Ride or Die: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Rejects Paradise Book 4)

by Sheridan Anne

  The few days of rest saw the baby’s heart rate strengthen to where it’s supposed to be while the nurses did an incredible job of taking care of my bruises, cuts, and scrapes. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still there in fine form, but compared to Saturday night, they’re a million times better.

  Nothing has happened between the Wolves and the Widows, but one thing is for sure, my boys have been blowing up my phone since they were run off in the parking lot after school on Friday. I'm pretty sure they showed up at Colton’s place, and after Mom had explained that I'd officially been jumped in, they’ve been keeping their distance.

  I have to admit, not having to worry about getting jumped anymore is definitely a relief, but now there’s another whole thing that’s weighing down on me, something so much worse. This is people’s lives in the balance. How will I ever fix this?

  “Are you sure you want to sleep in the pool house? You can hardly move around. I can have the living room turned into your own personal hideout so you can chill out there while you heal. That way you won’t be lonely, and you can see what’s going on.”

  I shake my head. “No, I’d prefer to be in my own bed where I can be a hermit and lock everyone out.”

  “Babe …”

  “No. Don’t ‘babe’ me. There’s nothing worse than being stuck in the living room where I’m going to have maids coming in and out, vacuuming around me, and listening to your sisters arguing over what they’re going to have for breakfast. Besides, in my room, I can just turn on Netflix, sleep, and be a pig until someone barges in on me.”

  Colton laughs. “There won't be anyone barging in on you because you’ll have someone with you all the time. Not to mention, Milo’s been past four times already, bringing over magazines, books, loading the freezer with all the wrong kinds of ice cream, and filling your bedside table with every kind of vibrator under the sun.”

  “What?” I laugh. “Why the hell would I need vibrators?”

  Colton shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know. I guess he figures you’d be too sore to fuck. So this way, you can take care of yourself, but honestly, it’s really not necessary. I can take care of every little need you have.”

  A grin tears across my face. “Well, he’s kinda right,” I admit. “My hip has been really hurting, so spreading my legs is kinda a no-go at the moment.”

  “Fuck, really? Why didn’t you say anything? Do you want me to call a physio and have you checked out?”

  “I didn’t say anything because I knew you’d be like this,” I say, gently shaking my head and resisting laughing at how right I was. “But no, It’s been feeling better and better every day. I think it just needs time to heal.”

  “Fine,” he groans as the drizzling rain begins to pick up. “But if I hear you complain about it just once, I’ll be making the call.”

  I hold my hand up and salute him with a cheesy grin. “Yes, sir.”

  He glances across at me while navigating through the heavy rain. “That’s more like it.”

  I roll my eyes, and before I know it, we’re pulling into his drive. I watch as his window drops, and he sticks his arm out into the rain to hash in the code for the gate. The gate slowly peels open and I can't resist teasing him. “Geez, for being the richest kid on the block, anyone would think that you’d have some kind of high-tech sensor gate that just automatically opened every time you drive in. I’m disappointed. This shit you have here, this is gated community, low class style.”

  Colton’s head slowly turns toward me, a sharp glare resting in his eyes. “What did you just say about my front gate?”

  I hold back a grin. “It’s lacking … and it’s kinda slow too.”

  His mouth drops open just as the gate opens fully, patiently waiting for us to drive past. “We’re not moving until you apologize to the gate.”

  “In your dreams,” I laugh. “It’s slow, and you know it.”

  Colton looks out the front window of his car, staring at the gate in question. “It’s waiting,” he grumbles, before glancing back at me with his eyes sparkling. “For the record, I’ve got absolutely nothing to do today. I can do this for hours while you’re probably already cramping up and sore.”

  “I think you underestimate just how stubborn I can be.”

  “I think you’re the one underestimating.”

  I sit back in my seat, crossing my arms over my chest, making a point of not being the one to budge while Colton leans over and grabs a packet of candies out of the center console, also making a point of all the time he has to waste.

  One minute passes, then two, and then my ass begins to get sore.

  I clench my jaw, feeling my resolve beginning to break. “Oh, fuck it. I’m sorry I hurt your goddamn gate’s feelings, but you can’t deny that I’m right.”

  Colton looks back at me, and with a cocky grin, he finally hits the gas, sailing past the stupid gate. We get up to the mansion in no time, and as the Veneno comes to a stop in the ridiculously packed garage, I try my best to get my ass out.

  The door swings wide, and as I attempt to move around, Colton gapes at me. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he demands, hurrying out of the car and rushing around to my side. “Just wait. I’ll help you.”

  “I can manage,” I insist.

  “Jade, you can’t even scratch your ass without howling in pain. Just let me help you in. Once there are people around, then I’ll let you pretend that you’re a badass bitch, but until then, I’m helping, and that’s non-negotiable.”

