Tormented: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Elginvale High Book 1)

by Esme Devlin

  “I do. You never seen drunk girls before? Everyone’s your best friend when you’re drunk. Just give it a couple of hours,” she giggles. “Come on, let’s get a drink.”

  She takes my hand and leads me over to the center island where a huge glass punch bowl sits in the center. Various bottles of spirits, wines, beers and mixers all sit around it.

  “Don’t touch that,” she tells me over the music, nodding towards the punch bowl. “Not unless you want date-raped.”

  “I wasn’t going to,” I mouth.

  She picks up a bottle of red and pours some into two clear plastic cups before handing me one.

  “Cheers,” I say.

  “Slan-ge-var,” she says back, knocking her cup against mine and taking a gulp. “Don’t let that out of your sight.” She motions towards the cup and I roll my eyes at her but nod, anyway. I think I’m getting a taste for this wine now, my cheeks are flushed and it’s putting me more at ease.

  I take another look around the kitchen. It’s dark; someone has switched off the main spotlights and now only the under-cabinet and floor lights are on. Would Liam even see us if he walked in? There are kids everywhere, standing around chatting in groups, laughing, dancing, smoking cigarettes out of the back door. I finally see him walk in with Brad and my heart soars. I take a gulp of my wine to calm me down.

  “Lace! I’ve been looking all over for you,” he shouts, coming towards me and pulling me in close to him for a hug. My body connects with his solid chest and I turn my face slightly, wary of getting makeup on his crisp white shirt. Even with heels on I’m still a good few inches shorter than him.

  “How are you?” I ask, feeling my cheeks redden when I pull back and try to meet his gaze.

  “Better now you’re here,” he replies smoothly. “Stevie, do you know Brad?”

  “I know Brad,” she says curtly.

  Brad flashes her a grin but Stevie doesn’t smile back. She just looks in another direction and takes a sip of her wine. I’m in awe of her reserve and slightly aghast. Even if I hated the ground Brad walked on, I still think I would have struggled not to smile back at him. Years of attending functions with my father had taught me to smile, remain friendly, and if they’re leering at you, then politely make your excuses and move away. Under no circumstances do you come across as rude, which is exactly how Stevie is coming across now.

  “So, do you guys have a drink?” I try to change the subject and lighten the mood.

  “No, not yet,” Liam shouts over the music. “Why don’t we grab one and head outside? Easier to talk there.”

  I nod enthusiastically and follow them over to the island while they grab a drink. It’s not too cold outside, but there’s a chill in the air so I head straight over to the fire-pit in the center of the garden and sit down. Liam is behind me and motions for me to scoot along so he can get on the chair with me.

  “You look absolutely stunning tonight,” he whispers in my ear. His hand comes to rest on my bare thigh and heat surges from it. My heart beats a little faster and I have to remind myself to stay calm.

  I turn my face towards him and say, “You look great, too.”

  He doesn’t reply; he just stares right into my soul. The smell of wood smoke fills the air and the light from the fire dances across his face. I look at his eyes; they’re crystal blue. He opens his lips slightly, as if he’s about to say something but nothing comes. I sense what’s about to happen and I’m on edge, the butterflies in the pit of my stomach moving their wings at a nauseating speed. He leans forward, and so do I. He does this sexy half laugh, and then moves a stray piece of hair behind my ear. He moves in and brushes his lips across mine and I think I die a little. I think my heart stops beating and time stands still.

  I close my eyes and let the rest of the world slip away as he opens his mouth and I let him explore.

  Chapter 4

  Shaun

  “There she is,” Calvin says to the group as we watch the back door from our spot at the end of the garden.

  “She scrubs up half-decent,” Tony announces, and everyone sniggers. Scoot whistles quietly under his breath.

  I look the girl up and down, trying to see what it is they’re all apparently seeing. She looks worse tonight than she does in school. Her dress barely covers her arse and the make-up has her looking ten years older than she is. We’re not far away from her but she’s so consumed in that prick Liam that she wouldn’t notice if one of us was on fire.

