“No, I heard they seriously broke up this time,” said one of the girls in a low tone.
“Why?”
“I heard it had something to do with the new girl.”
I threw open the stall door, startling the two of them. “I had NOTHING to do with it!”
Before they could reply, I stormed out of the bathroom.
19
Chase
After filling out the paperwork, I handed it back to Rae.
“So,” I said, looking around the studio with a grin, “when did you say that I could move in?”
She looked down at the application. “After I verify your place of employment. Then you can write me a check for the deposit and first month’s rent. Like I mentioned before.”
The thought of having my own place was almost giving me a boner.
My own fucking crib.
Plus, I couldn’t wait to get out of my old man’s house. I knew he was going to be pissed, but fuck it. I really didn’t care anymore. If everything went as planned, I’d never have to worry about his temper tantrums again. “Okay. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She looked at my eye again. “Where are you staying now?”
“With my dad.”
She stared at me for a few seconds and then a determined look crossed her face. “I’ll call Lenny’s as soon as I can. If you can get me the check by tonight, and he gives me the thumbs up, I’ll let you move in right away.”
I grinned. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. By the way, my granddaughter just started attending your school. She’s a senior too.”
“Really? What’s her name?”
“Mackenzie Dumas.”
I stared at her in shock.
The new girl?
Fuck.
I forced a smile to my face. “Cool.”
Fortunately, Rae didn’t seem to notice my surprise.
“You may have not met her yet. But, I’m sure you’ll see her around the shop,” she said.
“Okay.”
We walked out of the studio and Rae locked the door behind us. She then turned and gave me a warm smile. “Well, I’ll call you as soon as I can. You may as well get that check ready and start packing.”
“Sounds great. I’m looking forward to moving in.”
“Good.” Her face grew serious again. “Stay safe, kiddo.”
“Thanks.”
After leaving the bait shop, I sent a message to my boss Lenny and explained what was happening, while leaving off the shit with my old man. I then sent a message to Gus. I explained my situation and told him that I didn’t want to piss off Mackenzie’s grandmother. He replied a short time later.
Gus: You forfeit, you pay.
Me: Let’s pick a different girl.
Gus: A deal is a deal.
I swore. It figured that Gus would be a dickhead about this. Another reason why I hated Lancaster pricks. Him in particular.
Gus: Mackenzie already doesn’t like you. What’s the difference?
He had a point.
Gus: If Rae is going to be pissed at anyone, it’ll be me once I stand her granddaughter up. I’m the one taking the bigger risk. My family and her family are supposed to be close.
Me: Did you ask her out yet?
Gus: Not yet. Doing it tonight. Meanwhile, stay the fuck away.
Me: Understood.
20
Mackenzie
I sat in my American History class trembling, and not just at the blabbermouths in the bathroom. As calm as I’d tried to portray myself to be, Bruce had freaked the hell out of me.
I hated how vulnerable I’d felt when he’d backed me into that corner.
I hated the gleam of satisfaction I’d seen in his eyes.
I hated him knowing that he’d gotten to me.
More than anything, I hated how he’d known it.
“Are you okay?” asked Maya, who was also in the class. She sat diagonally from me. “You look upset.”
I pretended to be busy with my notebook and avoided eye contact with her. “I’m not. I’m fine,” I finally managed to say. I didn’t want to tell her what had happened. Not with so many nosy classmates listening in.
She lowered her voice. “You sure?”
I looked at her and forced a smile to my face. “Yeah.”
Maya still didn’t look convinced but she stopped questioning me.
Still distracted by thoughts of Bruce, I could barely concentrate on what the teacher was saying. All I could think about was Bruce and what a fucking jerk he was.
After the final bell, I learned that Kara had to stay after school, for soccer practice, and couldn’t give me a ride.
“No problem. I feel guilty for you chauffeuring me everywhere anyway,” I said as we stood next to her locker.
“I really don’t mind,” she said. “In fact, I like the company.”
I smiled. “I’m still giving you gas money.”
“If you want to, but it’s really no big deal. You’d better get to your bus, they leave pretty quickly. I used to miss it all the time. I’ll text you later. I have to work, though. So it might not be until late.”
“No problem. I have something to tell you anyway.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later.”
“You’d better. Now you have my curiosity up.”
I chuckled. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
“We’ll see. I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”
“Bye.”
She headed toward the locker rooms and I went outside. Staring at the long line of buses, I decided to walk to my grandmother’s bait shop. It was warm and sunny and her store was only a couple of miles away.
As I was leaving the school grounds, a white BMW slowed and followed me across the street. When I turned to see who it was, I groaned inwardly.
Mattie and her bitchy friends.
I ignored them and started walking faster.
Mattie, who was in the passenger seat, called out to me. “Where are you going in such a hurry?”
I stopped and looked at her. “What do you want?”
