by Jenika Snow
“Kind of late for you to be coming in, boy.” Smoke from the cigar his father puffed on billowed around him. Reese wasn’t a fool to think either of his parents gave a shit about what he did or when he came home. Yeah, it was late as hell, but there were times he hadn’t even come home and they never said a word. Clearly his father was in a drunken stupor and decided tonight he’d start shit. It had been a while, so Reese assumed it was due time. His old man stood and turned to face him. Reese had seen photos of his dad when he was younger. They shared the same six foot one height and muscular build, but that was where any similarities ended.
“I asked you a question, and you’ll answer me.” His father took a step forward, but Reese had long lost any sense of fear for the man. No longer could he touch him, and if he did throw the first punch, well, Reese would throw one right back. He had thought of leaving far too many times to count, but he wasn’t foolish enough to not finish high school, at least not after Max had set him straight on that matter. Max, the only decent person who actually cared about him and not what he could do or give them, had helped him through a lot of shitty times in his life. Max, an older man, with a long white beard, tattoos covering every inch of his body, and a Harley to match, gave Reese a place to come and leave the drama behind. Whenever he felt like the rage was too much he always sought out Max and the safe haven the old man’s tattoo parlor provided. No matter what time of day he was always welcome. The same couldn’t be said for the house he grew up in.
“I heard you, but I don’t owe you anything.” The number of times Reese had walked out that door and contemplated never looking back was in the hundreds, but despite the fucked-up home life he had, he remembered a time when his mom had actually been a … mother. So, he stuck it out, worked odd jobs under the table to pay the bills of the household so at least he and his mom would have somewhere to go. His father, well he couldn’t give two shits about the man who abused him mentally and physically his entire life. His father took another step toward Reese, but Reese refused to back down. He was still primed from the fight earlier, and if Hugo wanted to do this, after Reese had proved he would no longer let himself get knocked down, then so be it. Something flickered in his father’s eyes, maybe realization that something nasty churned inside of Reese, just waiting to be released, or maybe he had just wised up after the past two years. Either way, he mumbled to himself, turned around and snatched the bottle of vodka from between Reese’s mother’s legs, and sat back on the couch. A moment passed, and Reese clenched his fists, wanting to go over there and burn off the rest of his rage. A small voice inside of him, one that he had buried a long time ago pushed up and told him to just walk away. He forced himself to turn around and go to his room. Slamming his door shut, he lay on his bed and let the only good thing that happened tonight fill his mind. Kiera Sheppard.
****
Kiera didn’t want to face school Monday morning, not after everything that happened at Haden’s party. Feigning sick wouldn’t work, not when she had too much school work to accomplish, and her problems would still be waiting for her the next day. When Molly dropped her off she hadn’t asked again about what happened, but it was only a matter of time before her best friend found out, especially when they went back to school. So, Kiera had told her everything, which only seemed to reopen the wounds. It was all too real, and although nothing had really happened, the thought of what would have transpired if Reese hadn’t shown up was something Kiera couldn’t wrap her mind around. No way would she tell her parents, but they had to know something was up by the way she dashed up the stairs and hid in her room for the rest of the weekend. She worried about Alex finding out, because that was drama she didn’t want, but what if Josh told the truth and they were on the football team together? Would he tell Alex what happened? If he was smart and sane she would guess no, but his actions at the party proved otherwise. She honestly just wanted to put it behind her.
“You gonna be okay today?”
Kiera sat in the passenger’s seat of Molly’s beat-up Toyota. They had pulled into the school parking lot five minutes ago, but neither had moved.
“I’ll be fine.” Kiera said and looked out the window. Students milled around the front of the school, laughing, talking, and enjoying the last few weeks of school. It wasn’t lost on her that several of them glanced her way and leaned close to each other to murmur things. Had rumors spread already? No doubt there had been texts, phone calls, and a parade of gossip over the weekend.
