The Eastwood Series

by M. E. Clayton

  “Did you really just say that to us?”

  “Fuck you, B.B.”

  “Yeah, fuck you.”

  I smirked. Their responses were pretty much what I had expected, although I expect Ford’s reply to contain a little more pizzazz than a simple piggyback off Duke telling me to fuck off.

  I looked at the faces of the people I trusted most in the world, and with the permission Mackenzie had given me, told them all of her deepest, darkest secrets. I repeated all she told me as best as I could remember. I also stressed how I knew Brayden’s appearance today had nothing to do with football.

  When I was done, Duke’s reaction was what took me off guard most. Being the youngest, and the most sheltered, it was surprising to see him jump up from the couch and seethe, “I’ll fucking kill him.”

  I had been standing next to the air hockey table, so I walked over to him and slapped a hand on his shoulder. “I got that part covered, Duke.”

  He ignored me.

  “I’ll fucking kill him. I’ll stuff his dick down his throat and make him choke on it,” he rasped out, angrier than I’ve ever seen him.

  “I’m with Duke on this one,” Ford remarked.

  I looked over a Raiden for his take on all this. His blue eyes looked violent, but instead of losing his shit, he ran his hands down his face in resigned frustration that we couldn’t all go out and kill the entire Ridgeview male population.

  “Raid?”

  He let out a deep breath, and said, “Duke can drive Ford to school from now on. I’ll start picking up Charlie. She can keep Mackenzie company on the bleachers.”

  “You know she’s not going to go for that,” Ford said. “She’ll still want to drive herself.”

  “I don’t really give a fuck,” Raiden shot back. “Until we got a better handling on this shit, we need to be careful.”

  “I don’t disagree,” Ford snapped back. “I’m just saying that, unlike Mackenzie who happens to like Samson, I’m thinking Charlie’s going to be a tougher sell on getting rides to and from school.”

  “I can drive her,” Duke said. “You can continue to drive Ford, and I’ll drive-”

  “No,” Raiden bit out. “Charlie goes with me.” We all stared at him and could see he was already way in over his head with Charlie Harden.

  Duke shook his head. “So, what are we going to do about Mahoney?” Then he amended his questions. “As a matter of fact, what do we do about the entire football team? Because if any of those fuckers knew, and they came with him to torment Dee, then they deserve to get their asses kicked, too.”

  “She hates it when you call her that, you know,” I said, feeling the need to point that out.

  “Tough shit,” he retorted. “I like calling her that.”

  “We can get revenge on the team when we play them in a few weeks,” Ford suggested. “Doesn’t matter if they knew or not. They’re a team, so his ass whooping is their ass whooping.” He shrugged a shoulder. “The main concern is that none of them get close enough to Mackenzie or Charlie to do something else we’ll have to kill them for.”

  “I agree,” I said. “We can kick their assess on the field.”

  “Do Amelia and Alistair know?” Ford asked.

  I shook my head. “No. Up until today, the only person who knew was her mother. Brayden showing up made her feel guilty enough to finally tell Charlie and Charlie’s parents.”

  “Guilty?” Duke repeated.

  “Yeah. Mackenzie thinks it’s possible he might start trouble now that he knows where she is, and she wanted everyone to know what they were getting into being involved with her.”

  “That’s bullshit,” Raiden spat.

  “I know.”

  “What a fucking mess,” Duke mumbled.

  “You know what really sucks?” I asked no one in particular. “I actually can sympathize with the bastard.” I shook my head and let out a hollow laugh. “I can’t say that I’d just let her go, either, if she tried.”

  “That’s different. You’re not an abusive asshole,” Ford countered.

  “Yeah. Not the same at all,” Duke added.

  “Isn’t it, though?” I asked.

  “There’s a difference in not letting a girl go because you can’t live without her and not letting her go because you need her around to abuse,” Raiden chimed in. “Besides, if every guy just let his girl go whenever she lost her shit on him, there’d be no couple around ever.” He jerked his head. “Some girls need to be reminded that they’re worth fighting for.”

