D.O.R.K. Series Box Set

by Haley Allison

  I can’t let her win. The inheritance and the prestige that comes with it is something Raven has probably craved for years. Having the power to take all of that away is the biggest weapon I have in my arsenal right now. I can’t compete with her in any other way, not even in singing…

  That burns me up. I hate, hate, hate that she can sing better than me. She can have Gio, though. I hope he cheats on her publicly again, multiple times.

  Ttyl,

  Mads

  Grunting, I hurl my phone across the room, making more of a noise than I meant to. The phone clatters as it falls behind a short bookshelf. I cringe, glancing around the apartment, but other than a couple of snorts from Uncle Rob, no one responds. Breathing out a sigh of relief, I fall back against the couch, letting agony tear me apart from the chest down.

  When she said “unleash hell’s fury,” I didn’t know it was going to feel like this. Raven Redinger doesn’t exaggerate.

  Unable to sleep, I pull my lifeless body up off the couch and cross to the ancient beige refrigerator to find something to drink. The only thing I happen across is a bottle of Jack Daniels in the back corner. There’s also a bottle of Coke in the shelf in the door, so I grab those two lifelines and bring them up to the counter to put them together. Once I’ve found an appropriate sized glass, I drop a few ice cubes in it from the freezer and then stop short when I realize I have no idea what the ratio of this drink is supposed to be.

  Half Jack, half Coke? One third Jack, and the rest Coke?

  My first impulse is to text Logan, and then I remember he can’t stand to even look at me right now. Since I’m not used to Jack, I decide to use the one-third ratio and realize I was right when it’s still a little too strong for me.

  “Whew…” I pound my chest as I carry my drink back over to the couch. A buzzing sound from behind the bookshelf reminds me I threw my phone back there like a little child.

  I leave my Jack and Coke on the end table and cross the room to search for my phone. The soft white light coming from the screen helps me find it. I dig it out from behind the bookshelf, and I’m disappointed to find the text I received was only our carrier telling me I’ve used up ninety percent of my data plan.

  Great. Just great. Dad’s stupid limits on me are now going to ensure I have no connection if I stay out more than a day. However, maybe that’s a good thing. The Internet is my new schoolyard, and I’m the nerdy kid with no friends who gets beaten to a pulp and their lunch money stolen every day.

  I go back to sit on the couch with my Jack and Coke. After sipping it, I remember I’m on pain pills and this might not be the best idea.

  Oh well, screw it. One drink is not going to do me in.

  Once I realize I can’t get wasted and forget, all I can think about is texting Logan. It may not do any good, but I have to try. I need my happy place back.

  Just as my head hits the pillow, I hit send on the message.

  Me: Hey, babe. I’m so sorry about this whole mess. I want you back. Please tell me what I need to do. I’ll do anything. I love you.

  Me: By the way, I learned how to make Jack and Coke. It’s hella good.

  Thankfully, I’m still sober enough to erase that second message before sending it.

  The next day, Dalton and Devon take me to Santa Monica to help me get my mind off my troubles. I opt to ride in their car for the sake of saving gas. The heavy metal music Dalton blasts in the car flushes out my anger and pain, but it also reminds me of Logan, which sends the pain cycling through me all over again. Looking out the window, I try to keep my emotions contained, instead focusing on the landscape zipping by.

  “You okay, Mads?” Devon links her arm with mine and leans her head on my shoulder.

  I shrug underneath her. “Not really…I’m still figuring everything out. I wish I had my usual strength right now, but I’m just…”

  “Numb.”

  “Right.” My voice is raspy and tired.

  I barely slept last night. When I did sleep, my dreams were haunted with the eyes and voice of Raven. I felt her taunts as if they were gurgling out of my very soul. Somewhere out there, she knows she’s won, and she’s celebrating her victory. It should be burning me up on the inside, but instead I feel hollow, like she sucked all the life force out of me. I need life injected into me again.

  The only person who could do that for me was Logan, and now I’ve lost him.