  We watch them from the shadows and Liam wastes no time in getting his paws all over her. He leans in to kiss her and I think I might vomit from his little hair brush move.

  “Love’s young dream,” Calvin chuckles.

  This is perfect. I don’t actually believe for a second Liam has any feelings for this girl, but that doesn’t really matter. The fact that the whole school will know about this kiss when I rip her away from his slimy hands is the cherry on the cake. While that might not hurt his feelings, it won’t do anything for his pride.

  I’ve seen enough.

  I get up from my chair and head over to the fire pit, hearing the rest of them fall into step behind me. I head straight for the chair opposite them and sit there with my hands clasped together and my legs spread apart. I watch them, but their eyes are closed and they’re lost inside the moment.

  That doesn’t stop her pal noticing though, and she clears her throat loudly. Lacey pulls away and smiles at him, all sickly sweet, and Liam grins like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. Jesus fucking Christ.

  He catches on to my presence quickly and the mask he’s wearing slips for a fraction of a second when he turns to look at me.

  “Shaun, I didn’t know you and Kelly were friends,” he says as innocently as he can manage.

  I turn from him and look directly at Lacey when I answer, “We’re not.”

  There’s a long silence while Lacey and I regard each other. She looks uncomfortable under my gaze and after a few moments she looks away.

  “How are you, Lacey?” I ask her, my voice straight and my eyes not moving from her.

  She looks back to me. “I’m fine… thank you,” she replies before looking away again. I glance at Liam and notice he’s clenching his jaw slightly.

  “You missed the part where you’re supposed to enquire how I am, Lacey. Did Daddy not teach you any manners?” I ask her.

  I see her swallow before she says lightly, “Excuse me, how rude. How are you?”

  I pause and watch as she waits for me to answer. “Confused. See I’m sat here wondering just how easy you need to be to kiss a guy you barely even know?”

  My lips curl up in a smile as I watch the confusion wash over her face, her lips that locked onto Liam’s a few moments ago now open slightly in an O. She has nice lips, this girl. The top one is slightly bigger than the bottom, giving her this innocent doll-like appearance that stirs my cock to attention.

  “Come on, Lacey,” Liam says as he takes a hold of her hand and pulls her up out of the chair. “We don’t have to listen to this.”

  I turn to her friend who’s watching me with something akin to fear in her eyes. “Stevie — it is Stevie, right? You just keep sitting right there, darlin’.”

  Lacey is half standing when she turns to regard her friend, who gives her the sit down eyes. She takes her friend‘s silent advice and Liam sits back down beside her.

  “Great. Now we’re all comfortable, you can answer the question,” I say to Lacey.

  “I’m not easy,” she states.

  “Have you ever been kissed before?”

  She looks down at the ground. “Yes.”

  “Are you a virgin, Lacey?” I let the word slide off my tongue like a trickle of poison.

  Her eyes flick back up to me in surprise.

  “You don’t have to answer that,” Liam says to her through gritted teeth.

  I turn to her friend. “Stevie. Calvin is cold. Be a darling for me and sit on his knee.”

  I sense everyone turning tow
ards her and panic flashes in her eyes. She swallows and then stands up and walks around the fire pit to where Calvin is sitting on my right-hand side, before perching on the end of his kneecap.

  “Did I say knee? Shit. I meant thigh,” I say with a smirk.

  Stevie’s gaze focuses on the dark sky as she slides her body further up my friend's leg, and Calvin chuckles before whispering “Alright, gorgeous?” in her ear.

  “Are you starting to see how this works, Lacey? You can listen to Liam, or you can listen to me. Your friend listens to me. Your friend is a smart girl. Answer the fucking question.”

  “Yes,” she says, and I can practically feel the heat radiate from her cheeks.

  “Good,” I decide. “Now tell me, do you want Liam to take it from you?”

  “No. I mean… well… I don’t know. I don’t know him well enough.” She looks down at her hands and shifts uncomfortably.

  “You should have stopped at no. That was the correct answer,” I tell her.

