Ugly Girl: Aston Creek High (Book 1)

by Sheridan Anne

  Slade picks up his pace and I feel his hunger for my orgasm. He wants to make me come just as badly I want him to. I want nothing more than to wrap my legs around his head and squeeze the life out of him as I drown in a world of orgasms.

  He works my clit and I groan low as he presses two thick fingers to my entrance and pushes them inside of me.

  In. out. In. out.

  It’s a torturous pattern but it’s so fucking good.

  Needing something to do with my hands, I run my nails down Damian’s body until I find the waistband of his sweatpants. I push them down over his hips and his erection springs free, ready, large, and waiting.

  My fingers curl around him in a tight vice and I start working my magic, enjoying the soft groans that pull from deep within his chest. His kisses become more urgent and I give him exactly what he needs.

  I feel my orgasm sneaking up on me and I curl my leg around Slade’s back. “Oh, fuck. I’m going to come.”

  “Me too, babe,” Damian growls against my lips.

  It hits me like an atomic bomb. My world detonates and I squeeze down on Damian. “Fuck,” he rushes out, pulling out of my hand and grabbing himself as he comes a little harder than expected.

  Despite Damian’s satisfied joy, my eyes are solely trained on Slade as his head raises from between my legs. He looks at me with those same heated eyes and just like that, I’m more than ready to go again.

  He runs his tongue over his lips and butterflies swarm my stomach as he tastes what’s left of me on his lips. God damn, that was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.

  Damian rushes off to deal with himself in the bathroom and I sit up as Slade gets back to his feet, never once taking his eyes off mine.

  His hand finds my shoulder and traces my skin as though it’s some sort of mystery. It’s soft and delicate while somehow being strong and demanding. It’s impossible but he pulls it off.

  I reach for his belt buckle and grin up at him. “What are you doing?” he murmurs, watching me with heated interest, though I don’t understand the question, my intentions are pretty damn clear.

  “It’s your turn.”

  His brow raises as the hunger intensifies and I watch as he pulls away. Disappointment and confusion cloud me but as he closes the door and turns the lock, a wicked grin spreads across my face.

  His message is loud and clear. What’s about to happen is just me and him, no more party for three.

  He strides back toward me and as he reaches for me, a loud ding from a phone sounds from somewhere on the bed and lights up the room.

  I can’t help but look down at it and what I see has my world closing in. My heart races as I see the text on the phone and I scramble for it, unsure if what I’m seeing is true.

  No. This can’t be right, but as I read over the name and the text, I realize that it is.

  Lucien Valentine – Is it done? Your time is running out.

  My eyes snap up to Slade to find his panicked stare already on me. “I can…”

  “Whose phone is this?” I demand, throwing it back to the bed before getting up and scrambling for my clothes, hardly able to hear myself think as the panic rises high within me. If he got to one of the boys, that could only mean that he knows exactly where I am.

  “Just, wait. Where are you going?”

  “Whose fucking phone?” I scream, not caring if I wake Damian’s parents.

  The door handle rattles as Slade cringes and lets out a sigh. “It’s mine,” he admits, looking sick about it, but not sorry.

  I shake my head in disbelief as betrayal tears through me. It shouldn’t. There’s absolutely no loyalty between me and Slade, but that’s the way its been since day one and I shouldn’t have expected any different. I get my jeans up my legs and pull my tank over my head, not caring about my bra, torn panties, or jacket still left on the floor. All that matters is getting to the fucking door.

  “Will you just wait?” he yells as I reach for the handle and hastily unlock it. The door flies open and a second later, I’m out of there with both Damian and Slade at my back wondering what the fuck just happened.

  I don’t wait around for them to catch up to me. I run.

  Chapter 17

  I’m getting fucking sick of this not sleeping bullshit. First, it was the weekend without my knife, then it was the effects of seeing that old photograph of Lucien, and now this.

  Last night, the boys helped me to see that I was strong enough to move on and just when I thought I’d suffered through the worst and was coming out the other end, I go crashing back down.

