by Bella King
“I was already,” I begin, but then I stop. Sure, I was going to get it already, but why not kill two birds with one stone? I smile. “I’ll get you the booze if you give me the necklace back. I’ll even come to the party.”
Blake’s eyes widen. “Really?”
I nod. “Yes. You have my word.”
“Okay, well you’re not getting the necklace until you supply the alcohol,” he says, tucking the chain and pendant back into his pocket.
Well, I didn’t think it would that easy. I guess I have to follow through with what I promised Flint originally. It seems that I’m back to square one, but in a slightly better way. At least Blake doesn’t want me dead. I wonder if Flint would’ve stopped Edyth and her gang if he had witnessed the fight.
“Where is Flint?” I ask.
Blake shrugs. “Probably shagging some dumb bitch in the locker room.”
“What?” I exclaim, feeling a pang of jealousy that really shouldn’t exist in my body.
“I don’t know where he is. It’s just an idea,” Blake replies.
“Keep your stupid ideas to yourself,” I snap, finally able to collect myself enough to storm off to the bathroom. I need to take a look at my injuries before meeting up with Flint anyway. I probably look like I’ve been runover by a car, and I prefer to look nice in front of Flint.
Chapter Fourteen
Flint
Amber. I think about her a lot now, even though she’s nothing but trouble. Edyth made it very clear what she thinks about me fucking around with the rich girl, but I still find her useful. The party isn’t going to be right without her, so I need to find her and make sure she comes with me.
I breeze through the dimly lit school hallways, counting heads and keeping a lookout for her blonde hair. It’s unmistakably perfect, but I doubt she realizes that. Everything about her is perfect except for her snotty little attitude, but she’s subservient enough to where I might be able to work that out of her. She’s moldable, and I’m feeling artistic.
I spot Blake in the hallway, shaking locker doors to check if they’re locked. He does that often, and every once in a while, he gets a reward from it. Last time he found a dime bag of coke in one of them and he hasn’t been able to stop since then. He’s always in search of something to snort, smoke, or sell.
“Find anything today?” I ask as I approach him.
“Just your girlfriend’s necklace,” he replies, pulling the chain with the angel pendant out of his pocket again.
“I don’t have a girlfriend, Blake,” I reply, but I know he already knows that. Sometimes, he speaks in riddles.
“Amber,” Blake announces, waving his hands through the air.
I laugh. “Definitely not my girlfriend, man.”
“Regardless, I have her necklace,” he replies.
I raise an eyebrow. “Oh, so it is hers. I thought it might be.”
“You should’ve told me, dude. She said she wasn’t going to the party or buying alcohol, like you claimed she was, but after I told her I’d trade her necklace back if she did, she agreed to it. So, we’re set.”
“She was already going to do that,” I reply, shaking my head.
“That’s not what she said. I just saved the party from your incompetence,” Blake replies, crossing his arms.
“The only incompetent one here is you,” I tell him. “But I’d like to have a chat with that girl. Where is she?”
“I don’t know. She scurried off that way after Edyth and her girls beat her up,” he replies, pointing down the hall.
“Again?” I ask. Jesus, when will Amber learn to defend herself?
Blake nods. “I stopped them though, so she’s alright.”
I sigh. Amber is weak, but that also means I can still use her to my advantage. After last night, I think I want to have a little fun with her at the party. I don’t mean any harm, but at the same time, I don’t respect her. I never respected rich girls. Maybe she’ll do what’s best and leave after all of this. She clearly doesn’t belong here.
I give Blake a thumbs up and head down the hall in the direction he said he saw Amber going. We’re going to skip our final class and go down to the corner store. I have a special plan for Amber once I take her there. I bet she’s never robbed a shop before, but I have and I’m going to take her under my wing for a bit. She doesn’t have a choice in the matter.
I slink down the hall, ignoring everyone I pass. I’m focused on Amber, the subject of my fascinations and the most attractive woman at this school. Edyth is jealous of her for that, which explains the beatings. People can be so primitive, but am I really any different?
I adjust the uncomfortable waistline of my new jeans as I walk, trying to get the damn things to fit around my cock and balls properly. Honestly, whoever made these jeans is a dolt. They’re my size, but they leave no room for my junk whatsoever. I’ll be happy to find a new pair and toss these back where they came from.
As I’m fiddling with my dick, trying to look inconspicuous, Amber exits the woman’s bathroom, head held high but walking with a limp. She looks rough, but I’ve seen worse. Edyth is an absolute savage when it comes to girls she doesn’t like.
“Yo,” I call out, trying to get her attention.
She looks up at me, only to turn and start walking away from me.
Really? Does she think I’m just going to give up and let her go? I jog up to her, placing my hand on her small shoulder to get her attention again.
Amber spins around, a deep frown on her face. “Why were you ignoring me?” she snaps.
I recoil a bit, then smirk off her anger. She’s pissed because Edyth beat her up again. That’s not my fault. “I was just trying to stay out of your way,” I reply. That’s the truth, whether she likes it or not.
She shakes her head. “You could’ve helped me, but your creepy friend Blake had to save me from getting my head stomped in.”