  “I didn’t know there was a correct answer,” she says flatly.

  I chuckle and regard her for a second. “There’s always a correct answer.”

  “Can we go now?”

  “I never stopped you from leaving,” I say with a shrug.

  “You stopped Stevie though?”

  “Correct.”

  “Can Stevie leave now?”

  I turn to her friend.

  “Do you want to leave?” I ask her. She doesn’t look me in the eye but she nods. “Calvin, drop Stevie home. Make sure she gets there safely,” I chuckle, emphasizing the safely.

  “Lacey’s staying at my house, we can get a taxi,” Stevie says.

  “Don’t be silly. He’ll take the both of you. Come on.” I get up and Stevie jumps off Calvin’s lap like he’s burning her. Calvin takes a hold of her hand and leads her to the kitchen door.

  “Are you coming?” I say to Lacey expectantly.

  She turns to face Liam for guidance but he doesn’t even notice, his eyes are so fixed on me. She watches Calvin lead Stevie away and I can see she’s conflicted. She wants Liam to save her. I look at Brad and his eyes are fixed on the fire-pit.

  Couple of fucking pussies.

  Lacey gets up and tries to walk straight past me, but she’s not fast enough. I press my hand to the back of her neck and guide her up the path towards the kitchen where Calvin and Stevie have just entered.

  “I can walk, you know,” she informs me curtly.

  “Really? I’d say you’re doing a shit job of it in those heels, princess,” I chuckle, pushing her forward a little on the mono-block paving so she struggles and reaches her hand back towards me for balance.

  She sniffs in response and I lead her through the kitchen, not giving a single fuck that people are turning to stare as we walk past. Let them stare. Let them whisper. Let them all know that Liam McGuiness is a wet piece of shit and I wipe the floor with him for fun.

  Chapter 5

  Lacey

  Everyone turns to stare as we walk through the kitchen and down the hall. It would be impossible for them to miss his hand blatantly clenched around the back of my neck. I’m caught somewhere between embarrassment and fear, as if I’m that girl being dragged out of a party by an angry parent, half of you knowing you will be the subject of gossip and the other half scared to find out how long they will ground you for.

  His pace slows as we exit the house and he sticks out his free arm for me to grab onto while I go down the stairs. Not wanting to fall and break my neck in these heels, I don’t refuse it.

  “You can let go of me now. There’s no one here to see your little show,” I tell him as we walk down the garden path.

  “I’m kind of enjoying myself. Are you not?” he says lightly, giving my neck a squeeze.

  “That hurts,” I protest.

  He slips his hand from my neck and uses it to grab my shoulder and spin me around to face him.

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” he says, although I’m not reading sincerity in his tone. He’s staring straight at me and I can’t look at him. Instead, I look over at the tree in Kelly’s garden, glowing amber in the streetlight, and watch as the leaves rustle in the breeze. He mustn’t like this because moments later he clutches my chin and forces me to look at him. “I just want to play with you a little.”

  Who the hell does he think he is? And what gives him the right to touch me?

  “Well, I don’t want to play with you.” I meet his gaze as I say it, even though it’s difficult for me. I want him to see the conviction in my eyes.

  He laughs instantly. “I wasn’t asking you to play with me, darlin’.” He smirks and I have to fight the urge to spit on him. Or something. Anything to get his smirk out of my face. “You’ll find I’m generous that way.”

  I’m lost for words as the reality of what he’s saying sinks in. I think he must be joking. No normal person would say something like that and mean it. But his eyes are dancing and he’s looking at me like he wants to eat me. My heart is hammering in my chest. My gut is telling me this isn’t a game. My instincts are telling me to run, but his hand on my shoulder keeps me rooted in place. I swallow hard and try to straighten my face. “Are you mad? You can’t be serious.”

  He smirk widens and turns me back around so I’m facing the street again, before steering me further down the path. On the road I see a black Evoque lit up, the engine running and the driver side window rolled down. Calvin sits there with his elbow leaning out, and I can just about make out Stevie sitting beside him in the passenger seat.

