Bryce (Scandalous Boys #1)

by Natalie Decker

  Groaning, I close my eyes and pray that this will all be over soon, and I can go back to my life. The one that made sense. The one that didn’t have a cousin ruining my things. Taking over my closet with her crap. Stealing my crush, my friends, and making them hate me. Yes, I can’t wait to get back to that, but I have a feeling it won’t be soon.

  Buzz … Buzz … Buzz … I open my eyes slowly and peer over at my clock. Sometimes I sleep through my phone’s alarm, so I use my clock as a backup. The springs in the mattress above me squeak, and then I hear, “Shut that damn thing off!”

  I almost let it keep going just to piss with her, but my mother’s stupid reminder to be nice to Sarah pops in my head. With a groan, I shut off my alarm and head to my dresser. Using the sliver of moonlight spilling into my room as a guide, I make my way over there safely. I pull out my sweats and a long-sleeve shirt. I throw them on over my PJs, which is just a ratty T-shirt and cotton shorts. Yeah, I know, super sexy stuff right there.

  I gather my hair into a ponytail, snatch my running shoes, and go straight down the steps. Making barely a sound, I slip on my shoes and out of the house. I stretch out my legs using the front steps, and then I glance around the silent, sleepy neighborhood. It’s three forty-five in the morning. The only people awake are people with babies and people coming home from second shifts.

  I run hard, down the road past all the things that are familiar to me. The large blue mailbox at the end of the street. The row of three white houses with black shutters. I always wonder why they all have the same red door. And if the occupants have ever mistakenly gone to the wrong house while intoxicated.

  I keep a pace that’s probably considered a medium speed for about a mile down the road and then whip back around. I can’t run too long out here, as much as I might want to. I still have to shower and go to school. Plus, there’s a cross-country meet today, and this Friday is our rival meet.

  My team is running against Greenville High today. I’m not worried about that meet at all. Not to brag, but I could probably walk faster than most of the Greenville girls’ team can run. What I am worried about is my meet on Friday against Westminster High. It’s the toughest team to beat on our schedule. In fact, each year they’ve stomped us in track, baseball, cross-country, and football. Plus, my archnemesis, Kathy Wheeler, is on the Westminster team.

  My cousin and Kathy could become BFFs, that’s how much this girl gets under my skin. She’s all smiles when coaches, judges, and refs are around, but once they turn their backs, BOOM! Out come the claws, and she’s jamming them into your back. She’s dirty too. Not like she smells and needs three baths but like she’ll do anything to win—including cheating. Last year, she managed to trip me. The year before, she elbowed me as I attempted to pass her on a bend. She never gets caught either. Not by people who matter.

  My coach caught her stunt last year and threw a major fit, but no one else saw it. So that cheater walked away with a smirk on her thin, glossed lips. And all I wanted to do was pop her in her big fat nose. My team had to hold me back when she made the comment, “What’s that? It’s the sound of you losing to me once again.”

  Images of Kathy crying because I beat her fill my head. I barely register a car driving toward me. I make a dive for the sidewalk as the car stops and the passenger-side window rolls down. “Jesus, Smalls, what in the hell are you doing running in the middle of the road for? And without bright clothing on.”

  I stand and brush off my sweats. “No one is ever out at this time. What are you doing?”

  “Breakfast. Want some?”

  I look around. My house isn’t that far. I glance down at myself. Jeez, I’m a sweaty mess. I start to shake my head, but Bryce leans across the seat and opens the door. “Come on. I promise I’ll have you back in time for a shower.”

  “I’m not worried about you getting me back on time. I’m worried I won’t have any hot water for a shower. Plus, I’m a mess.”

  He looks at me as if I smacked him in the face or something. All confused and silent. He looks over at his dash and drums his fingers on the steering wheel. “All right. Well, I’m in my grunge form too, so what you’re wearing is fine. But how about this, I promise to have you back in time for a hot shower. What do you say?”

  “Fine. But this is not going to change my mind about what I said yesterday. I’m still requesting a new group today.”

