“The cameras,” he says, pointing up at one in the corner with a blinking light. “Are cheap ass, battery-run fakes that Vaughn got from Wal-Mart. You think he really wants cameras in here? Isn't this where he propositioned you?”
My mouth flattens into a thin line.
It is.
Hael's right. I open my mouth to ask him how he knows, but he's already way ahead of me, sitting in Vaughn's chair and leaning back. He crosses his arms behind his head and looks me over.
“He propositions all his victims in here,” Hael says as I close and lock the door behind me. Fuck, this is risky. But really, what can Principal Vaughn do if he catches us in here? We know all his secrets. It's j
ust a matter of time before the cliff edge he's standing on comes tumbling down.
“How many girls has he asked?” I say, but Hael just shakes his head.
“No time. Don't worry about that right now.” He grins at me, and I hesitate just a brief second before letting the subject go. Hael's right, we're running on limited time here. I know on Fridays, Vaughn holds a staff meeting in the teachers' lounge. He's usually on his way back to his office when I start heading for fifth period.
So we've got … twenty minutes, tops.
Also, I know this isn't the last we'll be talking about Vaughn and his cam girls. I might've been one myself, if I hadn't already been burned, if I didn't already know better.
“Let's defile Mr. Vaughn's office,” Hael suggests, and then he leans forward, those honey-brown eyes of his glittering with mischief. “You want to go first? I'm dying to see what tough-as-nails Bernadette Blackbird looks like when she's getting proper head.”
I wrinkle my nose, but my palms are sweating, and the thrill of being in here when I know it would infuriate Vaughn is almost as alluring as the prospect of Hael on his knees. Wow. Where did that thought come from? I'm supposed to be Havoc's plaything, right?
“I'll go first,” I agree, and Hael slides off the chair and onto his knees, gesturing at the vacated seat with an inked hand.
“Ladies first.” I kick off my heels and sit down as he turns to face me, flicking the button on my leather pants and curling his fingers under the waistband. “Leather pants, man's conundrum. Makes a woman's ass irresistible, but also a pain in my ass when it comes to getting them off.” He starts to peel the fabric down my hips as my heart thunders in my chest.
“Don't tell me Brittany often wears leather pants,” I say with a bit of a curl to my lip. I have no idea why I bring up the peppy cheerleader that Hael's been dating, but he doesn't seem to mind. In fact, his cocksure grin gets a little crueler, a little sharper, and I realize that maybe while I was using him yesterday to punish Vic, he was punishing Brittany.
“Not frequently,” Hael agrees, tearing my pants off and slinging them over his shoulder. He parts my knees and then leans in, running that wicked hot tongue up my inner thigh. My hands curl around the ends of the arm rests, and I find myself staring up at the drop ceiling above our heads. “Look at me,” Hael commands, just like he did yesterday.
My gaze drops to his, and I realize that even in this position, I'm not in charge. He is. And it pisses me off. But then he slides his thumb up the crotch of my underwear, and I can't find the energy to be angry. Instead, my skin gets hot and a bead of sweat trails down between my breasts as Hael leans in and presses his mouth against my core in a naughty kiss.
“Eighteen minutes,” I remind him, and he laughs, yanking the panties to the side with two fingers and tasting me between the thighs the same way he tasted my tits yesterday. A sharp exhale escapes me as I grab hold of his bright red hair and pull him closer, encouraging him to move faster. Straight ahead of me, I can see the clock on the wall ticking down the seconds.
Hael's tongue dances a wicked little jig against my body as he slides his left hand under my right thigh, gripping my ass and squeezing hard. He waits until I'm trembling before he finally pays any attention to my clit. The tip of his tongue flicks across it at the same moment he enters me with two fingers, curving them against my aching insides and drawing a climax from me that's like magic. One-part skill, two-parts the thrill that we might get caught.
“Five minutes left,” he says, smirking at me and running his tattooed arm across his mouth. Hael chucks my leather pants at me in challenge. “How good are you, Blackbird?”
“Better than you,” I mock, but Hael gives that braying laugh of his, like he doesn't believe that for shit. I guess, seeing as he gave me an orgasm in thirteen minutes, he can act like that. I struggle into my pants, slip my heels back on, and then turn to find him already situated in the chair.
Hael occupies it like he’s the king of the school, one elbow on the armrest, inked fingers resting beneath his chin. His smirk is lazy and self-assured, his posture dripping arrogance, and his gaze flaming with heat. With those sexy bedroom eyes of his, and that sweet coconut smell, he’s practically irresistible.
Dropping to my knees, I tear the button on his jeans open and look up at him, freeing his cock and feeling my breath catch in my throat. Better than you, I said, but really, that's a load of crap. I barely know what I'm doing.
