by Amy Brown
Maybe she’s just toying with you.
I can believe that. Charity is every bit as cunning as me. Odds are, she didn’t just bend over without thinking. She knew I’d check her out, if given the chance. She knows I find her sexually addicting. Why else did I get myself in this much trouble? Was this just a little game? Did she set me up by giving me a peek at her bare ass? I find that easier to believe than the idea that my good buddy would sleep with her. Bro code would prevent that.
Charity smiles at Travis, and his cheeks turn pink. He really does lose his brain functions when a pretty girl is around. She touches his arm, and he moves closer. She lifts her face to his, and I can see him leaning in. She laughs, and he smiles. Anger rolls through me and I clench my fists. What is she playing at? What she should be doing is thinking up an excuse to tell her mom about why she wants to transfer to another school. Instead, she’s wasting time flirting with my best friend.
Maybe she knows I’m following her. She knows I’m aware of where she goes and who she sees. I know she’s the same with me. That’s part of our problem with each other, we find it difficult to ignore one another. If I could ignore her, maybe I wouldn’t care that she was at Longhorn Academy. But I don’t think I can pretend she doesn’t exist, if she’s in my vicinity.
I’m relieved when she moves away from Travis. He heads in the opposite direction of her, and she turns back toward me. I grit my teeth and try to stay behind the trunk of the tree. It would be embarrassing if she catches me following her. Luckily, she seems distracted, and she has her head down as she passes by my hiding place. Once she’s out of sight, I hurry toward my class. I don’t want to be late to class however, I’m glad I saw her meet up with Travis. I don’t know what that was about, but I certainly plan on asking my good friend. She has no idea that Travis and I are still speaking behind Jeremy’s back.
I make it to class just in time, and spend yet another hour obsessing about Charity. She really is a pain in the ass. She doesn’t even have to be in the class with me to occupy my thoughts. I hate that. I remember a time when I felt on top of the world. It seems like these days all my thoughts are occupied by how to get even with Charity. Or how to sleep with Charity. Basically, Charity occupies way too much of my time. I want her sexually all the time, and I’m consumed with thoughts of her when she’s not around. It’s a horrible, foolish way to exist. I’m not going to reclaim my spot as one of The Elites if all I do is obsess about that bitch twenty-four-seven. This is one of the main reasons she needs to go. I can’t focus on anything but her. I’m weak where she’s concerned.
The school day seems to drag on endlessly. When I arrive home I’m surprised to see Mom has returned from Arizona. Her and dad are in the kitchen, and when I walk in she kisses me hello. Her cheeks are flushed and she looks happy, while dad looks tense as usual.
“Isn’t it a nice surprise your dad came home early?” she asks, slipping her arm around his waist.
“Yep.” I nod, and drop my backpack on the ground. I move to the fridge and grab a bottle of cold water. “How was your visit with grandma and grandpa?”
“Wonderful.” She smiles up at dad. “Next time you have to come with me. They were asking about both of you. It’s been far too long since we visited them as a family.”
“I haven’t seen them since last Christmas.” I sip my water. I used to spend my summer vacations in Arizona with them, but since I started high school, I preferred staying around here so I could hang out with my friends. I do miss them though. I feel a twinge of guilt and decide I need to make some time for them. They’re old and they won’t be around forever. I shouldn’t take them for granted.
“Did you boys behave while I was gone?” she asks.
I shrug. “As much as usual.”
“I just got home yesterday. Nothing exciting happened.” Dad leans against the island.
“I hope Amanda took good care of you two.” Mom sighs. “Shall we eat out tonight? Amanda didn’t have much warning.”
“Whatever you want.” Dad gives her an indulgent smile.
“I have too much homework. I’ll just make a sandwich.” I’m up to my eyeballs in statistics homework. Math isn’t my favorite subject on a good day, and I haven’t had many good days lately.
“You sure?” Mom frowns.
“Yep. But you two can still go out.”
