I don't even have time to tell him that I don't plan on drinking, before I find myself on the floor.
“Ouch ...”
The soft, girly voice belongs to a little blonde creature in a blue sundress who walked right into me and knocked me to the ground.
“You should watch where you are going ...”
Abi
“YOU SHOULD WATCH WHERE you are going.”
I feel heat rising from my chest all the way up to my face and I know that I’m blushing.
I try not to think about it because the more I think that I don't wanna blush, the worse I actually blush.
He has a deep, soft voice.
Once he's standing up and he sees me gaping at him from the floor, he chuckles softly and offers me a hand.
He pulls me up as if I weighed nothing and when I get a good look at him, I decide that I’ve never seen a better looking guy in my whole life.
Now, I know that my experience when it comes to boys is non-existent but ...
He has short blonde hair: almost shaved on the sides of his head and slightly longer on top.
His hair catches the light and almost becomes a halo, especially where it's longer and has the slightest hint of a wave but not quite.
His eyes are a dark, piercing blue, high cheekbones and a pair of lips that look so soft that I instantly think about how they would feel on my face or ... on my own lips.
Shit!
I have to stop thinking this stuff because this isn't helping the blushing situation I have going on.
So I look away from his face and it almost hurts not to look at him but then my eyes descend to his broad shoulders, his chest and...
He’s wearing a plain white, v neck t-shirt and I see some black ink peeking out from his shirt collar.
Some kind of wings with feathers in really neat detail.
He has ink on his arms too all the way down to his wrist and I just realise that he’s still holding my hand after pulling me upright.
He's smiling but the smile doesn't reach his dark blue eyes that look troubled.
When he lets go of my hand, I shiver with an instant sense of loss that I can't quite explain.
“Are you lost?”
His friend’s the one who asks the question and when my gaze falls on him, I’m surprised to feel myself blush again.
He’s as gorgeous as his friend but in a different way: where the inked, blonde hottie has a dark look in his eyes and emanates bad boy vibes in spades, this guy's taller, broader without being too bulky.
But where his size could make him look menacing, he’s got the sweetest, softest silver eyes I’ve ever seen.
His dark blonde hair is cut super short and that draws attention to his strong but perfect features.
He has a perfect jaw line, broad shoulders and I can see a hint of ab muscle through his tight t-shirt.
“Girl, Reece’s talking to you. Are you lost?”
“Yeah ... I guess, I am. I was trying to find the exit ... I’m new here.”
Reece laughs again.
“No shit!”
“Is it that obvious?”
The other guy explains.
“BHPA isn't tiny but it isn't a huge school either. We’ve been going here since elementary school, so we know pretty much everyone.”
I feel the need to belong: I never belonged in my previous school, the other girls made sure to always exclude me because I was the weird girl who was always forgotten on campus and never went home for the holidays. The girl that no one wanted.
I want this year to be different, I want people to want to get to know me.
So I say:
“My older brother graduated from BHPA two years ago.”
Reece looks at me with a little arrogant smirk, as if he doubted my words.
“Uh, yeah? And who's your brother?”
“Alex Richmond.”
And I shit you not, he almost gasps but tries to keep his expression neutral when he notices that I’m spying his reaction.
“You're Alex Richmond’s little sister?”
The other guy seems impressed so I nod and smile.
“He was a myth around here. He was my mentor when I switched from the junior high team to the varsity team. I’m Pryce, by the way.”
I take the hand he offers me and shake it.
“Abi.”
Pryce chatters away about how hard the course load is at BHPA and how he just about made it into the A-Class.
“I had to study my ass off, while Reece and Chaz don't really seem to need to make such a huge effort. They're fucking geniuses!”
They walk me all the way out to the main entrance and as I wait for my driver, I think that I’m super excited to be going to school with boys this year.
Especially if they're all as hot as Reece and Pryce.
2.
Earth Shattering
Reece
I’M REALLY NOT IN THE fucking mood to go to a party but Pryce has a point that we need to make a statement.
We need to show our ‘friends’ at school that everything is normal, that we still control the school and that whatever lies Max has been spreading around, they are just that: lies.
I know the court records were sealed but I’m sure that the rumours must already be rampant.
This is why I’d have preferred a public trial but my dad used his influence to keep everything under wraps not to hurt his chances at a political career.
But this means that we’ve no idea of what’s being said behind our backs.
We already had a reputation for partying hard and sharing girls, which was quite deserved to be honest.
Until Emily.
She caused a war among us when we all started falling for her and then she chose Max.
And that night, after Prom ...
I’m sure that not everyone will believe the shit Max’s been saying about us but I’m under no illusion that what allegedly happened, at least according to the prosecution, hasn't been getting out of that courtroom.
Alex Richmond wasn't only Pryce’s friend and while we didn't officially call ourselves the A-Team, we took their spot in the BHPA social ranks.
And Alex taught me one thing: always be in control of what's being said about you.
