by Lily White
“I need you to come with me for a second.” He was half yelling too, a wicked glimmer in his eyes.
Not sure what he was up to, I gave him the benefit of the doubt and excused myself, promising Kendall and Shea I’d be back.
Quinton led me away from the crowd, and turned me left down a hall. We reached the end and he opened a closet door, laughed and shoved me inside before slamming the door shut.
Another fucking prank. These guys would never learn.
I spun to bang on the door for him to let me out, but was tugged back by a set of strong arms, my back impacting with a wall of heat that made my knees weak.
Soren’s fingers brushed my hair out of the way just before his lips trailed up my skin. I arched my neck to give him more access, a shiver coursing through me when his teeth lightly bit the lobe of my ear.
“Why are you avoiding me?” he whispered.
His hands snaked up my body to palm my breasts.
“Because I don’t want to be manhandled in front of the entire room.”
Laughing quietly, he spun me around, trapped my chin with his fingers, parted my lips with his thumb and leaned in for a kiss that stole every thought from my head.
My body melted against him, the only thing holding me up was his hand splayed over my ass.
He broke the kiss and the closet spun around me, my lungs desperate to pull in air.
“I wouldn’t manhandle you in front of our guests.”
“Liar,” I teased.
His grin told me I was right.
“I’m just trying to have a good time and keep Kendall and Shea company. It’s rare I get to spend time with them.”
Nodding, Soren rolled his eyes. “Fine. But later tonight...”
“I’m all yours.”
I turned to leave the closet, but turned back.
“Do you happen to know why Kendall and Elizabeth don’t get along? They spoke earlier and Elizabeth said woof for some reason-“
The music in the house suddenly cut off as Soren’s eyes narrowed into suspicious, thin slits.
Taking that as my cue to get the hell out there, I raced down the hall with a wall of muscle at my back, turning the corner into the living room just in time to see the big screen was on and everybody was staring up at it.
Instantly, I recognized Kendall on the screen, her hair short like it had been two years ago.
“Are you sure about this?” She asked nervously, her eyes cast toward someone off camera. She wore a skimpy little negligee in white silk.
Teagan stepped into the frame, makeup brush in hand as she dusted powder on Kendall’s cheeks.
“I know. It’s weird, but he loves this shit, trust us. When Soren walks in here and sees you ready for him, he’ll lose his fucking mind over it.”
Kendall looked unsure, but nodded her head, trusting the older girl.
The next to walk into the frame was Maia. “Here, rub a little bit of this between your legs. Soren hates the taste of raw pussy.”
Behind me, Soren tensed, his silence as we watched the film a loaded threat.
“Peanut butter? I’m not sure. This is really weird.”
Maia shoved the jar at her. “Just do it. Trust us. We know what he likes. And when you’re done doing that, just lie on the bed and let this happen. Don’t move no matter what. Okay? This is the task he’s given you.”
Elizabeth chimed in next. “Trust us, Kendall. Complete this task and he’ll be all over you. He told us so.”
My stomach dropped into my feet and I glanced over the living room to see Elizabeth with a smile stretching her lips, her eyes trained on Kendall where she stood trying not to cry.
My eyes returned to the screen just in time to see Kendall crawl up on a bed to sit on the edge. She did as Maia said and scooped a small amount of peanut butter out of the jar to rub between her legs. Setting the jar aside, she lay back and spread her legs, the room silent until a door opened.
The camera panned in search of the movement.
A large dog came into the picture to race up to Kendall, and as if drawn to the scent of the peanut butter, its muzzle pressed between her legs, tail wagging as my jaw dropped open in shock.
Oh shit…
A violent scream tore across the living room that broke through the growing laughter. “You fucking bitch!”
Kendall and Shea shoved people out of their way to get to the door and run outside. Soren screamed at Elizabeth to turn the video off, storming in her direction, while I chased after Kendall, catching up just as we reached her car.
“Kendall? What-“
“Get in if you’re coming with us,” she screamed, cutting my question off. “Or just get the fuck out of the way.”
I got in without thinking, too worried that something would happen to her if Shea or I couldn’t calm her down.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Olive
Driving with Kendall was terrifying.
She was speeding due to her fracturing emotional state, the tires sliding on the icy roads as we wove through the curves and turns leading to her cabin. It wasn’t a far drive, and we survived it, but even after throwing her car into park and climbing out, she didn’t slow down.
Shea and I chased after her all the way inside and up the stairs to her bedroom. Kendall tossed herself on the bed, her body shaking with violent sobs. Shea sat down next to Kendall to rub her back and I leaned against a wall thoroughly confused.
“What the hell was that? And don’t tell me nothing because I saw it on screen just like everyone else.”
Kendall cried harder and I realized that bringing up how she’d just been publicly humiliated probably wasn’t the best approach.
It was an hour before we finally calmed her down, Shea and I alternating between rubbing her back and getting her water, making demands each time that she needed to drink before she dehydrated from crying.
I glanced at the clock when she was finally silent. It was only ten, which meant the party must have still been blowing up at Quinton’s cabin.
