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

by K. L. Middleton

  “I don’t believe it. That was more than just luck. How did you learn to play?””

  I smiled. “My parents owned a pool table and my dad taught me a couple of things.”

  He nodded with a solemn expression. “Cool.”

  We finished up the game and I ended up beating Chase.

  “I’m really impressed,” he said. “I was not expecting you to kick my ass like that. You want to play again? You know me – I have to have a rematch. Otherwise, I’m a sore loser.”

  I laughed. “Sure. But only after those two return.”

  He looked toward the hallway. “If they ever do. I still can’t believe Sonny was able to talk Kala into going to the Sadie Hawkin’s dance. I didn’t see that coming either.”

  “He’s obviously had a lot of practice.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I laughed. “Oh, come on. He’s a major flirt. I’m sure he’s been out with half the school already.”

  Chase smiled grimly. “He doesn’t date as much as people think. He was hurt a couple of years ago. His girlfriend cheated on him with Gus. Ever since then, he’s been afraid of commitment.”

  “Gus? Really?”

  He nodded. “I tell you what, though, I’ve never seen him talk about another girl as much as he does about Kala. I think he really likes her.”

  “I hope so because if he hurts her, he’s going to have to answer to me,” I said, only half-jokingly.

  “I don’t think you’ll have anything to worry about. Speaking of dances, are you still going to the Lancaster one?”

  “Yeah,” I replied without much enthusiasm.

  “Don’t look so thrilled,” he said, chuckling.

  “Sorry. I’m just not looking forward to it very much. I feel bad but I kind of wish I wouldn’t have agreed to go,” I admitted.

  “Why’d you say ‘yes’ then?”

  “It wasn’t expecting to be asked. He kind of took me by surprise. Now I’m worried that he’s going to read too much into it. I just want to be friends. Nothing more.”

  He leaned down to take his shot. “Things will work out. Don’t worry about Gus.”

  His answer seemed a little strange. “Why?”

  Chase missed the side pocket and swore. He handed me the pool cue. “I just wouldn’t worry about stressing yourself out about it. I’m sure you’ll have a fun time.”

  “Boy, for two people who supposedly don’t like each other, you spend a lot of time together,” slurred a voice.

  We both turned around and there was Mattie. She looked pretty drunk.

  I forced a smile onto my face. “Oh, hey.”

  Mattie glared at me. “Oh, hey,” she mimicked.

  Apparently, her alter ego had returned.

  “Mattie, go find Audra,” Chase said firmly.

  She looked at him. “Why?”

  “Because you’re obviously hammered and should go home.”

  She snorted. “Yeah, you’d like that wouldn’t you? Then you can really lay the charm on Bait Girl.”

  I clenched my jaw.

  “That’s enough.” Chase walked over and grabbed her by the elbow. He looked at me, a frustrated expression on his face. “I’ll be back.”

  I nodded.

  Chase guided her out of the room while she cussed and berated him.

  I let another couple play pool and sat down on a nearby chair. When Chase didn’t return, after several minutes, I headed back upstairs to look for Kara. Not seeing her, either, I went back downstairs and bumped into Bruce. I was going to ignore him but then he mentioned that Kara wanted me to meet her down by the beach.

  “The beach? Why?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “I think there’s a bonfire down there or something.”

  I thought about texting her when I remembered she’d left her cell phone in the car.

  “So, how do I get down to the beach?” I asked Bruce.

  “I can show you.”

  Screw that.

  There was no way I was going anywhere with him.

  “That’s okay. Just point me in the right direction.”

  “Go out the front door, to the side of the house where the gazebo is. There’s a path behind it. It leads down the hill to the family’s private beach. Be careful and watch your step on the way down, though. It’s a little steep in some areas.”

  “Okay. Thanks. If you see Chase, could you tell him where I went? He might be looking for me.”

  He nodded. “Will do.”

  Bruce was right. The path was rocky, dark, and surrounded by trees. It was almost impossible to see anything.

  I turned the flashlight on in my phone and followed it down the winding hill. When I made it to the bottom, and stepped out into the clearing, I knew there had to be some kind of a mistake. There wasn’t a “beach”. Just a small dock with a canoe tied to one of the posts.

  Frowning, I was about to turn around, and leave when someone grabbed me from behind and clamped a firm hand over my mouth.

  Frightened, I tried screaming and kicking, but the person was much bigger and stronger.

  Bruce.

  It had to be him. He’d tricked me.

  “Stop struggling, Bitch,” a voice warned. It sounded mechanical. As if someone was using a synthesizer.

  I reached my hand down and squeezed his junk as hard as I could.

  Howling in pain, he let go of me and I took off. Unfortunately, it was so dark that I tripped on the path and fell down to my knees. He was on me in seconds pushing me to the ground from behind. I tried yelling for help, but he covered my mouth again. I bit down onto his hand and he let go of me, groaning in pain.

  “Help!” I screamed.

  He covered my mouth again and this time, I heard a crackling sound. It was followed by a sharp pain that traveled through my entire body. I couldn’t move for a several seconds. The pain was so intense, it felt like someone had hit me with a baseball bat. It was horrible.