  Dalton pulls to a stop in front of a vintage bar in Santa Monica. The two of them drag me out of the car, even though I’ve had my fair share of drinks over the past few hours. I chugged some more Jack and Coke before coming out in case we ran into someone we knew while we’re out here. Everyone thinks I’m the devil, so I’m prepared for every kind of falling out imaginable.

  At least I thought I was until we walk in the door of the bar.

  There at the bar, underneath the bright cameo lighting, is a glorious blonde head I recognize. Claire.

  Sitting next to her is a familiar tattooed guy.

  Instead of glaring at her like he should be, Logan is smiling and laughing with her. His eyes are bright with happiness, or at least that’s the way it appears to me. He’s only supposed to get that look around me.

  My stomach lurches and sweat builds on my neck. I watch them for a moment to make sure I’m not seeing things. Claire leans toward Logan, and his eyes sparkle underneath the lights as he leans in toward her. Yep, it’s official. He’s still in love with her, and I should have taken that damn bottle of pills when I still had the chance.

  Pushing my way through the door, I run back out of the building and down the street, not having any idea where I’m going but needing to get out of there. My training for Wilcox has conditioned me for running, so I get a long way out from the bar before Devon catches up to me.

  “Mads…” Devon pants, trying to catch her breath as she grips my arm. “Where are you going?”

  “Anywhere but here.” I feel my teeth grinding. Logan is not the person I thought he was if he’ll fall right back into Claire’s arms like that. I can’t believe I was so stupid. Of course he said he was over her. He wanted to get in my pants. Now that he thinks I’m worse than her, he’s obviously going to want her over me. Such a blind idiot I’ve been. I need to leave him alone so he can find happiness without me.

  He’ll probably stay in the band, get famous with us, and live happily ever after with his perfect model girlfriend. I’ll be nothing but the lead guitarist he used to date.

  My legs give out under me, and I sink down to my knees on the sidewalk. Panting, I try to catch my breath and fight against tears all at once. The tears win out, and Devon kneels beside me and holds me until I’m able to walk again.

  “Mads, I’m sure that’s not what it looked like.” Devon helps me to my feet. My knees wobble underneath me as I steady myself against her. “Logan hates Claire. He never wants anything to do with her again. He’s good at faking happiness whenever he sees someone he hates, so that’s probably what he was doing. It doesn’t mean anything.”

  At that moment, I notice two male figures approaching us on the sidewalk. Logan’s walking close to Dalton, who appears to be giving him the business. When Logan looks up and makes eye contact with me, all color washes out of his face. His cheek muscles tighten and I see a vein threatening to pop out on his forehead.

  My urge to run is still overpowering. I struggle against Devon, but she won’t let me go.

  “You need to talk to him.”

  “I can’t. Not now.”

  “Yes, now. When else is there?”

  Swallowing hard against the lump in my throat, I steady myself, but keep my eyes trained on a building in the distance.

  “Madison…Madison, please look at me.”

  I shake my head.

  “Please.”

  No matter how hard I resist, my soul can’t ignore a request like that from him. I meet his eyes and see nothing but remorse. His dark eyebrows pull down to shadow them.

  “I’m
so sorry you had to see that. Claire means nothing to me anymore. You know that.”

  I cross my arms and shrug. I don’t know anything anymore. I’m not even sure I know Logan at all. After all, it was only four months ago I ran into him in New York City.

  A mere two months ago, he wanted to propose to Claire, and now he’s supposedly all into me?

  I’m not buying it. Not anymore.

  “Go back to your date, Logan. It’s okay. You’re probably better off with her, anyway.” My tone is flat, yet strained with bitterness. I drop my gaze to the cracked cement beneath my feet.

  “It wasn’t a date. In fact, I told her I’m still with you. We ran into each other at the bar, and she insisted on sitting by me. I lied and said you and I were completely happy together. I didn’t want anything to give her the idea she could try to get in the middle of this.”

  Scrunching my eyes closed, I fight off tears. Saying we’re completely happy together shouldn’t be a lie. It wouldn’t have been if it weren’t for my stupid sister.

  “I still love you.” Logan closes a little of the distance between us.

