He elbowed Easton.
“I’m asking about what this is,” I said. “What do I do? Who do I dance with? Who do I eat with? Where do I sleep? What… what is it?”
They all looked at one another.
Then Noah took the lead again.
“Winter. You’re going to be with us. Like we said, no titles. Not a girlfriend. Not friends with benefits.”
“Not to mention half the people there are having affairs,” Easton said.
“True,” Xavier said.
I looked at Xavier and felt my cheeks turn red.
Xavier’s father slept with Gia’s mother. Xavier came from Gia’s mother.
“Okay,” I said. “So…”
“You’re thinking way too much into it,” Noah said. “We’re going to drive up there and just be normal. You’re with us. That’s all anyone needs to know. You can mingle with the rich and powerful. Brag about yourself. Lie about yourself. Who gives a shit? The most important part is that you’ll be with one of us at all times.”
“Alone,” Easton said with a grin.
“Not going to happen,” I said.
“We all have our part up there,” Xavier said. “Okay? It’s just part of the family bullshit.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“You’ll see,” Noah said. “Just trust us.”
“Trust you…”
“We want to keep you safe, Winter,” Easton said in a serious voice. “So we need you there. You’ll also help us. Keep us distracted from the craziness of it all. Plus, you’ll get to see another side of us.”
“And you want me to see that side?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Noah said.
“Why?”
Xavier winked at me again.
Because they all like me. They all want me. Which is insane. They tried to hurt me. They tried to kill me. But, what, because I survived, they want me now?
“Think of it this way,” Noah said. “You get to wear expensive clothes, eat expensive food, drink expensive drinks… you get to be someone else.”
“I feel like that already,” I said.
That wasn’t a lie either.
“Maybe you get to write the rest of your story, Winter,” Easton said.
“The rest? Am I going to go up there and die?”
I laughed but quickly stopped.
Wait…
“Nobody is going to die,” Noah said.
“I meant you can figure out what you want to do next,” Easton said. “Seriously, what’s your plan? Are you going to hang around and wait for your memory to come back? Or live life?”
I was shocked.
I had never heard Easton so honest and smart.
“Wow,” I said. “So I just forget about my old life. Never remember it again. Yeah. That works. Thanks for the advice.”
I walked to the door and made it out to the deck before they all caught up to me.
They were like hungry lions, circling me, keeping me in place.
I looked at all three.
Half my brain sent a signal to my body to get turned on.
The other half sent a signal to my heart to race so I could get ready to throw a punch and run like hell out of there.
“Did I piss you off?” Easton asked.
“No. Not at all. You just basically said that my life doesn’t matter.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Fuck what he meant,” Xavier said. “This is about protecting you, Winter.”
“And if I tell you three to go fuck off, then what?” I asked. “Are you going hurt me?”
“Why would we hurt you?” Noah asked.
His eyes opened bigger than normal.
He was locked onto me.
Studying me again.
Searching for any cracks that would break open my lie.
I stared right back. “I don’t know, Noah. You three have hurt a lot of people. That’s what I’ve heard. What I’ve seen. Didn’t you just beat up some guy? Randy?”
“Raf?” Easton asked.
“Yeah,” I said, playing stupid. “Him.”
“That was a mistake,” Xavier said.
“Oh?” I asked.
“Don’t talk about it,” Easton said.
“I want to hear,” I said.
“We moved too fast on something,” Noah said. “Now BC is pissed.”
“Another reason we need you with us,” Xavier said.
“Seriously?” I asked.
“Those guys are criminals over there,” Noah said. “If they retaliate, who knows what they’ll do.”
I looked at Easton and he walked away.
He was embarrassed of himself.
Because of what Talon and Gia had done, Easton assumed it was Raf from Brooks Crest and he attacked him. Now BC was pissed and we were on their radar.
Could this thing get any messier?
That was the wrong question to ask.
Without question or hesitation, Noah slipped his hands to my face.
And he kissed me in front of Easton and Xavier.
His lips were smooth and delicious.
I tried to look to my right to see Xavier but I couldn’t.
I grabbed for his wrists but didn’t pull him away.
It was… hot.
The tip of his tongue flirted with my lips.
He pulled away and I kissed him one last time.
Noah stepped back.
I was out of breath.
For whatever reason, I started to turn to my right.
To see Xavier’s face.
To sense his jealousy.
Or maybe his anger.
As I turned to look at him, he touched my face like he did before when we were alone.
He moved his lips to my ear.
“To finish what was started, Winter,” he said.
That could have meant a lot of things, but my mind had no chance to think because Xavier kissed me.
I shut my eyes and felt my knees start to bend a little.
His kiss was powerful, with purpose, definitely a hint at being commanding.
Before I could grab the pockets of his hoodie, he backed away.
My lips tingled for more.
From which one though?
