Wicked Beginnings

by L A Cotton

  “Oh, this just gets better and better,” I exhaled a shaky breath. “What did you think telling him would achieve?”

  Macey looked to her brother, but he remained silent. When her eyes flickered back to me she stuttered, “I... I don't know.”

  “And you wonder why she kept it from you.” I shouldered past her and went in search of Summer.

  ~

  I found her sobbing into Nick’s chest, in an empty classroom at the end of the hallway. “Hey, can I come in?” I whispered.

  Nick nodded, and I stepped into the room, closing the door behind me. “Are you okay?”

  He let out a shaky breath. “I'll be fine. I'm more concerned about her.” He motioned to the girl breaking in his arms.

  “Can I?” I inched forward.

  “Sure, I think I should lie low anyway. Give Prince chance to cool off. I'll call you later.” He dropped a kiss to Summer's head and turned her into my arms.

  “Hey, Summer, it's me, Lo.” Brushing damp strands of hair out of her face, I tried to soothe her.

  When the tears subsided, she lifted her head and smiled weakly. “This is becoming a regular occurrence. I'm embarrassed.” She swiped her eyes with her sleeves.

  “Don't be. Maverick was out of order.”

  “Nick left?” Her eyes darted around the room and I nodded. “He said he'll call you.”

  “I think I checked out for a minute. I'm so embarrassed. Now everyone will know and they'll look at me and...”

  “Hey, hey, none of that. Maverick probably did you a favour,” I said. “At least now boys will know you're off limits.” It was supposed to be a joke but Summer burst into tears again.

  “Crap, I'm sorry.” I hugged her tight, rubbing soothing circles over her back.

  “I hate him.”

  “No, you don't. He's an impulsive prick, but he's just looking out for you.”

  “Nick will never want to—”

  “Nick's not going anywhere, okay?” I’d seen the resolve in his eyes. The way he held her like she was the most precious thing in the world. “This will all blow over, you'll see.”

  Because someone needed to put Maverick straight—even if that person was me.

  “I told Macey. She wouldn't let it drop so I told her. She promised not to tell him, she promised … I should have known, they tell each other everything.”

  Not everything, my mind whispered. Something told me if Macey knew about me and Maverick, she’d be making my life a lot harder than she already was.

  “Ssh, it doesn't matter. All that matters is Maverick didn't hurt Nick.” His ego had taken a hit but physically, he was nothing more than a little shaken. Knowing Maverick, the way I’d begun to, it could have ended a lot worse.

  “But what if he—”

  “Maverick won't touch him again. I promise.” Even if it meant going head to head with him, I'd do it. Someone had to. I brushed more loose wisps of hair out of her face. “Do you think you can get through the rest of the day?”

  Summer sniffled and dried her face with her sleeves. “Yeah, I think so.”

  “Good, because I don't think we can cut class again.”

  She managed a strained laugh. “Yeah, you're probably right. Thank you, Lo, again. I don't know what I would have done without you.”

  I hugged her into my side and guided us toward the door. “Like I said before, that's what family is for.”

  ~

  I met Summer outside her last class and Kyle gave us a ride home. He tried to apologise to her, but I shook my head warning him not to push. She needed time. And the elder Stone-Prince siblings needed to let Summer come to them, on her terms, when she was ready.

  When we arrived at the house Summer fled the Jeep and ran straight inside, and me and Kyle sat there, staring at the house.

  “That shit was messed up,” he said, his voice laced with regret.

  “Are you really surprised?”

  He ran a brisk hand down his face. “Rick is...” he searched for the right word but I said, “A loose cannon. Summer is heartbroken, and what about Nick? He didn't deserve that. And you want to know why I didn't tell you? This is precisely why, Kyle. Because you would have run off to Maverick and who knows how it would have ended.”

  Kyle shifted, so he was facing me. “I know, I know. Is she... okay? She wouldn’t even look at me on the ride home.”

  “What do you think?” I bit out. But I could see the regret in his eyes. He wasn’t happy about how things had gone down either. So I added, “She'll be fine.”

