I come hard and fast, groaning as I cover myself in cum.
Fuck.
This fucking girl … is going to be the death of me.
Monica
When I’m home, my mom’s right there on the couch watching her favorite show. “Hey, how was the concert?” she asks.
I swallow. “Yeah. Cool.”
“Cool?” she repeats, turning her head to me.
“It was fine,” I say, shrugging it off. I don’t want to give her the complete rundown because she’ll vilify me for it. “I’m going to my room.”
“Okay. I’ll be here if you need me,” she says, and I wave it off and swiftly leave.
I don’t want to lie to her, but I don’t want to worry her either.
I mean … nothing really worrisome happened … nothing extraordinary.
Unless you count a dirty kiss.
Oh man, just thinking about it still makes my heart beat faster. I don’t understand why Cole has this effect on me, but he does. Every time I get close to him, something flutters in my stomach, and I feel so heavy and unable to breathe. I never felt that way before, not with any guy.
And when he pressed his lips onto mine, I swear it felt like heaven and hell all wrapped in a tiny package of sin.
If I hadn’t stopped him right there, who knows how much further he would’ve taken it.
How much further I would’ve driven myself into madness.
This guy would destroy me … if he had the chance.
Maybe not intentionally, but likely. This is not a guy you give into. Not willingly, anyway. And I almost did.
I sigh to myself as I close the door to my room and rest against it.
I can’t let myself go like that ever again. Even if it was … amazing beyond words.
He probably didn’t mean a single second of that kiss. I was probably just another one of his prized collections. Something to win over and conquer. Something to boast about to your friends.
Everything about him screams trouble and those kisses? He probably gives them to fifteen different girls per week.
I shake my head and slap my forehead. “Stupid.”
I shouldn’t have accepted his offer to come to the concert.
I lie down on the bed and bury my head in my pillow, screaming into it just for the sake of it. Boys. Sometimes, I really hate how I’m so fucking attracted to them.
Especially the ones who people told me to stay away from. And still, I didn’t listen.
I grab my phone and call my cousin.
“Hi!” Her upbeat voice makes me pull my phone away from my ear.
“Hey,” I mutter.
“Mo? Is that you? You sound … wasted,” she scoffs. “Did you have too much to drink?”
“No, but I did have a terrible time,” I reply, snorting.
“What happened?” she asks, but before I can say a word, she’s already talking again, “No, wait, don’t tell me you went to that concert where TRIGGER is playing?”
I feel caught cheating. “Well … I dunno, I couldn’t not go, I mean—”
“But I thought you didn’t like concerts?” she interrupts.
“Well, I do, or … I did … before …” I choke on my own words. “I just went because he invited me.”
“Who did?” She sounds curious as hell. “Don’t tell me you’ve already got a boyfriend?”
“What? Boyfriend, no!” My cheeks turn red. “Of course not. You warned me about him, and you were right.”
Suddenly, she goes silent, and I wonder if I still have a connection or if the line is broken.
“Ariane?” I mumble. “You still there.”
“Yeah, yeah …” she mutters. “Who invited you again?”
“Cole,” I say. “I thought he was finally gonna be nice. I think the rumors about him are true.”
“Rumors? What rumors?” she asks with a heated voice.
“That he was a cheater,” I say.
“Yeah, totally,” she says. “He cheats on every girl he dates.” But every word she utters is snappy as if she’s in a hurry. “I can’t believe he invited you. And that you went there, oh my God.”
I’m a bit flabbergasted she’d question me. “Well, I’m sorry. I just thought—”
“I’m sorry, I have to go, Mom’s bothering me, but I’ll see you at school, okay?” she says.
The phone beeps against my ear, and I pull it away to stare at it for a second, completely dumbfounded that she hung up on me.
What the hell?
Cole
I’m rudely pulled from my daydreams about Monica by a call by none other than fucking Ariane. I contemplate pushing the red button, but for some reason, I don’t. Maybe it’s because I’ve already been enough of a dick to the people around me, or maybe I’m bolstered by my encounter with Monica, enough to make me want to give Ariane a piece of my mind.
So I pick up the phone and bark, “What do you want?”
“Listen, you asshole, stay away from her.”
I frown. What the fuck happened here? “Really? That’s why you’re calling me? To threaten me?” I laugh. “You’ve got some nerve.”
“I told you not to get close, and you still did it,” she hisses. “Why? You wanna get revenge on me so badly?”
“No,” I scoff. “Or maybe yes. It depends on when you ask.”
“Fuck you,” she growls.
“Are you done now?” I ask, contemplating whether I should just hang up on her. It would probably make her fume … and yell at me in public. That would make a nice show.
“She’s not your toy, Cole! Don’t fucking use her to get to me. I told you to stay away for a reason!”
I sit up in my bed. Now it’s getting interesting. “What reason?”
She’s suddenly quiet as a bird. “Nothing, it’s none of your business, and she’s none of your business either.”
“Oh, she’s all of my business now,” I retort, my tongue darting out to wet my lips. “Tell me more.”
