“I don't think so. Gabbie you’re quite welcome to sit with us but not her. I don't eat with sluts.”
“Me neither.”
Marlene folds her arms over her flat chest and looks at me as if I were scum.
“Well then, I’m surprised you haven't starved to death. Or is it ok to eat as long as there are no mirrors in the room, huh?”
She only gets Gabbie’s insult a moment later and glares at her.
My friend doesn't give up and addresses Lissa, who’s been sitting in her usual spot, quietly picking at her salad.
“What do you have to say about how mean our cheer team is becoming?”
Lissa shrugs.
“I’m sorry, Gabs. I’m outnumbered here. Yes, I’m the captain but I can't make the girls eat with her if they don't want to.”
She says ‘her’ as if I weren't standing right there and she doesn't even look at me.
Gabbie nods.
“Very well, then. Let’s go.”
And we find an empty table next to the full length windows, which is a much nicer and quieter spot than the cheer squad table anyway.
Chaz
I’M ANGRY AT HER FOR lying about sleeping with us: a very similar lie almost destroyed our lives.
But does she deserve being called names, being ridiculed and bullied?
Maybe.
However I confess that I don't like it.
I’m about to step in once or twice but Reece stops me from getting involved.
When last period’s over, Reece walks by Abi’s desk and after observing her put away her shit for a minute, he orders:
“Come on, let’s go home.”
Abi doesn't even lift her gaze from her desk, she looks tired and defeated.
“To do what? If you—”
Reece doesn't let her finish.
“Talk. Let’s go home and talk.”
The ride to Pryce's house is a quiet one: I’m riding shotgun and I keep looking at her in the side mirror.
Reece sits by her side but he’s looking outside, lost in his own thoughts.
The first thing I do is take off my blazer and my tie and roll up the sleeves of my shirt.
Pryce does the same but Abi and Reece are just staring each other down, rigid in their impeccable uniforms after a full eight hours at school.
“So, it looks like you had a rough day ...”
Abi regards his observation with an eye roll.
“You're very perceptive.”
Reece's mouth begins to curve in an amused smile.
“You just reaped what you sowed. This should definitely teach you to stop bragging about sleeping with people. Especially when it seems like you haven't even had sex yet.”
Her cheeks redden and I can't help from finding her pretty.
This time, she doesn't even try to fight him on being called a liar, she stares at him for a moment, waiting for his conclusion.
“Abi, your lying was shitty towards us and also very naive. Do you see how people react at school? Unfortunately, if a guy fucks around he’s a god, if a girl does it, she's a slut. I know it's wrong and it should be equal but old stereotypes are hard to get rid of. I didn't like seeing how everyone was an asshole to you today, even though you deserved it. The guys and I can make it stop. Today I just wanted to show you how the year is gonna be for you without us by your side. But if we step in, people will be too scared to even look at you wrong.”
Abi frowns.
“And in return, you want me to have sex with the three of you?”
Reece nods.
“Yes.”
She opens her mouth to protest.
“Reece, I’m not ... I’ve not ...”
When he doesn't say anything, she takes one step towards him and places a hand on his shoulder, moving her face closer and closer to his, as if she were leaning in for a kiss.
That’s when Reece takes a step back.
“Whoa! What the fuck do you think you're doing?”
He stops her and she looks at all of us, confused.
“I was ... you just said ...”
Reece's tone of voice is hard and the look he gives her could have the power to turn anyone into stone.
“I know what I just said. I didn't mean now. Look, you might've run your mouth when you shouldn't have and I might be an asshole but I'm not a total piece of shit! If you’d done it before, I’d take out those condoms and we’d have a party. With you? It's gonna have to be different. You know Abi, all the shit you must've heard at school after I told you about our new reputation, is mostly bullshit. Believe it or not. And you saw first hand today how people are ready to believe the worst. So we aren't gonna have sex with you like this. This is the deal: you're ours. You don't date, you don't flirt, you don't so much as look at another guy. You’ll act as if you were our girlfriend. That will help our reputation and your own. As for the sex? We’ll go slow. If you don't want something, you need to say no and we’ll stop. Just be aware that this is a mutually beneficial arrangement: we don't get distracted from our studies looking to get laid and you’ll be protected from the consequences of running your big mouth.”
“So am I ...?”
He smirks.
“You're ours. Step out of line, badmouth us and things will go back to what you experienced earlier today at school. Are we clear?”
“Yes.”
“Now, let’s start with kissing.”
Abi takes another step towards Reece and he laughs at her, his tone full of scorn when he speaks next.
“I’m glad to see that you're eager but ... not me. Look, other girls at school were gonna be problematic since we have this stain on our reputation. However, if we could've chosen someone, we would've picked someone more experienced. I called your brother last night and he told me that you basically lived in a convent until last week.”
She looks humiliated, she doesn't dare look Reece in the eyes.
“Yeah.”
“And baby, that did show when I kissed you. What do you say, Pryce?”