  “Good. That’s good.” Respect shone in his eyes. “She’s lucky to have you, Cous.”

  “She should have the three of you, too.”

  “I know.” He swallowed and then cleared his throat. “It’s just different with her. We’ve tried to protect her from…” Kyle’s voice trailed off and I knew he was shutting me out again. “Listen, I need to get to back for practice. You'll be okay?”

  “Go, I'll be fine, and I'll check in on Summer later.”

  He nodded, and I took that as my sign to leave. I climbed out of the Jeep and headed inside, going straight to the kitchen. Loretta had left some pie on the counter. Loading a plate with a healthy slice, I sat at the island. The front door rattled, and I smiled to myself. “What did you forget?”

  But Kyle didn't reply because it wasn't him.

  “Oh.” My eyes settled on the person standing in the doorway. “It’s you.”

  I went back to my plate of sugar, ignoring Maverick as he stood rigid. “Is she ups—”

  “Don't even think about it. You've done enough today.”

  “I want to apologise. I saw red and lost it.”

  I slammed my fork down. The clink of metal against marble pierced the tension rippling in the air. “It's a bit late for that, don't you think?” I met his conflicted gaze. “Not only did you embarrass her in the middle of school, you hurt the one person she cares about.”

  He flinched.

  “Summer isn't a child, Maverick.” My voice was shrill, and I lowered my tone. I didn’t want to risk her hearing this. “They know they jumped into things too quick. They know it was a mistake. But it was her mistake to make and deal with. Not Kyle's, not Macey's, and certainly not yours.” I rose from the stool and moved toward him but didn't let myself get too close. He was my Kryptonite and I couldn’t risk getting distracted.

  “You treat her differently. You all do. Everyone keeps her at arm's length, wraps her up in cotton wool. It's not fair on her.”

  “I just want to protect her. You don’t think I know what guys that age are thinking? Macey told me you had to take her to the clinic for fuck’s sake. She’s fifteen.”

  “I was only sixteen last summer.”

  His face turned ashen but Maverick was an expert at schooling his features, and his impenetrable mask slid back into place. “That was different.”

  “Different, right.”

  “We didn’t do anything.”

  We’d done enough, but obviously it didn’t matter to him.

  “Whatever you tell yourself so you can sleep at night,” I murmured.

  Maverick’s eyes darkened suddenly as he inched forward. I stepped back, maintaining my distance. I couldn’t let him get too close.

  “London…”

  “You need to give her time. Nick isn’t going away, Maverick. They’re in love. She loves him. They might be young but they care about each other. Don’t get in the way of that or you’ll lose her forever. And you might want to think about apologising to Nick. Something tells me you need to make a grand gesture if you want to get back into her good graces in the next ten years.”

  Maverick blew out an exasperated breath and scrubbed a hand over his face. I could see his temper rising. He didn’t like being told what to do. But he didn’t intimidate me, not like he did others.

  “You know I’m right,” I said.

  He didn’t reply.

  He continued staring at me—his darkened gaze cutting right
through me. I wanted to get inside his head, to hear his thoughts, and experience the world through his eyes. To find out what made Maverick Prince tick. But something told me I might not like what I found, so I left him standing there hoping that if he cared for his sister—if he cared for me, at all—he’d do the right thing and fix it.

  After the shit hit the fan with Summer and Maverick, life in Wicked Bay settled down. The morning after Maverick had almost pummelled Nick into a bloody mess, he walked into school and apologised. I didn’t witness it with my own eyes, but news circulated the school hallways like wildfire and everyone was talking about it. Summer was a different story. She refused to forgive so easily and two weeks on, things were still frosty between her and Maverick.

  Had I only been in Wicked Bay a month? In some ways, it felt longer. But in the ways that mattered, I still wasn’t sure I’d ever feel truly at home here.

  For starters, I was still living in the pool house. Dad came and went. We were like ships passing in the night. Strangers in a strange place. It was okay, though. I wasn't ready to forgive him, and it seemed that spending time with Stella was more important than spending time with me and trying to fix our relationship. Besides, I'd asked for time and space, and for as much as it stung, he’d given it to me.