  As soon as I slide in and shut the door, he nods. “Fair enough. But I’d like you to know I’m still going to argue my case, if that’s okay.”

  I nod. “Doesn’t mean I’ll change my mind.”

  He laughs. “You might not want to make that statement just yet.”

  We’re driving down the road, but he’s either being really cautious or driving overly slow on purpose. I roll my eyes. “Think you better get a move on if I’m supposed to be getting a hot shower today, Grandpa.”

  He glares at me. “First, I’m going the speed limit. And second, next time, you can drive.”

  Next time? Why does the thought of that scare me and delight me at the same time? I mean, this is Bryce. He’s a whole lot of wrong, yet … I don’t know. Sometimes I get the feeling there is way more to him than he lets on.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Bryce

  She’s a bad idea. I keep telling myself that this is getting way out of control. I mean, fuck, I told my best friend he could kiss my ass yesterday because of this girl. The same guy that I know she wants. And someone like me really doesn’t deserve a girl like Madison. She’s smart, sweet, and funny, and I’m trouble. At least that’s all anyone in this fucking place sees me as.

  I know all this, and yet, here I am being stupid and inviting her to breakfast. Well, not just any damn breakfast. It happens to be my cousin Hailey’s birthday. She drove down from Michigan, where she goes to college—Michigan State University, to be exact. My aunt and uncle live a town over from us, but the reason she attends a school three states away is because Hailey is kind of like Madison—supersmart and into sports. She got a basketball scholarship.

  Hailey is the only one in my whole family who actually understands me and doesn’t judge me. She’s also the one who bailed me out and picked me up in bad sections of town when I needed it. She’s always in my corner. But she’s also nosy as hell, so Mads is the perfect person to help deflect weird questions this early in the morning.

  “So, do you always get breakfast at five in the morning?” Madison asks.

  I smile. “Not really. Do you mind if I … um …” I need a cigarette. Thank goodness I don’t have to finish the sentence.

  “Do you?” She scowls. “Just do it.”

  “I’m quitting.”

  She rolls her mossy eyes. “Uh-huh.”

  I pull out a cigarette and roll it between two fingers. “I am.”

  She turns her attention away from me. My stomach plummets. I don’t know why or what’s wrong with me, but all of a sudden, the craving is gone. I drop the cigarette right back into the pack and growl, “Happy?”

  She’s the only logical explanation for all this. Not that it’s a bad thing, but man, she’s so frustrating. And why do I all of a sudden give a shit what she thinks?

  “I wasn’t going to give you a lecture or anything. But I am proud of you.”

  This will sound weird, but I like the fact that she’s proud of me. Yes, it’s for not doing something stupid that I know is bad for me. But still. The fact that she’s proud of me for something makes me smile.

  “Look, about yesterday,” I say, “if I promise it won’t happen again, will you at least stay in our group?”

  I glance over at her and catch her twiddling her thumbs. “I don’t know.”

  “It wasn’t your fault. Graham is an asshat sometimes. Plus, I think he’s just mad. Not because he has to do his own work for once. But because I think he’s realizing what kind of asset you were in his life.”

  She starts to argue, but I interrupt her. “Plus, I think a part of him loves the fac
t that you idolize him. I know he acts like he’s all freaked out, but he secretly he loves it. That’s why he’s jealous of us hanging out. He’s mad you’ll stop looking at him like he’s some flipping god.”

  “If this is supposed to convince me to stay, you’re doing a crappy job.”

  “I’m not finished.” I run a free hand through my hair and then place it back down on the steering wheel. “I was pissed off yesterday because he acts like you and I can’t be friends. And honestly, a few weeks ago, I would have agreed. But now, no. I think we just never really gave ourselves that choice. Here’s the thing, though, now that we have, I don’t think we should stop. I don’t care if Graham gets jealous. He’ll get the hell over it.”