She smiled coolly. “I heard that Bruce had his hand down your pants today. At school? Really?”
“That’s a fucking lie,” I growled.
“He said it took forever to wash the stink from his fingers afterward.” She pointed toward my jeans. “You might want to get tested.”
“Or better yet, quit being such a slut and fucking everyone in sight!” hollered the girl driving.
Mattie giggled.
Gritting my teeth, I told them to “fuck off” and started walking again.
Mattie said something else, which I couldn’t hear, and then laughter erupted in the car. I ignored them and picked up my pace. Fortunately, they were done harassing me and drove away.
Frustrated, and on the verge of tears, I blinked them back and kept my head down as I walked to the bait store. When I finally arrive, my grandmother was alone in the store and cleaning the fish tanks. When she saw it was me, she grinned.
“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes? What are you doing here?”
It took everything I had not to break down in tears and tell her about the shitty day I had. But, I knew she’d just tell me that I was better than them and to keep my head up. She meant well, but she just didn’t understand what it was like. Not to mention, I didn’t want her worrying about me.
I cleared my throat. “I thought maybe you could use some help.”
“Actually, yeah. I could.” She gave me a short list of things to do and then asked if I was hungry.
“A little.”
“I stopped at Arby’s earlier. There’s a Beef and Cheddar sandwich in the refrigerator with your name on it. Help yourself.”
The mention of food made my stomach growl. “Thanks.”
“No problem. Eat first and then you can help me.”
“Sounds good.”
I walked back into the br
eakroom and my cell phone began to ring. I pulled it out and noticed a number I didn’t recognize.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mackenzie. It’s Gus.”
My eyes widened.
How had he gotten my number?
“Hi.”
“I hope you don’t mind me calling.”
“No, of course not. What’s up?”
“I was just wondering if you were free Saturday evening.”
“Yeah, I think so. Why?”
“Because we’re having a charity dance and I was wondering if you’d go with me.”
Shocked, I wasn’t exactly sure what to say. I’d never thought of him as someone I’d date. Just a friend. Not that he wasn’t good looking. He was. It just felt a little weird.
He chuckled. “Are you still there?”
“Um, yeah. Are you sure you want me to be your date?”
“Definitely. I mean, we could just go as friends, if that makes you more comfortable. I just thought it would be nice to see you again and catch up on things.”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, I’ll be honest… after seeing you yesterday, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”
I wasn’t sure exactly how to respond. “Oh, really?”
“Yeah. I forgot how gorgeous you were. Then I saw you last night and was like…oh, man.”
Flattered, I couldn’t help but blush. “Stop.”
“Come on, I’m sure you hear that all the time.”
“Oh, yeah. Every hour of every day,” I joked.
He laughed. “Anyway, I don’t want you to feel pressured to go out with me or anything.”
“I’m not,” I said, still blushing “I just… is it formal? I don’t have anything to wear.””
“Yeah, it’s formal. If you don’t have a dress, I could take you shopping.”
I laughed. “No, that’s okay.”
“No, seriously. I’ll even pay for it, since I’m putting you on the spot like this. I know this is short notice and everything. I would just really like to have you as my date.”
“That’s really sweet. I think I can handle buying my own dress though.”
“So, does that mean you’ll go with me?” he asked, a smile in his voice.
“Sure, why not?”
He let out a big “Whoop!”
I grinned again.
“The dance starts at eight. I’ll pick you up earlier and we’ll grab a bite to eat first. If that’s okay?”
“Sure.”
“If something comes up, just let me know. Otherwise, I look forward to seeing you.”
“Yeah, I look forward to seeing you as well.”
After we hung up, the butterflies in my stomach were going crazy.
“What are you smiling about?”
Startled, I turned to see my grandmother standing in the breakroom doorway. “Oh, I didn’t hear you.”
She grinned. “Obviously not. Who was on the phone?”
I told her about Gus and how he’d asked me out. Instead of being happy about it, like I’d expected, she looked troubled.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know. I’ve heard that he’s turned into quite the hell-raiser, Mackenzie. I’d actually think twice about going with him.”
My grandmother was old fashioned. She’d think he was a hell-raiser if she heard that he had one can of beer. “I already told him that I’d go. Plus, it’s for a fundraiser. I’m sure he’ll behave himself.”
She let out a weary sigh. “I hope so.”
“So, what have you heard that he’s done?”
“Drinking and drugs. Of course, that was in eleventh grade. Hopefully, he’s grown up and stopped doing that stuff.”
“You never told me about that.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t know he’d ask you out. If you’re going to go with him to the dance, just be careful, okay?”
“I will.” I opened up the refrigerator and pulled out the sandwich. “By the way, I’m going to need a dress. Can I take your car to go and shop for one?”
“Yes, no problem. Do you need some money?”
“Yes. Hopefully, I’ll hear from the diner soon. So, you don’t have to keep paying for everything.”