  A tear falls in spite of my valiant efforts to keep it contained. I can’t say a word because the walls of my heart are crumbling in on themselves. He loves me, but it doesn’t seem like he believes me. To me, those go hand-in-hand. If you love someone, you trust them.

  The list of people who truly love me by that definition seems to be dwindling by the second.

  Bright flashes come from down the street, jerking my gaze upward. A herd of paparazzi somehow found us and is on the move.

  “Shit…” My breathing quickens and my heartrate speeds out of control. With myself, Dalton, and Logan present, this is a bad situation to be in. I may need to put that 5K running skill to good use. The paparazzi can’t see us all in one place. We won’t get a second of privacy, and things might get violent or otherwise ugly.

  “Don’t worry, Mads. We’ll protect you.” Dalton moves in front of me and Logan and Devon come to my sides. They block me from the paparazzi and guide me down the street. Shouting and the mechanical whir of cameras flashing serenade us all the way down to the car.

  “Madison, are these the two guys we read about in your journal?”

  “Which one of them are you going to choose?”

  “Is it true you’re not living with your father anymore?”

  Dalton and Devon both flip them off and scream profanities at them as they pass by. I huddle into them, still feeling awkward around Logan. He glances down at me, and the obvious fear I’m exuding brings tenderness to his eyes.

  “It’s gonna be okay, sweets. We’re not going to let anything happen to you.”

  Sweets. It’s no sweetheart, but it will do.

  Once we’re safely back at Dalton and Devon’s apartment, Logan comes in with us to make sure I’m okay. Things are broken between us, but his protectiveness of me hasn’t decreased in the least. While I’m sitting on the couch sipping water, Logan brushes my hair back and studies my face. Dalton and Devon are hanging back in the kitchen, munching on pretzels and giving us our privacy.

  “Are you okay?”

  A sigh tumbles out of my chest. I’m so sick of hearing that question.

  “Yeah, fine. Just great. Not like my life is falling apart or anything.”

  Logan pulls his hands back and clasps them in his lap like a child. “Just asking.”

  “Why are you here?” I turn slightly toward him. “I thought you were done with me.”

  “I’m not.” He inches his hand over to hold my thigh, and I let him stay there. “It was just shocking what Raven wrote in your journal, and I needed some time to recover.”

  “Couldn’t you tell that wasn’t me?”

  Irritation spikes his volume a bit. “It said your name on the website. It was your diary. What was I supposed to think?”

  “You’re supposed to know me better than anyone.” I cross my arms and look to the side at some leftover ashes and the busted lamp on the end table. Its old-timey shade has been pulled apart in one place, so the light bleeds through brighter than the sun through my window at home. “So is my dad. No one cares to know the real answer. It’s all about what you read on the damn Internet.”

  Logan grunts out a sigh and I hear him ruffle the hair on the back of his head. “I know. I messed up. Jumping to conclusions is something I’ve been guilty of a lot, especially in recent months. I’m sorry. It’s just the way she did that made it believable. Plus, with you being a Redinger—”

  “You think of me as a Redinger?” I seethe through my teeth. My body shakes with anger. I can’t bear the thought of looking at him.

  “That’s not what I meant…dammit. You’re not a Redinger. That was a stupid thing to say. I’m sorry again.”

  “Obviously, you do think I’m one, or you wouldn’t have said it,” I growl. He reaches for my shoulder, but I shrug him off as if he were a snake. “No, don’t touch me. Get away from me.”

  Grunting, Logan pulls back against the other end of the couch. “Fuck, I’ve made this worse. I think I’m going to go now.”

  “Good idea.” I glare at him as he leaves the couch and heads for the door.

  He turns around just before he twists the doorknob. Opening his mouth, he acts like he’s going to say something, but then he clenches his fist and sighs. “Bye, Mads.”

  The door closes gently behind him, but I’m not concerned about him walking away.

  A “Redinger.” That’s why no one will believe me. I sided with the Redingers for only three months, but it marked me as one of them forever. That was the biggest fucking mistake of my life. One I won’t be making again.

