Kings of Quarantine: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep Book 1)

by Caroline Peckham

  I released a derisive breath, screwing up the gum wrapper in my hand. “Are you sure you know how to make a girl come, golden boy? I’m sure there’s a lot of great actresses in this school,” I teased.

  “I don’t just make girls come, I make them fucking arrive,” he said with a smirk that set my blood pounding, but I rolled my eyes so he couldn’t tell.

  My gaze skipped back to Saint who was still glaring at me like he was hoping my knees would bend for him if he stared hard enough.

  Kyan sat up straighter in his chair, resting his inked arms on the table as he assessed me. My eyes slipped to his busted knuckles and he flexed his fingers in reaction to my stare. “Something you wanna say, baby?”

  He was obviously a fighter. Those wounds were layered on scars. Those cuts didn’t come from throwing his fists into the faces of other students who pissed him off. From the bruises peeking out beneath his collar, I could tell his opponents fought back hard.

  “If you wrapped your hands for fights, you could avoid making a mess of them,” I pointed out with a shrug. Dad had taught me how to strap my knuckles when I was ten.

  Kyan’s chestnut eyes shone as he leaned a little closer. “Maybe I like to leave a fight bloody.”

  A shiver ran down my spine as this dark creature surveyed me. My mouth dried out and I automatically wet my lips, drawing his gaze to them.

  “I leave my fights clean and victorious,” I breathed.

  He locked his jaw tight. “So what? Did you take a self-defence class once or something?” He sneered and I straightened my spine under his belittling expression.

  “Or something,” I said, turning back to Blake, wanting to be done with this conversation. “See you at the party then.” I tossed him a flirtatious smile that made him grin darkly then dropped the gum wrapper onto Saint’s empty plate.

  I turned my back on them, but a fist suddenly snatched hold of my hair and fear crashed through me. I yelped as I was dragged backwards over the table, my skirt riding up over my thighs as Saint’s hot breath brushed my ear. “Take your shit with you. And if you ever insult me again, I’ll do more than pull your hair, Barbie doll.” He shoved the gum wrapper down my shirt, pushing it between my breasts with his thumb and I gasped as hot, burning embarrassment rushed through my veins, colliding with a heated ache between my thighs.

  He released me with a shove and I staggered forward, taking in the crowd of students who were staring at me in a mixture of horror and amusement. I tried not to run back to my seat as Kyan’s cold laugh fell over me like icy rain.

  I didn’t know if I was turned on or humiliated by the time I dropped back into my seat and Mila stared at me like I’d lost my damn mind.

  “Holy shit, girl,” she breathed then a smile split her cheeks apart as she slammed her hand down on the table. “That was legit the best thing I’ve seen in like, a week.”

  “You’re one crazy motherfucker,” Gerald said from beside me then leaned in and patted my arm. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” I shook him off, but knew my cheeks were still bright red and the back of my neck felt hot enough to set fire to my hair.

  As subtly as I could, I tugged the gum wrapper out from between my cleavage while everyone around the table unsubtly watched. I cleared my throat as I tossed it onto my plate and pushed a lock of hair behind my ear. Pearl was giggling with the girl beside her, muttering words I couldn’t hear which made each of them shriek with more laughter. My cheeks continued to burn, but I fixed on an expression of indifference and blocked out their mocking.

  Slowly, the room filled with chatter once more and I tried to ignore the ache in my scalp from where Saint had yanked on my hair. I also tried to ignore how much that had weirdly turned me on. I definitely didn’t have a thing for public humiliation, but hair pulling…yeah I could grow to like that. Preferably behind closed doors and with less clothes on – fuck what am I thinking? Those boys were bad news. I’d always had a bit of the devil in me and if I wasn’t careful, I’d end up letting it lead me to sin.

  If I screwed a guy on campus, I was gonna have to see him every day for the rest of the year. This wasn’t what I was used to. So I needed to adapt to my new environment and start being smart about my life choices.

  The bell finally rang to announce the start of classes and I breathed an internal sigh of relief. Holy shit, it’s only breakfast on day one and I’ve managed to incur the wrath of a demi-god.

