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

by Tracy Lorraine

  “All you need?” She raises a brow and her usual sparkle begins to come back.

  “You’re in my arms. What more could I need?”

  She smiles, but it doesn’t meet her eyes like it usually would. I hate that something from so long ago, a lifetime ago, can cause her this much pain. I’d do anything to take it away but as I lie here holding her to me as tight as I can, I know there’s nothing more that I can do.

  Silence falls around us and eventually, her breathing evens out and I know she’s fallen asleep.

  I smile to myself, knowing that she feels safe enough to do so, and I know in that moment that I made the right decision tonight. Coming here and leaving that cunt behind was the right thing to do. I’m not sure I’ve ever said truer words in my life than when I told him that Chelsea was my future, and tomorrow I intend to tell her.

  It’s time we stopped thinking about the past, about the nightmares and the mistakes and start looking forward to our future together because that’s exactly how it should be.

  “No. Don’t touch me. No.”

  Chelsea’s fear-filled cries startle me awake seconds before her elbow connects with my eye socket.

  Ignoring the pain, I push myself up on my elbow and stare down at her. There’s a deep crease between her brows as she thrashes about, fighting her nighttime demons.

  “Chelsea, it’s okay,” I say, taking her face in my hands. “It’s just me. You’re safe.”

  Her eyes fly open, finding mine immediately. It takes a second, but the fear filling them starts to subside.

  “Shane,” she says on a sigh before her eyes close once again and she falls back to sleep.

  This is repeated over and over as the minutes tick by.

  It feels like every time I begin to drift off to sleep, she’s crying out in terror.

  By the fourth or fifth time, I decide it’s time to wake her to drag her from her nightmares.

  “Chelsea, Chelsea,” I repeat until her eyes flicker open once more. “Hey,” I say softly, leaning down to brush my lips against hers.

  “Shane?” she asks, sounding confused.

  “Shhh… it was a nightmare. Everything is okay. I’m right here,” I soothe, my lips brushing against hers.

  Slipping my hand under the hem of my jersey that she’s still wearing, she noticeably relaxes against me.

  “Make it go away, Shane. Please.” Her plea guts me, fucking slays me.

  “Anything.” Sweeping my tongue into her mouth, I move my hand up her ribs until I find her breast. Her nipple is already pebbled for me and I pinch it, making her gasp into our kiss.

  I tease her with my hands and lips until she’s moaning, writhing and begging for more.

  When I can restrain myself no longer, I settle myself between her thighs and slide myself into her.

  We both moan as I move so slowly and gently inside her.

  “Better?” I groan against the soft skin of her neck.

  “Yes. More, Shane, give me more.”

  Lifting her hands, I take both her wrists in one of mine and stare down at her.

  A tear trickles from one of her eyes and it wrecks me. Reaching out, I wipe it with my thumb.

  “Shane, I…” She hesitates and I shake my head slightly. She doesn’t need to talk right now. “I think I’ve fallen in love with you.”

  My breathing catches and I swear that my heart stops in my chest. The world around us ceases to exist as I stare down into her dark, haunted eyes.

  “Chelsea, I—”

  “No,” she says after slipping one hand from my grasp and placing her fingers against my lips. “Don’t. Not just because I did.”

  My eyes plead with her, but I know she’s right. She’s not ready to hear the words, especially straight off the back of her admitting it.

  “Fucking hell, Chelsea.”

  Dropping my lips to hers I kiss her as deep as I can, trying to put everything I feel into my actions.

  No sooner have we found our releases than we fall back asleep in each other’s arms. Thankfully, the next time I wake, the sun is shining through from the living room and Chelsea’s stare is burning into me.

  Cracking an eye open, I look to the other side of the bed.

  “Morning,” I croak when I find her staring back at me like I was expecting.

  “I thought it was all a dream,” she says softly.

  I shake my head. “Sadly not.”

  She blows out a long breath. “What are you going to do about your dad?”

  “No idea. Quite honestly, I don’t care.”

  “But college.”

  I shrug. “I’d rather not go than have my life dictated by him.”

  “What about you?” I ask, thinking about my crazy thoughts for the future yesterday.

  “I don’t know. I’ve applied a ton of places, have a shot at a scholarship at a couple. But…” she sighs, looking nervous all of a sudden. “After school, can we… talk?”

  My eyes bounce between hers, trying to read what she’s not telling me.

  “Chels?” I pull her toward me, hoping that she’ll say something to squash the lump of dread that’s just formed in my belly.

  “It’s okay, I’m not ending this or anything. I just think we need to talk about the future.”

  “You mean where we go to college.”

  “Yeah,” she says, looking away from my eyes. “Stuff like that.”

  Her words don’t make me feel better and I almost suggest that we blow off school and just do the talking now. But knowing that’s not going to help at all with my dad, I drag my exhausted body up until I’m sitting back against her headboard and pull her onto my lap.

  “Whatever you need, baby.”

  30

  Chelsea

  The lingering fear from my recurring nightmare clings to me as Shane and I get ready for school. The nerves fluttering in my belly about the conversation we need to have later help to distract me but the revulsion I remember all too well from their touch refuses to leave me.

