Turns out she was right though because I ended up with a few stitches on the deeper part of the cut. I’ve no idea how falling on a few fallen branches made such a mess. I guess it was karma for kissing the Devil or something, all I do know is that it hurts like a bitch and kept me awake most of the night. I guess I should just be grateful that I didn’t break it.
“I fell.”
“You fell?” she asks incredulously. “Where?”
“I went for a wander through the trees at the end of the garden and tripped over branches. It was stupid.” My face burns red and I’m grateful that Camila is too focused on where she’s going so she misses it.
“You don’t say.” Thankfully, she accepts my lie and moves on, although it’s to another topic that I’m trying my best to avoid. “You sure you’re ready for this? Things didn’t die down at all after you left yesterday.”
Groaning, I slump down in the passenger seat of her Mini hoping that it might swallow me up.
“Can’t wait.”
At some ungodly hour last night when my arm was throbbing, I made the mistake of dragging my phone from the bottom of my bag. Aside from concerned messages from Camila and Shane, all the rest were guys asking when I was available and to my utter shock there were a few very unimpressive dick pics waiting for me as well. None of that pointed to the fact things had already blown over. I know from living a life surrounded by celebrities that gossip is only gossip until something else happens, I was just hoping something crazy would have happened after I left yesterday and that I’d be old news already. I guess that was wishful thinking. Until something else happens, I’ll be seen exactly as Jake intended, a whore. Although, after what happened yesterday in the trees, I can’t help feeling like there might be a little truth in it.
I’m ashamed that he affected me so much that I allowed him to put his hands on me. I’m also confused as fuck because what he did to me, how he made me feel in those few moments went against everything he’s been trying to make me out to be. He told me he’d never touch a whore yet he didn’t bat an eyelid about getting me off at the first opportunity.
I think back to the previous evening in Poppy’s pool and I can’t help thinking that he’d have done the exact same thing if given half a chance.
My body heats as I replay yesterday’s events in my head. I can still feel the rough skin of his hands scratch across my stomach as his fingers dived into my shorts. I can still taste him on my tongue and remember his rough voice as he whispered in my ear.
Fuck.
“Are you okay? You’re muttering to yourself.”
“Yeah, I’m good. Just remembered that I forgot some homework.”
“I’m sure the teacher will let you off. No doubt they know all about what happened yesterday as well.”
“Fantastic.”
“Shit, I didn’t mean it like that.”
I feel their eyes burn into my skin the second I step from Camila’s car, but I keep my head high and focus on where I’m going.
“Amalie.” My name being called by a familiar voice drags my attention from the building in front of me and when I look up, I’m relieved to see it’s just Shane and not a guy wanting to book a ‘date’. “Hey, how are you doing?” His eyes drop to the bandage on my arm, but he doesn’t ask about it when I shake my head and roll my eyes like it’s nothing to worry about.
“Great, I love being the school bike.”
“Don’t,” he growls, stepping a little closer to protect me from prying eyes.
“You sure you want to be seen with me? You know everyone will think you’re paying for my time.” I don’t mean for it to come out sounding quite so bitter but catching a glance of Jake’s group laughing and joking over Shane’s shoulder pisses me off.
“I don’t give a fuck what they think. We know the truth, that’s all that matters.”
“You know that it wasn’t me?”
“Of course.”
“How?” I ask, my eyes narrowing suspiciously.
“It’s not the kind of thing you’d do.”
“But you barely know me.” His confidence in my morals does make me feel a bit better, making me wish everyone could see the same thing.
“I know enough. Can I walk you to class?”
“Your funeral,” I whisper, but it’s not quietly enough.
“Amalie,” he warns once again. “I can feed you to the wolves if you like but I’m thinking you’d rather stay in the shadows.”
Just the mention of shadows is enough to bring Jake back to the forefront of my mind. Why don’t I feel like I did with him last night when I’m with Shane. He’s a good guy, he treats me right. He’d show me exactly how he felt and never do the kinds of things Jake does.
There’s something seriously wrong with me that I can feel nothing but the support of a friend as I walk beside Shane.
The catcalls of Jake’s group of friends filter down to us. Glancing over, I spot Chelsea and a few of her followers but he’s nowhere to be seen.
“Just ignore them,” Shane says, encouraging me to keep moving with a gentle hand on my back. “Come on.”
Plastering on a smile for my friend, I chance a look over at him. He’s smiling down at me with a sparkle in his eye that has me swallowing in concern. No matter how platonic I try to keep things between us, seems his imagination keeps getting the better of him. His fingers twitch on the small of my back and I step away slightly. His lips curve into a frown but he doesn’t say anything.
“If you’re going out of your way, I can walk myself.”
“Kinda, but I need to know you get there without being harassed by any of these idiots.”
“I really appreciate the support.”
“And I really fucking hate the way all these horny fucking guys are looking at you right now. It’s like they think you’re a piece of meat for them to play with. Jake’s gonna fucking pay for what he did yesterday.”
“Please, don’t do anything stupid,” I say with a wince knowing that going up against his captain will never end well.
“I can’t promise anything.”