“Don’t worry about them. I’m here for you,” Molly said and took Kiera’s hand, giving it a light squeeze.
They climbed out of the car, and the sensation of others stares boring holes into her slammed into her. They made their way to the front of the school, but Ian’s voice stopped them. Molly tensed beside her, and Kiera really wished she knew what in the hell was going on with them.
Ian jogged up to them. “Kiera, I tried calling you Sunday to hang out, but you didn’t answer.” She had successfully avoided everyone, but she wouldn’t be so lucky now.
“Yeah, I saw. Sorry I didn’t call you back. I wasn’t feeling very well.” Ian nodded, but his focus was on Molly.
“Hey, Molly.” Ian, with his blond hair and brown eyes, was the typical boy next door. His good looks got him enough female attention, but his book smarts tended to keep him out of the popular category with the guys. Molly refused to look at him, but Kiera was sick of probing on what was going on with them. They had gotten into fights before, but never anything like this.
“Yeah, okay. I’ll meet up with you guys in English Comp.”
“I’ll go with you,” Molly said tightly.
“Can we talk, Molly? Please.” There was a pleading tone in Ian’s voice.
Before either could anything else to her Kiera headed for the main doors. A look over her shoulder showed Molly waving her hands furiously between her and Ian, but Kiera couldn’t make out what they said. Kiera kept her head down and walked faster. Before she entered the school the sound of heavy bass sounded from the parking lot. Her heart picked up because she knew exactly whose car that music came from. Kiera turned around but tried to not make it look obvious as she watched Reese’s Trans-Am skidded into the driveway. The original paint was white, but the car had to be from the seventies and now peeled in certain spots. She’d heard enough rumors about him to know he was fixing it up. The tires were big and new, and she could barely make out the bird decal on the hood. She didn’t know much about cars, but she knew he looked good driving it.
The car came to a stop, and the engine was cut. He climbed out, but much to Kiera’s disappointment, so did Andrea. Marcus pulled his BMW into the spot next to Reese. Leo and Christian got out after Marcus turned the car off. Kiera knew she shouldn’t just stand there and gawk at him, but there was something about Reese that made all of her common sense leave her. It was going on four years now that she had watched him walk by her, like she was nothing more than a fly on the lockers. But his words Friday replayed in her head.
I’ve known who you are since you got out of Alex’s car that first day freshman year.
Not possible. He never looked at her or spoke to her, yet he said those words with utter seriousness. The deep drawls of the guys’ voices pieced her day-dreaming, and she jerked her chin up to see Reese coming closer with the three guys trailing behind him. Marcus, Ian, and Christian were loud and juiced up, and slapping one another on the back like guys tended to do. Andrea hung back with her own posse of cheerleaders. Reese lifted his head, and his eyes caught hers. Kiera stood frozen on the steps of the school, her books clasped to her chest as she watched them come closer. He walked slow and oh so sexy. His lips tilted in a smile. Flustered, she broke the contact and rushed through the front doors.
God, Kiera. Nice. Real nice. How freaking awkward and rude could she be? He had rescued her Friday, smiled at her today, and she hadn’t said hi or reciprocated the gesture. She had run, like she was good at. He must think she was a mega-bitch, or had
some kind of mental defect.
“Hey, aren’t you that girl from Haden’s party, the one that was fucking Reese in the bathroom?”
Kiera jerked her head up and stared at the tightly knit ring of girls standing right inside the school. “Yeah, I thought that was you.” The other girls started whispering to each other then giggled.
“What a slut.”
“God, doesn’t she know Andrea’s with him?”
The harsh comments faded as she quickly walked down the hall and went into the bathroom. She slipped into the nearest stall and closed the door. Taking a much needed deep breath, she told herself that she had known what was coming. Rumors got twisted and spread like wildfire. The fact those girls thought she slept with Reese instead of almost being raped by some asshole told her that most likely everyone else would come to the same conclusion. The bathroom door opened and closed, and catty laughing started up. Kiera froze and didn’t breathe when she heard them talking about her.