  Why the hell was Lucien texting Slade? There’s no way that those two just happen to know each other. I’m the common factor and that tells me that Lucien knows about not only me but Blake too.

  All this time I was beginning to build a life here, I thought Blake and I would be able to thrive. I was making a name for myself and setting us up with a future that we could be proud of. We would have had to work our asses off trying to get to where we wanted to go, but it would have been worth it. And to think Lucien was sitting back and enjoying the show the whole damn time.

  I feel like such a fool.

  We haven’t been safe here at all and what’s worse is that I brought all this bullshit to Shay and Ben’s front door. What if he comes for us? What if he…no. I can’t think like that anymore. I survived. I can’t keep thinking of myself as a victim.

  I can’t sit here and wait for him to come. We have to fight. We have to do something, but first…Slade.

  I knew Slade was a dick, but to be in league with Lucien? It stings. Slade and I are by no means friends or even on good terms…apart from that whole eating my pussy like a fucking pro thing. I thought things between us were starting to get better. I mean, he hadn’t tried to humiliate me in a while. The air certainly wasn’t clear between us, but it was getting clearer. Until now.

  I’ve stayed up all night trying to work out what their connection could be and how the hell it comes back to me but I keep coming up blank. If Lucien tasked him to find dirt on me, then he’s picked the wrong guy as the only thing Slade Cruz has been able to find is my G-spot. Apart from being an ass, he hasn’t tried anything. I don’t understand this.

  I glance over at the clock. It’s seven in the morning so I guess that’s an acceptable time to get out of bed. School doesn’t start until nine so I have two hours to kill and the only way that’s going to happen is by trying to get lost in my artwork.

  I trudge out of bed while rubbing the palm of my hand. I was clutching onto my knife so tight all night that my hand quickly went dead, but I didn’t dare let it go. There’s something about the cover of darkness that makes everything seem so terrifying but now that the sun has risen over the horizon, I’m finally able to relax. I mean, you don’t see boogeymen coming out during the day, but then I guess it depends on the definition of what a boogeyman is. In reality, I suppose everyone’s version is different.

  I find a hoodie and pull it over my head before walking over to my desk and clearing a space to work. I should probably get up and have a little breakfast or brush my teeth, but holing up in my room just sounds so good and I really doubt I’d be good company right now.

  I check over my pencils and sharpen them before getting started, but I still struggle to free my mind.

  I think over the text, picturing the words in my head as they appeared on Slade’s screen.

  ‘Is it done? Your time is running out.’

  Is what done? And what’s he running out of time for? These very questions have plagued my mind all night.

  There’s no mention of me but what else could it be? Maybe this has more to do with Blake. Lucien was always looking out for his basketball career. Maybe after everything, he still wants to see him succeed. Nah, that’s not possible. If anything, he’s probably hired Slade to destroy his chances of making it big just out of spite…either that or to hurt me.

  Fuck me, I need answers and the second I have a chance to get them, I wo
n’t hold back.

  Just as I had hoped, the art does its magic and draws me over to the dark side and when I finally glance up at the sound of my phone, I realize it’s nearly eleven in the morning.

  “Oh, fuck,” I screech, throwing myself out of my chair and making a mess of my art supplies.

  I tear out of my pajamas while desperately searching for something to wear and the second I’m dressed, I scramble for my phone.

  Blake – Where the fuck are you?

  Shit, shit, shit.

  My mantra repeats a few dozen times until I fly into the bathroom and brush my teeth. I grab a banana from the fruit bowl and a second later, I’m out the door, rushing toward Aston Creek High.

  What was I thinking letting myself get lost in my art? I could have demanded the answers I need hours ago and now Slade probably thinks I’ve bitched out and am too afraid to face him.

  The thought has rage pulsing through my veins. I’m not afraid. Not of him. Not of anyone. Not anymore.