I took a step back and took a breath.
Everyone was silent.
The ocean was our soundtrack.
I slowly caught myself turning again, this time looking for Easton.
When I saw him, I don’t know what came over me.
But I charged toward him.
I grabbed his shirt like I wanted to punch him.
Which I did. For the part he played in trying to kill me. For lying about me and him sleeping together.
I knew all of this yet I couldn’t help myself as I pulled him toward me to kiss him.
When his lips touched mine, a light went off in my mind.
Some kind of wild side that had been activated to cheer and scream that I had kissed all three of them. Almost at the same time too.
I pushed Easton away and walked to the steps of the deck.
I caught myself smiling.
Even though it was wrong.
My body was on fire.
I had never felt the way I felt right then.
“Winter,” Xavier said.
I looked back. “I’ll go. Don’t worry. You can keep protecting me.”
I winked for good measure.
I just took their power.
They were turned on by me for some reason.
And I knew things they didn’t.
A kiss here and there… fine by me.
Soon enough, I’d own all their insecurities.
Soon enough, they’d really fall for me…
Soon enough, they’d wish they were the ones without a memory of me.
Chapter 13
knowing the hurt
I was still floating the next morning.
I floated from my bed to the bathroom to pee and mess with my hair before f
loating downstairs.
As I floated through the kitchen, my mother appeared and pointed right at me.
Her jaw dropped.
“What?” I asked.
“You got some.”
“What?”
“Look at you,” my mother said. “You’re goddamn glowing. You got some. Who was it? Is it that tough looking guy that sneaks around here?”
My face turned red. “What… how…”
“Oh, come on, Winter,” she said. “You think you can sneak boys around me? I invented all the tricks. I broke all the rules. And when the rules were rewritten, I broke those too. Tell me about him?”
“If you’re talking about Talon, you’re wrong,” I said.
“Talon,” she said. “You know, I’m not dumb. He’s a Troc. You’re a Bump. You’re messing with some rough waters.”
“I am your daughter.”
My mother laughed. “You know, I never crossed that line.” She walked up to me and hugged me. “I’m proud of you.”
I shook her away. “No. I didn’t do anything…”
Lies. You and Talon. One time.
But that wasn’t what my mother was thinking.
“Don’t be upset about it,” my mother said. “I don’t care. You’re a woman. You need it. It might… wait a second…”
“What?” I asked.
“You really didn’t” - she clicked her tongue, meaning have sex - “with that Troc?”
“No,” I said.
“So then… oh…”
“No,” I said.
I wanted coffee. But I also wanted to escape my mother’s devious mind.
“Winter,” she said. “Which one of those guys did you fool around with? Come on. Tell me. They did what they did to you and you end up falling in love?”
“Love?” I yelled. I laughed. “Not even close. I’m using them.”
“Interesting. How so?”
I swallowed hard. “Not your business.”
“You’re like that spider… what one is it…” She snapped her fingers. “The black widow. Isn’t that the one that fucks the male and then kills it? Or the bug that eats the guy’s head off. Right?”
“I’m not chewing someone’s head off,” I said.
She grinned with all the nasty jokes that flooded her mind. And mine.
I cringed and blushed again.
“I just wanted some coffee,” I said in defeat.
“Get some coffee,” she said. “And tell Mommy all the things you did last night…”
“Now that’s weird and kind of gross,” I said. “I’ll go buy some coffee.”
I hurried out of the kitchen and left the house.
I was in the same hoodie and shorts as last night.
I licked my lips and remembered Noah… Easton… Xavier…
My face burned and burned.
I saw the bright yellow car pull into the driveway and I let out a sigh of relief.
I ran down the steps and to Gia’s car.
I jumped into the passenger seat.
Gia looked at me and pulled her sunglasses down.
“Whoa, you look like-”
“Just drive,” I said. “I need coffee. And I need to think.”
“Okay,” Gia said. “Any requests on where to go?”
I looked at her. “Anywhere but here.”
“Wait. Turn here.”
I almost forgot about the place.
There was this tiny side road that was next to impossible to find. The human memory was an amazing thing. I hadn’t thought about that side road in a long time. The last time I had been there was…
“What is it?” Gia asked.
I shook my head. “I just suddenly remembered this road. Like it had slipped my mind, you know?”
“Yeah. That happens to everyone. You can’t remember everything all the time. That’s normal.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Hey, do you remember the summer that baseball team crashed at the beach houses? Not around where we live though, but on a different part of the beach. They weren’t from around here. Some other place. An academy or private place or something like that. Not sure if you would remember it.”
“Why? Because I’m not cool enough?”
“Gia…”
“I’m joking,” she said. “Relax. I don’t remember any baseball teams over any summer. Sorry. My summers have always been busy though. Lots of running to do.”
“I met a guy that summer.”
“Nice.”