  Shaun opens the back door and orders me to get in. I do as I’m told, thinking I’ll slide right along to the furthest seat and put some space between us, but my plan goes out the window when I realize there’s already two boys sitting there. I take the only remaining space. Maybe he’s taking his own car?

  “Shift your arse up, you’re going on my lap,” he tells me.

  Okay, maybe he’s not taking his own car.

  I shake my head at him, point black refusing to move.

  Shaun turns around to face Calvin, his tone ice cold and says, “I wonder how much she actually likes Stevie? Do you like Stevie, Calvin?”

  “I like Stevie well enough,” Calvin tells him with a chuckle. I see his hand move across and he gives her thigh a squeeze.

  Fucking hell. He seems to know my weakness before I’m even fully aware of it myself. I dragged Stevie to this party and now I feel responsible for her. And even if I didn’t, I’m not about to save myself and throw her to the dogs. Or Calvin.

  I use his headrest to haul myself up and hang there in mid-air expecting Shaun to get in behind me. Instead, he just stands there with his hand casually resting on the door while his eyes rake over my body. I’m scrunched up in an awkward position, my knees bent and my ass jutting out, the muscles in my thighs straining.

  “Are you done?” I say expectantly.

  He nods once, a quick flick of his head that looks more like a challenge than a yes, and then jumps in the car, closing the door behind him. I aim to sit in the narrow space between his leg and the door, but his arms wrap around my waist and he pulls me right down onto his lap.

  “Safety first,” he says as he reaches around me and pulls the seatbelt around the both of us, buckling us in and giving the top strap a sharp tug so it cuts into my waist. I thought I was doing a decent job of remaining calm, but this tips me over the edge. I feel utterly trapped. Panic rises in my chest as the reality of the situation hits me. We’re not safe. They are not safe boys. No one knows where we are. They could rape us, hurt us, hell — they could kill us and no one would know. My dad thinks I’m at Stevie’s house. I don’t think they have any intention of taking us to Stevie’s house.

  Calvin pulls the car away and turns the volume on the speakers to deafening levels. I quickly lose the ability to think straight over the noise. The music thumps in my chest, dominating my heartbeat. The seatbelt is so fucking tight and his body is solid beneath me. The
woody smell from his cologne invades my senses. The car jerks left and I hold on to the door to try to steady myself and stop the seatbelt from cutting into my neck. A moment later the car turns right, and this time there’s nothing to hold on to.

  Shaun snakes his hand around my chest and the other one clasps around my neck. There is next to no pressure, but it’s a reminder of just how much power he has over me.

  “Will you sit still? All this fidgeting is making my cock hard,” he shouts in my ear, pulling my neck back so I can feel his warm breath as he does it.

  The car picks up speed and now the acceleration is pinning my body to his. I look over at his friends and see they have a bottle of something, vodka maybe? They’re taking shots straight from the bottle. The guy in the middle seat holds the bottle out for me and gestures for me to take it. I shake my head. Not a fucking chance.

  “It’s a good one,” Shaun says. “Doesn’t even burn. Hardly.”

  “I don’t want it,” I shout back to him.

  “You’re a slow learner, aren’t you?” He chuckles, and I feel the arm that was wrapped around me shift until his hand rests firmly on my right breast.

  “Get off me,” I sigh, squirming.

  “Drink.”

  “No.”

  The hand on my breast squeezes down in reply. It’s clear this is a warning to listen to him, but I’m already sick of listening to him. Stevie looks back at us and urges me with her eyes to drink. The fingers around my neck slide up to my chin and he turns my head easily to face him. I can feel his breath warm on my cheeks.

  “Drink.”

  His eyes are hard. I hold my hand out to the guy in the middle and he puts the bottle in it, cold and slightly wet from condensation, it’s much heavier than I imagined it would be. I know if I get drunk I’ll lose the will to fight him. I’d lose a physical fight anyway, but at least with a clear head I can mentally fight him. But then, maybe that would be better? He will do whatever he wants anyway, at least if I’m drunk I can escape it in my head.