“Yeah, he told me about that. It’s not like I sicked those girls on you though,” I explain.
“Might as well have,” she replies. “You’ve done nothing to help me.”
“You have the memory of a grandma, Amber. I already warned you about Edyth and her cheer squad,” I say.
“I would’ve figured it out after the second beatdown anyway,” she snarls.
“Listen, I have enough of my own problems not to waste my time with yours,” I reply.
“The only problem you have is that you’re an asshole.”
“Okay,” I say, throwing my hands up. “You got me. I’ve never faced any struggles in my life, unlike you, the little rich girl who has had her entire existence handed to her since birth. Yeah, I would say I don’t have any fucking problems and I’m just an asshole,” I retort, my voice growing louder with each word.
“You don’t know me,” she hisses, pushing hair out of her face. “You don’t know what I’ve been through. You don’t know shit, Flint, and honestly, I want it to stay that way. Get out of my fucking life.”
“Fuck you,” I reply.
“Fuck you too,” she says, spinning around and attempting to walk away.
“Not so fast, bitch.” I grab her shoulder, yanking her back and slamming her small body against a locker. It rattles loudly in the hallway, turning a few heads, but people here know better than to get involved in other people’s problems. I seem to have forgotten that, but I’m quickly being reminded by Amber why I didn’t want to talk to people in the first place.
“Get off me,” she says, but I hear fear in her voice now instead of anger. Yes, she’s afraid of me, and I’m going to use it to my advantage. I’m done playing nice.
“You need to listen to me, and listen close,” I growl, leaning close and staring her down. She shrinks at my sudden aggression, but I’m not backing off. “You’re going to do what I tell you to do, do you got that?”
“Yes,” she replies in a whisper. Her blue eyes are as wide as plates, shimmering at me with delicious submissiveness. I’d fuck her right now if we weren�
�t in public. I bet she’d like that too. I bet she’s wet just thinking about it.
I study her face. I gaze into the fear and feel a surge of power. It’s intoxicating, like no other drug I’ve ever tried. The woman who I never wanted to have anything to do with is under my thumb, and all I have to do is press down to take out my frustrations. I could end her in an instant.
“You’re coming with me to the corner store,” I tell her. “You’re going to do exactly what I tell you to do.”
She nods, clearly defeated. She already agreed to this, but I’m going to make sure it gets done right. I’ve had time to think about it, and I found a nice little bandana while I was rummaging through the clothing donation bin that’s going to come in handy.
“Come with me,” I tell her, grabbing her shoulder again and pulling her away from the locker.
“What? We’re going now?” she asks innocently.
I chuckle. “When did you think we were going?”
“But we’ll miss math class,” she protests.
I lead her down the hallway with my hand firmly on her shoulder. “Quite frankly, Amber, I don’t give a fuck.”
Chapter Fifteen
Amber
How can I go from turned on to terrified, back to turned on from Flint’s actions? Men shouldn’t be this confusing, but he has taken me for a hell of a ride already and it’s just day two in his company. I can’t imagine what the rest of the year is going to be like.
My shoulder already aches from the fight with Edyth, and Flint’s iron grip isn’t making it any better. His fingers dig into the indent above my collar bone, threatening to tear right through the flesh and tendons below. I allow him to lead me out of the school and miss math class. After this, I’m getting the hell out of this place, no matter how I have to do it.
My car is broken, my mother is pissed as high hell at me, Edyth wants me dead, and I can’t quite say what Flint wants with me but it’s nothing good. I’m old enough to hitch a ride out of town and finish school somewhere else, even if I have to live on the street to do it.
Right now, those thoughts are in a distant future though. The present moment has so much gravity that I’m sucked into the bottom of every second that passes. I can’t see out into tomorrow, much less five minutes from now. Fantasies of escape will have to wait.
I wince, dipping my shoulder down as Flint pushes me out of the front door into the humid summer heat. His grip is too hard.
“That hurts,” I tell him as he walks me down the bubblegum-laden concrete stairs outside of Blackstone High.
“Too bad,” he replies, but I feel the grip of his strong fingers loosen just a tiny bit around my bruised shoulder.
Suddenly, Flint let’s go of me completely. He throws his bookbag off his shoulders at my feet, slamming it into my toes. Thankfully, there aren’t any books inside, which would’ve hurt like hell. I step back as he bends over to unzip it.
“You’re going to need to hide your face,” he says, diving into the bag and coming up a second later with a red cloth in his hand. “Wear this.”
“This isn’t the wild west, Flint,” I reply, looking at the wrinkled bandana.
“I didn’t ask for your opinion, princess. Just put the damn thing on so we can get through with this and leave,” he growls.
I snatch the bandana from his hand, then I hold it up to the hazy yellow sunlight that spills out from the treetops. It’s dirty, but I’ve never seen him wearing it. I bring it close to my nose and sniff, dragging in a stale scent. “Where did you get this?” I ask.
Flint frowns. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It most certainly does matter,” I reply. “Is this even yours?”
“It was someone else’s, then it became mine, and now it belongs to you,” he says impatiently.
“I’m not sure I want it.”