If there's a rumour, it better have come from you or at least be the truth.
In this case?
I can't say either of those things: I’ve no clue what people are saying and I’ve no control on the nature of the rumours that are circulating around our friends.
No one's been rude to my face yet, except for Max, but that was to be expected.
And we’ve been invited to Lissa’s party.
I’m in no mood for a fucking party but it’s wise to go and see if my dad was right that with a sealed court case and an acquittal, nothing would really change for us at school.
I park in front of Chaz’s house and I see that Pryce is already here.
I’m let in by the housekeeper and I know that on a warm night like this one, the guys will be sitting in the backyard.
I don't like the scene I see when I join my friends: Chaz has been pre-gaming and looks like he’s already had a few drinks.
He doesn't look nor sound drunk, but his eyes are shiny and he’s more fidgety than normal: he’s tapping at every surface as if he were playing drums.
I lower myself into one of the wrought iron garden chairs and meet Pryce’s gaze.
He shrugs and mouths to me that he just got here himself.
“Guys, tonight let's be cautious. Max will be at the party for sure and I’d like to stay out of his way.”
They both nod and Chaz’s voice is an octave louder than if he hadn't already started drinking.
“Yeah. I’d rather not have a fight. BHPA’s big enough for us to stay out of each other's way. As long as we can stay civilised enough to play football together ...”
I nod.
“There's something else I wanted to talk to you about. Until we kno
w what kinds of stuff our friends have been saying about us, no girls.”
Chaz's reaction is exactly what I’d expect from him after a few drinks:
“WHAT? Dude, I was really hoping to get laid tonight! You know that I haven't had sex since we met Emily at that Valentines Day party!”
I look into his eyes, trying to sound more determined than I feel: I’m in the exact same situation and I’m sure so is Pryce.
“Dude, not with anyone who goes to school with us. Not until we know what people are saying. Hold off for tonight and if anything, we’ll go somewhere where our friends don't hang out. Tomorrow night, ok? We’ll find hookups. But for tonight, Chaz... Keep it in your fucking pants!”
Abi
THIS IS MY FIRST PARTY like ... ever!
Ok, technically, I went to my brother’s graduation party two years ago, but I was so jet lagged from having flown in from London, that I was in bed at ten and slept till it was over.
So I’m excited about tonight: especially because to these people, I’m not someone's little sister but someone who's actually going to school with them.
I had to wait until the house staff went home for the night before I called an Uber, so no one will tell Dad that I’ve gone out.
As I ring the doorbell of Lissa’s house, I feel a bit jittery, hoping that I’m not overdressed in my plain little black dress and silver high heeled sandals.
Lissa opens the door in a micro hot pink bikini and jeans cut offs and I start freaking out internally that I’m absolutely overdressed but as she ushers me into her living room, I see that the people who aren't hanging out by the pool, aren't dressed too differently from me and I relax a little.
Lissa introduces me to a couple of girls who are in the cheerleading team and then winks at me and rushes back outside to play a round of beer pong against a few football players.
“I’m Gabbie, nice to meet you. So, Lissa told me that you’ll be trying out for the team? And that you're Alex Richmond’s sister?”
Gabbie is a pretty brunette, with gorgeous brown eyes and a friendly smile.
“Yeah. My brother loved going to school at BHPA, I hope I will too.”
She’ll be in the A-Class too and she tells me that all the teachers are awesome.
“There's a really tough one, Ms Webber. She teaches Latin Literature, but if you work hard, she's really awesome. So, did you have a boyfriend in England?”
I almost snort my soda out of my nose: a boyfriend!
That's such a funny notion!
If I told her that the only boys I know are Alex and his friends and even them I really barely know, she’d probably think that I’m a loser.
So I just shrug and say that I've been single for a while.
I look around the room and consider that probably I’m the only girl at this party who's never been kissed.
“What about you, Gabbie? Are you dating anyone?”
She shrugs.
“Not right now. I went on a few dates last year but to be honest, nothing really stuck. Can you keep a secret?”
I nod and her next words don't surprise me at all:
“I had this huge crush on Tuna, one of your brother’s besties.”
“I don't blame you. Even though Sam would be more my type.”
Gabbie giggles.
“Oh, I see! You like ‘em broody ...”
I guess?
I honestly don't know what I like when it comes to boys: I really don't have enough experience to know.
I liked Sam because he was always kind and always made a point to talk to me.
But thinking back to this afternoon ... I like tattoos and broad shoulders.
Gabbie seems really nice and friendly and we talk for a bit, until one of the other cheerleaders comes to drag her outside to go in the hot tub.
I wander into the kitchen looking for more soda: I don't know these people and I’ve never really had any alcohol, so a party full of strangers isn't the ideal place to find out how drinking affects me.
I find a can of diet soda on the breakfast bar and turn around to return to the living room when a tall, slender guy crashes into me.
He must've just come out of the pool because he's soaking wet and after our chests come into contact, I look like I’ve been swimming too.