“I guess.” Mom bites her lip, her eyes glittering. “Did you hear the good news?”
“What good news?” I ask.
“Your father has agreed to let me go back to work.” She announces it like it’s the most amazing news in the world. “Can you believe it?”
I keep my expression blank. “That’s fantastic.” I meet my dad’s gaze, and he looks surprised I’m pretending I had nothing to do with his decision. I figure it’s best if Mom thinks it was all him. That will make her happier.
“I couldn’t believe it when he told me.” Mom sounds breathless.
Dad kisses the top of her head. “I just want you healthy and happy.”
“I’m ecstatic.” She beams. “Of course, I’ll have to take the state exam again to reinstate my license. It’s been too many years and it expired.”
“I’m sure you’ll ace it,” I say.
“I hope so.” She wrinkles her forehead. “I’ll have to brush up on all the new stuff. I’m sure things have changed a lot.”
“Well.” Dad shrugs. “If it’s important to you, you’ll do all the things necessary. It’s up to you now.”
“Yes.” She nods. “I’ll go online later and see what I need to do.”
“Good idea,” Dad says.
“We should have a glass of champagne to celebrate.” Mom moves to the fridge. “I’m sure I have a bottle in here. I was saving it for when you got home, Henry,” she murmurs.
I meet Dad’s gaze, and say, “Are you sure about that? I thought you were trying not to drink?”
She glances over, scowling. “I haven’t had a drink since I went to Arizona. I’m sure a little champagne won’t hurt anything.”
Dad shrugs, looking uncertain. “I guess one glass is okay.”
She grabs the bottle from the fridge. “Here it is.” She hands it to Dad. “You open it, and I’ll get the glasses.”
“None for me, thanks. I have homework.”
She shrugs. “More for me.”
Her statement makes me uneasy, but I don’t want to make a stink. Dad opens the bottle with a loud pop, and he pours the bubbly into two flutes. I grab a coke from the fridge, and we lift our beverages.
“To feeling independent again,” she says with a laugh.
Dad frowns. “You don’t need to be independent.”
“Oh, well, independent is the wrong word.” She sighs. “Useful might be a better word? I love the idea of doing something other than charity functions.”
“Those are very useful to the community.” Dad’s tone is chiding.
“Yes. I… I know. It’s just nice to be good at something other than serving lunch, and small talk. I was good at selling real estate. I loved the challenge.” She sips her champagne, staring at her shoes. “I hope I pass the state exam. It would be embarrassing if I didn’t after all this time.”
“You will.” I smile. “I’ll help you study. I’m an expert at passing tests, even if I don’t understand the material.”
She laughs. “I may take you up on that.”
Dad pats her back. “You’ll do great, Olivia. You’re good at everything.”
Her cheeks tint pink. “I don’t know about that.”
“Take the compliment, Mom.” I finish off my soda, and crush the can. “Well, I need to study. I’ll see you guys later.”
I grab my backpack, and make my way to my room. I’m relieved Dad kept his promise to allow Mom to go back to work. I hadn’t been sure if it was just all talk. It was obvious that Mom was thrilled at the news, and I really hope that helps her get control of her drinking.
I begin pulling things out of my backpa
ck, and soon my bed is strewn with text books and papers. I work through some statistics problems, but my mind keeps drifting. I can’t stop thinking about Charity and Travis’s meeting today. I’m not sure what possible reason they’d have to have a secret rendezvous. As far as I know, they’re hardly acquainted.
I decide the easiest thing to do is just address the issue with my buddy. I grab my phone, and dial his number. When it goes to voicemail, I frown. Travis usually picks up by the second ring. Maybe he’s screwing some girl.
Maybe he’s screwing Charity.
The thought of that makes my gut churn. He wouldn’t do that. I just don’t believe he’d sleep with her. He might want to sleep with her, but I don’t think he’d cross that line with her. For one thing, it would be the kind of thing he could get shunned for, and for another thing, he’s my best friend. It’s not cool to sleep with the same girl as your friend.