“He was awesome.”
“You fell in love, didn’t you?”
“You know what? I kind of did. But it was a summer love thing. Not real love. I loved the whole idea of him and summer together. There was freedom. There was fun.”
“There was fucking,” Gia said in a deep voice.
I laughed. “Your point?”
“Damn, Winter,” Gia said. “Good for you.”
“It wasn’t like that,” I said. “But whatever. I’m just… it’s funny to me that all of that slipped out of my mind until just now. His name was Timmy. I told him the day I met him that made him sound like a little boy. So I called him Tex. Because he was born in Texas. Wow, all of this is hitting me at once.”
“Uh, Winter,” Gia said. “Not to cut you off, but this road is getting bumpy. And coming to an end…”
“Shit,” I said. “Stop right now.”
Gia hit the brakes.
I flew forward.
I had a flashback of the accident and let out a whimpering scream.
I threw open the door and jumped out of the car.
My hand clutched for my chest as Gia screamed my name.
She got out of the car and ran around to me.
When I saw her, I put my hand out.
“I’m fine,” I said. I took a breath. “Just… a little panic attack. Sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have stopped like that. It’s just…”
She looked down the road and, yeah, there was no more road.
If she kept going she would have ended up going off a cliff and into the ocean.
Oops.
“Sorry, I forgot to tell you to stop,” I said.
“No problem. Nothing like a good thrill in the morning. Right?”
“Right,” I said. “My point is… I don’t even know now. The last time I was up here was when Tex left. It was the end of summer. Evie and Darcy were okay with it all. They had their fun. I think I got myself too involved. Emotionally and all that. I was kind of heartbroken when he left. So I came up here and sat alone for a while.”
“Did you cry over him?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry. I hate crying over guys. My mother always tells me there’s plenty of dick attached to dicks so don’t waste any tears…”
“Our mothers are too much alike.”
“Yes, they are,” Gia said.
“I was just amazed how that memory hit me.”
“I told you, that’s normal.”
I nodded. “Come on, let me show you this view.”
I walked Gia to the edge of the cliff and she gasped.
“I hate heights,” she said.
“Just take a breath and look at the view. It’s worth it.”
We stood together as she clutched at my arm.
“I know why we’re here,” Gia said.
“You do?”
“Yeah. You had that secret meeting last night. You never called. Texted. Nothing.”
“Shit. I’m sorry. It was…”
“Good or bad?” Gia asked.
“Both,” I said.
“How so?”
I looked at Gia. “Uh… they want to date me. And I kind of kissed all three.”
Gia’s jaw slowly dropped.
“It’s okay though. I know what I’m doing.”
But, really, did I?
We sat in Gia’s car because her fear of heights was too much for her to stand and enjoy the view. She apologized but I really w
asn’t worried about it. It was nice to just feel hidden for a second. Which was ironic because everything I had been doing was hiding. You know? Hiding from the truth. Living in a lie. That whole thing.
“So they want you to go with them to this ball thing?” Gia asked. “Super, super-rich people.”
“They’re afraid,” I said. “I have them where I want them, Gia. They’re actually afraid. And they’re worried about me. Something else is going on too. I’m not sure what but I can feel it. They’re hiding more than just what they did to me.”
“Is that really your business?” Gia asked.
“No. But if it helps me hurt them, then I want to know. I just… I need something good on Easton.”
“Easton?’ Gia asked. “His family is a mess. That car you blew up?”
“His uncle’s,” I said.
“Yeah. The entire family is nothing but addicts. I thought you knew that.”
“What?”
“Oh, yeah. It runs deep. They’ve been in rehab so many times… it’s crazy stuff. Easton and his parents do not get along at all. His parents can’t stay away from alcohol and pills. His father cheats all the time. His mother does too. It’s wild. Easton is probably the easiest one to break. But.... he’s dangerous. Maybe more than the others.”
“Interesting,” I said.
“So, what if you stay back here and let them go alone?” Gia asked. “They’ll worry about you the entire time. You can have time to finish out your plotting…”
“They won’t go without me,” I said. “And that’ll cause bigger problems.”
“Then let it happen.”
That was a good point.
If I stayed home and it made them argue and fight and caused family issues…
I bit my lip.
I kind of wanted to go. I wanted to wear a dress and feel beautiful around them. I wanted their attention. I wanted them to look at me the way they did when they kissed me.
It would make hurting them even better.
Are you sure about that, Winter? Is that all you’re after?
“Also, someone is following me, Gia,” I said. “For real.”
“Then go to the cops, Winter.”
“I did.”
“And…?”
“You’re going to think I’m crazy,” I said.
“Crazy? You mean like faking losing your memory kind of crazy?”
I laughed. “Yeah.”
“So…?”
Damaged Love (Bay Falls High NEXT Book 2) Page 11