  “Everything’s going to be okay,” Shane says as we walk hand in and around my house to find his car.

  Every muscle in my body is pulled tight as I wait to see if his truck is going to be there.

  Some movement at the window in the living room tells me that Mom is aware that Shane’s here once again and he’s the reason I ran like I did last night.

  Thankfully, when we get to the front of the house, there’s no sign of him.

  I breathe a sigh of relief and drop down into Shane’s passenger seat.

  He’s right. Everything is going to be okay.

  By the time we’re pulling into the school parking lot, I almost believe myself. Shane will accept what I have to tell him and we can continue on as we have been with our shared little secret for now and the guy will just disappear as fast as he appeared now that he’s seen me.

  It’s wishful thinking, I know, but it’s all I’ve got right now.

  “Looks like we’re still hot gossip, baby,” Shane mutters as we walk toward the main building to go to our lockers.

  My skin prickles as all eyes burn into us. It’s much the same as yesterday morning but if anything, everyone is even more intrigued.

  I really thought something else would have happened by now to take the heat off us. Someone does something stupid every hour here at Rosewood High. None of are hot gossip for all that long.

  Students whisper things to each other as we pass but I don’t make out what they’re saying.

  “What the hell is going on?” I mutter. Sensing that I don’t need an answer, Shane continues walking silently beside me.

  We step in through the open doors and I get my first look at what has everyone talking and my world falls out from beneath me.

  Pinned to every locker and every available surface are posters with an image I’d recognize from a mile away.

  The words start to blur before me as reality hits.

  Who’s baby Fierce’s daddy?

  The worl
d spins around me and as Shane drops my hand, I feel like I’m going to be swallowed whole.

  No. No. No. This is not happening.

  It’s like I’m in a dream and watching this whole thing play out as all eyes burn into me and kids laugh and gossip.

  “Tell me this is a joke.” Shane’s voice breaks through the haze, it’s rough and deep and I know that if I were to turn around and look at him the expression on his face would devastate me.

  This wasn’t how it was meant to happen.

  “Um…” I stare at the image of our baby that surrounds me.

  My little secret out in the world for everyone else to look at.

  That should be mine—ours—not all of theirs.

  My breaths start to increase as I try to make sense of all of this and what I’m meant to say to him with everyone watching us.

  “Chelsea,” he warns, his voice telling me that he’s on the verge of losing his shit, but as I open my mouth to respond nothing comes out, instead my knees buckle and I begin to drop.

  “I’ve got you,” a familiar friendly voice says in my ear as large hands grasp my upper arms. “Let’s go. Dunn, you too.” I’m pushed forward before we halt for a second. “Get fucking rid of all this.” People start moving behind me as paper starts ripping and getting wadded up.

  “Wait,” I cry, stepping forward to pull one of the posters from the wall. I stare down at my baby.

  I’m so sorry, I screwed this up.

  I squeeze my eyes shut, praying that I can keep the tears at bay, for now at least.

  Ethan directs me toward and empty classroom but just before we walk through the door, someone steps from the crowd with a triumphant smile on her fake face.

  “You,” I bark, staring into the evil eyes of a girl I once trusted.

  Shelly smiles back at me sweetly as if she has no idea what I could be accusing her of.

  “You need to watch your fucking back.”

  Her smile doesn’t falter, and it only serves to irritate me further.

  All she does is laugh before she slips back into the crowd and disappears.

  Anger races through me and I fight to pull away from Ethan’s grip to run after her, but he refuses to release me and instead directs me to the classroom.

  I have no idea if it’s just the two of us or if Shane followed orders, but as I stand there staring at the ultrasound picture, I’m too scared to turn around and find out.

  The door opens and then closes behind me and the tension grows.

  Losing the fight with my tears, they spill over as I continue staring at the ultrasound. I’ve done all kinds of unmentionable things over the years, but this makes me feel totally violated. This is my baby. Mine. No one should have the power to spread him or her all over the school. This image is mine to look at, mine to choose who I show.

  A sob erupts and I lift my hand to cover my mouth in the hope it keeps more down.

  This is what she wanted. Me broken. I refuse to allow her to see it happen.

  “Chelsea?” His voice is weak, rough, and full of emotion.

  “Oh god,” I whisper, looking up at the ceiling in the hope of finding the right words.

  “Is it true? Are you… is that… fuck.”

  Turning to look at him, I gasp at the tortured look on his face. His eyes are wide, staring right at me as he tugs at his hair.

  Our eyes lock and his shoulders tense even more. He doesn’t need my words. He knows me enough by now to read it in my eyes.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  His hands drop as his body turns rigid. His lips press into a thin line and his eyes harden. If the situation wasn’t what it was, I’d say it was hot, but that’s the last thing on my mind right now.

  He takes a step forward and I have to fight not to retreat. I know he won’t hurt me but my need to escape just in case almost gets the better of me.

  “Whose is it?”

  My chin drops. Of all the things I was expecting him to say, that wasn’t it.