“Can you believe that Kiera girl is all trying to act like some kind of victim?”
“I know, right? I don’t believe for one minute she was attacked at Haden’s party.”
“Well, I heard she was all over some college guy then jumped all over Reese.”
Kiera felt tears build behind her eyes. She liked to think she had tough skin, but actually hearing what people thought, especially after such a horrible night, tore into her painfully.
Andrea’s high-pitched voice spoke next. “Well, I’m not really concerned about her. I mean look at her.” The other girls giggled at Andrea’s comment. “She looks like she should be working in a library or something with that mousy brown hair, glasses, and those cardigans she wears. Not to mention she is on the chunky side.”
Kiera peered through the tiny crack where the door and stall met and saw Andrea plump up her boobs in front of the mirror.
“What guy wants to fuck a fatty when they can have a piece like this?” The shit-eating grin Andrea wore was saccharine and self-assured. “Besides, I keep Reese plenty satisfied.”
There was more giggling and trashing of Kiera, and then they finally left. She sat on the toilet and let the tears fall, which further pissed her off. Why was she letting their words get to her? It wasn’t like she had never been called a fat bitch or whore before, and Kiera had always been able to brush it off. Not this time though, and that made her angry and scared, and wanting nothing more than to run. She looked down at herself, and their words played back in her mind. So what if she was a size sixteen instead instead of a double zero? Maybe she was thicker than the anorexic girls on the cheerleading squad, but her weight had never bothered her before. Now, though, hearing Andrea’s cruel words made her feel very self-conscious. Who else thought the same thing? What difference did it make anyway? She was who she was, and nothing was going to change that. All she needed to worry about was getting through the last stretch of school. Then all these assholes could go screw themselves.
She shoved the books she had been holding when she darted into the bathroom back in her bag. Stepping out of the stall and gripping her bag tight in one hand, she was so ready for this day to be over with already. A look in the mirror showed her red-rimmed eyes and a cherry colored nose. After splashing some cold water on her face she came to the conclusion that she wouldn’t be able to wash away the fact she had been crying. Pulling the bathroom door open she kept her head low in hopes to go unnoticed. The air left her in a whoosh when she slammed into a hard chest. Her bag fell from her hand, and her books and papers scattered across the hall. The bell rang, and students went to class. Of course no one stopped to help her pick up the crap. Kiera muttered an apology and dropped to her knees to scoop up her stuff. Her damn tears came back, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to stay at school. She’d feign sickness, but she didn’t have a ride home. Fuck it, she’d walk home. The time would help to clear her head.
An arm reached out and picked up her physics book, and she stopped when she saw the tattoos covering it. Kiera slowly dragged her eyes up the muscular forearm, over the ripped bicep, and finally to the face of none other than Reese Trenton. God dammit did he have to look so good?
“I’m the one that should apologize. I should have watched where I was going.” His brows furrowed, and he said, “Hey, you’re crying.”
Shit. She quickly wiped her cheeks, shoved her crap in her bag, and stood. “No, I mean it’s nothing.” She turned to leave, but he touched her shoulder, and she stopped.
“Wait.”
Kiera turned and looked at him. He dropped his hand, and her skin tingled from the contact.
“You okay?”
She swore she would scream if someone else asked her that. “No, I’m not.” She immediately felt bad for sounding so bitchy, but with her shitty weekend then the rumors and hearing Andrea and her clan saying those things about her, Kiera just wanted to dive under a rock and never come out. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. It’s just been a really crappy day, and it just started.” She offered a smile and lifted her hand in a wave. “Thanks though.”
Kiera tightened her hand on her bag and walked quickly down the hallway. She pushed the front doors open and stood at the top of the front steps contemplating where she was going to go. Her house was a good hour walk away, but her parents wouldn’t be leaving until at least nine. That gave her two hours to kill. Before she could take a step the front doors opened behind her, and she turned to see Reese standing in the doorway.
