After Burn (High School Bully Romance) (Diamond Lake High School Book 1)

by K. L. Middleton

  “You haven’t seen me play either. I’m not worried. Let’s set it up,” I said.

  Mackenzie looked up at Jason. “Just a warning, I’ve never played before.”

  “No problem, Gorgeous,” Jason replied.

  I rolled my eyes.

  Talk about trying too hard…

  I couldn’t blame him though. She looked damn good, especially in the soft sweater she had on. I could almost feel it under my fingertips as I watched Jason stroke her shoulder lightly. Watching him touch her so familiarly was also starting to piss me off.

  Blushing, Mackenzie shook her head.

  He explained the rules.

  “We have to drink the entire beer?” Mackenzie asked, not looking too sure.

  “Yeah, but they’re not filled all the way. You’ll be fine,” Jason replied. He still had his arm around Mackenzie’s shoulder. As much as I hated her for fucking with my head, I recognized that I was jealous. I didn’t want anyone touching her like that. It was infuriating.

  “Maybe they should practice,” I said, wanting his hand off of her.

  “Good idea.” Jason let go of Mackenzie. “You and Kara can practice while I go and fill up a couple of pitchers of beer. I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay,” said Mackenzie.

  Was it me or did she look relieved to have his arm off of her too?

  Jason disappeared and we filled the cups up with water, to let the girls practice. As they were taking turns, Bruce pulled me aside.

  “I take it Jason doesn’t know what Mackenzie did? He’s obviously going to try smashing her tonight.”

  “I have no idea,” I said, clenching my jaw at the thought. I didn’t want him touching her before I won the bet. With every drink of my beer, I was more determined than ever to beat Gus.

  “Maybe you should say something?”

  I shook my head. “Nah.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’ve got other plans,” I replied, regretting the words as soon as they were out.

  He looked at me curiously. “Really? For getting back at her?”

  “I’ll tell you about it later.”

  He smiled. “You’d better.”

  Jason returned a few minutes later. Following him was trouble with a capital “M”.

  Mattie.

  And her hens.

  From the looks her girlfriends shot me, they were all pissed off at me now, too.

  Fuck it.

  I didn’t care.

  I was just as tired of Mattie’s little groupies. They had no backbone. She could talk smack about them right to their faces and they’d smile and take it. If there was one thing I could appreciate about Mackenzie, besides her looks, was that she wasn’t a coward. She might be a lying bitch, but she certainly wasn’t afraid to stand up to Mattie.

  Feeling tense, I took another gulp of beer. I knew from experience, especially if Mattie was drinking, my night wasn’t going to get any better. I thought about taking off but I wanted to

  Mattie smiled coolly, when she saw me, but didn’t say anything. Instead, she walked directly over to Mackenzie and began talking to her as if they were old friends.

  What the fuck?

  “I heard you’re going to be on Jason’s team,” Mattie said.

  “Yeah. I hope he’s thirsty because I’m not very good at this,” Mackenzie said, laughing as she missed throwing another ball into one of the water cups.

  “I’m always thirsty,” Jason said. “But… I don’t intend to lose.”

  “Especially, if you’re playing against Chase.” Her eyes hardened as she stared at me. “You still seeing straight, Adams? I heard you played against Bruce last time.”

  “Like Bruce could or would beat me. He loses on purpose so he can get shitfaced,” I replied.

  “Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bruce said. He gulped down some beer and let out another long burp.

  Audra and Celine giggled.

  Jason started refilling the cups with beer as I kept an eye on Mattie. I wasn’t sure what she was trying to pull, but knew she was up to something. She caught me staring and her lip twitched in amusement.

  I turned to Jason and lowered my voice. “What’s going on with you and Brea?” Breanna was a freshman in college and had been his girlfriend since last summer. She was smart as hell and had even skipped a grade because of her IQ.

  “Nothing. We broke up.”

  “Why?”

  “Long distance relationships aren’t my thing,” he replied and glanced over at Mackenzie, who was cheering on Kala as she practiced. “At least not tonight.”