  A hat landed on my head and I turned to find Kyle propped against the counter grinning at me. “Much better.”

  I whipped it off and brought it in front of my face. “I'm not wearing this.”

  “Sure, you are.” His head shook with silent laughter. “Team spirit, Cous.”

  My eyes dropped to my white t-shirt. “I am the epitome of team spirit.” I pointed to the red heart emblazoned on the front. “And it comes with love.”

  “Just wear the damn hat, Stone,” he barked, but I heard the amusement in his voice.

  “You're extra bossy today. What happened?”

  “Nothing.” He raked a hand over his face. I learned it was Kyle's way of showing everything was not fine.

  “Trouble in paradise?”

  “I asked Laurie to Homecoming, and she said no.”

  Ah yes. The dance next weekend. Any excuse and it seemed high schools in the States threw a dance. In England, we were lucky to get a tacky leavers ball held in some dated musty-smelling hotel. Not that I’d attended any.

  “Ah, so it's girl trouble.” I stifled a laugh into my hand.

  “Fuck you.” He walked away grumbling to himself.

  “Kyle, wait. I'm sorry.” He liked Laurie—really liked her—and I was fed up of seeing them mope over each other when it was obvious they both still cared.

  He paused and turned, looking at me like a lost little puppy dog. “I thought she would have forgiven me by now. But it's not working. Every time I think I’m forcing my way in, she pushes me back out.” Shoulders slumped, he looked defeated, and I wanted to give him a big hug. It was so unlike my cousin to bare his soul. He usually laughed his way through his problems.

  “Have you tried asking her what she wants?” I gave him a pointed look.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You said it yourself, you’ve tried forcing your way back in… has it ever occurred to you that’s the reason she broke it off? You Stone-Prince boys are intense, Kyle. And newsflash, not all girls want to feel like they’re dating a stalker.”

  “You’re calling me a stalker now?” His eyes widened with disbelief.

  “That’s not what I meant, and you know it, but have you actually listened to anything she’s been telling you? Have you ever given her space to figure out what she wants?”

  Realisation flashed over his face. “Fuck.”

  “Yeah, fuck.” I laughed softly. “Laurie wants you, Kyle. Anyone can see that. You need to give her what she wants.”

  His gaze darkened, and he blew out a frustrated breath. “You girls are as confusing as shit. So, what do I do? Back off? Give her space?”

  I shrugged. “You’ll figure it out. I have every faith in you. Now go do whatever it is you do before a game because I expect to see you kick some arse tonight.”

  “Damn right, I’ll kick some arse.” He smirked, and I flipped him off.

  “I do not sound like that,” I protested.

  “You bet your arse you do.” He slammed his fists against his chest and roared with laughter. “I’ll see you later.” He left but glanced back at the last second. “And Cous, wear the hat.”

  Smiling to myself, I finished my cereal. Macey wandered in and helped herself to juice and left without a word. The girl knew how to hold a grudge of epic proportions, and since the mess with Summer and Maverick, she’d been extra moody. But I figured if she hadn’t accepted Gentry after all these years, there was no use holding my breath that she’d accept me anytime soon.

  “Good morning.” Dad breezed into the room, grinding to a halt when his eyes landed on me. “Lo, what are you doing here?”

  “I live here, remember?” Anger sizzled in my veins. ‘Kind of like you were supposed to.’

  “That’s not what I meant, sweetheart.” His face was ashen. “I was just surprised. I thought you’d be—”

  “Staying at Laurie’s?”

  I’d stayed over the last couple of weekends. Her parents were out of town a lot and she liked the company which worked out well for me since I’d rather be anywhere but at the Stone-Prince house.

  Something changed after the incident with Summer and Nick, and, if possible, Maverick had become even more guarded around me. If our paths crossed around the house, he always nodded curtly or said a flat hello, but he never looked at me. And at school he completely ignored me.

  The Lo from last summer would have felt hurt. She probably would have curled up on her bed and cried at the universe’s sick game her life had become. But I wasn’t that girl anymore. So, although I felt the electricity between us—the pull—if he wanted to be a twat, that was fine by me.

