“I can tell Danica to meet us too,” Lizzy said.
I turned my head and pulled my bag out of the locker.
“Sure,” I said.
I threw my bag over my shoulder and stepped back.
I felt someone crash into me.
Or me crash into someone.
I stepped back again and hit someone else.
My bag fell off my shoulder and hit the floor.
It was unzipped - of course it was - and my stuff slid across the floor.
For a split second I was pinned between two guys.
Two of the hottest guys I had ever seen in my life.
* * *
They walked right by me after staring me down for a quick second.
One with eyes that looked gray. Brown hair pushed back. A white t-shirt, leather jacket, an aura of so fucking cool pouring from him.
The other guy with amber eyes, a perfect haircut with a straight line cut along the side of his head, black hair pushed to the other side of his head. Fucking gorgeous with tattoos pouring from the tight sleeves of his t-shirt, down to his wrist.
And as fast as they stole my breath, they were gone.
The one with the tattoos lifted his foot over my notebook and looked back at me.
Those eyes were beautiful…
He put his foot down on the notebook and twisted to kick it back to me.
And then they kept walking again.
There were papers on the floor, my notebook twisted, a page mostly ripped out of it.
“Fucking great,” I whispered.
I crouched down and looked at the two guys.
I shook my head.
“Yeah, thanks for that,” I called out.
“Belle, no,” I heard Lizzy say.
But it was too late.
The two guys heard me.
They stopped and turned.
Gray eyes and amber eyes.
I sucked in a nervous breath.
Where was Uly to save me again, right?
Amber Eyes walked toward me, slow and smooth.
Anyone within arms-length got out of his way.
He didn’t have to say a word. They all just moved to let him through.
I stared up at Amber Eyes.
I wasn’t going to bow down to any of this shit.
“Want me to help?” Amber Eyes asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“Beg me.”
“What?”
“Beg me. In front of everyone here. Beg me to help you.”
“You did this,” I said. “You knocked my bag off my shoulder and-”
“Beg me,” he said again.
“No.”
I heard some ooohhh’s.
Amber Eyes nodded. “Not my favorite word, angel.”
“Get used to it with me,” I said.
He crouched down. He grabbed my notebook.
His eyes… those eyes… the way his hairline was so perfectly cut… the tone of his arms… the ink… the colors…
My eyes bounced all around as I tried to hold myself steady.
I grabbed my bag and held it open. “Put it in here.”
Amber Eyes grinned. “Not the first time I’ve heard a pretty girl say that to me.”
I gasped.
He grabbed the loose page from my notebook and ripped it out.
He dropped the notebook on the floor and stood up.
I watched as he folded it up and tucked it into his back pocket.
That’s mine, asshole. That’s my fucking writing, you gorgeous douchebag. Give it back… to me…
Amber Eyes turned and walked to Gray Eyes.
I reached for my notebook as the rest of BFH just went back to their normal day and life.
“Holy shit, Belle,” Lizzy said as she helped me pack up my bag.
“What?” I asked.
“You can’t do that stuff,” she said. “Not with them.”
“Them?”
“That’s what we all call them… Them.”
“Right,” I said.
“That was Hil and Ash. Ash was the one you talked to.”
“Got it,” I said.
“What did he take from your notebook?”
“Something personal,” I said. “Something I wrote.”
“Shit,” Lizzy said. “Well, it’s his now. And whatever he does with it, just play it off. Usually he just walks by and makes a comment. I’ve never seen them stop like that. At least not unless they were going to beat the hell out of someone… but you’re not a guy. Obviously.”
“Obviously,” I said.
I zipped my bag and stood up.
I shook my head.
I threw my bag into my locker, feeling stupid and confused. I didn’t need my bag. I didn’t need to take it out of my locker. It was just I had so much… on my mind…
First Uly.
Now Hil and Ash.
I looked at Lizzy after I shut my locker. “Can I ask you something?”
“Okay.”
“Hil and Ash. Do they have anything to do with Uly?”
Lizzy’s face went white. “You know Uly?”
“Had a similar introduction to him like I did with Hil and Ash. Why?”
“If I were you, I’d go find a horseshoe, a rabbit’s foot, some pennies on whatever side is supposed to bring you good luck.”
“Are they really that bad?” I asked.
Lizzy nodded. There was no bullshitting on her face. “Belle, trust me… stay away from Them.”
* * *
At the end of the day I caught myself flipping through my notebook, desperate to figure out what page Ash had stolen from me. Because - breaking news shocker! - I had some personal stuff written in that notebook. My enjoyment of the idea of free verse poetry led me to writing quick stories and also using the notebook as a little bit of a personal diary. Complete with stories about myself, myself with someone, and all my feelings on certain situations.
And if Ash was the kind of asshole douche to just rip a page out of my notebook and tell me to beg like I was a dog looking for a treat, then the sky was the limit on what he’d do with that piece of paper.
At least Uly read something and memorized it, turning it into something flirty.