I call him three more times, and then I decide to just drop by his house. I slip out of my house and drive over to Travis’s place. His car is there, so I park and go around the house to the back. Travis and I have been best friends for so long, I don’t use the front door anymore. I usually just swing up on the balcony and let myself into his room.
I climb up the trellis that leads to his balcony, and once I reach the top, I move to the glass door. Peering in through the plantation shutters, I make sure he’s not fucking some chick. He’s got a healthy sexual appetite, and he beds a lot of girls. Common courtesy says I need to be sensitive, and not just barge in.
He’s at his desk, feet up, smoking a joint. He has headphones on, and his phone is across the room plugged into the charger. Maybe that’s why he didn’t hear me texting. I hope that’s the reason. It would suck if he was intentionally ignoring me.
I slide the door open slowly, and he glances over. His grin reassures me he isn’t trying to avoid me. “Hey, I was just thinking about you,” he says cheerfully.
“Yeah?” I close the door behind me. “I texted you but you didn’t answer.”
He winces. “Sorry. My phone died.” He holds out his joint and I take it.
I puff on the end of the blunt, and then hand it back. Inhaling, I sit on the edge of his unmade bed, letting the drug caress my brain cells into submission. “That’s nice shit.” I grin, blowing out smoke as I talk.
He nods. “Robert got it for me. It wasn’t cheap.”
“I’d rather pay more for quality.”
“Same.” He sucks on the joint again.
I clear my throat, unsure of how to bring up the subject of Charity. I don’t want to sound accusing, but I’m dying of curiosity. In the end, I don’t have to bring her up, because he does.
“I talked to your girlfriend today,” he says, smirking.
I keep my expression blank. “Oh, really? How is Sophia?”
He cackles. “Jesus, not her. She fucking hates you now. Stay away from her, if you know what’s good for you. That bitch is vindictive.”
I reach for the joint, and he hands it over. I suck on the end of it, waiting for him to continue. This really is good pot. I can already feel myself relaxing.
“I’m talking about your other girlfriend.” He narrows his eyes. “Charity.”
I raise my brows. “Why would you talk to that traitorous bitch?”
“Technically she didn’t betray you. Or at least, no more than you would have betrayed her, if she hadn’t got you first.”
I don’t appreciate him defending her. Because of that, I don’t hand the blunt back to him, and instead focus on finishing it. I’m dying to know what they talked about, but I don’t want to seem too eager.
He holds out his hand, but I shake my head. He laughs, reaches in a drawer, and pulls out another joint. He spends a few minutes lighting it, and then he says softly, “I was shocked when Charity reached out to me.”
Huh. So she reached out to him? That’s actually a relief. “Were you hoping she wanted to fuck?”
He scowls, his eyes narrowing. “You’d better be kidding. I hope you know I’d never touch her.”
“You do love pussy.”
“I don’t tread where my bestie has gone before. You know that. You better fucking know that.”
I shrug, but I’m secretly relieved. It’s nice when someone is exactly who you think they are. “So what did she want?”
“She said she was thinking about transferring to Pine View High, and wanted to know if I knew anything about that school.”
Self-satisfaction rolls through me, but I try to hide it. “That’s odd.”
He studies me. “I thought so too. Especially since she’s the Queen of the Nerds right now. Why would she want to start over at another school?”
“Who can tell what goes on in that chicks head?”
He rolls his eyes. “Dude, why are you holding out on me?”
“What?” I ask innocently.
“Did you threaten her or something?”
“Moi? You think I would do such a dastardly deed?” I grin.
He laughs at my horrible French accent. “No way did she just wake up and decide to switch schools. What did you do?”
I extinguish the finished joint on the tip of my tongue, and toss it in the little trash bin beside his desk. “I need her to go. She’s getting way too powerful.”
“You didn’t answer my question. What did you do?”
