by J Bree
Mounty slut.
How fucking dare that womanizing, man-whore call me that.
I’m a fucking virgin! I’ve only kissed two guys and only one of them by choice. Fuck him!
When classes end Harley follows me to the stairs that lead to the dorms, completely silent like he knows I’m one word away from homicide. Avery is waiting at the bottom with Ash and when he sees me with Harley he turns on me.
“What the fuck do you not understand about staying away from him?”
I step up to poke his chest with my finger. “I don’t answer to you, asshole. You ever speak to me like this again and I’ll bury you.”
Avery puts a gentle hand on Ash’s chest as Harley tugs me back by the arm. I wrench my arm out of his grip and glare at him. He ignores me.
“Ash, you need to calm down and think about this.” Avery murmurs and when he looks at her he’s gutted, betrayed.
“She just said she’d bury me and you’re taking her side? Nice, Floss. Proves my point.”
Avery flings her arms around his neck and hugs him. “She wouldn’t actually do anything to hurt you. She saved me last year. If she hadn’t helped me Rory would’ve raped and beaten me. He might’ve killed me, Ash. Please just trust me and trust that I know what I’m doing being her friend.”
His arms slowly raise to hold her and I look away from them both to Harley. He’s watching them with something close to envy but it’s not a bad emotion. Like he loves them both so much and wishes he was their twin too. When he looks down at me he whispers, “We need a plan for Rory. I’m done sharing the halls with him.”
“Agreed.”
Avery wipes at her dry eyes like she’s worried the other students might see some sort of emotion from her and then we leave the guys there.
When we get back to our room we find Annabelle outside the door screaming at a very tired looking Blaise who is propped up on the doorframe, eyes bloodshot and bleary. When she finally stops to take a breath he snaps at her, vitriol and fire in his tone.
“Can you just fuck off? You had everything you wanted and then you fucked it all up. That’s it.”
A sob bursts out of her. “Please, Blaise! It’s not what you think!”
“What else would it be?” He shouts back. The hallway is teeming with girls and there’s more than a few phones recording. I wait for Avery to start collecting them and get onto damage control but she’s smiling her evil little smile instead.
“I thought I was doing the right thing, I thought that’s what you guys would want. I was going to talk to Harley about it as well! You only think that I was being dishonest because of Avery, she’s become so jealous since she’s become friends with the Mounty. The stalker has turned you all against me!”
Fucking lying bitch. Avery arches an eyebrow at me and we both push past the lovers quarrel to get into our own room. I think about shoving Blaise through the door and slamming it on him but then he answers Annabelle.
“The Mounty you hate so much has never betrayed my trust like that. She’s kept promises when she should have told me to fuck off because I was an absolute dick to her. I even offered to pay her for tutoring me last year and she told me to shove my money up my ass. So, who’s the manipulative slut here? If you want a baby daddy to fund the life you want go find one dumb enough to believe your lies.”
Ok, I’ve reached my threshold of being called a slut today. I’ve hit the limit and I’m going to start stabbing people. Avery’s super senses pick up on this and she joins Blaise to get her to leave. I lock myself in the bathroom to try and scrub the anger out of my skin.
By the time I get out Avery is packing her Ballet bag and Blaise is grumbling as he prepares to walk her down to her class.
“Better?” she says and I plaster a fake smile on.
“I won’t ever bury your brother but if he calls me a slut ever again I will castrate him. Like I said, it’s in my skill set and I can actually do it. If you ever want to be an aunty someday you should probably warn him.”
Avery bursts out laughing while Blaise looks at me with horror, one hand subconsciously covering his groin. I’m so proud of myself as I wink at him and when my phone pings in my pocket I don’t even think as I grab it.
Have you forgotten about me, little Starbright?
My blood turns to ice. It’s a good way of stopping my attraction from becoming obvious. Avery watches my face carefully and when I slump onto my bed to figure out how the fuck to answer Matteo without causing more trouble she starts to usher Blaise out of the room.
Never. I could never forget you.
Chapter Six
I’m woken by a quiet knock at the door.