  Two could play at that game.

  I had friends now. Kids no longer looked at me like I was the British freak—even if Kyle’s friends liked to crack jokes about my accent in almost every class we shared—and my grades weren’t completely sucking.

  Elliot would be proud.

  So would Mum.

  Except for that one blowout at the pep rally party, I only ever drank a couple of beers, and I hadn’t touched a joint since arriving in Wicked Bay. Inhaling people’s second-hand smoke didn’t count. Not really.

  “I’ve missed you.” Dad changed tact but I ignored his half-hearted apology and took my bowl to the sink. He followed, leaning back against the counter beside me. “You’ll be at dinner tomorrow?”

  “Do I have a choice?” I met his eyes.

  “Eloise, please. You can’t shut me out forever. The house is almost ready. It shouldn’t be much longer and then we can move and start afresh.”

  “Afresh. Really Dad? Are you that fucking clueless?” The bowl slid from my hands and splashed into the soapy water. “A new house isn’t going to fix us.”

  “Lo…” his words trailed off. He knew as much as I did, no words could fix us.

  Maybe we were past the point of salvage.

  “Are you bringing her tomorrow?”

  His gaze dropped to the floor. “I’d like to bring her, yes.” His eyes snapped back to mine. “But I won’t. Not if you don’t want me to, I won’t.”

  This was a turning point. I felt it pressing against us, filling the silence. I could say no, like a petulant child, and we could pretend for one dinner that everything was okay. But everything was not okay. Dad would not end things with Stella—he loved her. She was part of his life now. And to keep him in mine, I would have to accept her eventually.

  I didn’t have to like her though.

  “Do whatever you want, Dad. She’s important to you, right? You love her, she should be there. She’s your family now.” I dried my hands and shoved past him and didn’t look back.

  She was his family.

  But she wasn’t mi
ne.

  ~

  “Holy crap, my heart is beating so hard,” Laurie screamed as she clutched my hand. I was pretty sure she’d done damage. I broke free, stretching out my fingers to test their strength. Relieved to find no broken digits, I slipped my arm into hers again, and leaned in close. “Your boy did good.”

  “My boy?” Her face craned around to mine and I grinned. Soon she was grinning too. “He did, didn’t he?”

  Laurie played a good game, acting unaffected by Kyle’s advances, but she still loved him, plain and simple. And part of me envied her. I’d never had that kind of connection with anyone, not since… who was I kidding? What Maverick and I had was toxic. Confusing. Like an annoying scratch I couldn’t quite reach.

  When the final whistle blew, the benched players rushed out to their teammates and celebrated their fourth win of the season. I still didn’t entirely understand the rules, but the buzz was addictive and although I liked to give Kyle a hard time about attending games, I’d developed quite the addiction. More than that, I was proud of my cousin. He was only a junior, but he’d already proved himself to be a worthy player, scoring touchdowns in the last three games.

  “He’s so getting laid tonight,” Laurie whispered.

  “What happened to making him work for it?” I arched my eyebrows accusingly.

  “Oh.” She winked. “I will.”

  As if he heard her words, Kyle tore off his helmet and searched the crowd. When his eyes landed on our section, he covered his heart with his hand and pointed right at her.

  “Oh my God,” she breathed out, and I smiled to myself. He was so getting lucky tonight.

  “Come on, lover girl. I need to get my party on.”

  And we did.

  Brendon Palmer’s house looked different through sober eyes. We met Autumn, Devon, and Liam, carving out a spot next to the pool. Devon and I shared a lounger, while Laurie bounced nervously on her feet, waiting for the rest of the team to arrive.

  A roar of cheers told us they had, and I watched in awe as Kyle and his teammates strolled through the house and into the garden like they owned the place. And I guess, right now, in this moment, they did. High school was funny like that. People placed the athletes and jocks on a pedestal. I’d quickly learned it didn’t matter if your grades were good or if you were going to get a full academic scholarship to a top college, what mattered was your place on the social ladder.