FIERCE: A High School Enemies to Lovers Romance (Rosewood High Book 4)

by Tracy Lorraine

  I know that it’s something that rips her apart to this day. She and Dad have always been desperate to have their own kids. But thankfully they decided to give back and started fostering kids about ten years before they were lucky enough to find me standing at their front door.

  To this day, I’ve got no idea what it was about me that made them decide to go through all the legal stuff and adopt me unlike all the others they’d cared for, but I can’t really argue because they’ve given me everything I was missing in my former years.

  When Dad does speak his voice is so loud compared to the soft sound of Mom’s sobs that it startles me.

  “Who… um… who’s the father.”

  “Derek,” Mom chastises. “That’s not the most important thing right now. When she’s ready, I’m sure she’ll tell us,” Mom says, squeezing my hand and thankfully giving me a way out of this conversation. “Everything is okay with the baby though, yeah?”

  “It seems that way.”

  She takes my hand and sits on the bed beside me.

  “I know I probably should be mad, you are still in high school after all, but I think this could well be the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”

  Dad looks at her like she’s just grown an extra head, whereas all I do is smile because I can’t help but agree.

  “I know things are scary and unknown right now. But I do know that you are going to be a fantastic mother. I do wish you’d told us sooner, just so we could have supported you. But I need you to know how proud I am of you.”

  She smiles at me and I look from her kind eyes to my dad’s. He doesn’t seem quite so thrilled by this turn of events, but they both know me well enough to know that when I set my mind to something that nothing is going to stop me.

  “What about college? Cheer? The scholarship you were so desperate for?” he asks, always the voice of reason.

  “Oh Derek, give her a break.”

  “I’m just curious.”

  “I’ll figure it all out. Everything happens for a reason, right, Dad?” I lift a brow and wait for him to agree.

  “I guess,” he mutters, but we all know he believes the words. He’s said them himself enough times over the years.

  17

  Shane

  “What the fuck is going on?” I ask Zayn as we make our way toward the cafeteria for lunch. The kids around us are buzzing with something. Excited chatter and gossip get louder and louder.

  “She pushed her right down. It was brutal.”

  “She fell top to bottom like a rag doll.”

  “No one knows if she’s alive.”

  What the actual fuck?

  I may be clueless, but it doesn’t stop a trickle of dread from running down my spine. After yesterday’s public fight, my imagination is running on overdrive right now.

  “I have no clue but it sounds dramatic whatever it is,” Zayn mutters.

  We’re almost at the cafeteria when the crowd in front of us parts and Principal Hartmann appears along with three other teachers all frog-marching Shelly, Krissy, and Aria, down the hallway.

  Something uncomfortable sits heavy in my stomach as realization starts to hit. There really is only one person those students could have been talking about.

  “Chelsea,” I mutter to myself before running for the cafeteria to find some answers.

  I have to fight my way through the crowds that seem to have appeared out of nowhere to watch Shelly, but in seconds I’m through and running toward someone who’ll know.

  “Cami, what’s happened?”

  “That,” she says, glancing over her shoulder. “Fuck knows. Some cheer slut drama probably. I don’t have time for that bullshit.”

  I purse my lips. I want to shout at her that that bullshit she’s talking about could very well mean something to me, but I can’t.

  Instead I force out, “Yeah you’re probably right.”

  “Shane.” Spinning on my heel, I find Zayn talking to Ruby and Harley. Ruby blushes bright red just looking at him, whereas Harley looks bored by having to stand in her brother’s vicinity. “Go on,” Zayn encourages once I join them.

  Harley rolls her eyes in frustration before turning to me. “Shelly pushed Chelsea down the stairs.”

  “What? Is she okay?” I ask in a rush, probably looking like I care too much, but I really don’t give a shit right now.

  “I have no idea. She’s been taken to the hospital.”

  I’m out of the school building before I’ve even realized I’ve moved. My need to get to her is all-consuming, but the second I turn the engine on, I freeze.

