Myles (Carter Brother#3)

by Lisa Helen Gray

  MYLES

  Carter Brother Series

  Book Three

  Lisa Helen Gray

  ©

  Copy rights reserved

  2015

  Lisa Helen Gray

  All rights reserved

  No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written consent from the publisher, except in the instance of quotes for reviews. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distrusted via the internet without the publishers permission and is a violation of the international copyright law, which subjects the violator to severe fines and imprisonment.

  This book is licensed for your enjoyment. EBook copies may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share with a friend, please buy an extra copy, and thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  This is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places and events are all product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business or establishments is purely coincidental.

  Authors Note

  I’d like to remind people that Myles is a work of fiction. Every place, business, street name, school and character’s are all made up from my imagination.

  The same goes with the school ages and exams. I understand that it doesn’t meet UK requirements, and that it’s way off base, but I wanted my characters young, but not that young. So please, when reading Myles, remember it’s fiction, and not real life.

  Thank you for understanding.

  Dedication

  Donna Mansell

  July 1983 – July 2010

  When someone you love becomes a memory

  The memory becomes a treasure.

  R.I.P

  Prologue

  Life for me was meant to be easy, it was meant to clear and straight forward, also, incredibly dull and boring. Nothing bad was ever going to happen to me because, well, things like that don’t happen to people like me. But then I went to Grayson High and my whole world changed.

  You see, my mother sent me away when I turned five to an all-girl school in Dartmouth. I came home when I was thirteen, but only because there was no other choice. Miss. Niles, the woman who raised me in Dartmouth, only worked during school terms. Any other day of the year she went back home to see her family, leaving me to head back to my own.

  Miss. Niles raised me until I was thirteen before she sadly passed away from cancer. She was the only mother I knew growing up, and the only person I felt loved by. After that I refused to let anyone else raise me, my father agreed, excited at the prospect of raising a child.

  It’s how I ended up in the town of Coldenshire, attending Grayson High school.

  The place that caused me so much anguish, so much misery, and caused endless nightmares. Grayson High changed me.

  Grayson High is where I was bullied, torn apart, humiliated, and completely victimised. I’m not just talking about your average high school bullying; I’m talking about being cornered and beaten, shed of dignity, and left feeling every bit afraid. Some days I dreaded going to school, but then I had my reasons for escaping to it.

  Like people say, evil isn’t just those unknown around you, but can be those who are the closest to you.

  It just so happened that one day I took the worst of those evils and ended up in school, already beaten and lifeless. I’d given up.

  That’s when Craig Davis raped me. He dragged me into a forest by the park near the back of my old house, stripped me bare, beat me, and raped me.

  That was the day that changed my whole life forever. Not only did it tear me down from the inside, but it tore apart everything I ever believed in and saw on the outside. I no longer saw happy families, the two point four kids and picket fence; I only saw the hatred. I felt the hurt, the pain, the anguish that people can cause you. The trust I had in mankind got torn away from me in a blink of an eye, causing me to be scared of my old shadow, my own father.

  My story isn’t pretty, it took me two and a half years to stand up to what Davis did to me. My own mother, at the time of the rape, tore me down, didn’t even believe me, so I let it go and cowardly isolated myself from the rest of the world until my father got a promotion and we moved. I’d hoped I could just forget all about it, that being in a new town would help me forget what he did to me, but the nightmares only got worse with each passing moment.

  Then one day a friend of mine, Charlie, emailed me about Craig, telling me what he did to another girl called Harlow. At the same time my father announced our move back to Coldenshire and that’s when I came clean about the whole thing. About Davis, how he raped me, how mom told me to drop the charges, and how he had done it to another girl.

  I went to court, he got sent to prison and I… well I, I still can’t seem to move on. I thought it would help. Kill my demons. But I’m still stuck inside my own head, breaking a part bit by bit.

  I’m Kayla Martin, and this is my story.

  Chapter One

  KAYLA

  They said retaking my last year of school would be good for me. That I’d be able to catch up easily enough if I put my mind to it.

  How wrong could two people be?

  My first day back at Grayson High and I’m still sitting in the passenger seat of my dad’s BMW trying to find the courage to even put my hand on the door handle; I’m that nervous and scared. The last time I walked these halls everyone was shouting abuse at me. Calling me the girl that cried wolf, a whore, a liar; the list is endless.

  “Darling, you’re going to have to actually leave the car if you want to complete school.’’ My father’s voice cuts into my thoughts making me jump slightly. I smile at him softly, not wanting to show him how scared I really am about today. If he knew then he’d send me to an all-girl school again, and that’s something I really don’t want. Not when I’m fighting so hard to be normal again.

  Taking in a deep breath, I slowly but surely put my hand on the door handle, my fingers trembling as I take one last look at my father.

