Ugly Girl: Aston Creek High (Book 1)

by Sheridan Anne

  “I’ll tell Maria.”

  “You see the way she looks at me with her doe-eyed desperation. Who do you think she’s going to believe? The import or the husband who’s stood by her side for the past twenty years, giving her everything she’s ever desired? Besides, you know her values in life. You’re a woman and you were placed here to satisfy a man’s desires, his pleasure, and needs.”

  I shake my head.

  He walks around the side of the bed and my eyes flash toward the door. I just need to get past him. I can throw down with bitches at school, but this is a whole new playing field.

  I run.

  Lucien’s arm snaps out and catches me around the waist, winding me. I suck in a deep breath which instantly leaves me as I’m thrown down on the bed. I scream out, desperate for help but his big hand comes down over my mouth as he drops his weight over me.

  I feel his erection through his pants and cry out as he grinds painfully down into me. His hand pushes down between us and tears at my pants, forcing them and my underwear down my legs as I frantically try to kick him away.

  My face is slapped and the stinging does nothing to stop my panicked desperation to escape. I keep trying and trying but my strength is no match for Lucien’s and as he forces himself inside of me, I’m left with nothing to do but to stare up at the ceiling as the tears stream down my face.

  ----------

  I rush out of my bedroom and down the hall as I feel the Lucien’s dirtiness rolling down my leg. I burst into the bathroom while the tears stream down my face and drop onto my bruised body.

  I lean into the shower and turn the taps, desperate to get the feel of him off my skin. The water is scalding but does nothing to help. My body may be clean, but I don’t feel clean. I’ll never feel clean again.

  I have to get out of here.

  I look down at my body. My breasts are bruised. There are bite marks on my skin, my shoulders, my breasts, my stomach and between my legs. I have bruises in the shape of his hands on my waist and thighs, marks all over my body from where he hit me, and my vagina…

  I’ve never been so sore in my life.

  I feel as though I’ve been torn apart from the inside out. How could anyone possibly find that exciting? How could that be classified as pleasurable? It was horrendous, disgusting, sickening.

  Another wave of tears take over and I find myself sitting on the shower floor with my head on my knees as the hot water reddens my skin. I need to leave and I need to do it now.

  I stand up on shaky legs and wrap my towel around myself, pissed off that I didn’t think to bring clothes with me. The last thing I want is to walk down the hall nude, but I have no choice.

  I run.

  Slamming the door behind me, I dive into my room and instantly start throwing clothes around. I dress in sweats and an old hoodie of Blake’s that he grew out of two years ago. That kid is growing into a beast. I need to stop feeding him.

  I throw clothes in a bag and tie my hair up into a messy bun. I put my sneakers on and rush out the door, more than prepared to leave this life behind. I don’t care if I have to leave all of my possessions behind. I have nothing valuable to lose, only the memory of my parents and no one can touch that.

  I rush into Blake’s room, throwing the light on as I go. His hand flies over his face and he groans in irritation. “Sky, what are you doing? Get the hell out of here. I’m trying to sleep.”

  I ignore every damn word and beeline for his closet, jumping up as I try to reach the bag at the top. “Come on, we have to be quick. Get up and help.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? Why are you packing my clothes?”

  “I’m serious, Blake. We’re leaving. We have to get out of here. It’s not good here.”

  “Sky,” he demands, sitting up in bed. “Would you calm down? Why are you freaking out so bad?”

  “Blake. Please. Just help me, okay. We need to go.”

  Blake trudges out of bed and crosses the room. He pulls the bag out of my hands and throws it to the floor. “What’s going on?” he questions, searching my face and surely seeing the red marks across my skin. “Who did this to you? Marcus? Lucien?”

  “Please don’t make me talk about it,” I beg. “I just have to get out of here. Are you with me or not?”

  “Sky,” he sighs. “Why don’t you just go to bed and think on it? If you still want to go in the morning, then we’ll talk.”