I glance at my phone and see it’s 2am. Not happy. Avery is still asleep, breathing slow and even, and it takes me a second to realize what has woken me up. As I slide out of my bed I hear the knock again, louder and more insistent. I check the peephole to find Ash standing there. I glance back to Avery but she still hasn’t woken up. It’s been two weeks since our confrontation and I’ve managed to avoid him completely. I don’t want to see him now.
With a sigh I open the door.
It’s only after it’s open that I realize I’ve never seen so much as a bare ankle on Ash before. He’s always wearing a full uniform, pressed to perfection and spotless, which only leaves his hands and above his neck uncovered.
And now he’s standing in front of me in boxers and a loose tank top, the armholes so big I can see his nipples peeking out.
Sweet lord. Jesus have mercy.
Fuck me, my soul has left my body.
They’re some damn good nipples.
“Yes?” I manage to squeak out. I force my eyes to stay firmly above his shoulders which isn’t much better on my poor libido. His hair is rumpled and adorable, he’d give Blaise’s sex hair a run for its money. He raises an eyebrow at me with cold eyes. The look calms the chaos of my hormones a bit. I remember that he’s an utter dick and I glare back at him.
“I’m not here for you.” He snaps and pushes past me. I let him go and then swing the door shut behind him. After I’ve gotten all of the extra bolts in place I head back to my own bed. Ash climbs onto Avery’s bed and wakes her. She looks cranky for a second and then she softens. Ash glares over his shoulder at me until I get the point and slip my headphones on. I roll away from them so he can talk to her in peace.
I pray I don’t snore and then I slip back to sleep.
When my alarm wakes me again at 6am I find Ash asleep on one of the couches. My breath catches in my throat looking at him with his head pillowed on his bicep. There’s a blanket tangled up in his legs and he’s frowning even in his sleep. Avery is sitting up in her bed and tapping away on her phone. She glances up at me and grimaces.
“Joey.” she whispers, “He’s been telling Father a load of crap about Ash and now Father is sending all sorts of lovely messages to Ash. He’s under so much pressure from them both, I’m really worried.”
I swing my legs out of bed and pad quietly over to sit on her bed so we don’t wake Ash. “Is your dad…like Joey?” I ask hesitantly. We haven’t covered this with our truths yet. Avery sighs and nods.
Great.
I scrub a hand over my face and then I smile at her. “We’ll add that to the list of things we need to sort out then.”
Avery scoffs as I head into the bathroom. “There’s no sorting Senior out, Lips. There’s only surviving him.”
I had always thought that about the Jackal too. But I have some ideas and plans in the pipeline. Now I have the desire to get us out of this mess alive and relatively unscathed. All of us, even Ash. He might be an asshole to me right now but I know he loves his sister and, before Joey fucked things up, we’d been close to being…friends? On friendly terms at the very least.
I shower and dress for the day. When I walk back into the kitchen to grab a coffee and some fruit for breakfast Ash is gone and Avery is still in her bed on her phone. I have no idea who she would even call in to help
with this. I sit on my bed to face her.
“When you’re ready, we should talk about your father. I can’t help if I don’t have the full scope of the problem.” I say, trying to sound gentle. I don’t know if I succeed.
Avery looks up and her eyes are wet. It’s the closest to crying I’ve ever seen her and I panic a little. Avery Beaumont doesn’t cry. Just like Lips Anderson doesn’t do girl talk. It’s fucking weird.
She clears her throat. “I don’t see how you can help. On the surface, Senior is a well respected businessman. He was born filthy rich and will die that way. He has three beloved children he’s raised on his own since his beautiful wife died under tragic circumstances. He’s on the board for multiple charities and he’s a highly sought after bachelor.”
She stops and takes a deep breath. “His legitimate businesses are all a front for the illegal ones. He has a lot of say on what happens in politics, there are senators that answer to him, and he makes sure that legislation that helps his business and crushes others is pushed through. He enjoys hurting women and beat my mother everyday when she was alive. He’s in a gentleman’s club and they bet on awful, depraved things I can’t speak about.”