My hand wraps the base of Hael's cock while he threads tattooed fingers in my hair, guiding my mouth to exactly where he wants it. My dark purple lipstick is gonna stain, but maybe that's what he wants? I don't worry about it as I take the head between my lips and slide forward, enveloping his hard shaft in the heat of my mouth.
The groan that escapes Hael’s lips makes my already over-excited body tingle as I swirl my tongue around the tip and feel his hips buck up off the chair.
“I won't lie, I've wondered what your mouth might feel like,” he says, his fingers pressing a little firmer against the back of my head, encouraging me to go faster, take him deeper. “I used to grill Aaron about it.”
I ignore him, working him with my lips and tongue, wondering how many minutes we have left. We must have at least three, right? My right hand grips the base of Hael’s dick while my tongue does most of the hard work, swirling around him and working these deeply satisfying groans from his throat. He helps me along, hips bucking up off the chair to create more of that wet, hot friction.
I’m so into it, I consider reaching down to stroke myself through my pants when I hear the sound of a key in a lock and start to pull back.
“No, wait, I’m almost there, baby.” Hael holds me still as he groans, thrusting up into my mouth and coming hard before I get a chance to pull away.
“What the hell is this?” A startled male voice snaps the wild tension in the room as I struggle to swallow and wipe my lips at the same time. Hael is buttoning up his jeans like he doesn't give a shit and standing up. I turn to follow his stare and find Principal Vaughn, red-faced and shaking with one hand on the doorknob of his office. “I let you off easy last week, but we're looking at expulsion for something like this.”
“Hello Vaughn,” Hael says, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a flash drive. He tucks it into the front pocket of the principal's white button-up shirt and smiles. “Take a look at what's on that drive, and then get back to us with your plans.” Hael turns and offers up an inked hand for me to take. I do, narrowing my eyes on him, my heart beating so fast I feel dizzy. But I meet Principal Vaughn's wide-eyed stare head-on. I hate this man for so many reasons, the least of which is that, when I came to him with allegations about my stepfather, he went and called the Thing personally.
Invited him to pick me up.
Called me a liar.
Called my sister a whore.
I'm shaking with rage now as Hael drags me a step forward, and then pauses to put his hand on Vaughn's left shoulder.
“Watch the videos and decide how you want to repent. Maybe next time it won't be just your car that we blow up.”
Hael yanks me out the door and into the hallway, shoving me into the cinder block wall and leaning over me. His mouth hits mine before I can even think to turn away, searing through the haze of anger and leaving me panting.
“I wanted to see what I'd taste like on your lips,” he says, and then he laughs again and pushes off the wall, disappearing down the hallway toward his next class. Everyone's staring at us, but it doesn't matter.
At Prescott High, everyone knows … you don't mess with Havoc.
I head down the front steps after school to find Hael waiting for me in his car on the curb across the street, music blasting from his speakers, one tattooed arm hanging out and tapping a rhythm against the cherry-red metal.
Like a good girl, I look both ways before I cross, skirt around the hood, and slip into the passenger seat.
“Waiting for Oscar and Callum,” Hael explains when we
don't take off right away, smoking a cigarette and blowing gray smoke out the open window. He offers me the pack, and I take one, careful to avoid our fingers touching.
I let Hael Harbin go down on me in the principal's office, I think, and then pull in a deep inhale to banish the thoughts with nicotine. And all for the sake of revenge. A small smile curves my freshly painted lips. I mean, there are worse ways to ensure the downfall of one's enemies.
Oscar appears in his suit, Callum right behind him, wearing a baggy blue hoodie with the sleeves cut off, like always.
They head across the street and I start to get out, but Hael beats me to it, climbing out and lifting his seat up so the other two boys can crawl in the back. They look ridiculous back there, like we're in some sort of clown car or something. It's far too small for them, but nobody complains.
“Can we please grab something to eat on the way to Aaron's? I'm fucking starving,” Callum groans, that throaty voice of his giving me the chills. He curls his fingers over the back of my seat and peers at my phone as I tap out yet another lie to my mother. His smell drifts over me, this pleasant mix of shaving cream, talc, and aftershave. “Maybe the drive-in?”
“If it's not sanctioned by Vic, I'm not doing it,” Hael says on the end of a forced laugh. “Pretty sure Blackbird and I are in enough trouble as it is.”
“For fucking in your car behind the school, or taking your lunch assignment to a different level?” Oscar asks, and I can see in the rearview mirror that he barely lifts his eyes from the screen of his iPad.
“Lunch assignment?” I ask and Callum chuckles, low and dark. There's some deep-seated pain in that laugh, but also a grudging sort of acceptance. The darkness is where I live; I've learned to be happy here.
I shiver.
“You know how hunters send their dogs in to flush out the prey?” Callum asks, and I glance back to give him a questioning sort of look. “Hael is the dog.”
Havoc at Prescott High Page 20
