Despite the pain, I smiled, excited I was going to see my little brother and sister, who lived with my grandparents up north.
My father grimaced. “Yeah, smile away, while my balls shrivel at the thought of seeing that banshee,” he said, referring to my grandmother. “Your baba is gonna blame me for this, like she blames me for every bloody thing that goes wrong.”
“You had nuthin’ to do with it.”
“That won’t stop her. I’m the root of all evil with that woman.”
“I’ll tell her it wuzn’t your fault.”
“It won’t make a difference.” He pushed up from his chair. “Anyway, I’ll get the doc for you.” He headed out of the room, leaving me alone with Jasper.
Wishing I’d asked him for a drink, I glanced around, looking for some water. My bed was only one of two in the room, the other bed empty. On the cabinet next to me, there was a large flask of water, along with plastic cups. I went to ask Jasper to pour me some, but stopped at the furious expression on his face.
He narrowed his eyes at me. “I don’t believe a word you said ’bout it bein’ a burglar.”
I grimaced at him. “You calling me a liar?”
“Nuthin’ wuz stolen.”
“As I said, I interrupted the cunt.”
“So, he kicks the shit outta you, knocking you unconscious, but doesn’t take anything?”
“He wuz pro’bly upset I busted his tooth. I would’ve left too.”
He rolled his eyes. “Gettin’ your brains bashed in has obviously affected your ability to lie, cos it sounds like total bullshit to me. Not only that, I saw Happy Meal walking down our street the day you were jumped.”
“It wuzn’t him.”
Jasper’s hand whipped out, slapping me across the face.
I yelped, instantly bringing my hand to my face. “What the fuck!” I winced, in too much pain to retaliate.
Jasper bent over me, making me raise my arm, afraid he was going to hit me again, but instead he just glared down at me. “If you keep tryna cover for that bastard you’re gonna be in a shitload more pain than a bitch slap,” he growled. “And not cos of me, so stop lying and tell me the truth.”
“It wuzn’t him.”
He yanked my arm down. “Bullshit! And I’m gonna make that cunt pay for this, make him suffer, then I’m gonna riddle his body with bullets.”
“Are you nuts?”
“No!” Jasper yelled making me jerk in my hospital bed. “I’m the only sane one here. He’ll keep comin’ after you until you’re a shell of yourself or worse, dead. And I won’t let that happen.” He pointed a finger at my face. “So, grow some balls, cos once you’re outta hospital, we’re gonna finish things with him.”
“No!”
Jasper stuck his face in front of mine. His eyes were burning, anger fuelling them. “You don’t have a fuckin’ choice, bitch. I call the shots, not you.”
“Fuck you,” I spat back, “you can’t tell me to do shit.”
“You wanna bet?”
“What are you on? Crack? Cos you’re delusional.”
“The only delusional one here is you, Dante, so get your head outta your arse, cos by the end of the term, Happy Meal’s gonna be dead and Phelia will be mine, and you’re gonna help me whether you like it or not.”
“I’m not helping you start a war.”
“We’ll see ’bout that.” He turned and stalked towards the door, the gang insignia on the back of his jacket causing my eyes to widen. He’d been patched in, Jasper now a fully-fledged gang member...
...and a murderer.
Because the only way to become a full Skin was to kill someone, blood now on Jasper’s hands.
25
CLARA
I tossed and turned all night, fearful of the coming morning, knowing I would have to face Dante at school. I still couldn’t believe we’d kissed. Even worse, I’d put my hands down his pants! If that gang member hadn’t interrupted us, we probably would’ve had sex. The thought in itself was horrifying, because what we’d done was bad enough without doing more. Worse still, I had liked it. No, I’d loved it! Our kiss had been hot and passionate, so much so that I’d gotten carried away, becoming the aggressor. The thrill that Dante had instilled in me was beyond anything I’d experienced. It was dangerous, scary, wrong in so many ways, yet right at the same time ... just with the wrong person.