I nod and blow out a breath as I think. “He knows Joey kills people for fun and he covers for him. He knows he’s hurting Ash, too. He knows Joey killed you and he covered for him then as well. I’m guessing Joey is his favorite?”
Avery drops her phone.
Fuck.
I forgot we hadn’t talked about any of that. I’d been given that information by the Jackal when I was trying to sort Joey out after he’d attacked another student.
“How-how did you know that?” Avery whispers. She looks beyond shocked, haunted and terrified.
I grimace. Not a good way to prove I’m trustworthy. “Last year I did some digging into your family. I was trying to figure out how much of a danger Joey really was. I should have told you, I’m sorry.”
Avery stares at me, her face unblinking, and I start to really think I’ve fucked up. She recovers and swoops down to grab her phone. “Ash will lose his mind if he finds out you know.”
Typical Avery, always protecting her brother first. I speak carefully, measuring my words, “I found all of this out last year when you were trying to get me to drop out. If I wanted to spread it, I would’ve done it then.”
Avery nods, then whispers, “We haven’t even told Harley or Blaise. Ash doesn’t want anyone to know.”
Holy fuck.
I start to chew my nails, a habit I’ve kicked but unless I can find some whiskey it’ll have to do. “I’ll take it to my grave, Avery. I swear to you, I will never tell a soul. But I need more information so we can get you both out of there.” She nods reluctantly and I go on, “Why doesn’t Ash stop him? He’s bigger and he wins all of his fights in the boys dorms.”
Avery traces the stitching in her pillow with one of her long, manicured fingers as she refuses to meet my eye. “It’s because of me. Joey told him he’d kill me if he fights back. The summer before freshman year Ash lost his temper with him and punched him back. Broke his jaw with one punch. That night Joey strangled me. Ash had to call Harley to get us and get me to the hospital.”
“How did you explain it to Harley?”
“Ash told him what had happened. He just didn’t tell him it’s been going on for years.”
I decide then and there that I’m going to stop being shit at girl talk and learn how to do this whole best friend thing properly. I get up and hug Avery.
She startles, because she knows just how hug-adverse I am, but she hugs me back tightly. I hook my chin onto her shoulder and say, “There are a few things I can do. Let me help you.”
She nods.
I’m going to have to take out both Joseph Beaumonts one way or another.
911. Coffee. Ballet.
Right. I’m not sure why bringing a coffee to Avery at her Ballet class is being considered an emergency but I’m scrambling to do it anyway. I’m still pretty jittery after our long conversation about her fucked up father and my mind immediately goes into overdrive. I’m picturing Joey attacking her or an assassin, maybe a kidnapping.
Is our room bugged?
I need to do a full intensive search the second I can. I’d been studying in my pajamas so I had to throw a sweater over my Vanth shirt while the coffee machine worked its magic.
I dodge curious looks and leering seniors as I sprint to the dance gym, my hand steady on the reusable, glass coffee cup Avery had personalized with ‘Dictator in Power’ after I’d told her about my sniping with Harley about our history class last year. I can’t look at it without bursting out laughing.
Someday, when I tell her who I am, I want one with a wolf on it. Two very different, but very deadly, predators.
When I make it to the gym I expect to find a crowd or a dead body or something and instead Avery is sitting on the bench by the doors scowling at her phone. I slump down next to her and hand her the coffee.
“Harlow Roqueford is a dirty, pathetic bitch who needs a reality check. She’s going on my planner for next week. You in?”
On her planner. That’s Avery’s way of saying she’s going to start a campaign. Currently, we have Joey, Rory, Lance, and Annabelle on her planner and I feel like we’re getting nowhere with all of them. Well, why the fuck not?
I lean back and say,“Definitely. What do you want me to do?”
“How about you take your dirty, trash self back to where you belong? In the slums.”
Great. I look up to see the woman of the hour standing over us with her hands on her hips. She was wearing a sports bra and leggings that were so tight I could see not only her lack of underwear but also the fact that she has a landing strip. Pass the bleach, I want to die.