  “Blake, I’m not fucking around. I’m leaving right fucking now,” I tell him as tears begin filling my eyes. “Are you with me or not?”

  His brows drop in concern and he instantly draws me into his warm, loving arms. “What happened? Did he touch you?”

  My face smooshes into his chest and I try my hardest to pull myself together. “Please, Blake. Let’s just go.”

  “I’ve got friends here, Sky. I’ve got a chance of getting into the best basketball program in the world. I’ll be in the NBA. Please, I want to stay. I know things are shit here and Maria and Lucien aren’t exactly the best parents, but they’re good to me. I promise, I’ll protect you but please, let’s just stay?”

  I shake my head into Blake’s chest and the tears begin streaming, realizing that this could be the last time I see my little brother but there’s no way in hell I’m staying here. “I’m sorry, Blake. I can’t. I can’t stay here one more second.”

  “Sky.”

  I shake my head and pull my arms from around his waist. I place my hands at his shoulders and push up onto my tippy toes so I can kiss his cheek. “I’m sorry. I’ve got a car waiting outside.”

  I step back and fight the sob that threatens to tear up my throat. I turn on my heel and start for the door, making sure to grab my bag that sits in the doorway. I stop and look back at the other half of my heart and if he’s really going to stay behind, then he needs to know the people he’s choosing over me. “After mom and dad…” I start, struggling to talk past the lump in my throat. “We were in that dark room for a week. You remember that, right?”

  “Bits and pieces,” he says. “I was only three. Why’s this important now?”

  “Because we weren’t adopted, Blake. We were sold to the highest bidder and Lucien Valentine was the lucky winner. We’re property. Not blood, not family, but a business deal and just like he did to me, he’s eventually going to come to you seeking his end of the bargain. Be ready for that, Blake, because it sure as hell isn’t going to be pretty. That’s the people you’re choosing.”

  “Sky, wait…”

  “Bye, Blake. Don’t ever forget how much I love you. Anything you need, you know you can always call me.”

  He looks completely broken. Our whole lives I’ve gone out of my way to make sure Blake has the world at his feet, but this time, I need to put myself first. I need to run.

  I go to pull the door closed behind me when his voice rumbles through the quiet room. “Wait. I’ll come. I can’t have you out there by yourself.”

  I look back at him with wide eyes. “Are you sure?”

  “Where you go, I go. We’ll sort it out.”

  “I promise you, whatever you want in life, I’m going to make it happen. If you want the NBA then I swear to you, I’m going to bust my ass to make that happen. We don’t need this place; we just need each other.”

  “I know,” he tells me, indicating to his closet. “Come on. Let’s get this done.”

  We start going through his things, tossing clothes into bags and he goes as far as to pack a second bag of things in case I missed anything in my rush. He grabs one of the many basketballs lying around his room, his Air Jordan’s he’d gotten for his sixteenth birthday, and his signed Laker’s jersey. Me? There’s absolutely nothing here that I could possibly want to hold onto.

  We go to leave when Blake stops and doubles back to his bed. He gets down on his hands and knees and pulls a silver safe out from under his bed.

  I watch in shock. I didn’t know he had a safe.

  He puts in a code and the
door opens revealing cash, gold watches, and a lone pocketknife.

  My eyes water as I take in the knife Blake had stolen when he went to our old home in Haven Falls. We could never really be sure if it was our father’s as the house was cleared out years ago, but his initials are etched into the wood and despite the fact that I don’t believe in coincidences, I’ve been holding onto this one pretty tight. I can’t believe I was going to leave without it.

  Blake stuffs his pockets with the cash and the watches before passing the knife to me. “Here, I think you need this more than I do.”

  I take the knife greedily, wishing I’d had this an hour ago and swear that I’ll never be without it again. What happened tonight will never happen to me again. I look up at Blake. “Where’d you get all that cash?”

  “Lucien would gift it to me every time I’d win a game. I guess it’s supposed to be his way of showing support.”

