Toxic Creek (The Allstars Series Book 1)

by KC Kean

  “Are we going to pretend you don’t have my login details for the whole lesson?” I ask, cutting the bullshit and getting straight to the point. These people have already pissed me off today.

  He looks at me from the corner of his eye, his face impassive as I glare at him. Lifting his shoulder, I watch as his arms bulge in his muscle fit T-shirt. He’s bigger up close than I expected.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he grumbles, his husky voice reverberating around us, and I pinch the bridge of my nose while I count to ten, trying desperately not to lean closer and smell him. Whatever aftershave he uses is intoxicating, and I’m a sucker for sandalwood.

  “What is this even all about? If I’d have known who your friend was, I wouldn’t have let him fuck me for god’s sake,” I growl out, turning my gaze to him.

  His mouth is wide open as he gapes at me, clearly surprised by what I just said, and it’s the most reaction I’ve seen him offer so far. That’s when I spot the smallest piece of paper sticking out of the pocket in his jeans.

  With no care while he’s caught off guard, I dig my hand in his pocket and rip the piece of paper away from him. My fingers squeeze his thigh instinctively as I do, and I can’t decide if it’s to cause him pain or not because his thighs are thick.

  Shit. Why am I constantly drawn to the hot douchebags?

  Shaking my head, I focus on the login details. Giving him a pointed look as he remembers to close his mouth, I turn away from him. Fuck these assholes. Quickly typing my details in, I memorize them, so this fucker can’t play me again.

  “For clarification, you’re saying that my friend, Xavier Knight, fucked you?” he asks, turning to meet my gaze.

  Leaning back in my seat, I sigh. I probably shouldn’t have said that.

  “I have no idea who Xavier Knight is, and it doesn’t matter.”

  The deep chuckle that passes his lips causes me to still as he leans into my personal space, his breath fanning against my lips.

  “Xavier Knight just had you on your hands and knees in the hallway, and it does matter. You see, we share, Xavier, Toby, and me. So, if you’ve had one of us…” He trails off, leaving the sentence unfinished for me to come to my own conclusions, but I say nothing.

  Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I berate myself for opening my mouth, the thought of being sandwiched between the three of them playing in my mind.

  What the fuck actually is this place? I need answers, yet a million more fucking questions surface as well. This place is going to chew me up and spit me out…or more specifically, they are. If I let them.

  9

  Tobias

  “Perfect play, Allstars. If we continue like this, the championship will be ours once again this year,” Coach shouts as he paces in front of the team. “Let’s make sure that happens. I want focus, determination, and awards.” Coach Carmichael’s arms are doing more talking than his mouth as he swings them around enthusiastically. “This is the final year for a lot of you. Let’s make it count and go down in history for the most consecutive wins. Now, stretch it out. I’ll see you boys in the morning, bright and early.”

  Happy with his little speech, he nods at everyone before turning on his heels and heading inside.

  Thank god for that. The first day back, and he’s already got my muscles screaming more than ever. Fuck. I work out every day on cardio and strength building, but he somehow seems to make me feel like a newbie.

  Dropping my water bottle at my feet, I start by stretching my legs out like everyone else. Hunter and Xavier stand on either side of me, in the same position, away from the rest of the team, except Xavier isn’t panting for breath like the rest of us. He takes this shit far too seriously.

  I guess he thinks this might be his only outlet to step out of his parent’s shadow, but we all know that’s not likely. He could go pro in a heartbeat, but his parents will find a way to keep him in Knight’s Creek forever.

  We should just count ourselves lucky that they let us live in the beach house while they destroy the world from their fucking mansion up in the hills.

  “So, X, I had a nice little chat with the new girl after you left earlier,” Hunter murmurs, his face as impassive as ever.

  My interest is piqued, and hearing about the sexy new blonde that graces our halls has my dick waking up too.

  Scanning the area, I spot her running track with the rest of the team, and she’s fucking fast. I have a feeling they’ll be trying to get her to represent the school with form like that.