  I’d already registered for classes yesterday afternoon and had my timetable in place. P.E. was the my first lesson of the day so I headed out of the hall with Mila as she led the way towards the Acacia Sports Hall.

  She bumped shoulders with me as we walked, throwing me a smirk. “You’d better watch yourself with those boys, girl. I mean it. I’ve got balls of iron too, but I’ve seen what happens to those who piss off the Night Keepers.”

  I fought a tsk as we headed around the edge of the lake and students split off in every direction towards their classes.

  “I was kinda aiming to disarm them, not piss them off,” I said innocently. “Blake didn’t seem to mind.”

  “Blake is a fuckboy with a one track mind. He’ll covet you, adore you, make you his one and only until he gets your legs spread. Once he’s had a girl, he loses interest. And I don’t just mean he ghosts her. He fucking zombies her. She might as well be the undead clawing at his window for the heartless treatment she’ll get.”

  “Have you…” I raised an eyebrow and she released a hollow laugh.

  “Fuck no. I don’t mess with Night Keepers. I mean sure, I would if they weren’t fifty shades of fucking psycho. But trust me, you’re safer to keep away from them and date normal hot guys. Play to their rules, keep out of their hair and you’ll have a sweet life here at Everlake. Have you seen how many dudes have checked you out in the past five seconds?” She gestured to a group of senior boys who glanced back over their shoulders at us as they walked by. One of them had his eyes pinned on Mila; he was blonde, tall, a typical jock with his killer smile which was aimed right at my roommate.

  I glanced at her, finding her grinning right back at him. “Who’s that?” I asked, nudging her as he jogged off with his friends.

  “Danny Harper. He’s on the football team,” she said with a devilish look in her eyes. “We hooked up at the end of year party before summer.”

  “He’s cute,” I commented.

  “He’s got a big dick too,” she said with a wild laugh. “He doesn’t quite know how to use it yet, but I plan on teaching him.”

  I laughed along with her as she started describing the exact length, colour, texture and girth of the guy’s dick. That mental image hadn’t exactly been asked for, but she was clearly the oversharing type. And I was more than happy for the distraction from the Night Keepers. With dick chat or otherwise.

  We headed down a track into the trees and the hazy morning light filtered through the canopy above us. The air was sweet and crisp and finally brought the heat of my body back down to a normal temperature.

  A huge grey stone building appeared ahead of us, beyond which I caught a glimpse of a large running track and the edge of the football stadium. I noticed a bunch of students were waiting by the glass doors of the sports hall and frowned as two of them rushed forward to open them wide, yet no one moved.

  My breathing hitched as someone shouldered their way past me and I scowled at the back of Saint’s head as he strode toward the entrance, followed closely by Kyan who was rolling his shoulders like he was limbering up for a fight.

  Blake caught my arm and I turned to him surprise, my heart thumping to a frantic rhythm in my chest.

  “Here, fledgling,” he breathed in my ear, his addictive scent making me wet my lips on instinct. He took my hand, placing something slim and hard in it before curling my fingers around it.

  “Tell her what it means,” he instructed Mila before giving me a wicked smile and following the other two Keepers into the sports hall.

  “Are they for
real right now?” I murmured as the other students headed in after them then lifted my hand to see what Blake had given me.

  A sharp white object lay in my palm and I frowned as I tried to figure out what it was.

  “It’s a chicken bone,” Mila supplied and I grimaced.

  “Ew.” I went to toss it into the bushes, but she caught my arm with a gasp, clamping my hand closed around it.

  “It’s your entrance pass to the party tonight. They won’t let you in without it. And if you can’t get in, you can’t initiate.”

  “Mila,” I groaned. “I’m not taking part in some stupid hazing shit. I don’t want to be initiated.”

  “If you refuse, you’ll automatically go on their shit list.” She sprang in front of me, stopping me in my tracks with a firm glare. “And what did I tell you about people who go on their shit list?”

  I rolled my eyes in answer.

  “Tatum,” she pushed.