My alarm buzzed in my ear, snapping me out of my thoughts. Feeling exhausted and fretful, I pushed out of bed, worried that someone would find out what I’d done. I ambled out of my room, considering calling in sick. The smell of whiskey instantly hit me as I entered the lounge. My gaze shot to the Jack Daniels bottle lying in front of the wall cabinet. It was still on its side, with half of its contents soaked into the carpet. I hadn’t bothered to clean it up after Dante had left, too shaken over what we’d done. I’d just prayed that his father hadn’t smelled the whiskey on Dante’s breath. I touched my lips, the taste of whiskey from his kiss not having bothered me. Instead, it had gotten me...
I yelled out, furious with myself for my lewd thoughts. Here I was, a married woman, thinking about a fifteen-year-old boy in such a lurid fashion. It was not only wrong, it was disturbing. He was a child, one I was meant to tutor, not sexually molest. But ... he had started all of this, not me. He’d kept pushing and pushing until I’d snapped. And with the way he looked, was it any wonder I’d done the wrong thing? He’d also said he’d been with other married women. He was the seducer, not me, using his looks to get what he wanted. Still, I shouldn’t have responded. Instead, I should’ve sent him home. Now, I had to suffer my conscience, which was soaking up misdeeds faster than the carpet had soaked up the whiskey.
I let out a shaky breath, my actions weighing heavily on my mind ... but not as much as the possible consequences from them. That scared me more than what I’d actually done, making me wonder whether I would’ve had sex with Dante if there was no fallout. The thought disturbed me even more, because I knew the answer would’ve been a resounding yes.
I walked over to the spill and picked up the Jack Daniels bottle, taking it to the kitchen. I poured what was left down the drain, then put the bottle into the recycling bag that was hanging on the water-heater’s doorknob. Wiping my hand on my shirt, I grabbed the phone off its wall holder and walked back into the lounge, needing to make sure that Dante hadn’t told anyone. I slumped down onto the couch and grabbed the phone book, looking for his number. Once I’d found it, I dialled through, hanging up a moment later as his father answered. Though, the man probably wouldn’t have recognised my voice if I had spoken, especially since I sounded younger over the phone. People constantly asked if my mother was home, which always reminded me I no longer had one.
I put the phone on the coffee table and leaned back into the couch, again contemplating what I was going to do, whether to phone in sick or turn up to work. I started concocting all sorts of scenarios in my head, the main one starring me being escorted out of school by the police. I went to dial the principal’s secretary, intent on calling in sick. I needed the day off to clear my cluttered mind, and work out a way to fix what I’d done. I also needed to build up the courage to face Dante again. I could still see his stunned expression, shocked that I’d put my hand down his pants. Also, the wide-eyed look on his face when we’d pulled apart wouldn’t leave my head. It made me feel even dirtier. Or maybe I was thinking too much into it, because he had been hard. And he definitely wasn’t inexperienced, what he’d done with that girl in the toilets proof of that. Plus, he’d propositioned me. Instead, maybe he’d liked what we’d done, just hadn’t expected the raw passion he’d evoked. Regardless, I needed to prepare what I was going to say to him. I had to work it out in advance, cutting down the risk of getting flustered and blurting out the wrong thing, which was a distinct possibility around him, especially since he had an innate ability to scramble my brain.
I put the phone back, coming to the conclusion that I couldn’t afford to take a
day off. It had nothing to do with money, but everything to do with the fact I needed to face Dante as soon as possible. I had to make sure he wasn’t going to tell anyone, because if he did, I was done for. Resolute over what needed to be done, I headed for the shower and quickly washed. Within no time, I was dressed and on my way to school, parking in my usual spot upon arrival.
I jumped out of my Volkswagen and walked briskly to my classroom, self-conscious that people would know what I’d done, the adrenalin pumping through my veins heightening my senses. But despite my paranoia, the teenagers in the hallway didn’t act any differently. Friendly hellos were thrown my way, along with some wolf whistles, but that was nothing out of the ordinary, just a normal day at Wera High.
Relieved, I pushed through my classroom door, getting similar reactions from my students. No one laughed or said vile words to me, which boosted my confidence. Because it meant that Dante hadn’t bragged about his exploits.