  “Resist and I’ll taze you again,” he warned, straddling me from behind.

  Crying, I didn’t know what to do, only that I had to try and get away. Even if there was more pain involved. I didn’t know what Bruce intended to do with me, but the hell if I was going to make it easy for him.

  “Got it?”

  I nodded, my mind scrambling for some kind of plan of escape. I decided to pretend to be compliant until his guard was down.

  He moved off of me and flipped me over. Expecting to see Bruce’s face, I was shocked to find a freaky silver alien mask staring down at me.

  “You’re going to stay the fuck away from the A-squad. From Mattie. From Audra. Chase. From Sonny. From Jason,” he said, staring down at me with those huge, black alien eyes.

  So, he was going to let me go...

  I relaxed.

  He went on. “From Tyler. From Mitch. From Bruce. Do you understand?”

  I wanted to spit in his face. Knee him in the balls. Claw his eyes out. But he had the tazer and I just wanted him off of me. I clenched my jaw. “Yes.”

  “And if you tell anyone about this, your grandmother will be the one to pay the price.”

  Now that was going too far.

  How dare he threaten my grandmother?!

  “You lay one hand on her and you’ll be the one who is fucked,” I snapped. “Don’t you even think about hurting her!”

  “Then you’d better behave.”

  I glared at him.

  “Did you hear me?”

  “Yes,” I said between clenched teeth.

  “Mackenzie, are you down here?” hollered Kara from the top of the hill.

  “Remember, don’t you tell anyone.” He stood up and ran off into the darkness.

  “Mackenzie?” Kara called out again.

  “I’m here!” I cried hoarsely.

  “Oh, thank God. We’re coming down!” she cried.

  Trembling, I got up and brushed the dirt from my clothing. A few seconds later, I could see the light from someone’s phone making its way do
wn the winding path.

  “Did you get lost?” Kara asked, when she met me.

  “Kind of. Where were you?” I wanted to tell them about Bruce but his warning scared me. I didn’t know exactly what he was capable of. Even if I called the cops, how could I prove anything?

  “Down by the beach, waiting for you,” she replied. “Bruce said he told you to meet me there. I guess he gave you the wrong directions.”

  My eyes widened in shock. “You talked to him?”

  She nodded.

  “When?” I asked.

  “Just now. Are you upset with me? I shouldn’t have left you. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault. I guess I’m a little pissed at Bruce, though. He told me to take this path. He sent me on a wild goose chase.”

  “Yeah, he fucked up. He thought this was the one leading to the beach entrance. It’s on the other side though,” Sonny said.

  Who in the hell had been in the mask?

  I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

  We started walking back up toward the house, with Sonny shining his phone to light the way.

  “So, you really were on the beach?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” she looped her arm through mine. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  I rubbed my forehead. “I’m getting a headache. Would it be okay if we left now?”

  “Yeah. Okay.” I could hear the disappointment in her voice. She wanted to stay and hang out with Sonny.

  “I can call an Uber if you want to stick around. I don’t want to ruin your fun,” I said.

  Her eyes widened. “No. We can leave. Really.”

  She was too nice. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. Of course.”

  I still felt bad for making her leave, but there was no way in hell I was sticking around. I wanted to be as far away from the party, and the A-squad, as possible. I didn’t need a warning.

  When we reached the yard, Chase met up with us.

  “Oh, good. You’re okay. I tried sending you a text message but you must have missed it,” he said to me.

  I licked my lips. “I must have.”

  Chase studied my face, still looking concerned. “Did you get lost? There are a lot of paths around the property, so it’s not hard to do.”

  “Yeah.” I tried digging for my phone, but couldn’t find it. Realizing that I must have dropped it down by the lake, I told him.

  “I’ll go look for it,” he replied.

  “I’ll come with and show you where I walked.” I looked at Kara. “We’ll be right back.”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  “Take your time,” Sonny said with a lecherous smile.

  Chase held out his hand to me. “Here, give me your hand. I don’t want you falling and spraining your ankle.”

  I gave it to him and he began leading us back down, lighting up the path with his phone.

  “So, what happened with Mattie?” I asked.

  “We got into an argument and she disappeared. I think she might have left the party.”

  “We’re actually leaving, too.”

  He looked back at me. “Really? I was hoping you’d stick around for a while.”

  “I know. I just have a headache.”

  “Oh. Well, I can give you a ride home. If you’re not staying, I’m not either.”

  My eyes widened in surprise. “Really? Why?”

  “It’ll be boring without you.”

  I smiled. “Oh.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to stay a little longer?” he asked.

  Now that I knew he wanted me to, it was hard to leave. But, I was afraid. I had a feeling that the person who’d threatened me was still around, watching my every movement. Until I knew who it was, and if there was anything I could do about it, I had to be careful. For my grandmother’s sake as much as my own.

  “I’d like to stay, but I really can’t,” I said softly.

  “I get it. Watch your step,” he said, guiding me with the light.

  “Okay.”

  “So, how did you end up down here?” he asked, when we reached the bottom.

  “Bruce gave me the wrong directions.”

  He shined the light toward the dock. “In his defense, I don’t think he’s been here very often. It was probably an honest mistake.”

