F*ck You: Knox Academy - Term One
Page 27
“Where is she going? Where are you going?” Kalen sounds frantic. “You can’t leave! Amelie!” Tears prick my eyes. No, no, no, I do not want to cry in front of them.
“Amelie, just hear us out!” Slate begs. It's tempting. It really is. I’m leaving – nothing will stop me – but surely it won’t hurt to hear what they have to say?
A sudden sharp blast of a horn makes me jump, and I spin instinctively to see Baxter on his motorcycle shaking his head at me. His open-face helmet visor is up, and he mouths to me “keep going”.
“I love you, Amelie! Please!” Kalen’s desperation causes the first tear to fall, and as hard as I try to keep my eyes locked on Baxter’s, I fail. My gaze drops to the limo where all four Knox boys are standing staring at me. “Amelie, I’m so sorry. I promise you it was all a misunderstanding. Please, let us put this right!” Kalen begs. Tears are streaming down his face.
“Amelie!” Slate calls, running his hands through his hair in anguish. “Our mum lied to us. We are so sorry. Don’t go. We can sort this out.” I shake my head. There’s no way they can put this right. Is there?
“I’ll never hurt you again,” Onyx promises. Three times he made a fool out of me. Why would I go back for more? Why am I still faltering though?
“Amelie, stay. We can help you. We’ll help you to get rid of Laura. We all know what she did to you. Let us take her down.” Kalen’s anger is palpable. I believe him, I really do. And if I had to stay, I would take him up on the offer. But the opportunity to leave is a few paces away. I have to take it. I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t.
I take the final steps until I’m standing in the doorway to the plane. I look back one last time, wanting to memorise the faces of the boys who melted my heart, broke it, stole it. I didn’t come here looking for love – or even friendship – but damn if I didn’t find it. Now I just have to let it go. Let them go.
I start to turn away, but Sawyer calls out. What is it about him, specifically, that has always been my weak spot?
“Amelie, please!” he cries. “I’ve quit my job to be with you. You can’t go...I don’t want to deny my feelings for you any longer.”
I hesitate, truly torn. The connection between Sawyer and me has always been hypnotic. Slate and Kalen are too easy to love, and Onyx fascinates me. But Sawyer’s words tear me apart.
One more step and I’m on my way home. Back to my family, my brother, Smalls…I can leave Laura and Monty and their manipulations behind. It should be a no-brainer. So why am I waiting? Why is my heart wrung out? Why do these Goddamn tears keep falling? I dash them away angrily. I don’t want to be weak.
The rev of an engine has me jumping to my senses.
“It’s too little, too late,” I call down to the four of them. “Fuck you.”
I step onto the plane and take my seat, the stewardess jumping to close the door and perform the final checks before takeoff. I sit and stare out of the window, silent tears streaming uncontrollably down my face. Why does this feel like the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make? Why does it feel like I’ve just made the wrong choice?
Below, Onyx is kicking the shit out of the limo, while Sawyer and Slate desperately try to pull him away. Kalen’s eyes are locked on mine and I see he’s crying as much as I am. I’m so full of doubt, it physically hurts my chest. Damn them for doing this to me. I was ready to go, to leave and never look back, and now they have me wishing I could stay with a few simple words and gestures.
“Fuck you,” I whisper over and over again to myself, and to them. “Fuck you.”
Did you love Baxter? While you wait for Term Two, you can get your Baxter fix in Vengeance by Crystal North.
You can also pre order book Two, and don’t worry the date is just a place holder for amazon
Pre order here
Other books By Crystal North
Jasmine Spell Library
Frozen in Time
Vengeance
Atonement
Retribution
Trick or Treat
Her Christmas Wish
Bosses Brat
Other Books by Jaye Cox
Unexpected Consequenses
Under the Surface
Imperfection is Beautiful
Silence
Welcome to Neverland Part 1
Welcome to Neverland Part 2
Love & Photographs
Stalker Links
Crystal North
Newsletter
Facebook group
Instagram
Jaye Cox
Facebook Group
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To my co author Crystal, it has been the best ride writing this book with you. What started as a one chapter story turned into this amazing three book series. I should apologise for setting off your OCD, but we do work so well together, it’s almost like we share a brain.
My best friend Amber, the one person who can force me to answer my phone, which I rarely do for anyone else. Our friendship may have started in the book world and during a shitty time in your life, but you have overcome it all and I’m so proud of how far you have come. I’m so grateful for our friendship, it’s not often as an adult you can find a person who just gets you and you know your friendship is for life.
To my husband, my person. I love you. Here is to forever annoying the shit out of each other.
My children Phoebe, Logan, Mckenzie, Dakota, Bentley and Naiya. You are the reason I get up everyday, the reason I have gray hair and my reason for breathing. I love you all more than anything else in this world (Even books)
To Hannah for all your hard work for Crystal and myself. I know I couldn’t have organised half as much without you.
To our beta readers, you all done a fantastic job, going above and beyond for us.
Our reader groups, street teams and Arc readers, we apricate everything you do for us from the bottom of our hearts.
Bloggers, thank you so much for posting and getting our book out into the world.
Last but not least to all our readers, without you our writing journey would stop as soon as we finished writing the story. Thank you for loving our baby as much as we do.
About the Author
Crystal North
Crystal North is a UK born and raised author, who lives many secret lives. Her friends and family didn’t know that she writes and publishes books, and she had intended to keep it that way...until she got outed on her last day at work!
Crystal loves really long bubble baths with good books, the outdoors, travel, unfinished stories, swearing too much, and plotting who she would include in her own harem. The list of potential candidates is now so high that she might have to hold auditions. Luckily, she has a very understanding husband that she shares a home with in Devon, UK, with their miracle son and miniature schnauzer fur baby.
Jaye Cox
Jaye Cox was born in Frankston Victoria and as a young child, she moved to sunny Queensland. Jaye is a wife and mother to six children. While raising her children for the last eighteen years, she decided she wanted to pursue her love of writing, which started with her love of reading. It is the one thing that became her break and escape of insanity of a large family. Jaye loves being a full-time mother, watching her children grow and enjoying every minute of it.