Right?
I shut my eyes and shut the notebook.
My thoughts always rushing back to Uly needed to stop.
I half thought about just going back to the old apartment.
Or at least back home. I could probably crash with Sarah for a little while. See how things would go with my mother. And then…
“You made it through the day, Belle.”
I turned my head and Lizzy had a big smile on her face.
“What do I get?” I asked.
“To go to one of the craziest cool houses in this town,” she said. “I heard Dr. Thornburn has a pool with a waterfall and a cove.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Waterfall is a little dramatic, but it’s sort of there. The cove looks cool.”
“Looks cool?” Lizzy asked. “You didn’t go in there yet?”
I shook my head.
“Why not?”
I opened my mouth but stopped myself.
Lizzy didn’t need all the details of Uly and I meeting on the beach.
I shrugged my shoulders instead.
“Well, I’ll come by later with Danica,” she offered. “We can all test it out together. I might even bring something to help ease your mind from such a crazy day.”
“Oh?” I asked.
Lizzy winked. “Can we make this thing official and can I get your number, Belle?”
“Yeah, sure,” I said.
I told her my number and she sent me a text.
A middle finger emoji.
“Thanks,” I said with a smile.
Lizzy surprised me with a hug from the side. “I’m happy you’re here. And I’d love to know everything about why you’re here. Where you came from. If you have other friends. And I’ll do everything I can to tell you abou
t this place.”
“You two done humping yet?”
Lizzy jumped away as Danica stood, waiting, her arms crossed.
I looked at Danica and she winked at me.
“Where did you park?” she asked me.
“Near the office,” I said.
“Don’t park there again,” Danica said. “Go around back. That’s where we park.”
“I can walk you to your car,” Lizzy offered.
“I’m good,” I said. “Believe it or not… where I grew up, it was pretty rough. I can handle a walk in the daylight to my car.”
“So, what, you grew up in a bad neighborhood or what?” Danica asked. “Ever see someone get shot and killed?”
“Don’t ask her that,” Lizzy snapped.
“Why not? It’s the truth. Right?”
“I’ve seen a lot,” I said. “And when you don’t have money, you’ll do anything to get to tomorrow. That’s very different from everything here.”
“That’s wild, Belle,” Danica said. “Remember what I told you.”
I nodded.
“What did you tell her?” Lizzy asked.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Danica said.
She walked away and Lizzy chased her down, grabbing her arm. “Did you tell Belle something about me? What is wrong with you?”
I laughed and shook my head.
I guess they were sort of my friends now.
I wasn’t even sure if Jo wanted me to invite people over. I wasn’t going to be a hermit though. Even in a mansion, it could easily get claustrophobic. If anything, I’d just tell them they were allowed in the pool and the pool house.
Nothing wrong with that I assumed.
I grabbed my bag, shut my locker, and shook my head again.
I walked the halls with a stone cold bitch look on my face, but my eyes danced all around, wondering if I was going to see Ash again. Or Hil. Or Uly.
Wondering out of fear?
Or wondering out of want?
I exited BFH through the same door I came in through.
The air was warm and sunny. I swore I could smell the salt of the ocean lingering in the air. I craved a cigarette. I craved a lot more than that too. Mostly it was answers. But I’d deal with getting answers later.
First I just needed…
I slowed my walking and let out a long sigh, chasing away all my thoughts.
I could see my car - Jo’s car - right where I parked it.
And there were three people waiting for me.
* * *
No.
It wasn’t Uly.
It wasn’t Ash.
It wasn’t Hil.
It was three girls.
Just the sight of them screamed rotten, spoiled bitch.
They were like perfect dolls, standing there in different outfits with different color hair. Pretty blonde hair. Sexy brunette hair. Devious black hair. All wearing jeans with enough holes in them that I wasn’t sure they could actually qualify as jeans. Their pockets were showing. And plenty more than just the pockets. Their tops were thin string straps and low cut, wanting it to be known that they were each endowed with a chest.
Good for you.
Little Miss Brunette was the one sitting on the hood of the car.
She had a cup in her hand. A green cup with a thick, red straw.
When she saw me, she moved from the hood of the car and stuck the straw in her mouth.
“This your parking spot?” I asked.
“Ew, why would we park here?” Little Miss Blonde asked.
“Just asking,” I said.
“Quit asking stupid questions then,” Little Miss Brunette said.
I nodded to the straw. “Practicing for your boyfriend?”
The other two gasped.
“Lila, Maya, did this bitch just say what I think she did?” Little Miss Brunette asked.
“She totally did, Sophie,” Lila said.
“This is a nice set of wheels,” Sophie said as she swirled the cup in her hand.
“Yeah it is,” I said. “It’s not mine though.”
“Of course it’s not,” Maya said. “We know who you are. Who you really are.”
“Oh no,” I said. “You figured me out. Here I thought I could pull off the wealthy cunt routine like you.”