“You look really nice today, miss,” Lindy said. She was sitting behind her desk, giving me one of her shiny, metallic smiles.
I glanced down at my clothes, realising I was wearing a garment I usually reserved for formal occasions, something that was far too nice to wear to school. It was a soft blue dress that cut off just above my knees. It had a few pearl buttons, which matched my earrings. I didn’t even remember pulling it out of my wardrobe, let alone slipping it on. I’d dressed on autopilot, my mind more concerned with what I was going to say to Dante than the task at hand.
“Thank you, Lindy,” I forced out, giving her a fake smile. Although she’d said something lovely, I couldn’t be happy, the previous night drowning out everything. Someone could tell me I’d won Lotto and I was sure I’d feel the same way, because no amount of money would absolve my sins.
I rounded my desk, throwing a quick glance at Dante’s desk, finding it empty. I felt a strange mixture of relief and trepidation, the contradicting feelings not improving my mood. I was relieved that I didn’t have to talk to him, but worried that I needed to talk to him, my future now in his hands.
Trying to ignore my escalating anxiety, I started calling out the roll. When I got to Dante’s name, Jasper answered for him.
“He’s in the hospital, miss,” he said.
“What? Why?” I spluttered.
“A home invasion. He wuz beaten up pretty bad.”
“Is he all right?” I asked, now panicked for a different reason, all thoughts of my indiscretion forgotten, only concern for Dante remaining.
“Yeah, he’ll live. He’s just gonna be fuckin’ sore for a few days.”
“Watch your language.”
“Sorry, miss. I’m just relieved he’s gonna be all right. He’s bloody lucky he didn’t get killed.”
“When will he return to school?”
“Next week, I think.”
***
As Jasper had said, Dante returned to school the following week. He walked into the classroom with a slight limp and a slow gait. “G’day, miss, how ya doin’?” he asked, giving me a cheeky smile, contradicting his beaten-up state. He had bruises all over his face; though they were less pronounced than what I’d expected. I’d imagined him looking a hell of a lot worse, especially considering he’d been hospitalised. But then again, he’d taken off quite a few days, plenty of time for any swelling or darker bruising to diminish and pale.
“More like, how are you doing?” I replied, my concern for his health again eclipsing everything else. I had rung his number after finding out he’d been beaten up, getting a drunk woman, her words badly slurred. I’d pretended to be a school friend of Dante’s, asking if I could speak to him. She’d told me I couldn’t, that he was resting up at a relative’s place, then had hung up on me.
“Is anything broken?” I added.
“My ego, but in my defence, I wuz jumped.”
“Jumped?”
“Ambushed. Got hit across the head when I walked through my front door. Had no clue someone wuz there. Next thing, I wake up with a gun in my face. Though, I got a good punch in when he started beating on me, knocked one of the bastard’s teeth out.” He showed me his pearly whites, which were perfectly straight, a dentist’s dream. “He got none of mine.” He turned to the class and pumped the air with a fist in a victory salute. His friends let out a cheer, treating him like a returning war hero.
“Well, see me after class so I can give you the work you missed,” I said, wanting to make sure he was going to keep quiet about our ‘kiss’.
He grinned wide. “I’ll be happy to.” He slowly headed to his desk, Jasper getting up to let him in. Dante settled behind it, wincing as he sat down.
Phelia jumped up and shooed Jasper out of his seat, sitting down next to Dante. She placed a hand on his arm, asking how he was. I narrowed my eyes at her, annoyed she was touching him again, the girl a menace. Or maybe my dislike for her was more to do with the fact she was allowed to touch him, although I wasn’t so sure about the ‘allowed’ part, since Dante was scowling at her.
He yanked his arm away from her hand, wincing as he did it, the movement obviously causing him pain. She moved her hand to his face, brushing his hair back, murmuring something to him.
He jerked his head away from her touch, snapping, “Stop it.”
“Why are you so mad at me?” she asked, looking confused.
“Phelia, return to your desk,” I said, cutting off Dante’s reply.
She turned to look at me. “I’m allowed to sit next to him.”
“No, you’re not, that’s Jasper’s desk. Plus, you’re here to learn, not to socialise.”