“Hey, happy birthday, man,” a guy I don’t know says, walking up to Shane and slugging him playfully on the shoulder.
“Thanks, man.”
“Can’t wait for your party Friday night, it’s gonna be epic.”
“Yeah, it should be a good night.” Shane’s reply is really lacking any excitement.
“Well,” he says awkwardly looking between the two of us, probably wondering what his friend is doing with the school bike. “Hopefully we’ll be celebrating a win too.”
“We can only hope. I’ll see you later, yeah?”
“Sure thing.” Nodding his head at both of us, he walks away and disappears into the crowd.
“It’s your birthday?” I ask, my steps faltering a little with the realisation.
“Yep, I’m all legal and shit now.” I look over just in time to see his eyebrows wiggle and a cheeky smile twitch his lips.
“Well, happy birthday. I had no idea so I... uh... haven’t—”
My awkward excuse as to why I haven’t bought him a gift is cut off when he grabs my forearm and turns me to face him.
“Have dinner with me.”
“Oh... uh…” My heart starts to race with the thought that even though I’ve been trying really hard not to give him any ideas that he might have just got them anyway. Biting down on my bottom lip, I stare up into his hopeful eyes and my stomach drops. I really don’t want to hurt him.
“Not like a date or anything.” Although by the way his face drops when he says this, it’s obvious that it’s exactly the opposite of what he wants. “Just friends. You can pay as my birthday present.”
“Just as friends?” I ask, feeling like the shittiest person on the planet for turning down such a sweet guy. He’s going to be an incredible boyfriend for someone one day, just not mine. As much as I might wish that he was the one to set my blood on fire and cause an eruption of butterflies in
my belly, he doesn’t. I also doubt he ever will. Shane and I are destined to be friends and the sooner he comes to terms with that, the better.
Awareness heats my left side, glancing over I find the students who were in front of us have parted and at the end of the hallway, seething in anger, is Jake. His eyes are dark and murderous as he stares between Shane and me. Trying to swallow down my apprehension, I turn back to Shane as he talks.
“Yeah, just friends. No pressure, Am—”
Pain sears through my shoulder as my back and head slams back against the wall.
“What the fuck is your problem, man?” Shane barks as he stumbles back a few steps.
“How much does she charge for dinner? I doubt she’s worth it.”
When my eyes focus, I find the two of them nose to nose. Jake is an inch or two taller, usually it would be unnoticeable but right now he looks like a giant compared to Shane. His chest is puffed out in anger, his shoulders wide as he tries to intimidate him but fair play to Shane because he holds his head high and gives back as good as he gets.
“You’d have to care about getting to know a girl to understand.”
“I care,” Jake growls so quietly I almost miss it.
“Yeah about getting between their legs and leaving as fast as possible.”
“Watch it.” Jake’s hands slam down on Shane’s chest and he steps back once again. “You need to remember where your loyalties lie.” With one final hard stare and a flick of his eyes over to me, Jake storms off down the hallway. It takes a couple of seconds but the bystanders who watched the whole thing soon continue with their earlier conversations and turn their attention away from us.
“Fuck, are you okay?” Shane asks, rushing over to where I’m still standing, back up against the wall. I blink for what feels like the first time since I saw him standing feet away and it’s enough to force a couple of tears out of my eyes. “Fuck, did he hurt you?”
It’s only as his words register that I remember my head bouncing off the wall behind me as Jake slammed into me. But it’s not the pain from that which is causing the tears, it’s the memory of how gentle with me he was last night. Yes, his touches were demanding and confident but at no point was he rough or careless.
Blinking a little faster to force the tears away, I push myself from the wall. “I’m fine. Honestly,” I add when he looks at me with a raised brow.
“That guy’s an asshole. If I never had to see him again, it would be too soon.”
I mumble my agreement, although even as I say it something inside me twists painfully. I should be fully on board after everything he’s done to me, but there’s a part of me even after what just happened that wants to follow him. To try to find out what his problem is and... help maybe? Chastising myself for the thought alone, it’s clear that Jake Thorn is long past being rescued and that if anyone were capable, then it wouldn’t be me doing it.
“Yeah, same.” My agreement is weak at best and it causes Shane’s eyes to narrow at me with suspicion. “So when are we having this dinner?” I ask, trying to get the heat off me.
“Thursday night? We can’t do Friday because of the game and party.”
“Party?”
“Yeah, my house after the game. It’s kinda tradition, didn’t anyone tell you about it?”
I shrug, there’s a good chance someone might have but football parties aren’t exactly high on my priority list right now.
“You’ll be there though, right? At the game and party?” The hope that shines in his eyes is enough to tell me that the right answer would be no. I should say no right now, but when his face drops and a sad puppy dog look appears, I have a really hard time refusing.
“Come on, let’s get you to class.” The rest of the walk is in silence and I’m afraid I might have hurt him when the only thing I want to do is the opposite.
26
Amalie
The rest of the day, and the next, is exactly as I expected. Full of stares, pointing, hushed whispers and propositions. By the time I meet Camila at her car Thursday afternoon, I’ve just about had my fill of bullshit.