“Fuck you. You’re an asshole, and you know it,” she says.
“Call me more names. It turns me on,” I jest.
“She’s not some girl, Cole. She’s my cousin. You don’t get to use her and throw her away too.”
“You don’t even know what you’re talking about,” I say. “What did she tell you?”
“It doesn’t matter what she said. You don’t get to ruin her, too,” she says.
“Ruin? Who said anything about ruin?” I muse. “If anything, you’ve only gotten me more interested. So tell me … what’s the big secret?”
“What?” she mutters. I can clearly hear her getting choked up on the other end of the line.
“You wouldn’t be so determined to keep me away from her if it wasn’t for something … something you’re not telling me …” I add.
“There is no secret,” she hisses, which makes me believe she’s lying because she always hisses when she lies. “Don’t get near her again, don’t invite her, don’t say anything to her, got it?”
“I do whatever the hell I want, and I don’t need your fucking permission,” I reply. She’s getting on my nerves now. “As a matter of fact, you threatened me. You shouldn’t have …” A smirk spreads on my lips. “Because now I’m only going to try harder.”
“COLE! No!” she yells. “You’ll fucking break her heart and her body.”
“Body? How?”
Her body? How strong does she think I am?
Unless she means something else … I wonder.
“Don’t. I don’t need to tell you anything. Just stay away, or I swear to God,” she growls.
“Tell me what it is, and then maybe I’ll listen,” I say.
“Over my dead body,” she says through gritted teeth.
She hangs up the phone, clearly enraged.
Definitely interesting.
Because nothing in this world can anger Ariane … except for two things.
Not getting enough attention and someone messing with her family.
And one thing’s for sure … If Ariane tries to keep something away from me, the more I’m going to latch on to make it mine.
And I definitely want to find out what it is she’s protecting.
Monica.
You just got a whole lot more interesting.
Chapter 12
Cole
I grab the apple off my tray and eat it in plain sight of maybe fifteen girls that are all staring at me with big blue eyes, sighing as I lick my lips after swallowing. Jesus Christ. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined so many thirsty girls waiting in line just to get a taste.
I always thought it’d be the endgame. That this is what I was doing it all for. But really? This apple tastes better than all those girls ever could. None of them capture my attention, and the only girl who actually does isn’t here.
I take another bite, throw it down on my tray, and look at my buddies, wondering if we should skip the rest of our classes so we can practice. If I can’t get my hands on the only girl I’m interested in right now, at least I can hone my skills.
One last sip of my Coke ends in a coughing fit.
Michael’s rolling a fatty right in front of me, right here in the cafeteria. What in the …?
“What the fuck are you doing?” I growl at him, glaring him down.
“What?” he mutters, sticking the joint in his pocket. “It’s for later.”
“I told you that’s not what we do,” I bark. When he joined our group last, I explained the rules to him. No alcohol and no drugs. Keep a clean track record to have a better chance of making it. I thought I made that clear, but apparently not clear enough.
“Throw it out,” I add.
“Fuck no,” he scoffs, looking at Tristan and Benjamin as though they’d support him, but they wisely stay out of it. “What am I supposed to do with it then?”
“Flush it,” I answer.
“Why? Give me one good reason,” he says.
“Because it’s our fucking rules,” I say through gritted teeth.
I don’t do fucking drugs.
Not here, not anywhere, never.
I don’t judge others who take them at a party, but I gotta draw the line when he brings this shit into school. No fucking way am I gonna let him taint our reputation.
“Don’t you understand? This is bigger than you. Bigger than that fucking joint,” I say. “You’re risking our whole fucking band. What if we get caught completely stoned?”
“Relax, it’s just some weed.” He leans back in his chair and sticks both hands in his pocket as if it’s nothing.
“Doesn’t matter what it is. Drugs are off the table. When you joined this band, you fucking agreed.”
He raises a brow. “Why do you care so much?”
“Because I wanna be fucking rich and famous without the added stigma, that’s why. And your bullshit is getting in the way,” I retort, cocking my head. “Maybe I was wrong about you. Maybe you’re not the right fit for our band.”
“Cole, simmer down a little,” Tristan intervenes.
“No,” I say, folding my arms.
“People are looking,” he adds.
“So? Let them look,” I say, shrugging while focusing my attention solely on Michael. “Do it, or I’ll do it.”
We stare each other down. I’m not lying. I don’t make empty threats. I’ll come over there and snatch them from his pocket and throw them in the garbage myself if I have to. I’m willing to do whatever it takes, and if I have to sacrifice a friendship over it, fine with me.
“Fine,” he growls after a while, and he scoots his chair back and stomps toward the bin, where he chucks them away in full view of every girl watching both him and me. He doesn’t seem to give two shits, though. Neither do I. The point was made. And I’d rather have them see him throw them out than smoke a blunt in school.
I fucking hate drugs. No matter how small the amount or how insignificant the type. Thanks to my dad, I’ve seen what they can do to people. No fucking way am I letting that shit anywhere near my band or me.