He stumbles backwards and I grab his hand to help him steady himself.
He smiles, showing perfect white teeth but the best thing about his smile is that it lights up his hazel eyes making him look way beyond handsome.
He’s slender but really cut: six pack, bulging biceps adorned by black inked tattoos.
He looks edgy with his dark brown hair cut in a rocker style and with quite a few ear piercings and rings on his fingers.
At first I thought that he stumbled because he crashed into me but when he speaks to apologise, I realise that the guy is completely wasted.
“Sorry, pweeetty girl.”
He slurs.
“What's your name? I’m Chaazzz. Wanna be my friend?”
He wraps a lean but muscular arm around my shoulders and I can feel my hair getting wet because he’s literally dripping.
He smells faintly like the chlorine from the pool but also of something warm and sweet, like honey but with a hint of spice.
He’s leaning on me and his warm breath tickles my ear when he says
“Must find Pryce ... DD ... or you can take me home and tuck me in...”
My body reacts to this contact by giving me goosebumps: I’ve never been so close to a boy before, except my brother on my rare visits home.
I guess I’ll help him find his friend.
Could it be the same Pryce I met earlier at school?
It's not like Pryce is a very common name. I feel a light buzz of excitement at the idea of seeing again the friendly boy I met earlier on again.
Chaz says that Pryce was in the basement playing pool and gives me very precise directions towards stairs that dip low into the mansion.
Basement is a very loose term for the huge open space games room which would rival any arcade.
Not that I’ve been to an arcade, the nuns would've had a fit for sure at the idea of anything fun but not educational.
We make our way into the room, following the voices and the laughter until we see a pool table where several guys are playing a game and a few girls are watching and flirting shamelessly.
Pryce is chalking his cue while a skinny redhead is talking to him, trying very obviously to attract his attention.
But as soon as he spots me and Chaz, he hands the cue to the girl and makes his way towards us.
“You finish the game Marlene, there's something I need to take care of.”
As soon as he reaches us, he wraps his arm around Chaz's shoulders, placing it effectively at the base of my neck.
The contact does something completely unexpected to my body: it makes me shiver.
Pryce looks at me from above Chaz’s head.
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah. Chaz is wet and so am I now ... I need to find a bathroom to towel off.”
He chuckles with a slightly dark smirk and whispers:
“Well done to Chaz ... way to make a girl wet!”
Huh? What does he mean with that?
Pryce shifts slightly, so that Chaz's weight is resting completely on him and I step away.
I shiver again: both because Chaz was warm despite being wet and because my body reacts to the loss of contact with the two boys by giving me goosebumps again.
I can't help thinking that I liked their warmth and I look at Pryce finding an amused glint in his silver eyes.
He’s looking at my arms and chest: he noticed my physical reaction to his closeness.
But he's gentleman enough not to mention it and he jerks his chin towards the stairs I came into the basement from.
“There's a bathroom on the left of that staircase. You should find towels in there. Look, I think Chaz here's done for the night. I’m taking him home
and then I’ll come back. If you bump into Reece, could you tell him?”
I nod and follow him and Chaz towards the staircase but turn left, entering the bathroom and locking the door behind me.
As I turn, I find myself staring into the darkest blue eyes I’ve ever seen: Reece is standing by the sink, drying his hands with a terry cloth towel.
A slow smile forms on his full lips when he sees me and his tone is teasing but not devoid of an underlying hardness.
“You should check if the bathroom’s free before locking yourself in, especially at a party. You don't wanna walk into someone ...”
I blush violently: is he implying that I could've walked into him doing something? Well, I guess he could've been using the toilet ...
I wanna look away but at the same time, his gaze is pinning mine to those deep blue eyes and I feel a bit dizzy but not in a bad way: as if I had a swarm of butterflies in my stomach.
“I’m sorry. I was looking for a towel...”
Reece’s smile widens.
“Yeah, what happened to you? Did you dunk yourself in the pool but managed to get only your shoulders wet?”
I explain about Chaz and relay Pryce's message.
Reece shakes his head.
“Fuck! I knew that he was already tipsy when we left his house. He cracks under pressure, seriously ...”
He seems to catch himself before he says something that he obviously didn't intend to share with a stranger and then he bends to open the cabinet under the sink, extracting a soft white towel.
“Come here, you need to towel off, before you catch a cold.”
I step towards him, thinking that he’ll give me the towel but instead, he takes my hand and starts rubbing my skin gently, up my forearm and all the way to my shoulder and behind my neck.
He isn't touching me anywhere inappropriate but there's a certain level of intimacy in what he's doing and I find that our eyes are locked together.
He’s close enough that I can smell his fresh cotton and mint scent and I can see that the colour of his eyes isn't a solid blue, he has some white flecks around his pupils and a few spots of lighter blue.
Beverly Hills Prep Academy The Complete Boxset : A Light Bully Romance Page 33