  Fuck me. We come from exactly the same womb, same parents, same fucked up experiences and here we are living such different lives. Blake really does have it good here and I’m about to take him away from it all.

  I look up at him, meeting his devastated gaze. “I’m sorry.”

  Blake steps into me and pulls me into another hug. “You don’t need to be sorry. Let’s just get out of here and figure out what our next step is. We’re going to be alright, Sky. You and me against the world.”

  With that, we walk out the door and don’t dare look back.

  Chapter 12

  My bedroom door barges open and I find Maze leaning in my doorway. “What the hell are you doing? It’s Friday night. Don’t you want to go to your first Aston Creek party?”

  “And give Slade the perfect opportunity to humiliate me? No thanks,” Maze rolls her eyes and welcomes herself into my room. “Who let you in here in the first place?”

  “Ben did. He’s excited that you’re getting out of the house. He said something about date night with Shay and well…you know. He wished us a good night and told us not to be back before midnight.”

  My face scrunches up in disgust. “Eww, I didn’t want to hear that.”

  “Come on,” she says, finding my bag of makeup and rifling through it. “It was sweet, they’re so in love with each other.”

  “Love is an evil sickness,” I tell her. “There’s the rare few who can make it work like my parents and Shay and Ben, but for everyone else, all you get is heartbreak, jealousy, hatred, and pain.”

  “Or STDs.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s go and get some.”

  “STDs?”

  “Well, I doubt we’re going to find love.”

  I roll my eyes and give in. If Ben is planning some kind of elaborate date for Shay then I should do the right thing and give them space. After all, they’ve been thrown in the deep end with two teenagers over the past few weeks. I’m sure they could really use a night off. Especially Shay who’s had to dive headfirst into parenthood.

  I start going through my clothes, thankful that Shay stopped by the mall and picked me up a few more options. I have to give it to her; she knows a thing or two about picking clothes that work with my body shape.

  I grab a cropped black tank and pull it over my head then look in the full-length mirror as I position it down over my bra. It sits just over my ribs and I dig through my closet for my high waisted jean shorts, absolutely loving them. They’re ripped in all the right places and sit perfectly over my curvy ass. I button them up and tie my plaid shirt around my waist, feeling the bottom of it tickling my calves.

  After throwing my hair into a loose bun and lining my eyes, I step into my vans and head out of here. “How the hell do you look so hot after thirty seconds of getting ready?” Maze questions, as we walk out to her car.

  “It’s a gift,” I tell her.

  “Bullshit, it’s what happens when someone doesn’t give a shit about dressing up for anyone. You look naturally sexy which is going to gain every guy’s attention while all the other chicks look fake with big cock sucking lips.”

  I grin. She has a valid point. “Who are you dressing up for?”

  Maze blows me a kiss and winks. “For you, baby.”

  We drop down into her car and I wonder where the hell this thing was when she made me walk to the basketball court. “Whose party is this?” I ask as she starts up her car and cringes as the car squeals while putting it into drive.

  I say a little prayer, unsure I’m going to make it out of this alive. Maze had dropped me home one day after school and I vowed to never let her do it again. Her driving is horrendous. It’s honestly a miracle that she hasn’t been involved in any major accidents yet.

  She looks across at me and I silently beg her to keep her eyes on the road. A guilty grin rips across her face and she hits the locks on the doors, making me uncomfortably suspicious. “Okay, so, I know you’re all about the dramatics and all, but promise me you’re not going to bail out of my moving car because your face is too pretty to get all scratched up on the road.”

  “No,” I say, shaking my head as dread fills me. I pull on the door handle, double-checking it’s locked. “I am not going to a party at Slade’s house. Let me out.”

  Maze cringes. “Well, it’s not technically at Slade’s place.”

  “Technically? What’s that supposed to mean? It’s either his place or not?”

  “It’s Damian’s place and Slade is there enough so…it’s kinda like his place.”