Abi looks at Pryce who looks straight at her and shrugs:
“Yeah. Now it makes sense why she didn't know what to do with herself. Not a great kiss ...”
I see her eyes fill with tears and a part of me would like to tell my brothers to stop being d-bags but I think about the way she tried to use us and I keep quiet.
“So, you need training. I don't do inexperienced or sloppy. So you won't be kissing me until Chaz here decides that you're ready. He’s had more girls than the whole football team put together, so he’ll be your kissing coach. Is that ok, Chaz?”
I smile for the first time in months: I’ve wanted to kiss Abi since that party last Saturday.
“Sure. Come here, Abi. Show me what you can do.”
She blushes up to the roots of her blonde hair but she approaches me and stops in front of me.
The tips of our shoes are almost touching.
“Come closer, I won't bite you ... just yet.”
I pull her closer by her waist and touch my lips to hers.
Fuck!
She has the softest lips I’ve ever kissed.
We stand there, lips touching until I realise that not only is she inexperienced but now probably terrified to do something wrong, after the stuff Reece and Pryce just said.
I put more pressure on her lips and take her soft bottom lip between mine.
She tastes good and I want more: it's been a while since I’ve kissed a girl knowing that things weren't going to go further than that.
I brush my hand against her jaw, moving her long blond hair aside and I whisper against her lips.
“Open your mouth, let me in ...”
I caress her tongue with mine, as gently as I can, enjoying how she feels.
She makes a tentative move to match my strokes and I pull slightly back.
“Less tongue. I don't need all of that in my mouth. If you open your mouth that much, the kiss becomes too sloppy. At the end, neither of us should ha
ve to wipe our mouths. Use your lips to kiss me, not just your tongue. Taste me, massage me, tease me a little bit ... like this ...”
I show her how I like to kiss and she starts matching my movements and using her lips as well as her tongue.
Our kiss deepens and it feels so good that I don't need to stop anymore to tell her how to do it.
I kiss her for a long time and I realise that I don't wanna stop.
When she hugs my neck with her arms and I feel her soft chest against mine, I can't resist but tease her bottom lip with my teeth, grazing her and sucking lightly.
She lets out a soft moan into my mouth and that's when I remember that Reece and Pryce are there, watching us.
I break the kiss reluctantly and when I look in her blue eyes, I think about how much I want to do this again, possibly without an audience.
“I think that with a bit more practice, you'll be all good with kissing.”
She blushes and our eyes stay locked together, I’m still holding her hand and I don't let her go.
Not even when we turn to look at Reece and Pryce.
The latter adjusts himself in his school uniform pants and for as much as Reece’s expression is neutral, I can read him like an open book.
He’ll need a cold shower tonight or he’ll have to resort to some self help to relieve some tension.
For as much as I’d like to find a quiet corner to take Abi and kiss her until she's forgotten even her own name, we decide to do our homework all together and then watch a movie until dinner time.
6.
Lonely
Abi
THINGS AT SCHOOL HAVE been better: with the guys by my side not only have people left me alone but some of them were actually nice to me.
The guys had football practice today but Mrs Stubbs used our PE period for our cheer practice, so we have the afternoon off.
Tomorrow is Friday night and the opening game of the season will be a home game.
“So, what will you do for Max?”
Gabbie drove me home and we did our homework together.
“For Max?”
Gabbie shakes her shiny dark brown hair and giggles.
“As his rally girl, you need to do something special for him, to encourage him to play at his best.”
I sigh.
“I don't know him at all. I’ve no idea what to do ...”
Gabbie shrugs.
“Each girl does something different: Lissa’s mom is good at baking and she brings snickerdoodles for her football players. Marlene gives them blowjobs.”
I gasp.
“What? I ... I’m not ...”
“I happen to know that Max loves breakfast burritos from a little place called ‘casa de torta’. That could be easy to do.”
I nod.
Blowjobs?
Definitely not.
I get a little shiver down my spine: I don't think I could do that with a random guy.
Also something like that'd definitely be a whole lot of Hail Marys ...
But with the guys, it’d be different.
I don't know why but I cared about them and felt an overwhelming attraction to them at first sight.
If only they could believe that I didn't tell those lies about sleeping with them.
But I’ll win them over.
I’ll show them than I’m not a gossip and that I don't care about being popular.
Not at the expense of my friends.
Gabbie leaves and I look in the freezer for some ice cream: I really want a strawberry milkshake.
I groan when I see that I have none and debate if I should call my driver and send him out for some.
I really, really need to get my driving licence so I can be independent.
I’m about to call the driver after checking the kitchen in the main house and realising that I seriously ate all the ice cream that I bought when Alex took me grocery shopping when I first arrived.
The house security system beeps with an alert that there's a car at the main gate.
It has an app that shows the security camera feed on my phone and I check it out to see who's buzzed the gate to try and come in.
Chaz is waiting to be granted access in a silver convertible Rolls Royce.