“Maybe we should go downstairs and watch a movie or something,” Shea suggested, her eyes flicking to mine, desperate for me to help.
I shrugged. “We could put on a horror movie about a bunch of sex crazed teenagers who get their throats slashed for being stupid.”
Kendall laughed at that, her swollen eyes growing brighter.
“Yeah, okay.”
Still curious about the video, I refrained from asking. If anything, it revealed the answer to a question I had two years ago.
Kendall never would tell me what happened when she dropped out of school for half a semester, never would admit why she refused my calls and dropped off the face of the planet until Soren went to prison.
It was obvious Shea knew, and I felt a little jealous that they were close enough to share that secret while I’d been left in the dark.
Maybe it was because my parents died shortly after and they didn’t want to weigh me down with Kendall’s problem, or maybe it was because my brother was Soren’s best friend.
This answered why Kendall had shoved me away while Shea and her only grew closer.
The movie was only five minutes in when my phone rang, the screen lighting up the cushion where it stuck out of my pocket. I pulled it out to see Soren’s name. He was probably wondering where I was.
“I have to take this,” I said, adding a lie in for good measure. “It’s Nolan.”
Shea and Kendall nodded distractedly, their eyes glued to the screen. A buxom, half dressed teenager screamed behind me, with the metallic grind of a chainsaw sounding as I walked from the room to take the call.
“Where are you?”
I hadn’t brought the phone fully to my ear before he asked the question.
“Kendall’s,” I whispered back, still putting distance between the living room and me.
I heard the sound of skin against skin and knew he’d scrubbed a palm down his face. “I’m sorry for what happened. If I’d known
Elizabeth was going to do that-“
“Did you know when it happened?”
So focused on helping Kendall, I hadn’t taken the time to think about how mad I should be at him. Yes, that was the Soren of the past, but what those girls had done to her was cruel; cruel enough that I didn’t think I could forgive him if he’d set them up to do it.
“I didn’t know until after. I wasn’t involved in the planning. By the time I caught wind of what they’d done, it was already over. Kendall dropped out of school and then I was arrested a few months later.”
He sounded sincere. I didn’t press the issue. “I’ll most likely stay here tonight.”
In the background, I could hear that the party was still going strong. The last thing I wanted to do was go back to it.
“Okay. Yeah, that’s probably for the best. But come back tomorrow.”
“I’ll have Kendall drive me in the morning.”
He laughed. “If you’re not here by noon, I’m coming after you.”
Apparently he thought he could still be my babysitter and chauffeur. We’d have to have a long discussion about that.
We said our goodbyes and I returned to the living room to see Kendall had moved to sit by the fireplace. Stacking wood to form a teepee shape, she shoved some newspaper at its base and lit a match. The fire roared to life within seconds.
Two movies later and Shea had passed out on the couch, her snores louder than the chainsaws on screen. Kendall laughed and smacked her in the leg.
“Go upstairs, Bitch! You’re ruining the best part.”
Half asleep, Shea waved at us and stumbled out of the room. Kendall shook her head, mumbled “lightweight”, and moved to add wood to the dying fire.
Vacillating between leaving the subject alone and bringing it up, I decided that if ever there was a time that Kendall would be honest, it was now.
She looked so sad sitting there poking at the burning embers of the fire, her eyes focused on the small flames climbing up the new logs and her mind obviously lost in thought.
At one time, we had been thick as thieves. The fact she’d hidden this information away from me proved how much distance had gathered between us.
I missed her, even if she was the complete opposite of me, even if she was so caught up in her bid to be included that she would have allowed the things Soren’s group did to her.
“Was that video why you dropped out of school two years ago?”
She nodded her head, but refused to look at me. On the television screen, a woman shrieked while being chased through the forest. Seconds later, she tripped, because of course.
“Why didn’t you tell me about it?”
I was tugging at a pulled thread at the hem of my shirt, not sure why it felt awkward looking at her while she was in so much pain. I was embarrassed for her and couldn’t meet her eyes.
A heavy sigh blew over her lips.
“Because you had your own problems going on. And I didn’t want many people to know. It wasn’t until recently that I admitted what happened to Shea.”
That made me feel a little better.
“Does Tristan know?”
Her hair slid over her shoulder when she shook her head.
“No. I mean, he knows they did something that hurt me, but he doesn’t know the full story. I didn’t want him to know that a dog-“
Her voice cut off, her arm thrusting forward as she jabbed the iron poker into the fire.
“All he knows is that they invited me out that night, helped me get ready by doing my hair and makeup and then lied to me about a bunch of things so they could embarrass me. I didn’t give him the details.”
Quiet laughter shook her shoulders, the sound sad rather than happy.
“I was always jealous of you.”
Surprised, I glanced her direction. “Why?”
Kendall still refused to look at me, so I looked back to the TV, watching as a masked man stabbed the woman in the woods over and over. My thoughts went to Teagan and Maia. To how I had felt running from Soren and them during their prank.
Maybe this wasn’t the best movie to pick...