  She sighs. “It doesn’t matter much. Like you said, we’ll all be going our separate ways in the end. And okay, I admit, I did like Graham. I thought he was perfect. But … I guess I was wrong. Doesn’t mean I want to get in the middle of your friendship with him. You two are best friends, and you were about to clobber each other. And over what? I think it’s better if I ask for a different group.”

  I’m not going to admit why I was about to beat Graham up. She can’t know how I feel about her. Not right now. I’m not ready for her rejection. Not that anyone is ever really prepared for that. “You’re right.”

  We remain silent for the rest of the ride to Bob Evans. I open the door to the restaurant, and no sooner than we’re in the entranceway do I hear, “Bryce! Bryce! Over here!”

  Madison looks back at me with a raised brow.

  “That’s Hailey.”

  Madison slows her pace as we approach the table. I notice her posture is a little stiffer. Her fists are clenched at her sides, and I almost laugh. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Mads is jealous. Well, well, well, who would have thought that was possible?

  “Hey, Hails. This is Madison,” I say as I wrap my arms around my cousin. “Happy birthday!” Hailey pulls back and moves toward Madison.

  Madison stares at her with wide eyes as my cousin hugs her. Mads looks over at me and glares, right as Hailey returns to her seat. “Bryce, you’re the world’s biggest asshole. Why would you drag me along to this?”

  I start laughing. “Madison, sit down. It’s not what you think.”

  She looks over at Hailey. “I’m so sorry he dragged me to your date. It was nice meeting you and all. I’m going to go get a cab.”

  “Date?” Hailey kicks me under the table, and I groan from instant pain. “You had this poor girl believing I was your girlfriend? What’s the matter with you?”

  I shake my head. “I didn’t do that. She just assumed it.” I lock my stare with Madison’s. “She’s my cousin. Jeez. What kind of dickwads have you been seeing that take their friends on dates with them?”

  Madison blushes. “I don’t go on dates,” she mumbles so low I barely hear her. She glares at me. “Why didn’t you say something when you picked me up?”

  I shrug. “I didn’t think it mattered.”

  Hailey laughs. “Take a seat, Madison. Oh, I needed a good laugh this morning. She’s a little riot, Bry. So how did you two meet?”

  Madison settles into the seat next to me and picks up her menu. “We attend the same school. We’re also neighbors.”

  “Get out!” Hailey smacks the table and says to me, “When did the priss and her family move out? And why didn’t you tell me? We could have had some fun.”

  Oh, boy. From the corner of my eye, I see Madison drop her menu and shift in her seat. “So that’s what you think about me? I’m a priss?”

  Hailey stares at me. “Oh, shit.”

  Yeah, that. And a whole lot more. I face Madison. Her glare speaks volumes. She wishes I were dead. Right now. “That was before we started hanging out.”

  “We hung out before this, though. You were rude. How was I supposed to act? All you did was make fun of me. Snap at me. Roll your eyes. You were nothing but an asshole. Who wants to be friends with an asshole?” She looks at the ground. “You ruined my hair in first grade. You took all the pencils from my desk every day in third grade. Mrs. Christopher wrote on my report card ‘not responsible.’” She looks up and narrows her eyes. “Stop smirking. It’s not funny. And how about the time freshman year you told Danny Livingston that I had a crush on him? That kid followed me around for weeks.”

  I can’t help it, I burst out laughing. Oh, those were some damn good times.

  “Who’s Danny Livingston?” Hailey asks.

  “He’s this kid in our grade who has rotten breath and smells like B.O.” I smile at Madison. “Oh, come on. If it were anyone else, you’d laugh.”

  “But I’m not. And it’s not funny.” She crosses her arms. And I know she’s mad, but she looks adorable.

  Hailey snorts. “Oh, Bry, you made her out to be so horrible, but I can see now she’s your match. Don’t pay any attention to him, hon. Once you get past his prickly layers, he’s actually really sweet. Almost like a puppy.”

  Madison purses her lips and raises a brow. A waitress with strands of gray in her hair stops by our table. “You kids know what you want?”

  “Order what you want, Mads. I gotcha,” I say.