  “Have a good meeting, Dad,’’ I tell him before jumping out of the car. The spring air cools my heated skin as I slam the door shut behind me. The smooth rumble of the car pulling away spikes my anxiety. I tap my pocket where I have my mobile phone ready and handy in case of an emergency. Dad even spoke to the school Principal to make sure it wasn’t confiscated during class, and assured her I wouldn’t use it unless I really had to. How she agreed is still a mystery to me, but then, people do find it hard to say no to my dad. It’s his job to negotiate after all. I’m also guessing a generous donation was thrown in too.

  The smell of cut grass fills the air as I walk across the field to the school entrance. One good thing about coming back to Grayson High, I know all the exit routes and where to go for some peace and quiet. The worst thing is coming back with everyone knowing my business, and facing the people that are left who bullied me endlessly throughout the entire year I was here.

  “You made it?’’ A deep, husky, quiet voice startles me from the side and I jump, clenching my fists.

  My head turns slowly to the boy… Okay, more like a giant man, standing next to me.

  “Myles,’’ I breathe out, feeling a blush rise to my cheeks. Myles Carter is a boy I talked to when everything went down. He was the one person I never felt was judging me. He supported me more than he knew, and I’ve thought about him countless times since. I was even excited to see him when I found out I’d be returning to Grayson High, but then when I went to go see Denny, an old friend, and a friend of Harlow,- the girl who Davis nearly raped,- he didn’t seem so pleased to
see me. In fact, I’d go as far as to say he looked tortured, a look I know all too well.

  “Hey,’’ he smiles, a slight dimple showing in his left cheek. All of the Carter brothers are movie star hot, but something about Myles has always drawn me to him. It’s not just about his looks either. He’s incredibly clever, knows his left and right, which is probably more than you can say for his twin brother, Max; who is the polar opposite of Myles. It’s not only that he’s clever, but he’s kind, generous, funny, charming, and he cares about people. Not just people he knows, although he is loyal to the bone with them, but he genuinely cares about the people around him. He comforted me at a time I was ready to give up, the time I had sat and contemplated how many of my mom’s anti-depressant tablets and my dad’s pain killers I could find, and swallow, before anyone found me. Not that I think they would care, but at the time, I only wanted the pain to go away, but then Myles came over and sat down next to me. We only spoke for about twenty, maybe thirty minutes, but in that time I knew giving up wasn’t an option. I don’t know; it was something about his presence that made me feel at peace for the first time since the attack and I felt clean being around him. And being clean is something I have not felt since him, Davis.

  “Hey,’’ I breathe out, then realise I’m awkwardly staring at him and also repeating his words, so I shake my head and look down to the floor.

  “Mrs. Collins sent me. I’m to accompany you to your classes,’’ he tells me, trying to talk in a posh voice that sounds nothing like Mrs. Collins.

  “Ahh, well, I hope she’s paying you well to babysit me,’’ I tell him dryly, my hopes of him coming to see me voluntarily, dying in an instant. I start to walk away, but stop when he stops me.

  “Okay, I lie. I wanted to accompany you to your classes.’’

  “How do you even know we have the same classes?’’ I ask stopping short, then turning around sharply as we reach the science building. When I turn his body is close and for once my skin doesn’t break out in a cold shiver, or my heart race with fear, but instead, it starts to race for an entirely other reason, causing butterflies to swirl in my stomach.

  “I got a copy of your timetable from the teacher?’’

  “Are you asking me or telling me?’’ I ask, fighting back a smirk. I can’t help it. Whenever I’m around him I either get lost for words, or end up having a permanent smile on my face.

  “Both?’’ he answers and when I raise my eyebrow at him not believing him, he throws his hands up in the air in surrender, the action causing me to take a step back way too quickly and I end up falling backwards. I close my eyes anticipating the landing on the hard floor, but it doesn’t come. Instead, two large hands cross against my back, stopping me from the fall I’m sure would have sealed my fate for the rest of the school year as the laughing stock.

  When I open my eyes Myles is staring down at me with a concerned look on his face. It’s then I realise what I did and I feel humiliated. Why can’t I just be a normal teenage girl? One that doesn’t jump easily at the littlest of noises, and who is free to be whoever she wants to be and not what she’s been moulded to be?

  We can only wish, right?

  “You steady?’’ he teases, making light of the situation.

  “Yeah,’’ I whisper back, not able to look him in the eye again.

  “Come on, we have English after registration,’’ he smirks when I finally look up at him.

  We walk through the empty halls of the science building, heading towards the English building where our registration and first class will be. By the time we make it there the halls are crowded with other students and I become more and more nervous.

  I recognize a few people’s faces and I don’t miss curious glances from the other students trying to figure out who I am. It won’t be long for the rumour mill to get around, and for the people who didn’t know who I was or my story, to know every detail by the end of the day. It’s what they do. It won’t even be through gossip either; it will be through texting, Facebook, and Twitter. I’ll be surprised if I’m not trending by the end of the day.

  My face pales when I see a group of Davis’ friends that he hung out with. They were in the year below at the time and did anything and everything he asked. I should know. I endured their name calling, pushes, and kicks that he ordered them to do whenever I was around.

  One word, ‘lapdogs’.