  In other words, he was definitely going to make a move.

  “She’s dating Gus,” I murmured. “You know… from Lancaster.”

  He shrugged. “Fuck Lancaster and fuck him He’s not here tonight. Free game.”

  Normally, Jason and I had similar mind-sets. If we liked a chick, and she was willing and able, we took advantage of it. Hell, I was definitely not saint. I’d cheated on Mattie, even when we’d been together. But, the thought of Jason fucking Mackenzie, before I got the chance, made me livid.

  “You okay?” Jason asked with a funny smile. “You look like someone pissed in your Wheaties.”

  I forced a smile to my face. “I’m fine.”

  He looked over at Mackenzie and back to me again. “Oh, shit. I think I know what the problem is. Is that the girl who keyed your car?”

  “From what I hear.”

  “She admit to it?”

  “Nope.”

  He smirked. “Maybe I’ll fuck the confession out of her.”

  My eye twitched.

  “Hey, let’s get this game going. I’m playing winner,” Bruce called out from the other side of the table.

  “Hold on to your horses,” Jason replied, filling the last cup. When he was finished, he looked over at Mackenzie. “You ready to play?” he asked loudly.

  She nodded.

  He looked at me and winked. “Me, too.”

  38

  Mackenzie

  I could tell that Chase was still brooding about something. I wasn’t sure what it was, but knew it had to do with me. Every time he looked my way, his stare was frosty. And, I had no freaken idea why.

  “You first, Beautiful,” Jason said, handing me two white balls.

  Chase and Kara walked over to the other end of the table. Anxious, because everyone was watching, I threw one and then the other, missing both times.

  I smiled apologetically. “Sorry.”

  “No worries.” Jason took his turn and made both of his shots.

  “Of course. Great job,” I said to him.

  He smiled and winked at me.

  “Drink up, Chase,” Mattie said loudly.

  Chase grabbed one cup, downed it, and repeated.

  “You wanna go first?” Kara asked him.

  Chase wiped his mouth. “No. Go for it.”

  “Okay. Remember… I warned you.” She tossed one and missed. The second one landed in a cup.

  “Great job, Kara!” I called out.

  “Hey, you’re rooting for the enemy,” Jason teased. “Just for that, you’re drinking that one.”

  “Fine.” I grabbed the red cup and gulped it down quickly. Although I normally hated the taste of beer, I didn’t want to look like a wimp, so I pretended to enjoy it.

  “It’s your turn again,” Chase called out.

  “Yeah, yeah,” I said without enthusiasm.

  “I say we make a new rule – if the girls want to give up their turn, they just have to give up a kiss,” Jason said, leaning back against the ledge behind him and smiling.

  “Bullshit,” Chase said almost angrily. “That’s a stupid rule. No offense, Kara.”

  “None… taken?” she replied with an amused look.

  “Stupid or not – I’m throwing the party so it’s ‘House’ rules. If you don’t want to give up a kiss, just take the shot. It goes both ways.” Jason looked at me again and winked.

&n
bsp; “I’m taking it. I need the practice. You know… for all the college parties I’ll be attending,” I mused.

  Jason gave me a pouty look. “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t offer.”

  I laughed nervously and threw the first ball, missing again. I swore and took the next shot. This time, luck was on my side. It landed in the middle cup.

  “Yes!” I said, holding up a fist.

  “Nice,” Jason said. “I think you might hold your own at those frat parties.”

  “I hope so,” I replied.

  We ended up beating Chase and Kara. Of course, I had to drink four of the cups and because I wasn’t used to drinking, found myself pretty buzzed by the time the game was over.

  “Hey, bro. You good?” Jason asked Chase, when he finished his tenth beer.

  He wiped his mouth and snorted. “Yeah. It’s just beer.”

  “Maybe we should play with Schnapps if this is too easy for you,” Jason replied.

  “Uh, maybe not,” Chase said. “I have to drive later.”

