Ugly Girl: Aston Creek High (Book 1)

by Sheridan Anne

  I slam the locker closed, getting out only my pencil and notepad and turn to face Maze. I notice Damian behind her paying close attention and from the look on his face, either he didn’t hear what was being said in his bedroom on Friday night or Slade hasn’t filled him in yet, but what he’s hearing right now is news to him and the pity is coming off him in waves.

  “It’s not a fucking secret. I just don’t broadcast it because I don’t want any of these dumb bitches’ pity, and that’s exactly what you’ve just done. Now everyone here is going to know by the time lunch comes around and I’m suddenly going to become the local charity case. So, thanks for that, but next time you feel like telling a hallway full of students my business, make sure to say it a little louder so the kids in the back can hear. We wouldn’t want the story getting all twisted when they start whispering.”

  “Sky, come on.”

  I shake my head. “No, this is a cutthroat world and after the shit I’ve been through, I’ve learned not to waste my time on people who don’t have your back. Loyalty is everything to me, and you…well, you just haven’t got it.”

  With that, I barge past her shoulder and straight past Damian who tries to reach out to me only I dodge that bullet like I dodged getting an STD from Marcus Mahony.

  I make my way out into the fresh air and start heading down to my art room. As I go, I don’t miss the way that every phone I pass is screaming out with a new text message and despite not having seen any for myself, I know that every single one of those messages is about me.

  I barge into my art classroom and Mrs. Miles slaps a hand to her chest in fright. “Oh, Skylah, darling. What are you doing here? School doesn’t start for another twenty minutes.”

  “I know, I’m just having a shitty day. I was hoping I could chill out here and work on my project for a bit, but if not, it’s cool, I can head up to the library instead.”

  “No, no, don’t be silly. Of course you can stay, but I hope you’re not after conversation because I’m a little preoccupied.”

  “No, that’s fine,” I say, giving her a fake smile as the relief filters through me at not having to face the rest of the world. “I work better in silence.”

  Mrs. Miles nods and instantly gets back to what she was doing before I rudely came and interrupted her morning. I finally settle in and try to focus on my project, only for the twentieth time since I started this school, I find myself sketching the face that’s becoming far too familiar.

  As I work, I can’t help but think back over everything I just said to Maze. I stand by every single word but it makes me realize just how badly I miss that loyalty of a friend. I had that with Luce. She was my everything. Outside of my home life, she was the one I could rely on to turn things around. She always knew how to make me feel better despite me never telling her exactly what was going on at home.

  I want that back. If only I had the guts to reach out. If I log onto Facebook and hit her up in messenger, I could probably be tracked. I can’t do anything. Maybe an email would work but she deserves so much more than that. She’ll never understand. She comes from a family that is all about love. Her parents are friends with Lucien and Maria and to them, the sun shines out of their asses. My story will never be believed. To them, I’m probably just some ungrateful child who ran away in spite. If only they knew the truth about the company they keep.

  Though, I guess I’m the monster for not talking to Luce about this when I had the chance. I was always too worried, too scared to see what she’d think of me and then years went by and I realized it was far too late to start talking. I was on my own.

  What kind of friend keeps secrets and hides their true selves? When I think about it, I’m really a stranger to her. She may have known the girl on the outside, the one with the mask I put on every day before walking out of the house, but I never gave her a chance to know the one inside.

  Shit, I really am awful.

  I hide out in the art room until the bell rings and I’m tempted to stay here but Mrs. Miles boots me out the door. I somehow make it through my first few classes of the day, and just when I think I’ll be alright, lunch comes around.

  I head into the cafeteria while taking a bite out of an apple. I don’t know how this is going to go. It feels like the first day with nowhere to sit all over again, though I’m pleasantly surprised to see people giving me welcoming smiles and wordlessly inviting me in.

  I ignore each and every one of them. Who knows what their intentions are. I’ve just got through one betrayal, I don’t need to be inviting more in.