  There’s a very good chance she won’t want me there. She’s shown me time and time again that she doesn’t care, that she doesn’t want me, and I keep running back like a sad little puppy.

  My grip on the wheel tightens until my knuckles turn white. I need to go there. I need to know she’s okay.

  “Motherfucker,” I bark, slamming my palm down on the wheel and resting my head back.

  My head spins as it screams at me to get out of the car and continue with my day as if nothing’s happened.

  It’s what she would want.

  But what about what I want? What I need?

  “Fuck it.”

  I put the car in drive and speed out of the school parking lot. Only, when I get to the turn for the hospital, I don’t take it.

  My head’s too fucked-up after last night and everything else that’s happened in the past few weeks.

  I just need it all to stop.

  I breathe a sigh of relief when I find our driveway empty. The last thing I need right now is another lecture from my dad.

  Thankfully, I managed to sneak back into the house last night without him spotting me. I didn’t need a rehash of our previous conversation. Nothing he can say to me can change my mind. I don’t care about the fame, the success, the money. Professional football and the NFL will not make me happy. The pressure he puts on me for high school football is bad enough. I watch what he’s like with my brothers. He’s relentless in his need for them to be the best. It’s exhausting.

  I blow through the house, not stopping as I descend the stairs to the basement and Dad’s home gym. I hate being in it but needs must and all that.

  Pulling my hoodie and shirt off, I drop them to the bench before coming to a stop in front of what I really need.

  The punching bag.

  I run my fingers over the smooth black leather before pulling my other arm back and plowing my fists into it over and over.

  I didn’t bother wrapping them, so after only a couple of hits, they split open.

  I punch over and over, taking everything out on the bag. I picture my dad and all his bullshit demands, Chelsea and the way she repeatedly keeps turning me away. I’d never hit a woman, but Shelly’s face pops into my head as I throw another. How fucking dare she lay her hands on Chelsea. Who the fuck does she think she is? She’s already taken away her captaincy and enjoys rubbing it in her face. Isn’t that enough?

  My hair sticks to my forehead, my chest heaves with exertion as I fight through the pain of my exhausted muscles to continue. But no matter how many times my fists connect with the leather, it’s not enough.

  The door opens behind me and breaks through my angry haze. I throw one more punch at the bag before turning to find the inevitable. My furious father because I’m not at school where I should be. But to my surprise, when I turn around, I find Luca staring back at me.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I left a textbook in my room. More importantly, why are you here? Shouldn’t you be in class?”

  “Fuck off,” I grunt, turning my back on him and giving the punching bag my attention once again.

  “You need a partner to take that out on?”

  By the time I look over my shoulder, he’s dropped his bags and pulled his shirt over his head.

  He stands a few feet in front of me and puts his fists up, ready to fight.

  “I’m not fighting you,�
� I mutter, taking a step back. We might have fought many times over the years but I’m not taking this out on him.

  “Yeah you are,” he taunts, coming closer and jabbing me in the shoulder. “So what’s wrong? Dad riding your ass about the NFL again?”

  “When isn’t he?”

  I move around him to get some space, but he’s not having it and follows, continuing to taunt me.

  “So if it’s not Dad then it can only be one other thing.”

  “Oh yeah, what’s the…?” I ask, better his arm away when he starts to hit me harder.

  “A girl.”

  “Luca, will you just leave me the fuck alone?”

  “No can do, brother. You need to get this out and I’m offering it to you. Plus, I could use a good workout and seeing as your fists are already busted up, I stand a pretty good chance of winning.”

  I don’t point out that he always wins. He’s bigger and stronger than me. Both of them are which is why they’re better at the game.

  Wiping my face with my discarded shirt, I turn back to him.

  “It’s her, isn’t it?”

  “Who?” I bark.