  “Stay the night. In fact, you and Kara can, too,” Jason said, sliding his arm around my waist. “That way we can keep playing. Problem solved.”

  I stiffened up. I didn’t know how I felt about Jason’s arm being around me. He was cute but I was definitely more attracted to Chase. I didn’t want to give him the wrong idea. “I can’t. My grandma knows I’m at a party,” I said.

  Jason laughed. “First rule of partying, never tell grandma that you’re going to one.”

  “Mine is pretty cool. She doesn’t care,” I replied.

  “She’s right. He grandma is pretty cool,” Chase said.

  “Oh, how sweet,” Mattie said. “You’ve met her grandmother?”

  Chase gave her a dirty look.

  Mattie looked at Jason. “When are your parents coming home?”

  “Not until Monday,” he replied.

  “Lucky you,” Mattie said.

  “Not as lucky as Chase with his bachelor pad,” Jason said. “Next party is at your place, right?”

  Chase grunted. “Fuck no.”

  “Sheesh,” Jason said, raising his eyebrow. “Are we being a sore loser?”

  “No. I just don’t want to get kicked out. Besides, as far as I’m concerned, I didn’t lose. Hell, I could beat you easily one-on-one,” Chase replied.

  Jason snorted. “Fine, next game will be me against you, bragger-boy.”

  “It’s not bragging when it’s simply the truth,” Chase replied, clearly irritated.

  “Relax. I’m just giving you shit. Maybe you just need to get laid. When was the last time you got a piece?” Jason said.

  Chase gave him the finger.

  Jason laughed. “Ouch. Sore subject. Mattie, you holding out on Adams or what?”

  “We broke up. If someone’s holding out on him, it isn’t me,” she said sarcastically.

  Jason’s smile fell. “I didn’t know about that. Sorry. My bad. In defense, I was absent from school the last couple of days.”

  “Nobody texted you? That’s a surprise,” Chase said dryly. “I figured that even Lancaster knew about it by now.”

  “So, is this for good or are you two going to make up before the end of the night, like the last party?” Jason said.

  This time even I was embarrassed for Chase and Mattie. From the expression on both of their faces, this wasn’t easy for either of them.

  Chase scowled. “Not funny.”

  “Sorry. I’ll shut up now,” Jason replied with a sheepish grin.

  Bruce, who’d disappeared earlier, walked back into the room with two full pitchers of beer. “Who won?”

  “Jason and Mackenzie,” Audra said.

  He looked at Jason. “Looks like it’s you two against me and Mattie.”

  “Actually, I’m done.” I wasn’t about to play any games against Bruce. It was hard enough being in the same room with the asshole.

  Jason began pouting again. “What? I can’t play without my teammate.”

  I laughed. “You made most of the shots.”

  “So. You brought me luck,” he replied.

  As cute as he was, I knew at that point that I definitely wasn’t interested in him. He was too much of a flirt and overly confident.

  “Actually, I have to go to the bathroom,” I said to Jason, pulling away from him. “Where is it?”

  He smiled. “I can show you.”

  “I can find it myself,” I replied. “Stay and play another game.”

  Jason stepped closer and lowered his voice. “You can use my private bathroom. It’s just down the hallway and there won’t be a line. I’ll show you where it is.”

  His bedroom?

  Could he be more transparent?

  “I really don’t mind waiting,” I said quickly. “Besides, I’m sure Kara needs to go too.”

  Before he could reply, I walked over to where she was now having a quiet conversation with Mattie.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but I need you to come with me,” I said to Kara.

  She slung her purse over her shoulder. “Okay. Where to?”

  “Bathroom.” I stole a glance toward Jason, who I noticed was watching us.

  Mattie swirled her orangish-red drink around with a straw. “There’s one down that hallway.”

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  Mattie smiled. “It’s a Tequila Sunrise. It’s super yummy. You want a sip?”

  “No, I’m fine. Thanks.” I looked at Kara. “Ready?”

  She nodded. “Sure.”

  We left Mattie, with her friends, and headed to find the bathroom. Unfortunately, the one down the hallway did have a long line.