  With her blonde wavy hair pulled back into a hair tie and her body donning the school gym uniform, I zone out as I watch her tits bounce as she runs.

  Hot. As. Fuck.

  “I thought we agreed to not fucking speak to her,” Xavier grumbles, leaning forward to touch his toes, but I’m more focused on the slight curl of Hunter’s lips, and I instantly know that he knows something Xavier thinks he doesn’t.

  “Hmm, we did. You also said to fuck with her, and you know I’m not big on tripping girls in the hall, then pinning them to the wall,” Hunter mumbles, and my mouth instantly feels dry. I should have known he was up to something when he didn’t come to business straight away.

  Licking my lips, Xavier rolls his eyes at me as he catches the movement, but there is a lot I could do with a pretty girl like that pinned up against the wall.

  Xavier turns his gaze to Hunter, waiting for him to continue with whatever he’s trying to say, but they already have me bored. I continue to listen, though, as I go back to tracking Eden’s every move.

  “So I stole her login details so she couldn’t start the class, and she downright called me out. Girl’s got balls, that’s for sure.” I don’t miss the hint of genuine surprise in his voice, and if anything, that has me even more intrigued.

  “Archie needs to fucking pull her in line. He clearly hasn’t updated her on the rules,” Xavier grunts, and speaking of the devil, he’s sauntering over to her right now.

  I watch as she sips her water, listening to Archie as he talks animatedly with her, and she playfully smacks him on the arm, laughing at whatever shit came out of his mouth.

  I pout. If Xavier says we boycott her, then that’s what we do. But I want to see a little glimpse of her like this before I fuck her into next week.

  Turning, they head inside together while I get a semi over the way her ass sways with each step.

  “Well, she may have gotten angry and growled something along the lines of, ‘If I’d have known who your friend was, I wouldn’t have let him fuck me, for god’s sake.’ Care to expand on that, Xavier?”

  I almost pull a muscle in my neck as I whip around to look at the two of them. The silence from Xavier only confirms exactly what Hunter just said, and I openly gape at this fucker. The smug grin on Hunter’s face as Xavier frowns only confirms what he said.

  “Wait, you fucked her? When? And why the fuck was this not a team effort?”

  I’m not saying every time has to be a train, but damn I would have killed to have been on the end of that. For as long as I can remember, we’ve shared girls. That way, no bitch is going to get between us. But we fuck them once and walk away. Otherwise, you end up with girls like Roxy or KitKat who don’t back off.

  That’s exactly why you don’t go near someone twice around here.

  “More importantly, did you wear a condom?”

  The pair of us stare at Hunter like he grew a third head. Why would we ever not do that?

  “Shut the fuck up, Hunter. I’m not stupid. We fucked ‘with a condom.’” Using air quotes, he frowns at Hunter, who rolls his eyes at Xavier’s rare theatrics.

  “Good. We don’t need to give anyone any more excuses to stick our asses in juvie. You know our parents would all but die if you got some girl pregnant senior year, and they already use the prison as a warning. They’d actually fucking do that shit to us,” Hunter states so matter-of-factly, and he’s not fucking wrong.

  “We’re getting off track he
re,” I interrupt, nodding for us to start heading inside, and they both follow. We’re the last ones on the field since we’re too busy gossiping. “Please explain when you got to play with the hot new girl. I’m fucking jelly.” I pout again, but it never works on him.

  “It doesn’t matter. I did, and it won’t be happening again. I made a mistake, and now I know who she is.” Xavier’s voice is gruffer than usual as his nose scrunches in disgust. Is someone disappointed?

  “What do you mean now you know who she is?” Hunter asks as we step into the school hallway that leads to the locker room.

  “I mean, we didn’t exchange names, but when Mrs. Leach called out her full name in English, I remembered something my mother once said.” Staring at him expectantly, he sighs. “My mother said there has always been a family feud with the Gradys, and if I ever came across one, it’s because she put them there. She ran them out of town years ago, but Eden is Eden Grady. It can’t be a coincidence.”