  “What about you? Do you know this place pretty well?”

  He nodded. “Jason and I have been friends for a long time. We used to hang out as kids, so I’ve been here quite a bit. There’s your phone.” He pointed the light toward some rocks, where I’d dropped it.

  I raced over and picked it up. “Who else does?”

  He gave me a strange look. “I don’t know. I imagine Tyler and Mitch do too.”

  “Where are they?” I asked curiously. I hadn’t seen them at the party.

  Could it be one of them?

  “I’m not sure. They must have had other plans tonight.”

  I frowned.

  “You’re asking a lot of questions. What’s going on?”

  My gut told me to trust him. There was no way that he was involved. I just couldn’t imagine it. Feeling safe with Chase, I decided to tell him what happened. When he heard about the assailant, he was livid.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” he whispered angrily.

  I snorted. “I wish I was.”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know who’d do something this shitty. My mind is blown right now…” His voice trailed off. “But, it was Bruce who sent you down here.” Chase’s eyes hardened. “So, he must have known about it.”

  Before I could respond, he grabbed my hand and led me back up the path quickly. When we reached the yard, he took out his car keys and handed them to me. “I want you to go and wait for me in the car. Lock the doors and don’t let anyone in.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Talk to Bruce. Find out what the hell is going on.”

  “Do you think he’d even tell you the truth?”

  It took him a little while to answer. “Maybe not, but I’ll know if he’s lying.”

  “I’m coming with you,” I replied. “That freak could still be out here somewhere.”

  His eyes scanned the yard and woods. “Good point. Stay with me.”

  As we headed toward the house, Kara and Sonny stepped away from the shadows of the gazebo. From the flushed look on her face, and the puffiness of her lips, it was obvious the two of them had been making out.

  “Looking for us?” Sonny asked, sounding happy.

  “No. We’re looking for Bruce.” He turned and looked at Kara. “By the way, I’m driving Mackenzie home.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “Uh, okay.”

  “What do you want with Bruce?” Sonny asked curiously.

  “Answers,” he replied.

  41

  Chase

  My blood boiled when I heard Mackenzie’s story. I was so hot, I could almost feel steam rushing out of my ears. Now, all I wanted to do was grab Bruce by the neck and make him tell me what the fuck was going on. Between what he’d been doing with Mattie, and the harassment of Mackenzie, I felt like he was a stranger to me.

  “You’re pissed at Bruce?” Sonny asked, catching up to me.

  I laughed coldly. “That’s an understatement.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Ask Mackenzie,” I replied before disappearing into the house.

  It didn’t take long to find him. He was in the kitchen, making out with Lexie, and neither of them noticed me.

  “Bruce. We need to talk,” I said angrily.

  He stiffened up, pulled away from Lexie, and turned around. “What’s up?”

  I looked at Lexie. “I need you to leave.”

  Her jaw dropped and she gave me a scathing look.

  “Please,” I added.

  With an over-exaggerated sigh, she grabbed her purse from the counter and stomped out of the kitchen.

  Bruce, who looked like he was pretty trashed, swayed back and
forth. “What the fuck, Chase? I was just about to get a piece.”

  “First of all, you’re in the kitchen. There are better places. Second of all, I want to know what the hell is going on. Some fucker threatened Mackenzie down by the dock.”

  His eyes widened. “What do you mean? Who?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” I told him what she’d relayed to me.

  Bruce looked genuinely surprised. “Wow, that’s fucked up.”

  “Yeah. What’s even more fucked up is that you sent her down there and then this shit happened.”

  His eyes flashed angrily. “You’re not seriously blaming me, are you?”

  “It’s quite the fucking coincidence, don’t you think?”

  He raised his hands up defensively. “Bro, you saw me. I was up here the entire time. It definitely wasn’t me. Now, I’m sorry I gave her the wrong directions, but that doesn’t mean I had anything to do with that kind of bullshit.”

  “You threatened her before. At school.”

  Bruce let out a ragged sigh. “Yeah, I know. I was just trying to look out for Mattie. She told me that Mackenzie had been spreading shit and I wanted to make it stop. But, if I wanted to threaten her again, or anyone, I’d do it without a mask.”

  He had a point.

  Bruce definitely wouldn’t have worn a costume.

  Now I didn’t know who was behind it, although… Mattie seemed like the next logical choice. She could have very easily talked someone into scaring Mackenzie. Possibly a guy not even in our group. With the way she’d been acting lately, I didn’t know what to expect from her.

  Jason walked into the kitchen. “Hey, guys. What’s up?”

  I told him about what happened to Mackenzie and he scowled.

  His eyes widened in alarm. “No shit? On my property? Do you have any idea of who it could be?”

  “Someone who wants to keep her away from us,” I muttered.

  “I think Mattie’s involved.” I looked at Bruce. “What do you think?”

  He nodded reluctantly. “I guess it’s possible. She does hate Mackenzie.”

  “The last time I saw her, Mattie could barely stand. She was wasted,” Jason said. “I don’t think it was her.”

  “No, but she probably talked someone else into it,” I said.

  “Maybe,” he replied.

  “Where’ve you been?” Bruce asked Jason.