Lila stepped forward and Sophie put her arm out. “Not yet, Lila. We’ll feel her out first.”
“You want to feel me…?” I asked. “Sorry, I’m not interested.”
“Oh, I think you are,” Sophie said. “You’re into anything, right? That’s why you ran from your old town. You tried to keep it all a secret.”
“Keep what a secret?” I asked.
Maya gave me a peace sign.
I lifted my eyebrow.
“Ohmygod,” she said. “You’re so poor, you’re stupid too.” She then drew a line from finger to finger, down and up, making a V. “See? A… V…”
I swallowed hard.
I gritted my teeth.
“No idea what you think you know about me,” I said. “I’m not here for any bullshit or drama.”
“Wrong,” Lila said. “So, so, so wrong.”
“Stay away from Max,” Sophie said.
I laughed. “That’s what this is?”
“Stay away from them all,” Maya said.
“Except Ryan,” Lila said.
“No, even Ryan,” Maya said.
“You still like him?” Lila asked. “I thought you got that out of your system. You said you were going to just… one and done…”
“Save this for later,” Sophie said to her friends. “Let’s handle the problem right in front of us first.”
“Trust me, there is no problem,” I said.
“Good,” Sophie said. “Now we’re on the same page. Now if only I could stop being such a klutz.”
“What?” I asked.
Sophie looked over her shoulder and tossed her cup into the air.
It hit the hood of the car and the lid popped off with ease, spraying the hood of the car with something red and thick. Very thick. Smoothie thick.
“Oops,” Sophie said.
“Wait,” Lila said. “It’s not done yet.”
She reached with her left hand and dipped her finger into the mess and made a V.
Then she showed me her red fingertip.
“You can run but you can’t hide,” Maya said.
She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder.
I made a move for her and Lila clicked her tongue at me. “You don’t want to do that. Not to us. Believe me.”
“Try me,” I said.
I brought my fist back.
Maya was going to take a shot from my knuckles and then eat whatever the hell was on the hood of Jo’s car.
Maya jumped at Sophie and Sophie jumped at Lila. The three of them were then huddled together, scurrying away like they were afraid of me.
I raised my eyebrow, confused.
Then I smelled smoke.
Cigarette smoke.
* * *
“Why the hell did you park there, doll?” Uly asked so cool and casual.
“They were afraid of you,” I said. “I was going to punch that bitch in the face.”
“I’m sure you were,” he said. “They’re like hyenas. You know? Better to just ignore them.”
“They want me to stay away from the baseball team,” I said. “Maybe your punch to Ryan’s jaw wasn’t hard enough.”
Uly curled his lip. “So now you’re tempting me to do worse?”
“Maybe I am.”
“You might regret that.”
“Why me? You’re the one who lives here. I’m just visiting.”
“More than visiting, doll. You have no idea what you’re in the middle of right now.”
“And I’m sure you won’t tell me either,” I said.
Uly walked around me.
I shut my eyes and inhaled.
The smell of smoke, clothes, and cologne hit me the same way it
did last night.
Today he wore a long sleeve shirt with three buttons at the top. The sleeves pushed up a little. The same necklaces around his neck. The same messy hair sticking out from under his beanie. The swagger in his walk.
“What happened here?” he asked.
“That’s blood,” I said. “I ran over someone this morning. Don’t get annoying, Uly, or you’ll be next.”
He half grinned at me. “I like your edgy side, Belle.”
“Oh, right, because you know so much about me,” I said.
Uly turned on his heels and closed in on me.
I’m talking inches apart.
His eyes burning down at me.
Threatening to melt me faster than ice cream in the sun.
“I know more than you can possibly imagine,” Uly said.
I opened my mouth but I had nothing to offer.
That wasn’t cool. That wasn’t like me.
Uly walked back to the car and pointed. “A V?”
“Yeah,” I said.
“V for… I wonder…”
He looked at me again and smirked.
My heart sank.
Did he know? Did those bitches actually know too? How did they know…?
I stepped toward Uly.
He flicked his cigarette to the ground as hard as he could. Then he dipped his finger into the stuff Sophie threw at my car. He hooked his finger and stared at me as he put his finger into his mouth.
“What if…”
I held back.
If it was something not edible, then he’d suffer.
Instead of keeling over and dying, Uly grinned even more.
“Cherry, doll,” he said. “Not bad.” He smacked his lips together. “Fresh… cherry…”
He pointed to the V again and my face burned hot.
Uly walked by me, gently bumping into me.
“Yeah, thanks for your help,” I called out to him.
He gave a wave without looking back. “Don’t mention it, Belle. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.”
Uly went back into BFH.
I looked down at his cigarette on the ground, still smoking.
I looked to the hood of the car, covered in a thick, cherry smoothie.
If this was just the beginning, what would the end look like?
eight
I took the car to a carwash and paid a ton of money to have it cleaned.
Well, I didn’t pay for it.
NOT SO Innocent: a bay falls high novel Page 7