  I slam through the doors of the school in record time and despite the time of year, I’ve still managed to work myself up into a light sweat which only adds to my anger. I hate sweating, I know it’s natural and all that, but there’s nothing worse unless it’s done between the sheets with two guys who know exactly what they’re doing.

  FUCK. I do not want to be thinking about that right now. I want to hate him. Hell, I want to hate Damian as well, just on principle. He betrayed me. I don’t even know if he realizes just how bad this is, but damn it, I’m going to be sure to let him know just how badly he fucked up.

  It takes me all of three seconds to realize the school is on their first break of the day and I let out a relieved breath. At least I’m not going to have to wait. Though, considering the mood I’m currently in, I probably would have gone from classroom to classroom, barging down doors until I found the fucker.

  At this time of the day, there are only two places that he’d be. Cafeteria or basketball courts, and despite hating that I know that about him, I head off to the cafeteria.

  I push through the doors with a heavy grunt, hating how big these damn things are. My eyes zone in on his usual table. He’s not there which only leaves the basketball court.

  I don’t waste a single second. My legs move faster than lightning as my eyes desperately flick around. People are pushed out of my way, but they’re not given a second thought. I need to get to him. I need to know why Lucien was texting him.

  I reach the outdoor basketball courts, hearing the sound of the balls dribbling up and down the court before I see them. I don’t doubt that Blake is here somewhere and I pray to God that he doesn’t feel the need to intervene right now because something tells me that this isn’t going to be pretty.

  I zone in on Slade. He’s facing away, heading up the court and dominating the ball as a few of his teammates attempt to take it from him. He hasn’t seen me yet, but Nessa’s comments tell me that she’s more than aware of my presence.

  “Well, if it isn’t the girl who faked her parents’ murder,” she mutters darkly.

  I don’t even bother looking her way but her comments have Slade launching the ball so hard into her chest that it knocks the breath right out of her lungs. “Knock it off,” he growls. “It’s fucking true.”

  Nessa’s eyes go wide and she gawks at me in horror which is when I realize that Blake mustn’t be around as if he was, Nessa would currently have him crowding her and demanding an apology.

  Slade turns on me, his eyes instantly zoning in on mine. There’s a strange hesitation that looks odd on him and I realize it’s because he no longer knows where we stand. Are we still hating each other or are we cool? He has no fucking idea but I’m more than happy to remind him.

  I storm right up to him and slam my hands so hard into his chest that this time he actually stumbles back a step. “Why the fuck was Lucien Valentine texting you?”

  Everyone begins crowding around. Nessa, Damian, Rachel, and a few of the guys on the basketball team, but when Slade doesn’t order them away, I realize that he’s more than happy for this to become today’s gossip.

  His signature cocky grin spreads across his face as he quickly figures out that last night did nothing to ease the disdain I feel for him. His tongue slowly runs over his lips, a dirty reminder that he knows exactly how I taste and I take it for what it is; an attempt to throw me off. But it won’t work, not with this.

  “Why’s that any of your business?” Slade demands, his eyes narrowing to the point that I finally realize that he knows more than I ever wanted anyone here to know. He steps closer, looming over me, attempting that intimidating tactic that works on anyone but me.

  “You know damn well why it’s my business.”

  He smirks and the move cuts me right down to my core. The way his eyes bore into mine speaks volumes and for the first time since being here, his scrutiny makes me want to be sick. “You know what, I don’t think I do. Why don’t you remind me?”

  Like hell. “What does he have on you?”

  Slade scoffs. “What’s your issue? What are you running from, Virago? Are you scared the big bad man is going to take you back home to your mansion in the hills?”

  My eyes narrow. Clearly, Slade has done his homework. It would take one quick google search to see Lucien’s offspring listed as Skylah and Blake Valentine. “That’s what you think this is about? That I have some disturbing daddy issues? Well, fuck you.”

  The people around us snicker and laugh at me, but I’m not backing down. Not now, not ever. This is too important.