  Fuck.

  Xavier is Xavier Knight, as in Knight’s Creek. His parents fucking run this town on a legacy. Knight’s Creek has never been anything else but a toxic town run by the Knight family. Twisted fuckers. But if what he says is true, which it usually is, then his mother had something to do with her arrival, and we want nothing to do with shit his mother fucks up.

  “Well, as true as all that may be, I need a loophole because she is divine,” I murmur, squeezing my dick as proof, but they simply shake their heads.

  “Stop pouting over lost pussy, Toby,” Hunter grumbles, stepping into the locker room, and I turn my gaze to Xavier.

  “Do what you want, Tobias, but it all revolves around hate. So, if you fuck her, it’s a hate fuck, and I want the filthy details laundered around the school. Gradys are mine to play with, and I’m going to make her life a living hell so she gets the hell out of Knight’s Creek for good. No one will want to stick around to feel the wrath of a Knight.”

  Well, fuck. That I can definitely work with.

  Eden

  Fuck, I’m starving.

  I love running, and track is thankfully my go-to sport, so I’m lucky they automatically assigned me there, I guess. But running in the midday heat only made me sweat more. So I rush a quick shower in the girls’ locker room, thankful for the provided products, which actually smell of coconut and not some chemical formula.

  While I was running track, Charlie was on the other side of the field practicing with the cheer squad, and now she’s sitting on the bench with my things, waiting patiently for me so we can go to lunch.

  Rolling my gym clothes up, I force them into my bag. I was lucky they provided the clothes onsite, since I didn’t show up with any. But I did have to listen to the woman at the desk drone on about how you are only given one set. Blah. Blah. Blah.

  After touching up my makeup and releasing my hair so it floats around my shoulders again, I’m good to go.

  “Sorry, I’m ready,” I murmur, and Charlie jumps from her seat on the bench.

  I may have taken my time to avoid all the bodies in the locker room, so only a few people remain as we head for the door. I do not need to take on the rest of the cheer squad, with their glares and murmurs at the new girl stepping on their territory.

  I follow Charlie’s lead, desperate for food as she probes into my day so far.

  “How have your classes been?”

  “Shit,” I answer honestly, and she grins beside me. “I actually need you to get me up to speed because I know nothing about the hierarchy here. It’s not going to stop me from acting how I would, but I need to know who I’m up against.”

  “For sure. Let’s grab our food, and I’ll give you the lowdown.” She nods enthusiastically as she pushes open the doors to the cafeteria.

  Just like any other lunch hall I’ve ever been in, the huge space has the food at the far end, with open space to the left to line up, while the rest of the room is filled with long tables and benches on either side.

  My eyes instantly fall to the center of the room where douchebag numbers one and two from earlier are sitting. Their friend, Holmes, with his hat firmly on his head, stares me down in return, licking his lips as he does, and I roll my eyes.

  Joining the line for food, we fall into a comfortable silence between us as I eye the menu up on the wall.

  We might be lining up like any other school, but damn, the food is anything but standard. Poached salmon, filet steak, even dauphinoise potatoes. It’s like Gordon Ramsey’s been in here and revamped the whole thing. But I won’t be complaining, I need sustenance right now, and it definitely beats cardboard meatloaf I’ve had at other schools.

  Just as we near the counter, an arm wraps around my shoulders, and the zesty smell instantly tells me it’s Archie.

  “How are my favorite girls?” he sings, glancing down at me before turning his gaze to Charlie, and I watch his pupils dilate in appreciation. Ahh, I see.

  “We are good, and you are cramping our style,” I mutter, making Charlie giggle as she glances between us.

  “Wait, are you two…”

  “Ew, no,” we both chime in at the same time as Archie drops his arm, and we put a little distance between each other.

  “No, sillies,” Charlie laughs. “That is just, no. I was trying to ask if you two are related?” She finishes around her giggles, making me frown.