  “Fuck, Maze. What were you thinking dragging me into the lion’s den?”

  “Come on,” she says, looking over and trying to appear somewhat innocent. “It’s really not that bad. Damian’s place is huge and there’re going to be so many people there that you probably won’t even see them. Besides, they’re the kind to sit outside with girls dancing on their laps, keeping them distracted. If we chill inside, we’ll be safe.”

  I roll my eyes and let out a groan. “Fine, but don’t think for one second that I’m going to be hiding from them. If we’re going to do this thing, then we’re going all out and enjoying ourselves until those fuckers inevitably kick us out.”

  “Damn straight. That’s the motherfucking spirit.”

  “Okay,” I laugh, wondering how the hell tonight is going to play out. “You can bring it down a notch.”

  “No, I can’t. Tonight we’re having fun so you need to put your Slade bullshit aside so we can enjoy ourselves. I don’t know about you, but I plan on getting shit-faced. Hell, I might even be down for a threesome tonight.”

  “Bullshit,” I laugh, hoping she’s an advocate for ‘don’t drink and drive.’ “There’s no way. You don’t have the balls for a threesome.”

  Maze pauses and considers me a moment before reality sets in. “Okay…you might be right about the threesome, but a girl can dream.”

  I shake my head as Maze grins wide with excitement and turns up the music until I can’t even hear myself think. I let out a long breath and relax back into the seat. Maze is right, tonight I need to push my Slade bullshit aside and enjoy myself. It’s been a week of hell waiting for him to humiliate me in some horrendous kind of way after I let Blake loose on his ass, trying to get my knife back. Though, I don’t regret it one bit. I’ve been sleeping like a baby and haven’t had anyone sneaking into my room in the dead of night, so that’s always a bonus.

  Maze brings her beat-up car to a stop in a busy street and I follow the crowd down to a small house. At least, this is my version of small. For Aston Creek, it’s probably one of the bigger properties, but after being raised as a mob princess with a silver spoon in my mouth, I seem to have a slightly different meaning to the term ‘big.’

  Maze and I step out of her car and she instantly fixes her skirt and adjusts her thigh-high boots, making sure she looks perfect. Me, I couldn’t give a shit what I look like. I’m not here to impress anyone.

  She loops her arms through mine and practically drags me along. I glance down at ou
r arms with a strange fondness that I wasn’t quite prepared for. I grew up with my best friend, Luce and well, I don’t know if she’d even consider herself that anymore seeing as though I up and left without a word nearly four weeks ago, but I’ve missed her and right now, I feel as though this strange friendship with Maze is beginning to fill the void. Hell, maybe one day Maze and I could have something really great, if she can chill with all that extra spirit and chatter she seems so full of.

  We walk down the pathway leading to Damian’s front door and realize there’s no way in unless we plan on barging through the packed bodies spilling out of the open door. I glance over to the front window and see that it’s just as full. Maze was right, there’s going to be so many people here that I won’t even notice Slade. I guess I can relax and enjoy myself after all.

  Upon seeing me walking down the pathway, most of the party guests step out of my way and I grin knowing that I’ve made some sort of impact in Aston Creek. People know that I’m not going to sit back and be trampled, I’ve had that life and that’s not me anymore. I’m stronger, fiercer. Besides, they’re probably more afraid that I’ll cause some sort of damage trying to get through.

  Maze and I barge through the bodies and I let out a sigh. While most people have shuffled out of our way, there’s still hardly any room and I still end up with sore shoulders from having to barge my way past.

  We break out into the open living space and I glance around. There’s a bit more room to breathe here, but after glancing out the back window to where bodies are crammed into the backyard, I realize we have it good.

  Music blasts through the surround sound system and rattles the walls and I find myself starting to let my body move. Don’t get me wrong, I need a few shots of liquid courage pumping through my veins before I’m able to let go and really dance, but for now, this is good.