  “If it ain’t daddy issues, then why don’t you shed a little light on it? Did he buy you the wrong car for your birthday? Not give you enough attention? Come on, spill it, what made you run away?”

  Anger pulses through me and I feel my eyes welling with tears as his intense stare seems to burn right through me. My control slips and I feel myself starting to break, but I can’t hold onto it and it all comes out like word vomit despite my desperation to reel it in.

  “You really want to know, huh?” I demand, stepping forward hating that this is happening with an audience. “We were kidnapped, stolen from our home by Anton Mathers. My mother hadn’t even finished bleeding out when they grabbed us and threw us into the back of some dirty SUV. We were put in a dark concrete room. No food, water, no fucking toilet. I was only four but I remember every last detail, every smell, it’s ingrained inside my mind.”

  Panic starts to overwhelm me and as I hear the gasps of the people around us, my eyes begin to flick. From face to face, I see nothing but pity, sadness, anger, heartbreak, yet even with their unwanted emotion, I find myself glancing back at Slade, focusing everything I have on him. “We weren’t adopted into Valentine’s family,” I say, much more calmly. “We were sold to the highest bidder and Lucien was the lucky winner. Blake and I are Lucien’s property, not his children. That’s the life I come from and the kicker is, that’s only the tip of the iceberg.”

  Slade shakes his head, struggling to believe it. “No…that’s-”

  “That’s what?” I demand. “That’s bullshit? Think what you fucking want, but that’s the man you’ve been doing dirty little deeds for, the one who you let weasel his way into your life. What does he have on you?”

  “Nothing…”

  I bark out a sharp laugh. “That’s bullshit. He’s got you by the balls.” Slade’s jaw clenches and a wall slams down behind his eyes, making it impossible for me to get a good read on him. “You may think that I’m just some spoiled little rich kid trying to escape my problems, but open your fucking eyes, Cruz. There’s so much you don’t see.”

  I step back from him and the crowd around us instantly part. He stands in silence, watching my retreat. Not a single word is muttered from him or the people around us which only seems to make the moment that much heavier.

  My blood pulses through my ears and I struggle to find control. I turn away and start making my escape, feeling that this is long from ove
r. Too much has been left unsaid.

  Rachel’s preppy tone cuts through the silence. “Don’t go after her. She’s trash.” There’s a short pause before she lets out a frustrated cry. “Damian. Come back.”

  I pick up my pace while glancing back over my shoulder to see Damian jogging to catch up with me, but as I turn back to the path ahead, I find a set of watery eyes, staring at me from the side of the court.

  Maze.

  She looks completely horrified and I realize that now she has two-thirds of my story. She knows in detail about my parents’ murder and she now knows exactly what happened to Blake and I after it. If this has her choked up, I can only imagine how she’d feel learning what came next.

  I turn away, unable to handle her pained expression. I’m not in the market for anybody's pity.

  “Wait up,” Damian calls after me. “You can’t just walk away after dropping that fucking bomb.”

  “Watch me,” I say, refusing to look back.

  Damian catches up to me in seconds and grabs hold of my wrist, forcing me to a stop. I turn to look at him with a groan and can’t help looking back at the courts to find Slade still watching me as the boys play ball around him. “What do you want?”

  “That was heavy,” he comments as though I had no clue. I raise a brow, impatiently and he continues. “I just wanted to make sure you were alright. That seemed really intense. Slade can be an ass but if he knew the extent of that, he never would have pressured you to say it.”

  As I watch him talk, I see something flash in his eyes. He’s getting attached and I instantly pull him up on it. “What is this?” I question. “This time last week, you would have stood by his side and laughed the whole way through it.”

  Damian cringes. “I know, I’m sorry. It’s just, after the party and last night…”

  “No,” I cut in. “Last night was fun. I went to you because I knew you’d be down. I wanted to forget, and that’s exactly what you did. There’s nothing more to it,” I take a breath. “The party was just a drunken mistake. Don’t confuse this for something it’s not.”