  I scan the room and my eyes stop at a lone table. The computer geeks usually sit there but they must be caught up in the library today as their table is screaming out for me. I make my way toward it only to have Nessa stop right in front of me and slam her hands into my chest, making my apple go flying out of my hand and smash into three equal pieces on the floor.

  “Tell me you did not just do that,” I say, maybe a little too loud as I glance up from my destroyed apple while my stomach growls with hunger, making me regret the decision to leave early without having breakfast.

  “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

  “Excuse me?” I ask, my brows furrowing in confusion. I mean, I’m pretty sure I haven’t fucked around with her yet. She was next week’s plan but if she wants to bring this shit forward it’s my pleasure. I’m not usually one to approve of these sorts of schedule changes on such short notice, but today, I think I’ll let it slide.

  Nessa steps toward me and raises her chin, attempting to seem taller despite her barely reaching my nose. “I don’t repeat myself for trash like you. What are you still doing here? My man made it pretty damn clear on day one that you don’t belong and now you’re going around causing problems for everyone.”

  “Day one,” I say as though I can hardly remember it despite Slade’s body pressing against mine with his breath tickling my skin being the very thing that I’ve been struggling to get out of my mind. “Day one…oh, that’s right. Was that the day you weren’t here and clearly have no fucking idea what you’re talking about?”

  “Wait…I”

  “Yeah, I remember now. You told everyone you were partying on some rich dude’s yacht but really what you forgot was that Kathleen Harris is best friends with your neighbor, and your mom told her mom that you had a rash, you know,” I say, dropping my eyes to her lady bits. “Down there. I wonder, did you get that from Slade or from someone else? Oh, it had to be someone else. I get the impression that Slade doesn’t fuck dirty bitches. Maybe that’s why he was screwing Maze on Friday night instead.”

  Her face drops and I watch with delight as her jaw clenches. Damn right, bitch. You can’t fuck with the queen.

  “You’re such a liar. Slade was with me on Friday night,” she says just a little louder, making sure everyone hears.

  “Oh, so he has your dirty rash too?” I ask, despite already knowing the truth, but seriously, this shit is too good to pass up. “Damn, you better be sure to give him your doctor’s number. He’ll be needing it.”

  “What’s your problem?” she screeches. “Just leave. No one wants you here.”

  “I don’t have a problem, Vanessa. You’re the one who came to me, remember. You’re the one with control issues here. So, tell me, what’s your problem? You know, apart from your rash.”

  Her eyes flare as she pushes me again but this time I’m ready and stand my ground. “You’re my problem. You come in here, acting all high and mighty as though we should all bow down at your feet, but you’re nothing. We all saw your little freak out over that stupid knife. Which reminds me, what’s up with your brother? Is he your little lap dog or something? If you tell him to sit, is he a good little boy? Does he bark and fetch too?”

  “I’m struggling to figure out what your point is. Have you made it yet or do you just like the sound of your own voice?”

  “You’re a bitch and a liar,” she says. “Everyone knows your sob story about your parents is bu
llshit. I saw you at the mall with your mom last week. They’re perfectly alive,” she turns to the crowd around us. “That’s right, people,” she says a little louder. “This bitch made up some bullshit story about watching her parents being murdered, but what gets me is why? What do you gain out of making up such a ridiculous lie? Popularity? Friends? Sympathy? What a fucking joke.”

  “Are you about done?” I ask, as I hear, not see, Blake bounding toward me.

  “Oh yeah,” she laughs. “I think I made my point.”

  “Good, now let me make mine.”

  I rear back and my fist cracks across her face with the force of a semi-truck. Her head rebounds back and gasps are heard all over, but I know I only have a few seconds before Blake gets here and damn it, I’m going to make them count.

  My fist rears back again but she snaps into action quicker than I thought and charges at me. I have to say, I’m pretty fucking impressed. Most girls would run or back away in fear of breaking a nail, but this one has guts.