  “Chelsea,” he practically sings her name in delight and it reawakens my anger once again. “Don’t think I don’t see it, little brother. You’ve pined after her for years.”

  “What does it matter? She’s only ever had eyes for greater things. You…” I roll my eyes. “Jake fucking Thorn.” I regret my admission the second his lips twitch in achievement. “Oh, just fuck off back to college.”

  “So what? You think you’re not good enough for her, is that it?” Luca’s fist connects with my cheek but it’s not a punch, more a tap to get me worked up and make me fight back. “It’s what Dad says, right? You need to push hard, play harder, work harder if you’re going to make it. He wants it for you, but he doesn’t really think you can do it.”

  Fury races through my veins. I know he’s just saying it to rile me up, but fuck if it’s not working.

  “And as for Chelsea, she wants a winner, Shane. Someone she can be proud of. Someone she can show off to make her feel better about herself. That’s not you, is it?”

  “Motherfucker.” I fly at him, but not before I see the smirk on his face.

  My fist connects with his jaw and his head snaps to the side before he comes back at me.

  “That’s better, little brother. Let it out. Show me how you really feel.”

  He pushes me back, but I don’t let it put me off.

  Fists fly, bodies connect and unlike when I hit the bag, I actually get some relief from the stress that’s been pulling at my muscles.

  “Fuck, fuck,” I say, stumbling back from him after a few minutes. I’m dripping in sweat and my body is aching.

  I’m fairly sure he didn’t hit me with everything he’s capable of, but still, it hurts.

  I fall down onto the bench a second before a bottle of water is thrust in my face.

  “Drink.”

  “Who are you, my fucking father?”

  “No, thank fuck.”

  He drops down beside me, equally out of breath as he rests his elbows on his knees and sucks in a few deep breaths.

  “You’ve got better, faster. I’ll give you that.”

  “Fuck you.”

  He chuckles. “Nah, save it for Chels.”

  “That’s not–”

  “Cut the bullshit, Shane. You’re fucking good enough for her and you know it. You want her? Take her. You want the NFL? Have at it, you’re good enough. You want to be a fucking ballet dancer? Go for it. What I said earlier was bullshit and you know it. Don’t listen to that asshole, nothing you ever do will be good enough for him, it’s just something that you need to accept. But you don’t need to be good enough for him. You just need to be good enough for you.”

  I sit back and let his words sink in.

  “Chelsea’s a good girl, Shane. But it’s no secret that she’s been screwed up by her past. She’s… complex. And just like you, she doesn’t feel like she’s good enough. You manage to see beneath the mask she wears, you know the vulnerable girl that’s beneath. The one that hardly anyone else sees. She’s not as strong as she makes out but she won’t accept it. She’ll fight until the bitter end, until she gets what she wants. Rightly or wrongly.

  “You want her. You’re gonna have to fucking fight too, bro. Because she won’t drop those walls easily.”

  “Fucking hell, Luc. How did Mr. Fuck ‘em and Chuck ‘em get so wise when it comes to women?”

  “I’m not fucking wise. I just know her. And you’re wrong. She never wanted me. She just wanted me to want her. She’s lost, Shane. The question is, are you strong enough to help find her?”

  I blow out a breath, not even knowing where to start with all of that information he’s just unloaded on me.

  “I need to get out of here. Dad’ll bust my ass if he finds me here. You too. I suggest you get washed up and disappear. Maybe go and visit that girl that’s got you all tied up in knots.”

  “The new cheer captain pushed her down the stairs today.”

  “She fucking what?” he booms, anger rolling through him in an instant. “Is she okay?”

  I shrug. “I have no idea. She was taken to the hospital.”

  “And you’re here fighting with me because…”

  “Because I have no idea what to do. She keeps sending me away. She doesn’t want me.”

  “And you’re going to allow that? She needs you. Be there.” He collects his stuff and looks over his shoulder at me before he disappears. “Call me if you need anything, yeah?”