  I released a breath of frustration. “You said something about Blake being a butcher.”

  “He’s vicious. They all are,” she insisted, her dark eyes suddenly full of concern. “Do what they say and they’ll leave you alone.”

  “You sound like you’re afraid of them,” I dropped my voice as the last of the students headed inside.

  “I am,” she breathed. “I’m not a pussy, girl, but those guys are dangerous. This is my last warning, okay? Heed it.”

  I gazed down at the bone in my hand and sighed, tucking it into my pocket. “Fine, I’ll do their dumb initiation, but I’m not gonna start opening doors for them like some spineless idiot.”

  “Yeah those dudes live really sad lives,” Mila sighed then glanced away like she wasn’t telling me something. Did she mean sad like miserable or sad like pathetic?

  We headed inside and I frowned at her as she twisted a lock of hair between her fingers, ignoring my probing looks. I clearly wasn’t gonna get more out of her than that.

  A huge glass wall ahead of us looked into the enormous sports hall where bleachers sat at one end, overlooking the basketball court in the middle. We peeled off to the right into the girls’ locker room and I headed through the flashy space which had silver lockers with honest-to-shit fingerprint scanners.

  Mila helped me set up mine and I tossed my stuff inside before stripping down and changing into the green sports skirt, sports bra and white tank top I’d been given at registration. The word Everlake was printed across the tank in bold green lettering. It was too big for me so I tied a knot in the bottom of it, showing off my summer glow stomach beneath it. That glow was gonna be sapped away by layers and layers of winter clothes soon enough, so I might as well let it shine while I still could.

  We headed out of the room towards the basketball court and I almost made it inside before I realised I’d forgotten an elastic for my hair. I told Mila then turned back and slammed straight into a solid wall of muscle, stumbling back a step in alarm. I recognised the Viking asshole who’d fallen over my suitcase as he stared down his perfectly straight nose at me, his sharp blue eyes feeling like they were cutting into my flesh. His dark blonde hair was long enough to tuck behind his ears and his jaw was lined with stubble. The enticing scent of pine sailed from him and almost tempted me to lean closer.

  “Was that another attempt on my life or are you really just as thick as you look?” he deadpanned and anger clawed its way under my skin.

  My upper lip peeled back as I surveyed the dipshit in his fitted black shirt and grey sweatpants, apparently above wearing the designated uniform.

  “If I made an attempt on your life, you wouldn’t still be breathing,” I said coolly and he laughed so hard it made my insides shrivel.

  I tried to step past him and he barred my way by sidestepping, planting his huge ass chest in my path again. “You’re late for class,” he growled.

  “And what? Are you gonna tell tales on me, asshole?”

  His eyes flashed with rage and he pressed his shoulders back as a menacing smile pulled at his mouth. “Call me an asshole again and see what happens.”

  I swallowed the sharp lump in my throat and mentally pulled up my big girl panties as I leaned toward him, tip-toeing up to get as close to his face as possible. “Ass…hole.”

  “Detention!” he roared in my face, making my heart jolt in shock.

  “What-” I blurted but he barrelled on over me.

  “Next Monday night, six o’clock in my office.” His eyes gleamed as he gazed at me, waiting for the penny to drop. And it dropped alright. That bitch pinged off the inside of my brain and used my body like a pin-ball machine.

  “You’re a teacher?” I breathed like an idiot.

  He smiled like he’d won the lottery. Because he knew. He fucking knew I’d gotten it wrong and he’d let me believe he was a student just so he could wait to see my reaction when I figured it out.

  “Come on, are you serious?” I demanded. “I didn’t know you were faculty.” I backed away from him. I mean sure, he looked mature, but he didn’t look like a damn teacher. What kind of teacher had a playboy smile and a warrior body? It wasn’t right. He could only have been a few years older than me. Max.

  “Well maybe this will teach you a lesson about how to speak to other people with respect. Teacher or otherwise.” He pointed me back into the hall. “Go. Now. No questions.”