  My palms become sweaty and for the millionth time today I wonder what the hell I’m doing back here. I should have been happy with the exam results I got, but with everything going on last year I found it hard to concentrate, which is the reason I failed more than half of my classes. I need at least a B in childcare, instead of the measly D that that I got.

  “You okay? You’re looking rather pale?’’ Myles asks, concerned. My mouth opens to tell him I’m fine, but only a gush of air escapes, no sound. Then a booming voice and hard touch creeps up from behind me and I end up turning around with a loud scream, and falling back into Myles’ chest.

  My breathing is heavy and I’m wrapped up in Myles’ arms and the notion isn’t lost on me. For over two years I’ve shied away from any sort of touch, although a female touch doesn’t scare me as much as a males.

  “You fucking dickhead,’’ Myles snaps, his body tensing.

  “Shit, I didn’t think. I just got overexcited when I saw you and Kayla. I didn’t think,’’ I hear a familiar voice to Myles’ speak.

  “You saw me this morning you jackass,’’ Myles snaps again, not sounding pleased. His fingers run up and down my back in a soothing gesture. My whole body is still shaking, my heart racing from him scaring the shit out of me.

  “I know, but we’re connected and shit. When you’re not around I miss you, bro,’’ Max tells him dramatically.

  “How so?’’ Myles asks dryly.

  “Well, you know, you cry, I cry. You smile, I smile and all that bollocks. So when you’re not around for me to know what I should be doing, I get jittery and nervous and shit. Then I got excited when I saw you, well sensed you with my twin power…”

  “Jesus cut to the chase, Max,’’ Myles snaps.

  “See? Now I’ve got to go to registration cranky. Oh look, Jessica Seymour,’’ I hear him sigh before his presence moves away from us.

  “He’s a bit much,’’ Myles says apologetically.

  “It’s okay, I was just startled,’’ I tell him, moving away from his warm embrace. When I take a step back giving some much needed room between us, I start to feel the cold surrounding me. It’s then it dawns on me that I let him touch me without freaking out, without having a panic attack and lashing out at him. My head snaps up to his and I look up at him with wide eyes. He’s looking at me curiously and I wonder if he knows I’m freaking out inside right now about him touching me. It might seem stupid to some, and kind of weak, but for me it’s about power. I need to be in control of who and who doesn’t touch me, it makes me feel stronger, not that I can control who does and doesn’t. That’s the sad part, but something about Myles touching me relaxed me.

  “You sure? He can be a bit aggressive when it comes to being around people. He acts like a kid on Christmas morning, every day,’’ he grins and I look up at him and smile, then take a look behind his shoulder to where Max has a girl I vaguely remember, up against the locker door, his tongue playing tonsil tennis with hers.

  “And he looks like he got his present early today,’’ I blurt out, then turn bright red. I face plant my palm over my face when I realise I said that out loud. I peek through my fingers only to see Myles grinning before turning to see what I’m talking about, and then bursting into a fit of laughter.

  “As long as he makes it to first class I don’t care,’’ he tells me still laughing, and then ushers me away and into our registration class where a new teacher is starting today. I’m glad I won’t be the only newbie.

  My dad made sure to get a detailed timetable for me so I could prepare myself for each lesson, and who would be in what cl
ass. It’s the only way for me to handle my anxiety. The unknown and being cornered scares me, and plus, I needed to make sure I wasn’t going to be in any of the other boys classes who played a hand in bullying me.

  Walking into the classroom the tables are set out differently than I remember. Instead of being seated in pairs, the tables now seat three and I turn to Myles looking wide eyed and nervous.

  “Come on, we’ll sit at the back in the corner.’’

  “Yo, wait up,’’ I hear Max shout, but I don’t turn around to look, I just keep walking behind Myles, following him to our table and ignoring the curious stares.

  “Katie, Katie, Katie, do you need a picture, babe, because I’m gonna have to disappoint, I just gave the last one away to Mr. Hawks,’’ he says and I turn around in time to watch him give her a cheeky grin. I look back quickly thinking, what an arrogant jerk, but then the girl in question speaks.

  “What? Huh? What are you going on about Max?’’

  “You were staring, stop it. Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to stare?’’ he says, his voice laced with warning and he doesn’t wait for her to answer before walking up behind me.

  “Shot gun the window,’’ he shouts near to my ear and nearly bursting my ear drum. I wince and move my head away and look to the floor glaring.

  Yes I’m that much of a chicken I can’t look up and glare at him. I’m always, always scared of the consequences. Though, I do seem to be getting more confidence.

  He quickly barges past me, nearly knocking the bag off my shoulder as he does. Myles notices and punches Max in the shoulder giving him a warning glare. This protective side of Myles is what warms me to him. He doesn’t even do it intentionally; it’s just in his nature. But something about him looking out for me, and not really questioning it does something to me that I can’t describe. If only he knew how much I needed him today, how much his presence is already making this hard day more bearable.

  “Here you go,’’ Myles smiles, giving me the middle seat.