  Hailey smiles at me, and I shake my head. “I want a stack of apple pancakes,” Hailey says. “I’d also like a cup of coffee.”

  “All right. Home fries or hash browns?”

  “Home fries.” She looks over at Madison and adds, “I don’t trust shredded potatoes.”

  I smack my palm to my face and drag it down. I hope to hell my cousin doesn’t start talking about weird food things. Like how she doesn’t eat canned corn or why she won’t eat fries that aren’t fresh cut. She seriously watches way too much investigative documentaries.

  “And for you?” the waitress asks Madison.

  “I just want the Sunrise Bowl with biscuits. I’ll have a water to drink.”

  When the waitress gets to me, I order two coffees and a water. One coffee is for Madison because I know she wants it. Why she didn’t order one, I’m not sure. And maybe it’s weird of me to order her a cup, but I want her to know I pay attention. Even when there are times, like right this minute, I wish I didn’t.

  “So, Hails, how is college?”

  She looks up at me. There’s a slight frown on her face, but she changes it to a smile. “It’s good.”

  I clench my fists and tighten my jaw. She just lied. Something’s off, and I’m going to get to the bottom of it.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Madison

  Bryce stiffens beside me. His cousin looks away and tries to divert attention away from herself. I know this because I do it often enough.

  “So, I have a question. You got up at five in the morning to have breakfast with each other?”

  “He practically kidnapped me. I was running when he pulled over and demanded I come with him.” I try to laugh it off, but Hailey looks at me and then over at Bryce.

  “So … are you two dating?” she asks Bryce.

  The waitress returns with our drinks, saving Bryce from answering. He slides a cup of coffee to me, and I start to shake my head, but he grumbles, “I know you want it.”

  Okay, so he’s right. I do want the coffee. But the fact that he knows that is making whatever this is between us really awkward. I mean, we’re not really friends. Not in the real sense of the word. We might be getting there, but we’re still a ways away from that.

  Plus, there are moments like earlier, before I knew Hailey was his cousin, when I imagined ripping every strand of her hair from her scalp. Total animal-like, I know. If that’s not weird enough, these past few days he’s been constantly on my mind. God, knows I don’t want him to be. Not in the ways he is.

  Last night, I kept wondering what he was doing. If he was upset with me. Whether he would he miss me or even care if I switched groups. Which is all really stupid. But that’s not the only problem. Sometimes I wonder what it’d be like to kiss him. Or what his hands would feel like going through my hair.
Or how his cheek stubble would feel against my fingertips. Yeah, its weird thoughts like those I know I shouldn’t have but do.

  I’d ask Emily what all this means and what could possibly be wrong with me. But I’m scared of the answer. If I don’t admit to it, it can’t be true, right?

  “We’re just in the same study group in math and neighbors. Don’t go making it into something that it isn’t,” Bryce says with a shake of his head.

  My heart instantly plunges to the bottom of my stomach. That’s not right. I thought I’d feel relieved. I thought I’d jump for joy. Oh crap! Crap! Crap! No, no, no! I’m not falling for Bryce Matthews.

  I’ve got to get out of here. I just … I need to leave now.

  I stand up and mumble my apologies and then dart toward the restrooms. I whip out my phone as soon as I’ve locked myself in a stall and call my mom. She won’t give me a bunch of crap for hanging out with Bryce. At least I hope she won’t.

  Emily digs into her locker for something, and I’m listening to her jabber on about this party happening this weekend when a loud bang sounds right behind me. Emily looks up, and I turn to the noise. Two steps away from me stands Bryce. He looks livid.

  “Explain to me why you won’t answer your fucking phone. And while you’re at it, how about you explain ditching breakfast.” His hand fans his ear that’s tilted toward me. “Come on. I’m dying to know.”

  I swallow and look back at Emily. She shrugs and gives me the “What the hell have you been hiding from me?” glare.

  “I remembered I didn’t make a reference page for my report in psychology.” It’s a total lie. I actually have a packet to do in class, which is due Friday. But I already did it.