Michael plops down on his seat again and crosses his arms while leaning away from the table, still glaring incessantly at me. “Happy now?”
I look up at him from my tray. Fuck this. I’m not hungry anymore.
I pick up my tray and get up from my seat.
However, right as I turn around, someone bumps into me.
“WATCH IT!” I yell as two trays bump, and the contents splatter all over us both, then tumble to the floor.
But as I stare with rage at the person in front of me, that anger dissipates as quickly as it appeared.
Fucking Monica Romero.
Monica
My new school clothes are completely covered in chocolate milk. And everyone around us laughing.
I’m humiliated and downright angry that this would happen to me so soon, when I’m just getting used to this school and getting to know my new classmates. I wasn’t planning on making a fool out of myself, but here I am, thanks to this dude.
When I look up, my eyes widen, and my heart sinks into my shoes.
Cole motherfucking Travis.
I’ve been deliberately avoiding him for days, and even then, I still bump into him without wanting to. And with a tray chock-full, no less. Both my clothes as well as his are covered in food.
I’m not sure which one of us is more upset.
“Bumping into people, is that your thing or something?” he jokes, throwing the tray on the table he just got up from.
“It was an accident,” I growl back.
I’m really not up for his silly games right now. That kiss he gave me is still at the forefront of my mind, hot and center. In fact, I think about it every single minute of the day, but that doesn’t mean it still wasn’t wrong of him, or that I forgot how much of an asshole he really is.
“You could’ve watched where you were going,” he says. “Look at my shirt.”
“You could’ve seen me coming if you’d looked before getting up,” I retort. “I mean, look at my dress.”
He cocks his head. “Really, Mo?”
My jaw drops. “You did not just call me that.”
“What, Mo?” A devious smirk spreads on his lips. “Angry now? Good. You should be. You wasted both our food and our clothes.”
“You were getting up to throw it away!” I reply in shock that he’d go this far for attention.
Everyone’s looking at us like we’re a giant spectacle. Even Mel, who I was on my way to before all this went down.
“Doesn’t matter,” he spits back. “These are school uniforms. They’re expensive.”
Oh, now he’s pretending to care about the school uniform? I don’t believe it one bit.
“Fuck the clothes,” I growl back, anger taking over. “And fuck you too, asshole.”
His nostrils flare, and everyone’s looking at us. Or more specifically, they’re angrily staring at me, as I was the one at fault. And it makes me question my sanity because I could’ve sworn he was just doing this to intimidate me, to make me feel small, insignificant. To remind me who’s in charge … who could crush my chances at this school in an instant.
So I slam my lips together, spin on my heels, and throw my tray on top of the bin before marching out the door. I can still feel his stare piercing my back, but I don’t care. I’m not gonna stay there and be humiliated in front of the entire school.
But I still have class today. I can’t go home and get another shirt. There’s only one other solution; clean it with water and pray it comes out.
I rush into the teacher’s bathroom and open the faucet, leaning in to carefully hold my shirt underneath the running water. It’s definitely gonna be cold, but if I can clean this well enough maybe it won’t leave a stain.
Suddenly the door opens, and I jolt up and down from the surprise.
Especially when my eyes find his. Cole followed me here.
“What are you doing in here?” I bark, turning away from the faucet.
His eyes dart at my wet shirt, which clings to my skin, and I immediately cover it with my hand.
“Did you forget again?” he muses, walking up to me in such an overpowering way that I back up as far as I can until I hit the wall. He leans in, smiling at me with that familiar half-smile of his, before whispering. “Teacher’s bathroom pass. And it’s unisex.”
Fuck. I hate how he says the word ‘unisex,’ so full of himself, so … raunchy.
“No worries,” he says, and he turns toward the faucet, giving me a second to catch my breath. “I didn’t forget.”
He throws his jacket onto the counter and pulls off his tie. Then he starts unbuttoning his shirt. One by one, each of the buttons come off, making me gulp even harder as more skin is revealed. The fabric slides off his shoulders with ease, but then he turns his head and looks right at me, the penetrative stare boring into my soul.
My cheeks immediately heat as I attempt to look away, but it’s hard because he’s literally right in my face and those tattoo-covered muscles … boy, they’re in a whole different league of their own.
He smiles, shaking his head, and proceeds to wash his shirt under the running water. A few droplets splash onto his perfect skin. When he turns around to face me in all his half-naked glory, I gulp, and I swear to God, he could hear it because that fucking smirk appears again … the one he’s given me so many times when he caught me in the act.
“Are you done?” I ask.
He raises a brow. “Are you?” He approaches me again. “Because all I know is that you never stop running into me.”
“Running into you?” I scoff. “It was an accident. Those happen.”
“Not that often,” he replies, getting closer and closer again. “So I’m thinking … what if it isn’t a coincidence?”
“It is,” I growl back. “An unfortunate one too.”
“Really? Because your eyes don’t say what your mouth is saying, Mo.”
“Stop calling me that,” I hiss.
Rowdy Boy (A High School Bully Romance): Black Mountain Academy Page 9