  Now the one person I wanted more than anyone in the world is convinced I’m going to screw him over because of my genetic pool.

  Why did I ever come to L.A.? I could have stayed in Kentucky forever, oblivious to everything, and lived a happy life with my horse and the cats in the barn. It’s the life Dad wanted me to live. The one I should have stayed in and kept my nosey nose out of things. Right now, all I want is to go home, but I can’t. Nana’s likely heard of this and will send me straight back to Dad’s place. There’s nowhere to go.

  Nowhere, that is, except Ana’s place. Right now, I need my BFF more than ever before.

  As soon as Ana and Jerica get home from their getaway, I move from Dalton and Devon’s couch to a bed that is not a king-sized bed—it’s a king-and-five-concubines-sized bed. The two nights I spent at the Jacobs’ apartment on their couch were enough to get my back all out of whack, but this bed seems to straighten it in my sleep.

  Jerica’s mansion has two kitchens, one of which is two rooms away from me. I’m on the third floor, which is basically a house within a house. If I lived here full-time, Ana and Jerica would never even see me. I could go to a different kitchen from them and everything. Jerica told me I’m welcome to stay for as long as I like. Since I’m still not ready to go anywhere near Dad, I’m happy to take full advantage of their hospitality.

  Ana opens the door without knocking and pokes her head in with her usual gorgeous grin. Her hair is slightly mussed from sleep, but she still looks unfairly like the model she is. “Hey, you.”

  “Hey, girl. Come in.”

  Ana enters wrapped in a long, silky robe, and Jerica follows behind her dressed the same. The two sit side-by-side on my bed, Ana the closest to me. “How are you feeling?”

  I like Ana’s variation on the “Are you okay?” everyone always asks me. It’s how I know she cares. “Better. I appreciate you two lovebirds taking me in.”

  Ana cuddles against Jerica, who wraps her arms around her fiancée and kisses the back of her neck. “It’s our pleasure. Do you want to come down and join us for breakfast?”

  “Sure. Just let me take a shower first. I feel nasty.”

  They leave my room, and after I’ve taken my time in their fully automated shower, slipped on a tee and jean shorts, and braided my hair, I make my way downstairs.
A long, angular staircase leads all the way down the three stories with a platform that leads off to the second floor. Their bedroom is on the second floor, and I can tell because the smell of Ana’s perfume wafts into my nostrils from the left.

  Jerica’s cooking staff prepares us a wonderfully filling breakfast, and while we sit clustered on one end of a long dining table, I fill both of them in on everything that happened. I tell Ana about the horrible way Raven altered my diary posts, and her emerald eyes spark with rage.

  “If Raven and I ever cross paths, you’d better bet I’m going to take care of her for you.” Ana balls up a fist.

  I laugh. “Ana, no offense, hon, but do you really think you could take her?”

  She wrinkles her pretty lips in a smirk, glancing down at her thin, delicate arms. “Nah, probably not.” The three of us giggle.

  Jerica speaks from the head of the table. Even in a silk robe, she looks majestic and powerful. Her chocolate skin contrasts against the regal lavender and brightens the whites of her eyes.

  “So what legal action are you planning to take against Raven?”

  My eggs fall off my fork. “Legal action?”

  “Yes. You know you could easily get her convicted of identity theft.”

  My heart skips a beat, part of it anxiety and part joy. Real retribution. It’s what I’ve been wanting for months, but didn’t think I had hope to have. “Do you really think so?”

  Jerica nods, her mouth full of food. Then she digs in the pocket of her robe for something and hands me a crisp ivory business card. “This is the card for my lawyer. I brought it down in case you’d like to contact him. His sole job is handling all legal processes for my company, but I know he’ll take your case and do a fantastic job with it. I’ll cover all your expenses.”

  I read over the shiny navy blue print engraved on the card. A billionaire’s lawyer is mine for the taking. The answer is obvious.

  “I’ll give him a call. Thank you so much.”

  “No problem. If you need anything else, just let us know.” Jerica smiles and returns to her custom-made omelette.