  “I need an elasti-”

  “Too late, princess. You’re late and if you waste another second of my time, I’m gonna make that detention a double.” He gave me a stern look which was hot enough to make my blood temperature rise for the second time today and I spun away from him, making sure my long hair accidentally slapped him in the face.

  “Woops, shame I don’t have a tie,” I said innocently as his heated breath ran over my neck from behind. He was herding me into the sports hall like a damn sheep dog.

  “Watch it, Rivers,” he warned in a low tone only I could hear. “Or you might wake up with it all cut off.”

  My heart missed a beat as he swept past me into the hall and I hurried over to join Mila amongst the masses. She had a red ball tucked under her arm and she frowned at my loose hair. I jerked my head at the teacher with a pout in explanation.

  “Did he tell you off?” she asked under her breath.

  “Yeah, he gave me detention,” I whispered with a scowl.

  “Girl, you sure know how to make an impression on your first day.”

  I threw my head back with a silent groan. I wasn’t trying to make waves, but I was making a damn ocean today.

  “Monroe is a hard ass,” Mila breathed, glancing over at him as he started introducing the lesson. “But shit, I’d fuck him sixty eight ways ‘til Sunday if I got the chance.”

  I snorted a laugh and Monroe’s voice cut through the air. “Miss Rivers, is there something funny that you’d like to share with the class?” he snapped, his voice ringing right through to my soul. Holy hell, that stern tone did bad things to me, but it also made me dislike him even more.

  “No sir,” I said innocently.

  I glanced at Mila who was hiding behind a tall guy with broad shoulders. She held the red ball against her crotch as she rolled her eyes back into her head and mouthed Monroe’s name.

  I tried to choke it down, but a laugh tumbled from my lips and Monroe’s eyes snapped back to me with a deadly promise in them. “See me after class, Rivers. I’ll teach you a thing or two about respect.”

  A collective oooh sounded out around me and I folded my arms in annoyance. It wasn’t my fault Mila was funny as hell. And dammit, I did not need any more trouble coming my way today.

  “But before that, you can come up here and demonstrate today’s exercise.” Monroe waved his hand and I blew out a breath before heading up to the front of the class. I could feel my cheeks colouring as he swivelled me around to face the other students and my eyes immediately found Blake, Saint and Kyan. The three of them were standing to one side of the class, their arms folded as they gave Monroe their attent
ion.

  “Memphis, Bowman, Roscoe.” Monroe directed them forward, tossing a sack of balls at their feet. “Let’s remind everyone how to play dodgeball.”

  “Dodgeball?” I scoffed as Saint barked a callous laugh. “What are we, twelve?”

  The three guys lined up in front of me while the rest of the class closed ranks, sniggering as they watched.

  Blake was the only one of the boys who was smiling like this was a game. The other two looked like they were about to charge into battle. Oh shit.

  Monroe moved closer to me with a goddamn smirk, lowering his head to murmur under his breath. “Fuck with me, Rivers, and I’ll fuck with you harder.” He strode away to join the crowd, folding his arms across his chest and bringing his whistle to his lips.

  Asshole!

  The shrill noise sounded and the three guys launched the first balls at me. I flinched, trying to spring away but one slammed into my arm and the other hit me in the gut with sheer force. Rage and embarrassment tangled inside me as they continued their assault and I totally lost my cool as my skin stung from their attacks. I snatched up the balls as they bounced to the ground, hurling them back at them so they had to deflect and dodge them themselves.

  A ball slammed into my cheek and pain splashed through my skin from the power behind the throw. Ow!

  Monroe’s whistle blew again and I fought the urge to lift a hand to my stinging skin as Saint smirked at me like the devil himself.

  “What was that about you always coming out victorious from a fight?” Kyan asked coolly.

  “Do you normally fight your opponents three on one?” I shot back and a smile twisted up the corner of his mouth.

  “Alright, everyone split into two teams, we’re gonna play a full game. If you get hit you’re out.” Monroe blew his whistle again and Blake took a path straight for me. He reached out, brushing his knuckles against my burning hot cheek and the touch sent off a chemical reaction in my body. I was pretty sure none of his balls had hit me and was even surer that had been deliberate.