“Because you never cared about being part of Soren’s group. You gave them all the finger and they left you alone because of it. At least, until that night at The Pointe, and I’m really sorry I couldn’t help you when they tied you up. I should have done something.”
I pulled at the thread and the hem came loose. It had been over a year since I bought new clothes. Nolan and I couldn’t afford them. A smile tugged at my lips to remember he’d run off and solved our money problems, even if he drove me crazy in the process.
“It’s fine. I didn’t expect you to do anything.”
Pausing, I wondered how much I should share with her. For the sake of camaraderie, I thought admitting the truth might help our friendship. Maybe if she knew I was an idiot too, she wouldn’t feel so bad about herself.
“I slept with Soren.”
The words tumbled out to lie in my lap. A truth revealed that I carried for two years while he sat in prison. In a way it felt good to finally say something. My shoulders were lighter and I didn’t have any secrets left to guard anymore.
Plus, with Soren and I trying this relationship thing, it wasn’t like Kendall could spread it around town. Everyone would know sooner or later.
“You did what?”
The damn hem unraveled between my fingers and I kept tugging at the loose strings like an addict. Kendall got up from her place by the fire and walked toward her seat.
“Yeah. Two years ago,” I admitted. “I didn’t want anybody to know so I kept it to myself. I was embarrassed like you. But then he came back after prison and wouldn’t leave me alone, and...well...it happened again.”
“You slept with Soren? Are you fucking kidding me? What were you thinking?”
Shrugging, I shook my head. “It was a rookie move when I was younger, but - I don’t know - maybe he really has changed.”
I glanced up at Kendall where she stood in front of me.
“You stupid bitch. You’re one of them.”
The iron poker caught me in the side of the head. I heard the sharp crack of my skull as hot, sticky blood splattered across my face.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Soren
The fucking party didn’t end until almost four in the morning. Around two, I started dropping hints that I was done. For whatever reason, shoving Brad Potter into a wall, and flipping a table at Lenny Mizer didn’t have the effect I’d hoped. All the assholes laughed and kept doing asshole things.
Even the threat of violence wasn’t enough to clue them in because they all figured it wouldn’t happen to them.
It reminded me of that party back at Olly’s house, the one where she came out in that cute as fuck dress that showed her body off to all the assholes stumbling around her. I’d almost fucked her that night because I couldn’t take my eyes of her, but we had Becky to deal with and I didn’t have time. But then Olly ran off, and I was left to clear out the damn house and drive Camilla home because she was drunk.
They were always like this, and I hated them for it.
By three, I stalked outside to stand in the cold, that bitch, Elizabeth, toddling behind me like a two cent whore scraping her ass off a barstool to follow after her next cock for the night. The second her hands touched me, I shoved her off, but not so hard it hurt her. Just enough to drive the message home that she’d have to find someone else to ride if she was looking.
Her lips pulled into a sneer, slurred words falling out of her mouth that I wasn’t sure were English. I took one look at her, at the eyeliner that was smeared down one cheek, and wrote her off.
Thankfully, she turned her attention on another douchebag and wandered off to give him herpes instead of me.
The clock struck four and I was over it. Without Olly around, there was no point in pretending that any of the rich brats around me were worth the time I was giving them. I killed the music, booted them out, an
d then crawled into bed pissed off.
Fucking Elizabeth.
It was bad enough to know what she had done to Kendall before I went to prison, but to play a video of it for everyone to see was a low blow. What the fuck had Kendall ever done to her? For that matter, what had Emily done when she was eight?
Elizabeth was nothing more than a raggedy bitch who felt worthless when she couldn’t drag everyone down around her.
I wondered if she even knew her bitchy friends were dead and buried.
Falling asleep, the thought followed me into dreams and was right there again when my eyes cracked open at the asscrack of dawn. I looked across the room at the alarm clock. Okay, fine. It was eleven in the morning. Still the asscrack of dawn to me.
Something was eating at me about this whole thing. It was there tapping against my brain as I crawled out of bed, pulled on a pair of jeans, and ran barefoot down the carpeted stairs.
It was still there as I walked through the living room, my foot kicking an empty plastic cup, and my eyes tracking left to find Quinton sleeping face down with his naked ass in the air and his hand on his cock.
I shook my head and kept walking, grabbed a glass, filled it with water and was chugging it down when that damn thought sprang to the surface only to sink back down again.
Teagan McKay.
Maia Forbes.
Camilla Hughes.
Only Elizabeth was still alive.
Those four were always together. Always screwing with people. Always -
Oh, fuck...
It occurred to me that as much as I hated those four for what they did to my sister, there was another person who would hate them as well. But I wasn’t sure if Camilla was involved in that prank on Kendall. I didn’t see her in the video.
Running upstairs, I grabbed my phone to call Olly. It was late enough in the morning, so she would be awake, but she never answered her phone. Panic shot through me. Why the fuck wasn’t she answering.
I left my room, ran through the hall, and burst through Grady’s door to find him passed out on the floor while two nameless naked chicks were curled up in his bed.
I kicked him in the side to wake him up.
He stirred a little, his eyes clenching together as his mouth twisted. He was back out again and I kicked him a little harder.