  “Thanks, man. Sorry about your eye,” I say, nodding to where it’s starting to swell.

  “Nah, the girls will love it. They get all kinds of wet for a bad boy.”

  “Fucking hell. Go. Please, just go.”

  I’m still shaking my head when the door slams behind him. He might be a fucking idiot, but he’s kinda got a point.

  Collecting any of the evidence I was here, I take myself up to my room for a shower. I can hardly walk into the hospital with my knuckles in the state they’re in now.

  Turning the shower on, I avoid looking at myself in the mirror. Luca might not have gone full force on me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t feel myself bruising from his hits.

  My hands sting like a bitch when the hot water hits them. Gritting my teeth, I stare down as the water washes the blood away.

  Scrubbing them down my face, I make quick work of washing myself before getting ready to go and find out what happened to Chelsea.

  The drive to the hospital is quick and as I park, I can’t help regretting not just coming here first. Although I think I needed that time with Luca more than I’m willing to admit.

  With a sigh, I push open the door and head toward the ER. I have no idea if that’s where she’ll be or if she’s even still here, but it seems like the best place to start.

  I’ve barely walked through the doors when I see two people I wasn’t expecting heading my way.

  “Hey, what are you doing here?” I ask Amalie and Rae when they come to a stop in front of me.

  “We came with Chelsea. Did you hear what happened?”

  “Yeah, Shelly pushed her down the stairs or something.”

  “She said that Shelly didn’t actually push her, but whatever happened, Chelsea ended up at the bottom unconscious.”

  “I-is she okay?”

  The two of them share a look and dread twists in my stomach.

  “Yeah, just a bang to the head. She’ll be back to her usual delightful self in a few days, I’m sure,” Amalie says with a roll of her eyes.

  “I’m surprised you helped,” I say.

  “What was I supposed to do? Feed her to the wolves so they could have another go? Shelly is taking it a bit far now, even if she didn’t push her.”

  “We should go. Ethan and Jake are going to be waiting.” Thoughts of school and missing practice with the guys should concern me, but now I know she�
��s here, my need to see her has only increased. “Why are you here anyway? Shouldn’t you be with the team?”

  “Oh yeah, I… uh… I’ve got an appointment,” I lie, badly.

  “In the ER?”

  “No, I’m cutting through.”

  They both eye me curiously, but when I take a step forward, they both stand aside and let me pass.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say, waving them off and disappearing into the building, grateful that they can’t see me walk straight up to the reception desk.

  “Um… hi,” I say when the woman eventually looks up from her computer. “I’m looking for Chelsea Fierce.”

  “And you are?”

  “I’m… um… her boyfriend?” I cringe as I say the word, and I can’t help that it comes out like a question.

  “Her parents are with her. You’re more than welcome to go through as long as it’s only you. Or you can wait.” She points with her pen to the chairs behind me and I look over my shoulder.

  “I’ll wait, thank you. Wouldn’t want to overwhelm her if she’s not feeling great.” Plus, the last thing I need is a grilling from Honey and Derek.

  I find a seat in the corner but where I can keep an eye on the exit.

  Pulling my cell from my pocket I open my Snapchat notifications. My eyes almost pop out when I find images and videos of Chelsea as she tumbled down the stairs and was left helpless at the bottom.

  What the fuck is wrong with people?

  I end up waiting so long that I begin to wonder if I missed her parents leaving, but only a few minutes later I spot them emerging from the ER doors. Derek pulls his crying wife into his side as they move toward the entrance.

  My heart is heavy as I stand and make my way through the doors.

  I have no idea what I’m going to find on the other side, and my pulse begins to race as I get closer to where I know she is.

  18

  Chelsea

  When the painkillers I’ve been given start to kick in, my parents say their goodbyes so that I can rest. The doctor reappeared while Mom sat holding my hand and explained that although everything looked perfectly fine that they wanted to keep me overnight just to keep an eye on me.