  “You think it can be that simple, sometimes?” Ford asked.

  Raiden looked over at him. “Take Samson and Mackenzie for instance. To him, he thinks she might view his possessiveness in the same light as Mahoney’s fucked-up point of view. But what if, after being cheated on and abused, she views Samson’s protective ways as a guy who finally sees her worth and is doing whatever he can to make sure she knows it?”

  “Like you and Charlie?” Duke smirked.

  Raiden shot him a look. “Charlie Harden is in no danger of forgetting her worth,” he replied. “And I can admit that I don’t exactly have a plan where she’s concerned, but our drama is vastly different than what Mackenzie has going on with Mahoney.”

  “It’s amazing how they’re capable of turning us into raving lunatics,” Duke grimaced, probably recalling the momentary leave of his senses when he had fallen for Lilly Montague.

  “It really is pathetic,” Ford agreed, and we all looked at him with various expressions of incredulousness.

  “What would you know about a girl driving someone crazy?” Raiden asked. “You’re balls-deep in pussy almost every fucking weekend, Ford.”

  “You guys act like I’ve never liked a girl before,” he accused.

  “You haven’t,” I argued.

  He hopped of the pool table. “I don’t tell you fuckers everything, you know,” he snapped out. Three heads titled to the side. “Okay…so maybe I do,” he amended. “The point is, I’ve liked a girl before, so I get it, okay?”

  “I need a fucking drink,” Duke muttered.

  “Yeah. Let’s go raid Dad’s office,” I replied. “Fuck a school night.”

  “Yeah, okay. I’m in,” Ford agreed.

  “Fuck it,” Raiden said. “Might as well. This is some heavy shit.”

  We knew how to party with the best of them, but we weren’t ever extreme in it. However, Raiden was right. This was some heavy shit.

  Chapter 15

  Mackenzie~

  Just as he said he would be, Samson showed up to take me to school this morning. All the adults had already left for work and thank God for small favors. Samson, Charlie, and I had just started walking down the walkway, me and Samson towards his car, and Charlie stepping left to head towards hers when a Camaro pulled up into the driveway, blocking her in.

  Raiden Cruz had gotten out and all hell had broken loose.

  Raiden had announced that he was going to start driving Charlie to and from school and she had gone all I-Am-Woman-Hear-Me-Roar on him. Then the boy done made it worse when he told he her didn’t give a flying fuck what she thought and threw her over his shoulder and dumped her in his car, child locking the doors, so she couldn’t get out.

  I was shocked they had both made it to school without battle wounds.

  We had waited in the parking lot for Duke and Ford, and once they had shown up, we all headed towards the building. Samson didn’t like that I didn’t have any of them in my first and second period, but I promised him I’d be okay. People were talking about me even before Brayden showed up yesterday; if people wanted to talk, they were going to talk.

  First period had gone off without a hitch. Sure, people stared and there were whispers, but I think at this point, I was getting used to it. It was hard to believe this was only the third day of school, but I knew that as long as I was dating Samson, people were going to talk. Even had I been a regular girl with an unassuming past, they’d still talk. Samson Maddox was going to
be in the NFL one day. He was popular, athletic, and too gorgeous to look at. The confirmed rumors that he’s never had a girlfriend before were another reason people were going to talk.

  “You must really think you’re something special, huh?” I had been walking towards the back where I’ve sat the past two days when those words had me spinning around to look into the face of Phyllis Montague.

  Flippin’ great.

  I knew what she meant, and I knew what this was. I also knew that, because I’d been keeping my head down and I let Samson rescue me from Brayden yesterday, that a lot of these students probably thought I was weak. But I wasn’t weak. I was tired. And there was a difference.

  I had spent months enduring emotional, mental, and physical abuse because I’d been worried my mother would lose her job. I had spent the past three months getting used to living with my uncle and worried about Mom finding a new job. Now, I was at a new school, with new rules, a new boyfriend, and friends. I was tired. I wasn’t weak.

  And I needed to let these people know that.