  Slowly turning to Archie, I find him staring at me the exact same way, and we both shake our heads.

  “What would make you ask that?” I ask, and she simply shrugs her shoulders.

  “It’s your eyes. Ignore me,” she rambles before stepping up to the counter to order her food.

  Glancing at Archie out of the corner of my eye, he snickers, and I roll my eyes. Charlie is officially crazy. I mean, we both have big blue eyes, but his are more of a blue-grey, while mine are like ice. Not the same.

  “So, how has everything been? Are you behaving?” he asks, and I give him a pointed look.

  “I have been minding my own business, but it seems like your little friend is unhappy with my arrival,” I murmur in response, and he gives a heavy sigh, knowing instantly who I’m talking about, like it’s a common occurrence.

  I continue down the line, opting for the steak and potatoes as Archie awkwardly stumbles over how to respond, wanting to keep his friends while seemingly wanting to protect me in some strange way.

  “I’ll try and talk to him or something—”

  “No, Archie, you won’t. I don’t want you to get any unnecessary backlash. You’re Switzerland, okay? Their actions don’t reflect on you, and as much as I think you’re cool, I’m not sticking around, remember? I don’t want you putting your neck on the line for nothing.”

  He looks like he’s about to object, but I stare at him, pleading with my eyes to understand, and he relents, giving me a nod in confirmation.

  There is something so pure about him that makes me want to keep him out of trouble. Maybe it’s because we’ve both lost a parent and it connects us on another level.

  The thought of my dad and his lifeless body, flashes through my mind, and I immediately feel my mood sour. As if knowing where my head just went, Archie squeezes my shoulder in silent comfort.

  “Where are we sitting, Charlie?” I ask, and she indicates to follow her. Archie stays at my side, his tray loaded up with the exact same food as mine, but to serve like five people since he’s stocking up on calories.

  My back tenses as Charlie walks past the center table, and I know I’m not making it past without being stopped. Archie must think the same because he opts to move to my left side, putting a little space between me and the table.

  “You can sit with us if you want?” Archie offers, but I just raise my eyebrows at him. That is never going to happen.

  “Please stop trying to force me into some magical circle. I’m good. Please just sit down with them. It’s all good,” I mumble, and he does at least walk down the bench when we get to the table.

  Xavier sits dead
center, Hunter to his left and Holmes to his right. It annoys me that I don’t know Holmes’ first name, I mean unless it is his first name and I am completely out of the loop.

  I can feel their eyes tracking me as I force myself to look straight ahead. The whole table seems to hang on their every word.

  The second I’m almost free of walking by the table, I feel Holmes’ attention zero in on me before his hand reaches out to grab my arm, and I struggle to contain the way my body flinches.

  I expect the grip to be harsher, so I’m surprised when he’s grinning up at me as his thumb rubs back and forth on my arm, skin on skin, leaving goosebumps in his wake.

  “Are you not even going to attempt to fit in with the popular kids, new girl? You’re hurting my feelings.” He widens his blue eyes, giving me his puppy dog look as he rests his cheek on his other hand, and I swear under any other circumstances, it would have fucking worked too.

  But I’m all too familiar with the bitter taste the people at this table can leave in your mouth.

  “I’m good, but thanks,” I say, glancing over to Charlie, who is standing at the table she was walking us to, but she can’t decide whether to sit down or help me out. I subtly shake my head before glancing around the table.

  Archie sits facing Hunter, and a few other guys I’m assuming are on the football team sit on either side of him, while a few members of the cheer squad maul them all.

  “She’s not fucking worthy to sit here anyway,” the girl sitting across from Xavier declares as she rises from her seat and tosses her pink hair dramatically over her shoulder.

  She circles around me as Holmes keeps hold of my arm and plops down onto Xavier’s lap, attempting to show a united front, but I don’t miss the clouding of his eyes as she does, and I smirk.

  “Isn’t that right, Xavier? We were literally just saying if Archie walked her over here and she tried to take a seat, I am to knock her out. Didn’t we?”