“How you holding up?” she asks, glancing over at me as I climb into her car.
Letting out a giant sigh of frustration, a quiet chuckle falls from her lips. “That good?”
“Worse.”
“It’ll blow over soon. With the game and Shane’s party this weekend, someone is bound to do something stupid and take the limelight off you.”
“I can only hope,” I mutter as she pulls away from school.
“Ready for your big date tonight?”
“It’s not a date.”
“Riiight.”
“I’m serious, Camila. Stop getting any ideas about doubling with you and Noah out of your head. I’m not interested in Shane like that.”
“So you keep saying, but he really likes you. Just give it a chance.”
“That’s not a good enough reason to lead him on. We’re going out tonight as friends and that’s all we’re ever going to be.” Even the thought of tonight has my stomach knotting in uncertainty. As much as I might plead that it’s not a date, it’s going to look like that to everyone else. As much as I don’t want them to get the wrong idea, I also don’t want Shane’s reputation tarnished by spending time with me, the girl they all think charges by the hour.
“Do you know what you’re wearing?” Camila asks, dragging me from my thoughts.
“Uh... jeans and t-shirt.”
“Jesus, Amalie. I know it’s not a date, but you could put a little effort in at least.”
“Fine,” I huff. “Want to come in and help?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
“How was school?” Gran asks as we walk into the kitchen to grab a drink.
“Yeah, it was good,” I lie, feeling Camila’s stare burning into the back of my head as I do. “What?” I mouth, turning to look at her, it’s not like I came straight home and spilled every detail of the picture that’s circulating that makes it look like me giving head. There are some things a gran and granddaughter never need to discuss, and this is one of them.
“You hear about Amalie’s date?”
“It’s not a date,” I seethe, much to Camila’s amusement.
“Aw, it’s so exciting. I remember my first date. He was such a sweetheart. He bought me flowers, took me for a meal and we had the most romantic walk on the beach.” Gran’s eyes glaze over as she walks down memory lane. “And when he kissed me at the end of the night, I thought my life was never going to be the same again.”
“There will be zero kissing going on tonight. We’re just going out as friends.”
“Yeah, yeah. Now let’s go and find you something to wear that your friend will really enjoy.”
“Make sure she wears a dress,” Gran calls as we disappear down the hall.
“I am not wearing a bloody dress,” I grumble, pushing my door open.
Camila goes straight for my wardrobe and begins pulling out suggestions, every single one I refuse. I’m not dressing up, I refuse to allow Shane to think that I made an effort to impress him. We. Are. Friends.
In the end, I relent on a smart casual summer dress with spaghetti straps and flowers all over. I rationalise that if it’s casual enough to wear to school, then it’s casual enough to wear out on my non-date.
Camila once again insists on doing my hair and makeup and when I eventually step foot out of my bedroom, I’ve got light but smokey eyes and loose curls hanging around my shoulders. The bandage that’s wrapped around my arm does nothing for the look, but there’s not a lot I can do about that, nor the constant reminder of the person who put it there.
“Whoa, you look beautiful. He’s not going to know what hit him.”
Groaning at Gran’s words, I immediately turn around to change but unfortunately for me, Camila stands in my way.
“Uh uh... no way.” Just as I go to step toward her, the doorbell rings. “It’s too late anyway, he’s here.” The delight
that lights up her face makes me want to stomp on her toe with my wedges.
“You’re going to pay for this,” I warn on a whisper but all I get in return is a joyful laugh.
“Just try to enjoy yourself, yeah?”
“Gran, no,” I call when I spot her heading toward the front door. The last thing I need is her joining in on the ‘wouldn’t Shane make a great boyfriend’ party. “Both of you just... disappear.”
“He knows I’m here, he’ll have parked by my car.”
“Uh, fine. Gran, go hide.” She pouts but does as she’s told and slips into the living room.
Blowing out a long breath, I prepare to open the door. I’m not quick enough though because the bell rings through the house once again.
“Hey, sorry,” I say, pulling the door open and plastering a smile on my face.
“No worries. I was beginning to think you’d stood me up on your own doorstep.” His laugh that follows is a nervous one, and it doesn’t make me feel any better.
“Whoa, you scrub up well.” Instead of the standard jeans and t-shirt he always seems to wear at school, Shane’s dressed in a pair of chinos and a smart-ish button-down. It’s clear he’s spent a little more time than usual on his unruly hair and he smells pretty damn good. His scent has my mouth watering, but it’s still not enough to make me want him.
“You too, you look stunning.” My cheeks heat at his compliment and I feel awkward for the first time in his presence since the day I crashed into him.
“Right then, have a good time, kids. Make sure you’re back before curfew,” Camila sings with delight, pushing past both of us and heading toward her car. With a little wave, she pulls away leaving the two of us alone for the first time.
“Ready?” He holds his arm out for me and I feel like a twat when I refuse but I already feel like this night is getting out of control.
“Where are we going?” I ask as his car speeds toward the seafront.
“For the best burger in town, of course.”
“Aces?” I ask hesitantly.
THORN: A High School Bully Romance (Rosewood Book 1) Page 13