  “No,” I replied. “I actually don’t think I’m special.” I smirked. “But I know someone who does.”

  Her lip curled and she truly looked ugly for someone who was so pretty. Phyllis Montague had that sandy-blonde hair that danced between dark blonde and light brown. She had big brown eyes, a perfect complexion, and a bangin’ figure. She was reputed to be smart and confident. I was the last person she should feel threatened by. Of course, I had the one thing she didn’t.

  “Oh, you think it’s cute to have two boys fighting over you?” she accused.

  “Phyllis, you really need to mind your own business,” I told her. “None of this is any of your concern.”

  Then she started reaching. “Samson Maddox is our star quarterback,” she huffed. “The last thing Eastwood needs is for him to get hurt or suspended because you can’t make up your mind who you want to date.” She tossed that uniquely-colored hair over her shoulder. “As a student who’s been class president and is an advocate of this school, it is my business.”

  “Just to be clear, Phyllis, I’m not making up my mind on who I want to date,” I replied. “As I’m sure every video that’s been uploaded on social media since yesterday shows, you can clearly hear me telling Brayden that I am dating Samson. Brayden and I broke up back in May.” People were gathering around and pulling out their phones. “As for Samson, how about we ask him in sixth period what he thinks about his possible suspension or injuries, yeah?”

  “Ms. Harden and Ms. Montague, please take your seats and save the high school drama for break or lunch,” Mrs. Vegas reprimanded loud enough to cause some chuckles. “Better yet, why don’t you just dispense with it altogether and concentrate on getting your educations.”

  I leaned over and looked towards the front of the class. “Of course, Mrs. Vegas.”

  Phyllis turned around and her voice was sickeningly sweet as she said, “Of course, Mrs. Vegas. Mackenzie and I were just discussing the importance of our football team and team spirit.”

  I gotta give the teacher credit here. She wasn’t fooled. “Uh, uh,” she muttered. “Well, all the same, save it for after class.”

  Everyone finished taking their seats, and as soon as my ass hit the chair, my phone vibrated with an incoming text.

  Charlie: U ok? Just got a text with Phyllis n ur face.

  Me: She’s mean-girling. She wants Samson

  Charlie: Duh. She’s been after him 4 years

  Me: She said I need 2 make up my mind who I’m dating

  Charlie: Tell her 2 go eat a dick

  I stifled my laugh and looked up really quick. Mrs. Vegas was writing some stuff on the board, but I knew she was going to officially start class soon.

  Me: Class starting. TTYL

  Charlie: C u @ break

  I was about to exit out of my texts when my phone vibrated again. Samson’s name popped up with a text message. Well, I guess not technically Samson’s name. When he had programmed his number in my phone yesterday, he had entered it as ‘Boyfriend’.

  Boyfriend: Drama?

  Me: Nothing I can’t handle

  Boyfriend: U sure?

  Me: Yep

  Boyfriend: Okay. C u soon

  A part of me wanted to be that girl, and send him a heart emoji, but we’ve been dating three days. Sure, this thing between us has been going on a lot longer than that, but I didn’t want to start appearing clingy or too affectionate or insane.

  The last thing I wanted to do was confuse lust with love. I’ve never downplayed the visceral reaction I had to Samson the night I met him, but I also never downplayed how attractive he was. The boy was over six-foot and built like a god. His dark brown hair made those hazel eyes pop and he was just fucking gorgeous. I had been attracted to him from the beginning and I didn’t want to forget that. Love and lust were two very separate things, and just because I wanted to jump him like a spider monkey didn’t mean I was going to start throwing the L-word around.

  It’s been three days.

  That was another thing. It’s been three days, and Samson’s yet to kiss me. He’s held my hand and has planted soft kisses on my forehead or the side of my face, but he hasn’t even kissed me yet. It had me wondering why. It had me worried why. I had no reservations about giving Samson my virginity right away. It wasn’t that I was content to just toss it to whoever caught it, but after Brayden’s insistence at keeping me pure for morbid egotistical reasons, I wanted to experience passion. I wanted to experience it with Samson. I wanted to have sex with Samson Maddox.