  She throws me into the empty table and we go sprawling over it. She grabs chunks of my long hair while I kick and scream like a banshee, all traces of poise gone.

  “Stay away from him, you little bitch,” Nessa growls.

  “The fuck are you talking about?” I screech, trying to kick her off me as I feel a sharp stinging at my chest. Confusion laces me. The only guy I’ve gotten even remotely close to was Damian and as far as I can tell, she couldn’t give a shit about him. Unless he’s the guy she got the rash from and there’s something more going on here. Though, if that’s the case, someone should let Rachel know that she needs to get tested

  “Slade. He’s mine,” she yells. “I see the way you look at him. You’re a whore.”

  I don’t have time to respond when Damian gets in between us and tears Nessa off me, leaving me to scramble off the table. With her now held down, I go for her again. There’s nothing better than an easy target.

  I make my move but a hard tug pulls on my arm and my body is slammed against a brick wall, only on second glance, the brick wall is Slade’s chest. Wait what the fuck happened to Blake?

  I pull against his grip. “Let me go,” I demand, desperate to knock a few of her pearly white teeth out.

  Slade drags me a step away and spins me in his arms before taking hold of my shoulders. His eyes travel up and down my body and stop at my chest to where it’s still stinging. Fury ripples through his gaze but he keeps his cool despite how confused he’s just made me. His gaze softens as his lips pull into a straight line and I see the pity for the poor parentless girl. “Are you okay?”

  Anger pulses through my veins. This is the one thing I didn’t want. My face scrunches up and I pull out of his arms while setting my jaw. “What’s it to you?”

  He takes a step back like he just realized he did me a favor and his mask slips back down over his face. “Absolutely nothing.”

  He walks away and Damian follows behind, leaving me and Nessa breathing hard. She slumps down onto the seat of the empty table while my gaze follows the boys. I distantly wonder about Blake again and then realize that I probably don’t want to know where that little horn-bag is. It must have been Damian I heard bounding toward us.

  I turn back to Nessa and I don’t know what compels me to do it but I walk toward her and lean on the table in front of her. “That was all for Slade?” I question. She shrugs her shoulders, refusing to look up so I continue. “Think about it. He went for me, he looked over me, he asked me if I was okay, and he didn’t even spare you a second thought. This isn’t me being a bitch, this is a reality check. You were literally just fighting for a man who doesn’t give a single fuck about you. There’s something better out there. Stop holding onto his pathetic ass and go and find the guy who’s going to treat you like a queen.”

  With that, I walk away before I give myself a chance to start wondering what the fuck just happened.

  Chapter 14

  Four Weeks Ago

  “So, what’s the plan?” Blake asks as the driver drops us off at the local train station.

  I shake my head, not really having any sort of plan in place. We’ve just sat in the back of an Uber for twenty minutes, me in tears and filled with pain while Blake sat like a statue, looking terrified of what the future holds and most likely wondering if I’ve made the wrong call.

  I don’t want Blake to resent me for this. I’ve taken him away from everything he knows. Please, God. Let this work out for the best. I can’t have Blake hating me. He’s all I’ve got in this despicable world.

  I walk up to the ticket machine and look over our options. I follow the color-coded train lines and look over the names of the suburbs, looking to where we could possibly end up when a name stands out.

  Haven Falls.

  I smile, feeling as though this is some kind of gift from mom and dad. They know we need them now more than ever. I reach for the twenty-dollar bill and feed it into the machine as Blake looks over my shoulder. “What are you doing?”

  “We’re going home, Blake. Everything is going to be okay.”

  “You’re sure?”

  I shake my head, looking up at the kid. “No, but this is all we’ve got.”