I buzz him in and go meet him at the front door: I know Dad might check the security feed but the deal is no big parties without his knowledge.
He's wearing black sunglasses and his dark brown hair is a little windswept.
He has it shaved on the sides and long on top: Reece has a similar cut but Chaz’s is more extreme.
He’s dressed all in black and he looks edgy and sophisticated at the same time.
“Hey Abi, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out? Maybe go for a drive? Just the two of us.”
I nod and climb in the passenger seat: Chaz doesn't talk as much as the other two but I’ve been intrigued by his hazel eyes and his rare smiles since I first met him.
And of course there’s the kissing we did yesterday: only the thought makes me shudder with excitement.
However, I learned that with him and his friends it's very easy to get into hot waters, so I voice my concern.
“Will the others be ok with this?”
He winks at me.
“They know. They're at practice: I skipped and I decided to spend the afternoon with you instead.”
He's looking ahead, concentrating on his driving but I stare at his perfect jaw and his sexy shoulders, trying to decide if I should say what's on my mind or not.
“Skipping right before tomorrow’s game? Won't coach be mad?”
“No. I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon, he knew about it. So, is there anywhere you'd like to go?”
I mention that I was desperate for a strawberry milkshake and he smiles.
“Sure! I haven't had a milkshake in forever. I know just the place. Do you wanna drive through and then go to my place for a movie?”
I hesitate for a second, thinking about the implications of being alone with him but I say yes.
I believe Reece when he says that they wouldn't do anything I don't want.
And there's something about Chaz that makes me want to get closer.
It's hard to explain: on the outside, he looks as hard as Reece but there's something in his eyes, a gentleness that transpires when he doesn't think that he's being observed.
Even the way he kissed me yesterday was soft, sweet and super hot at the same time.
Chaz's house is on a cliff overlooking the beach: it's a huge white house with red tiles on the roof and balconies wrapped around the whole building.
He parks the car outside a five car garage and he rushes to my side to open the car door for me and offers me his hand.
He doesn't let go of my hand while we walk into the house.
I look around and the furniture and decor is modern and eclectic, definitely with a masculine touch.
It seems to reflect Chaz’s personality with all the black everywhere that somehow though doesn't make things look gloomy, just edgy and exciting.
He ushers me into a den with the biggest screen I’ve ever seen: it makes my house’s three hundred and seventy inch TV look small.
There's a huge couch placed in front of it and Chaz guides me towards it, still holding my hand.
He sets his hazel eyes on me: today they look more green than amber.
His gaze is the opposite of Reece’s: it's got a certain sadness to it but it's as if Chaz were trying hard to look tough but his eyes completely betray him.
The way he's looking at me makes me feel as if I were naked in front of him: not physically but as if he could see deep inside me.
He makes me excited and nervous at the same time and when I’m nervous, I talk.
“So, are we alone?”
He smiles, surprised and amused by my question.
“Yup! We’re alone. Is that what you were hoping?”
His voice goes down an octave, smooth like silk and my body reacts to it instantl
y: I get goosebumps everywhere.
And my nipples harden in my bra: Chaz has that effect on me a lot.
“No ... I was ... I was noticing that there's no photos of your family around and the decor ...”
“Seems to have been picked by an eighteen year old boy?”
I nod.
“Yeah, well ... it has. I live here alone. My parents moved out a few months ago and I decided to change the house to suit my taste.”
“But ...”
I wanna ask if he feels lonely, I know I do.
Maybe that's why I feel drawn to Chaz, maybe his loneliness somehow speaks to mine.
“Yeah, we weren't getting along too much anyway and that trial didn't help our relationship. This house is mine anyway.”
He looks straight into my eyes: his expression is serious and a little sad but mostly relaxed.
I’m nervous again but under his gaze, I don't find anything to say to fill this silence, so I busy myself with the milkshake I’ve been holding in the hand that's not enveloped in Chaz's.
I take a huge gulp through the straw and a second one straight away.
Chaz groans.
“Did you really do that? Do you know how fucking hot that looks? If this were any other girl, I’d think you were trying to suggest something ...”
Huh?
What does he mean?
I think about it and at the same time suck on the straw again as if my lips had a will of their own and then it hits me.
Does he mean ...?
Did he really think about my lips not being around the straw, but ...?
My thoughts get interrupted by brain freeze: it's sudden and painful and it makes me squeeze my eyes shut and grunt.
I can't see Chaz's expression, which is good since his mind was in the gutter and mine was following closely behind but I hear the concern in his voice.
“Abi, are you ok?”
“Brain freeze ... too much ... too fast”
“Oh, dear! Come here ...”
My eyes are still squeezed shut so I don't see him coming close, I feel his warm hand on my forehead, rubbing me gently.
“Is this any better?”
It takes me a moment to answer him, suddenly aware of his body heat and his heady honey and spice scent.
“Yeah.”
Beverly Hills Prep Academy The Complete Boxset : A Light Bully Romance Page 37