“I wuz just asking Dante how he wuz and Jasper let me have his desk.”
“Because you forced him to move, so return to your own please.”
“But I wanna sit next to Dante, he’s my boyfriend.”
“No, I’m not,” Dante spat.
Her head snapped around to him. “But I thought—”
“Wrong. Just cos you sucked my cock once doesn’t make you my girlfriend.”
The class burst out laughing, causing the girl’s face to flare. “But you said you-you li-liked me,” she spluttered out, looking close to tears. “And that you wanted us to go-go out together.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did,” she wiped her cheek, “you said it when I vi-visited you in hospital.”
“I don’t remember you visiting me.”
“I brought you a box of chocolates.”
“I didn’t get chocolates.”
“I ate them,” Jasper piped up, looking pleased with himself. “And what she said is true; though you were off your face on...” He glanced at me, giving the impression Dante took something he wasn’t supposed to. “Pain meds,” he added, no doubt lying. “Every time someone came to visit, you gushed ’bout how great they were, and that you really, really liked them. You even cyanided that frumpy nurse you thought wuz ugly.”
“I poisoned her?” Dante asked, looking confused.
“No, you sung her a love song.”
Dante rolled his eyes. “That’s serenaded, and you’re having me on.”
I went to tell them to stop talking, but Jasper got in before I could. “No, you really did,” he sniggered. “You shoulda seen her face when you ended the cy— serenade by cupping your cock, saying she made you hard. I almost pissed myself laughing. She grilled me ’bout what you took. I blamed it on your meds, saying you’re a lightweight.”
“I’m not.”
“She didn’t know that.”
“Whatever.” Dante returned his gaze to Phelia. “Which means I don’t like you, so fuck off.”
She screwed up her face. “Not until you tell me why you’re bein’ so horrible.”
“Cos I’m sick of you harassing me, and stop ringing my damn phone. My dad said you kept calling and hanging up.”
I tensed, realising he was talking about my calls.
“But I only called you twice,” Phelia said.
�
��Bullshit,” Dante replied, his expression disbelieving. “Just go back to Happy Meal and leave me the hell alone. He’s your boyfriend, not me.”
Bursting into tears, Phelia grabbed her bag and bolted for the door. She disappeared through it, making me feel bad for her. Although I didn’t like her, Dante had gone too far, his words cruel and over the top. I understood she was a nuisance, but he could’ve told her off in private, rather than in front of a class full of sniggering kids. Not only that, I felt responsible, my calls having inflamed the situation.
“Dante,” I said, capturing his attention. “I understand Phelia upset you, but you shouldn’t talk to her like that in front of other people. It was cruel. I’m taking detention after school. I expect to see you there. I’ll talk to you about your assignments then instead.”
A smile replaced his scowl. “Sure, miss.” He leaned back in his chair. “I’ll be happy to have a talk with you.”
I shook my head at him, not liking his insinuating tone, which was distinctly sexual. Or maybe I was just being paranoid, deducing things that weren’t there, that night affecting my judgement. Regardless, it didn’t lessen my anxiety, especially after the way he’d treated Phelia. He didn’t have a filter, saying whatever came to mind, without any thought to how it could affect the people around him. It concerned me greatly, even more so since he could do to me what he’d done to Phelia, just with much severer consequences.
“This isn’t funny, Dante,” I said firmly, needing to put him in his place. “You humiliated Phelia. You need to think before you speak.”
“Don’t feel sorry for her, she deserved it. Only chicks I like can feel me up.” He winked at me.
I exhaled loudly, frustrated by his inappropriate flirting. “It’s any wonder you haven’t been expelled with the things that come out of your mouth.”
“I have, but they took me back after Claydon kicked me out.”
“I know, I heard about that. Now, please—”
He cut off my ‘be quiet’, muttering, “I just wished Principal Sao didn’t take me back, I could’ve gotten home-schooled. I would’ve gotten my cousin to be my science teacher.” He sniggered, Jasper joining him, whatever they were laughing about probably not good.
Broken English (Broken Lives Book 1) Page 25