  Blake looks down at me for the longest moment with his big, too trusting eyes and for the briefest moment, I want to tell him to go home, to have the life he wants and to forget about me. All I’m going to do is fuck him up. I don’t have the slightest idea what I’m going to do. What was I thinking of taking him away from a life of silver spoons when all I’d be able to offer him is a warm smile? He could have gone to the NBA and now…I don’t know. I’ve promised him the world but I have no idea how I’m going to give it to him, all I know is I have to try. He deserves so much more than this nothingness.

  Blake reaches past me and presses the button for Haven Falls and then repeats the process for a second ticket. “I guess we’re going home.”

  We sit on an old bench, counting down the minutes for the train in an absolute panic. We’re lucky that we got out of the mansion undetected, though I know it’s probably because Lucien was sleeping like a baby after defiling the child he raised with his wife…or should I say the child he bought?

  The second they realize we’re gone, all hell is going to break loose. We need to get out of here as soon as we can. I didn’t consider how hard it was going to be being seventeen and on the run from a mobster, not to mention all the dangers that come from being a teen with nowhere to go. There’s going to be people who want to manipulate us, people who’ll try to steal, people who want to hurt us, but we can’t let it happen. We need to be strong.

  The thought has me reaching for my phone and taking out the sim before asking Blake to do the same. If we’re doing this, then we’re doing it right. I go through our bag and make sure there’s nothing else that can be tracked and once that’s done, the pressure finally begins to fade off my shoulders.

  I won’t go back there. Not now, not ever.

  After what feels like a lifetime of waiting and fidgeting, our train finally arrives and we trudge onto the empty car, feeling somewhat free. We’re not there yet, but we’re on our way.

  Being the only ones in this car, Blake stretches out and falls into a light sleep while I find sleep an impossible task. I spend hours upon hours fingering the knife that has remained in my hand since the second Blake handed it to me in his bedroom.

  My eyes travel up and down the knife, over the old, worn wood, and across the initials that had been carved into the wood. This thing means so much to me. I can’t believe Blake has had it in some stupid safe, collecting dust for the past few years.

  Three hours turns into four, and as the train comes to a stop in Haven Falls, the clock ticks over to five hours. The sun is just peeking up over the horizon and I feel like this is the start of something new, a new beginning, a new life, a second chance at starting over the right way.

  The only question is how?

  I shake Blake’s shoulder and stand up
. My body is cramped from not moving a muscle the whole ride here. Blake groans and stretches his impossibly long arms out, making me have to step around him. “Come on,” I tell him, trying to help him grab his bags. “Let’s go before they close the doors.”

  Blake grumbles something in his sleepy tone but thankfully gets his shit together and clambers out of the train behind me. We step out into the early morning and I breathe in the fresh air. This is home. This is the life we were always supposed to have. I probably would have come and gone from this train station a million times if I’d never been taken away from my home. I could have walked these streets, made friends with the local girls and had a happy life. Instead, it was all stolen from me, from us.

  We walk out from the train station with our bags on our back and into the station’s parking lot. “So, what now?” Blake asks, looking around and feeling just as lost as I do.

  “I think I’d like to see mom and dad’s place and then we’re going to the police station and telling them exactly who we are.”

  “Won’t they just send us back?”

  “No, we were bought, Blake. We never have to go back there. They’ll call children’s services and…”

  “And we’ll be put into the system,” he says, not liking the idea one bit.

  “Maybe,” I admit. “Or maybe mom and dad had a family. We can’t be alone out here, Blake. I feel it. There’s someone here who’s been looking for us all these years and we just have to help them find us.”

  “You know what they’ll do if we’re put into the system, right?” he questions. “We’re nearly adults. No one is going to care about us. We’ll end up living in some group home with rough kids who don’t give a shit if we get hurt. We can’t risk it, Sky. What if we’re separated?”

  “We won’t be separated,” I promise him. “No matter what.”

  “And if the worst happens?”

  “Then I’ll be eighteen in six months and I’ll come for you. We can make this happen, Blake. You just need to trust me.”