“Then you’re going to get caught,” he replies flatly.
I shake my head. “Are you serious? You actually want me to rob a liquor store?”
He nods, folding his thick forearms over his broad chest. “Fuck yeah, and you’re going to do it.”
I groan. “Wasn’t getting beaten up twice enough? I don’t want to go to jail.”
“Don’t be a crybaby,” he snaps. “Nobody will know it was you. Just go in with the bandana over your whole face. I cut eye holes for you here,” he says, pulling one arm away from his chest and point a finger at the fabric. “Nobody will be able to tell it was you. We’ll burn it afterward.”
“What about my clothes?” I ask.
“What about them?”
“The security cameras will see my clothes and the police will come to arrest me,” I explain.
He chuckles. “Well, I guess we’ll burn those too.”
“Which means I have to go home and get more, which will take me two hours.”
He blinks at me curiously. “Where do you live?”
“I’m not telling you,” I reply, pressing my lips together hard.
“I’m only asking because Blake’s place is at the trailer park about two hours from here,” Flint explains.
I raise an eyebrow. “Which one?”
“Greenwood.”
“Fuck,” I say under my breath. It’s not the same one that I live at, but it’s right across the street. There always seems to be trouble over there, but nobody ever calls the police on them. It’s just about the last place I would want to hang out.
“Close to your place, right?” Flint asks, a grin spreading over his handsome face. His eyes are wide, and I feel like he’s trying to see into my head and read my thoughts.
“Yes,” I sigh. “It’s across the road.”
“Great, then we’ll go there after you rob this punk-ass’s shop and you can change,” he says.
“But someone might catch us on the way there. It’s two hours,” I say, trying to reason with him.
“There’s more than one way to get home. You don’t have to take the public sidewalk,” he says. “We’ll cut through the woods.”
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “This is the last time I’m doing you or Blake any favors.”
“Sure it is,” Flint replies, his voice edged with condescending sarcasm. “Let’s go.”
I reluctantly follow Flint, dragging my feet as we walk down the pollen-yellowed sidewalk toward the corner store. I know the one he’s talking about, but I’m not sure why he referred to the owner as a punk-ass. Does Flint have something against him?
“Any reason why we’re hitting this store in particular?” I ask, nervously fiddling with the bandana in my hand.
“It has alcohol,” Flint replies.
“Well, duh.”
“I’m not finished,” he says, raising his voice. He takes a breath and calms down. “Dean is friends with the owner and they’re both dickheads.”
“Who is Dean?” I ask.
“None of your fucking business,” he replies.
Jesus, the temper on this guy is unpredictable. One minute he’s as cool as a cucumber and the next he’s like a Ghost Chili in the dead of summer. It’s as confusing as it is unnerving, but I’ll be out of this soon.
Run in, get the booze, and get the hell out.
“What do you want me to grab while I’m in there,” I ask as we approach the small shop situated on the corner of the road. It’s a run-down place, but that’s every shop in this town. The paint is peeling off and the rust is eating through the metal sheet wrapped around the base of the building. It’s definitely not up to code, but I doubt anyone cares.
Flint stops and turns to me. “Three handles of vodka and a can of diet coke from the cooler,” he says without missing a beat.
I laugh. “A single coke isn’t much of a chaser.”
“It’s for me,” he replies seriously. I see he’s in no mood for jokes.
Alright, then. I guess it’s time to get this over with. I lift the bandana up to my face and line the crude eyeholes that Flint tore into the fabric with my own eyes. Does h
e really think my eyes are that close together? I can barely see through this damn thing.
I tie a tight knot in the back, making sure it won’t slip off and reveal my identity for the world to see. I can imagine the look on my mother’s face if she were to see me on the news, robbing a liquor store for vodka. It’s a concerning indication of how low I’ve sunk in such a short amount of time.
“Are you ready?” Flint asks, looking me up and down.
“I guess so,” I reply. My heart is already hammering beneath my ribs and the sweat from my face is leaking through the musty bandana. I’m a nervous wreck, but I try to appear confident.
“Okay, make sure you get a cold one.”
“A cold what?”
“Diet coke,” he says. “Weren’t you listening.”
“Yeah,” I say, but I’ve already tuned him and his stupid diet coke out of my head. It’s time to do the stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I just hope nobody in that corner store decides to shoot me when I walk in with a mask over my face. I’m sure I look like a criminal already.
I step forward, walking past Flint toward the store. With every step that I take, I regret the choices that led me here more and more. Couldn’t I have run away from my mother and lived with my father again in secret? Who would’ve found out? I could be back in a swanky private school instead of stealing for the neighborhood fuckup.
I’m so screwed.
Chapter Sixteen
Amber
The air inside the corner store is a relief to my senses. The sticky heat from outside is replaced in a sudden rush by crisp, cold air. I breathe in deeply, savoring it as I rush toward the back of the store. I only have a few moments to pull this off before the store owner spots me.
“Hey,” a grizzly voice barks from the front of the store.
It sends a jolt of panic through me, but I ignore it, snatching several bottles of vodka from the shelf. I don’t really care if they’re the ones Flint wanted. I need to get out of here now.