“Want some company, or at least a ride home?” The grin he gave her was lopsided and reminded her of a much younger version of him, maybe not so rough and tough. She looked at his car then back at him. “I’m harmless, I swear.” He held his hands up and grinned. “Besides, I want to make sure you’re safe.” His words were sincere, and she felt herself smile and nod. His grin widened, and he held his arm out for her to lead the way. When they got to his Trans-Am he held the door open for her, and she ducked her head to hide her smile. For some reason she never saw him as the gentlemanly type. But then again there was a lot of him that was coming to the surface, and she was pleasantly surprised. Reese jogged around the front of the car and climbed into the front seat. The engine came to life with a fierce rumble beneath her. She glanced over at him in a bit of awe. He gripped the steering wheel, and she saw his knuckles for the first time. They were scabbed over, and the image of him pounding Josh’s face came back full force. He noticed where her gaze was because he quickly shifted the car into gear with one hand and placed his other in his lap.
“Where to, pretty girl?” His light blue eyes regarded her in an almost eager way. His endearment had a flash of heat racing up her neck and covering her face. Kiera quickly looked away.
“Won’t you get in trouble for ditching?”
There was laughter in his voice when he responded. “Won’t you?” She turned and faced him and saw the corner of his mouth quirked.
“I don’t want to go home.” At least not yet. Reese didn’t respond, just winked at her and peeled out of the parking lot.
****
She was in his fucking car. In. His. Car. The scent of her filled the interior, and he had to shift in his seat when his dick hardened. She smelled like hyacinth, or maybe lavender. Either way she smelled incredible. He hooked his iPod into the stereo that he just installed. Fixing up and updating his Trans-Am helped keep his mind off other things. “Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane came on. It had been what started to play when he pulled into school. She smiled over at him, and so he left it on, taking it that she liked it. For the first five miles they drove in silence. The lyrics filled the car, and he couldn’t help but find them eerily correct in every word that was sung.
So tell me when you’re gonna let me in. I’m getting tired, and I need somewhere to begin.
Kiera stared out the passenger window, and he felt like a creep for looking over at her constantly. She was just so beautiful, and he knew from watching her that she didn’t see herself that way. It
made Reese want to show her exactly what he saw, but no doubt she would find him strange as fuck. Hell, they had only officially met a week ago, even if they had gone to the same school for the past four years. He didn’t know much about her, just that she was Alex’s younger sister. Her brother had a killer record as the quarterback for State Montessa, and even years after his graduation still held the record. She was quiet and kept to herself, the complete opposite of Alex. The only two people he had seen her hang out with all through high school was a girl named Molly and some guy named Ian. Still neither spoke, yet the lyrics of the hauntingly truthful song continued to play.
I came across a fallen tree. I felt the branches of it looking at me. Is this the place we used to love? Is this the place that I’ve been dreaming of?
The fact she didn’t want to go home, and wanted to spend that time with him sent a thrill through his body. He wanted her in the worst kind of way, but it wasn’t just about his physical reaction her. He heard the speeches she gave in the auditorium, the intelligence and quick wit that came from her. He wanted her in every way possible: mentally, emotionally, and physically. And he was a bastard for desiring her, because he was the worst possible thing that could enter her life. He could only imagine the rumors she had heard, well, not really rumors but the truth. Reese could admit he had done a lot of shit without a thought about anything else. The thing was Reese didn’t want to step away from her, not now that she finally noticed him.
****
Reese pulled into a small diner on the outskirts of town called Spark’s Curve. It was designed in a retro fifties era look with shiny aluminum siding on the outside and a checkered awning over the glass front doors. Inside was even more of a blast from the past with red vinyl booths, a jukebox in the corner belting out Frankie Valli and other old school songs to set the mood and feel. A waitress dressed in a white top and puffy black poodle skirt led them over to a table.