  And, yes, only after three days.

  Chapter 16

  Samson~

  It was hard to believe it’s only been three fucking days, and I’ve been involved in more shit than I have in the three prior years at Eastwood High.

  If that bullshit with Mahoney wasn’t enough, Phyllis actually tried to get crazy with Mackenzie. So, yeah, sure, I hadn’t expected her to run out of sixth period crying after I called her a desperate tramp willing to pimp out her own sister to get laid, but I hadn’t been lying.

  Mackenzie had censured me in front of everyone after Phyllis ran out crying, but I had just smiled. It had settled the uneasiness in my chest when Mackenzie showed she was secure enough and brave enough to call me out in front of everyone.

  Mahoney hadn’t broken her after all.

  And now, we were walking through the front door of my house. I had wanted my parents to meet Mackenzie, but Duke and I had gotten texts during second period that Dad was flying Mom to Napa for a day of wine tasting and romantic evening for two.

  It was fucking Wednesday, for Christ’s sake.

  But even if she couldn’t meet them today, I still wanted to invite her over. I wanted her to be comfortable in my home and with just stopping by.

  When we stepped into the foyer, Mackenzie had joked, “We should probably schedule a tour for this weekend.” She glanced around. “Looks like a tour might be an all-day affair.”

  I grabbed her hand. “Come on, smart ass.” She laughed but followed.

  The ‘tour’ took about an hour, but that was because I gave her a tour of the grounds, too. We hit up the pool house, the pond, and Duke’s batting cage. Our house was a typical two-story…not quite a mansion, but close enough. The house didn’t have a lot of rooms, but the rooms it did have were huge. Everything in this house was spacious like a sonofabitch.

  “Are you hungry?” I asked her when we came back in from the back. “I can make you something.”

  Mackenzie smiled at me. “You cook?”

  I shrugged. “My parents are gone a lot. Someone had to feed Duke.”

  Those purple eyes saw so fucking much in that one statement that Mackenzie nodded once and moved on. “Not really,” she answered. “But if you’re hungry, I have no problem hanging out in the kitchen.”

  My chest thumped with an emotion I couldn’t identify. Guilt? I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that Mackenzie had entrusted me
with her deepest secrets and I was glossing over the details of my life.

  I didn’t like that.

  “Tell you what,” I said. “It’s close to dinnertime, so I’ll cook enough for you, me, and Duke for when he gets home, and you can sit there while I tell you what it’s like to be a Maddox.”

  “Samson, you don’t have to-”

  “I want to, Mackenzie,” I assured her. She gave me a tentative smile but sat down at the kitchen island anyway.

  An hour later, dinner had been cooked, served, eaten, and stored away for Duke, and I had told Mackenzie all about how I practically raised Duke on my own because my parents were so in love with each other, it bordered on neglect.

  And like the girl she was, Mackenzie thought it was sweet that my dad loved my mom so much. She had even made the comment about how she couldn’t imagine someone loving her like that.

  I snorted.

  The fucking girl didn’t have a clue.

  “What time do you have to be home?” I asked her as I set the dishwasher.

  “Once I turned eighteen, my mom said she felt ridiculous imposing a curfew on me. But I still try to respect the fact that I’m still in school and live under her roof. Or…Uncle Silas’ roof,” she said. “We get to move into our own place next weekend.”

  “So….is nine too late?” I looked at the clock on the kitchen wall and it was already close to seven. With football practice running past four, the tour of the house, and dinner, it was pretty late for a school night.

  “No. Nine’s fine,” she said. “I have my own key and Mom’s sleeps like the dead. Even then, Charlie and I don’t usually turn in until ten, or so. Her parents are rather laxed as long as she’s not fucking up.”

  My hand reached out and Mackenzie automatically grabbed my hand in hers. She knew where my bedroom was from the tour, so she didn’t ask where we were going as we went up the steps. We entered my bedroom and I shut the door behind her as she asked, “Where’s Duke?”