  “W-what?”

  “I said… Whose. Is. It?” His eyes drop from mine, pure disgust dripping from them as he stares down at my stomach.

  “It’s yours, Shane.”

  A bitter laugh falls from his lips. “You really expect me to believe that?”

  “Uh… ye—”

  “You’re nothing but a fucking whore, Chelsea. That could be any one of the teams’, and you know it. Hell, you’ve probably been through the fucking chess club and the band for all I know.”

  “What? No,” I cry. “It’s yours. It can only be yours.”

  “Bullshit. Everyone knows what you get up to. All the guys on the team brag about what you let them do. You’re a fucking liar.”

  His cold words rip me in two. He has every right to be angry, I know that. But the person standing before me isn’t my Shane. He’s cold, cruel, evil.

  I did this. I turned my soft, sweet guy into this monster. All because I was too weak, too afraid to tell him the truth.

  “W-what I said was true. There’s only been you and Jake.”

  “So it’s his then.”

  “No, that was too long ago. It was that night, Shane. That first night.”

  “We used protection,” he spits, as if that makes it a sure thing. I’m growing the evidence right now to prove otherwise.

  “It happens,” I say with a shrug.

  “You’re fucking unbelievable, you know that? I can’t believe I’ve fallen for your lies and bullshit. I can’t believe…” He trails off, his hands returning to his hair as he spins away from me.

  When his eyes come back to mine, the sparkling green I’m used to is gone, they’re dark and empty.

  “You promised me the games were over. But you’ve been playing me this whole time.”

  He reaches out and swipes the contents of the teacher’s desk to the floor before storming toward the door.

  “Shane,” I cry. “Please. I need you.”

  He looks over his shoulder and for the briefest second, I think I’ve got him. Then his eyes drop from mine once more before he says. “You should have thought about that before lying to me all this time.” And then he’s gone.

  I stumble back, lose my footing and crash to the ground in a heap.

  When I open my eyes, I find two concerned sets staring back at me.

  “I’m so sorry,” I whimper.

  “Let’s get you out of here.”

  Ethan and Rae each take one of my arms and together they lift me from the floor.

  There are still hordes of students filling the hallway, all waiting to witness the fallout from this no doubt.

  “All right douchebags, the show is over,” Ethan bellows the second he emerges and the majority of the students scatter.

  Looking around, I notice that almost all the posters have disappeared and the second we step outside of the building, I discover why. Jake, Amalie, Mason and Camila stand at the benches with their hands full of them.

  The four of them rush over when they spot us.

  I wince, waiting for the backlash from them but all they do is give me small sympathetic smiles.

  To be fair, nothing they could say right now could make me hate myself more than I already do.

  “We thought that maybe you’d want to dispose of these,” Amalie says softly, handing over her stack of posters.

  “T-thank you.” I look from her to Camila. “Will you find him, please. Make sure he’s okay. It wasn’t meant to happen like this.”

  They both nod.

  “Come on, we’re taking you home.”

  Ethan and Rae gently push me in the direction of the parking lot but before we’re out of earshot of the others, I stop and turn around.

  As expected, I find their eyes on me.

  “I…” I hesitate, not really wanting this to be the way I say the words but feeling compelled to express just how much he means to me. “I really love him. Please, please tell him that.”

  I sob as I turn around and accept the embra
ce that Ethan gives me as we walk. Rae slips her hand into mine.

  Their support right now means everything to me. But they’re not who I want.

  A parking space two spots down from Ethan’s taunts me.

  He’s already left.

  The emptiness that I was already feeling as he blew through that door threatens to engulf me.

  I press my hand to my chest as the ache radiates from it.

  “I… I need to find him. I need to explain.”

  Ethan and Rae exchange a look.

  “We’re taking you home, Chels. I think you need to give him some space.”

  “But I need to explain.”

  “We know you do, but right now, you need to let him cool down and you need to take a breath.”

  I nod, knowing they’re right but hating it at the same time.

  The drive back home passes me by in a blur.

  All I can see is Shane’s devastated, furious face.

  I need to fix this. Only, I have no idea how.

  31

  Shane

  I don’t see the students who are eagerly waiting for something to happen as I storm from that classroom.

  Things are shouted. Accusations are made but I don’t hear a single one.

  Blood rushes past my ears so fast that just a buzzing fills them.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Jake, Amalie, Mason, and Cami furiously ripping the posters from the lockers and walls.

  Amalie spots me over her shoulder and runs to me.

  “Shane, are you okay?” Looking from her concerned eyes to the posters in her hand, I reach out and snatch one. The rest flutter to the ground but I don’t stop to help her pick them up. All I can think about is getting out of here. Getting away from the gossip, the prying eyes, the knowing looks.

  I didn’t give a fuck when I walked in with her on my arm yesterday. It was what I wanted. They could tell me whatever they wanted, give me all their bullshit opinions. As far as I was concerned, she was everything I wanted.

  But now… I’ve just had exactly what they all expected rubbed in my face.

  How can this even be true? How could she have kept something so huge from me?