Avery’s eyes drop thirty degrees in temperature and she becomes a marble statue, cold and hard. “Harlow, if you’re going to speak to us can you please put on some underwear? I can see your gaping vagina trailing down your thighs from here.”
Sweet merciful lord, I nearly choke.
Harlow doesn’t flinch. She flicks her hair over her shoulder and shrugs at Avery. “You think you’re untouchable because you’re a Beaumont, well guess what? Your own brother wants you dead.”
I roll my eyes and Avery chuckles, her voice as sweet and kind as shards of broken glass. “I am well aware of Joey’s thoughts on me. I do live with him, you know.”
Harlow’s eyes flick to me. “You call in your little guard dog? How much are you paying the trash to watch your back?”
Avery takes a long sip of her coffee. Long enough that Harlow begins to twitch. She wants Avery’s full attention. She wants to scare her and knock her off of the top of the social ladder.
She’s so stupid.
“Are you trying to win Joey’s affection by attacking me? Because that would make you brain dead and pathetic. Joey doesn’t have affections, he just wants to get high and fuck as many different girls as he can. You’ll never keep him. It baffles me to think of a reason why you would want to keep him.” The door to the dance rooms opens and students pour out. We get a few curious looks and Jessie gives me a shy wave. I smile at her.
Harlow’s mouth slides into a smug, over-the-top smirk that makes her look deranged and simple. “He’s rich, hot, and he has a huge dick. What more could a girl want?”
I gag. I can’t help it, it happens before I can lock it down. Avery pats me gently on the back like it’s totally normal and her mouth quirks upwards.
Annabelle steps up besides Harlow and I tense. She’s wearing a pale pink leotard and tights, her legs look like they go on forever. I can see the appeal. “Well, Harlow. If I gave a damn about you in any way I would tell you I think you’ve picked the wrong Beaumont brother on all of those accounts.”
Avery sighs. We share a look as Harlow scoffs and turns on Annabelle, “Why pick the boy when you can have the man?”
Annabelle laughs right in her face. I’ve fallen down the rabbit h
ole and now I’m stuck in Wonderland watching two evil queens battle it out. It’s surreal and highly entertaining.
“Oh Harlow. Joey has to ask Senior for everything; Ash doesn’t. Joey is a tweaking, sinewy mess with his little habit; Ash isn’t. And I know for a fact that Ash has a good three inches on his brother.”
I’m kind of horrified at myself but I’m stuck between being jealous and curious at what Annabelle is saying. I also feel a nervous giggle starting in my chest and I need to shut that shit right down. Avery has scrunched her nose up in disgust. Right, talk of your brothers dicks must be gross. Poor Ave’s.
“You’d know all about that, wouldn’t you Easy A?”
Annabelle shakes her head at Harlow with a smile. “Sweetheart, I have seen more photos of you on a dick than any other girl at this school. Don’t mistake which one of us is the whore.”
I stand up and tug Avery to her feet. This is getting monotonous and I don’t want to hear anything else about Ash’s sex life. Or the other two. Avery slips her arm into mine and we head back to our room. When we stop so Avery can unlock our door Annabelle calls out to us. Avery scoffs and rolls her eyes. I’m tempted to ignore her but she’s on Avery’s planner and we might be able to use whatever she’s here about to destroy her.
I meet her eye and give her a curt nod.
Avery ignores her completely in favor of heating up some of the weird soup with kale and fish she’s currently obsessed with. I pull a face at the smell and grab a tub of ice cream out to soften. Annabelle looks around curiously. It occurs to me that Avery never lets anyone but the boys into the room.
“Where did Blaise sleep when he was here?” says Annabelle, eyeing my bed like it carries diseases. I snort at her and Avery laughs.
“Summers, he slept wherever the hell he wanted to like he always does. What’s it to you, anyway?”
Annabelle crosses her arms and looks down her nose at me. “I’m here to ask you two to stop interfering in my relationships. It’s none of your business who I’m dating.”