  “Looks like the party is really picking up,” Kara said, as more people walked down the stairs.

  I leaned closer to her. “Yeah. To be honest, I don’t really have to go. I just wanted to get away from Jason.”

  She smiled. “He was getting a little possessive back there.”

  “Yeah. Talk about awkward.”

  “No doubt. I actually have to use the bathroom, so it’s good that you pulled me away from Mattie. There’s one upstairs.””

  “Okay. So, what were you two talking about?”

  “She was rattling on about Chase and how she hates him now.”

  I snorted. “Not enough to stay away from this party.”

  “No shit. That drink she has… it’s pretty strong, too. She’s going to get bombed. If he keeps playing Beer Pong, he will, too. I bet they actually will hook up tonight.”

  “I hope not,” I said, the words leaving my lips accidentally.

  She arched her eyebrow.

  Crap.

  “I mean, they obviously aren’t meant to be and it’s really getting old hearing about them and their problems.”

  “I know.”

  When we reached the bathroom, there was a small line.

  “Told you,” said an amused voice behind us.

  We both turned to find Jason standing there. Although it was his house, having him follow us made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. It was a little stalkerish.

  “Follow me. You can use mine.” He turned around and began walking away.

  “I guess that didn’t work out like you planned,” she murmured.

  “Guess not.”

  Jason led us back downstairs to a large bedroom decorated with sports memorabilia and posters of football players and cheerleaders.

  “Wow, that is really cool,” Kara said, facing the other way.

  I turned to look and saw a huge fish tank built into the wall.

  “Thanks,” Jason said. He pointed to a doorway. “Bathroom is in there.”

  “Go ahead,” I said to Kara.

  She hesitated for a second, as if she was afraid to leave us alone.

  “I’ll go after you,” I added.

  Okay. “I’ll hurry.” Kara disappeared into the bathroom.

  Jason sat down on his bed and leaned back against his elbows. He smiled slowly. “So…”
>
  I smiled back nervously. “So… nice room. Love your aquarium.” I walked over and began looking at the array of neon fish.

  “Thanks. So, where are you from originally?”

  “New York.”

  “Wow. Big change. How do you like Diamond Lake so far?”

  “The school or the town?”

  “Both.”

  I told him that it seemed nice enough.

  “Yeah. Nice enough but boring as hell, right?”

  I chuckled and turned around to face him. “Maybe a little.”

  He stood up and walked over to me. “I would normally agree, but meeting you has made it a little more interesting.” He reached out and swept a strand of hair away from my face.

  I frowned. Here we go. The big come on. “Thanks.”

  He looked amused. “You think I’m full of shit, don’t you?”

  I smiled. “I think you’re a major flirt.”

  “Only when I want something very badly.”

  “Look, I think you’re cute and everything, but I…”

  “Am not interested,” he finished, looking disappointed.

  “Sorry.”

  “Is there someone else?”

  I nodded.

  “Boyfriend?”

  I decided to be honest. “No. Just this guy I really like. He doesn’t feel the same.”

  “Is it Gus, from Lancaster?”

  “No. We’re just friends.”

  “Good. He’s a putz. Anyone will tell you that.”

  I laughed.

  “Does this guy even know you like him?”

  I shook my head.

  “He needs to know.” His eyes appraised me. “You’ve got to be the hottest girl in Diamond Lake. He’ll be stoked when he finds out.”

  I blushed.

  “Does he have a girlfriend?” Jason asked.

  I thought about Mattie. Just because they were broken up didn’t mean they’d stay that way. “I don’t know for sure.”

  “I have to admit, I’m jealous. What’s his name?”

  I didn’t reply.

  His eyes twinkled. “Not going to fess up, huh? Is he here tonight?”

  “Maybe. Why do you want to know?”

  “Because if he’s into someone else, it might give me a better chance with you.”

  I laughed. “You’re relentless.”

  “You have no idea.” He started naming off some of the guys at the party. When he got to Chase’s name, he must have seen something in my expression.