“You’re my granddaughter. I don’t mind one bit,” she said, softly. “Let me go and get my car keys.”
“Thanks.”
She returned a couple of minutes later, as I was eating the sandwich. “Oh, by the way… we have a renter for the studio above.”
“Really? That was fast. Guy or gal?”
“A guy, actually. You might even know him.”
“Me?” That made me curious. I barely knew anyone in town.
“He goes to your school.” She told me the name.
“You’re kidding?” I replied, shocked.
“No. Don’t say anything to anyone but I think his father has been physically abusive.”
I’d almost forgotten about his black eye. “Did he tell you that?”
“He hinted.”
As much as I disliked Chase, I felt a little sorry him. Nobody deserved to be someone’s punching bag. Especially his father’s.
“When is he moving in?”
“Soon. I just left him a message. His background check cleared. He just needs to bring me a check and I’ll give him the keys.”
I still couldn’t believe that Chase Adams was moving into my grandmother’s bait shop. I was dying to tell Kara, Sara, and Maya.
As if reading my mind, Grandma Rae’s face became serious again. “I don’t want you saying anything to anyone about him moving in here. That’s his job. He can tell his friends when he’s ready. I’m sure leaving his home isn’t easy, no matter how hard his father is on him. And you know how bad the gossip is in this town.”
Yeah, I definitely was beginning to find out.
I promised to keep it between us.
“Let me know when you’re leaving,” Grandma said.
“I will.”
“You’ll probably need shoes too, right?”
I thought back to what I’d brought with me from New York. Some black flats and one pair of white heels that had given me blisters.
“Yeah.”
“Okay. I’ll grab some money out of the till. Just make sure you’re back here before I close the shop.”
“I will.”
21
Chase
I was already packed and ready to go before I received Rae’s message about my approved application. Because I wasn’t bringing much with me, I was able to get most of the important stuff into my car. As I was shutting the trunk, I heard a car pull up behind me in the driveway. Thinking it was my old man, I mentally prepared for a lecture. When I turned around, however, I found Mattie getting out of Jennifer Bailey’s BMW. Before I could say anything, Jennifer backed out of the driveway, leaving me alone with Mattie. She rushed over and gave me hug. I was engulfed by her familiar perfume and, for the first time, it seemed almost overwhelming.
“Where were you today? I missed you!”
I pushed her away gently. “I had some things to take care of. Why did Jennifer drop you off?”
“Because I wanted to see you.” She gave me a pouty look. “Don’t you want to see me?”
I stared at her in disbelief. “Mattie, you can’t just drop by whenever you want. I told you yesterday that I had a lot of stuff going on today.”
“You weren’t at school. I thought that maybe your plans had changed.”
“Only slightly. I’m still really busy.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re always busy.”
“Yeah, well, that’s just the way it is. Anyway, I thought we agreed on putting some space between us.” I was getting tired of having the same conversation over and over.
“Does that mean we can’t be friends?” she asked, getting angry. “I mean, you’re acting like you don’t even want to see me anymore.”
“That’s not it. I just have a lot of shit going on right now.”
Fuck.
I pulled her to me and patted her gently on the back. “Please, don’t cry.”
Mattie continued sobbing and when the tears finally subsided, I asked her what had happened.
“It’s that new girl. She’s spreading rumors about me and threatening to hurt me.” She sniffled and reached into her purse for some tissue. “I mean, how immature is that?”
“You’re, like, twice her size,” I replied, a little shocked that she was so upset about Mackenzie threatening her physically. “What are you worried about?”
Mattie’s eyes narrowed. “Are you calling me fat?”
I groaned. “No. Of course not. You’re much taller than she is. That’s all I’m saying.” I changed the subject. “So, what kind of rumors is she spreading?”
She dabbed at her eyes with the tissue. “She’s telling everyone that I slept with that guy from Lancaster, Gus.”
“You sure she’s the one spreading the rumors?”
“Yes. People overheard her talking about it. She’s also been saying that I’ve slept with the entire football team. It’s going around school and everyone is looking at me like it’s true. Like I’m this big slut.”
“Just ignore it.”
“I can’t. You don’t know what it’s like to have everyone staring at you. Whispering things. Judging you.”
“It’s part of being popular. Anyway, just ignore it.”
“This is different, though. People actually believe her.”
“Fuck Mackenzie. If they believe her then fuck them too.”
She rested her cheek against my chest. “You know, I wasn’t going to tell you but I heard she’s been talking about you, too.”
I raised my eyebrow. “Oh, yeah? What is she saying?”
“She’s been talking trash about your car and saying you have a small dick.” She reached down to my crotch and her fingers fluttered over my zipper. “Of course,” she giggled, “I know better.”
After Burn (High School Bully Romance) (Diamond Lake High School Book 1) Page 10