I lift one shoulder, feeling a little embarrassed to admit what I threatened Charity with. I don’t want Travis to think I’m a dick, and threatening Luke is definitely a dick move. “Promise you won’t judge me?”
“Wow, it must be pretty bad if you’re worried about me judging you.”
I frown as a thought occurs to me. “Why did she go to you? She barely knows you, right?”
“She heard that a friend of mine goes to Pine View.” He shrugs. “Not sure who told her that. I haven’t talked to Lane in years. We run in different circles these days.”
“Lane. He’s that skinny ginger you befriended in middle school, right?”
“You’re stalling. You don’t give a shit who Lane is, dude.”
I laugh. “No. I really don’t.”
He takes a long pull on his joint, and blows smoke rings. After a bit, he says, “For the last time, what the fuck did you do to Charity?”
I meet his gaze, ignoring the shame nipping at me. I’m not proud of what I threatened Charity with. But sometimes you have to do things you don’t like, to get what you need. It’s eat or be eaten. “I told her if she doesn’t transfer out of Longhorn Academy, I’ll have some people I know bully her little brother.”
He bugs his eyes and stares at me in shock. Then he looks away, frowning. “Wow.”
My face warms. “It’s war and all is fair.”
“But, he’s just a kid.” He glances at me. “Is it just an empty threat?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. I haven’t decided.”
“You’d actually have that kid bullied?” His tone is odd. Not exactly judgmental, but close.
“What’s the big deal? You bullied kids in middle school. Why is this different? The only variation is you did the actual bullying, and I’m hiring it out.”
His cheeks flush. “I guess.”
“Skip’s little brother Ronnie goes to the same school as Charity’s brother. He could make a lot of trouble for Luke. I’m hoping Charity will do the right thing, and then Luke will be unharmed.”
“That’s cold. I gotta be honest.” His eyes glitter. “And before you try and throw my past behavior back in my face, I’ll explain the difference.” He sucks in a breath. “When I bullied those kids in middle school, I was the same age as them. I didn’t really know any better. Plus, it was personal. They pissed me off and I reacted. But going after this little kid, Luke, when you’re almost eighteen, that’s different. It seems wrong.”
Irritation rolls through me. “I don’t believe for one second Charity won’t do what I ask. I don’t really think Luke is in any danger of being bullied. But
Charity has to believe I’ll do it, or she’ll call my bluff.”
He looks relieved. “So you don’t really want Luke hurt?”
“Hell no,” I growl. “I have nothing against the kid.”
He taps the ashes off the tip of his joint. “Well, that’s a relief.” He frowns. “But you did actually arrange things with Skip, right?”
“Yes.”
His gaze flickers. “So you would do it, if pushed.”
I harden my jaw. “The bitch needs to go. I can’t think straight with her around.”
“Jesus.” He shakes his head. “I’ve never seen you like this.”
I stand, feeling agitated again. “She gets under my skin. And you should be worried too. If she stays, The Elites are finished. I hope you know that.”
“I do, but there are some things I don’t feel right about. Threatening a little kid is one of them.”
I’d love to say his opinion doesn’t matter, but of course it does. I don’t feel proud about how low I’m stooping, but I have to fight dirty to get rid of Charity. She’s a formidable foe.
“Like I said, I don’t believe one hair on Luke’s head will be touched. Charity will transfer schools, and we can go back to being in charge of Longhorn Academy. This stupid rebellion has gone on long enough. I’m hoping if I can get Charity to leave, Jeremy and the others will let me back in The Elites sooner than the thirty days. After all, if I’m responsible for regaining control, I should be rewarded.”
“You’re way more conniving than I ever dreamed.” It’s not a compliment. His expression is distasteful. “I always thought Jeremey was the one who schemed the most, but I’m beginning to wonder.”
His words hit their mark, but I’m careful not to flinch. “You’ll thank me when things go back to normal.”
“I guess.”
I move to the glass door. “I have a ton of homework. I’ll talk to you later.”