  I groan but as he takes hold of me and helps me to my feet, I’ve never been so grateful. Doing that on my own would have hurt like a bitch. Sometimes I really hate that stubborn part of me that screams to always be in charge. I mean, why is it always so hard to accept help?

  Colton slips his arm around my waist and helps me into the house, only to find it nearly dead inside. “Where is everyone?” I murmur.

  He shrugs his shoulders. “How am I supposed to know? I’ve been with your stubborn ass all day.”

  I resist rolling my eyes as he leads me through the mansion. “Good point.”

  We take all the shortcuts on our way to the pool house, and as we go, I can’t help but look up at Colton. “Hey, on Saturday night before all of this happened … you said something about wanting to talk.”

  “Yeah …”

  “Well?” I ask. “Spit it out. What better time than the present?”

  “Trust me, any other time is better than now. You have too much going on, and honestly, it might not even be an issue anymore.”

  “You know, I really hate when you do that.”

  “Do what?”

  “Give me little hints about what it is but keep it so freaking vague that it’s nearly impossible to figure out.”

  “Exactly, that way you won’t have anything to go by and won’t be able to work yourself into a panic over nothing.” He laughs, reaching out and opening the back door of his home before helping me out. We stand under a shelter, and he cringes as he looks out at the rain, knowing damn well that to get to the pool house, we’re going to have to cut through the weather. “Are you going to hate me if I was to just toss you over my shoulder and run?”

  “Considering the fact that if you were to toss me over your shoulder, I’d probably scream in pain, then yeah, I can’t see that being a very good idea.”

  “It was worth a shot,” he grumbles, tightening his arm around my waist so that I don’t slip on the wet floors before stepping out into the rain. We pick up our pace, and within two seconds, we’re completely drenched from head to toe. What was I thinking? I should have just let him set me up in the living room, but no, I had to insist on staying in the pool house so I can be a pig, living in my own filth. Okay, I probably won’t be that bad, but the point is there.

  The rush toward the pool house door seems to take forever, and I’ve never felt like such a drowned rat before, but the fact that Colton is right there with me, equally as wet, makes it all so much better.
>
  I hook my fingers around the door handle, and with the speed of light, I swing the door open and get myself inside before I end up with a cold on top of everything else that’s been going on.

  The pool house is in darkness and in the blink of an eye, it floods with light, revealing a room full of people with the cheesiest grins stretched across their beautiful faces.

  “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” they all yell, scaring the absolute shit out of me.

  I gape in surprise at Mom, Harrison, the twins, Jess and Drix, and of course Milo, Charlie, and Spencer. Hell, even Roman is here, standing by my mom’s side with his arm curled lovingly around her waist.

  “What the hell is going on?” I ask, my eyes wide as Milo sends streamers shooting up into the sky, only to get caught on the ceiling fan.

  Colton steps into my side with an arrogant smirk. “What’s going on is that you forgot to mention that it was your birthday.”

  I cringe. “Whoops. Did I forget about that?” He raises a brow, knowing damn well that I didn’t just ‘forget’ to mention it. I didn't tell him or anyone else on purpose. “Sorry,” I say when he won’t stop glaring. “There’s just a lot going on and celebrating just kinda felt … wrong.”

  He leans into me and presses a kiss to my temple. “I don’t care. It’s your birthday. You only turn eighteen once, and you deserve to celebrate. Who cares about all the other shit? It’s still going to be there tomorrow, so there’s no point hiding out today.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, now go and see your mom. She’s annoyed that you tried to keep it quiet.”

  “And what about you?”

  “You don’t want to go there,” he warns me. “I wouldn’t have minded a little heads up so that I could have gotten you something.”

  I stretch up onto my tippy-toes, ignoring the dull ache that still remains in my sore muscles. “But why would I want anything else when I have everything I need right here?”

  Colton rolls his eyes, a scoff tearing from deep in his chest. “Don’t be cheesy.”

  I pull back from him, meeting his eyes. “Promise me you won’t go and do anything?”

  He grins back with a guilty sparkle hitting his hazel eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Colton,” I warn, raising a brow. “Whatever you have planned … don’t. I don’t want any elaborate gifts from you because I’ll never be able to do the same for you.”

  “Like I said,” he tells me, his grin bigger than ever. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now go and see everyone so they can curse you out for doing them dirty.”

  “Shit.”

  Colton releases his hold on my waist, and I take a second to find myself without his support before finally walking into my mother’s arms. “How are you feeling?” she questions, wrapping me in a warm hug and giving me a gentle squeeze.

  “How do you think I’m feeling?” I say, unable to hide the smile in my tone. “I know this party was all your doing.”

  She shrugs her shoulders, not sorry at all. “What can I say? You’re my only child, and you reached a milestone. The Widows and Wolves can wait another day to declare war while my baby celebrates her birthday.”

  “You realize how insane this is, right? I highly doubt my douchebag doctor is going to approve of a party the same day I get released from the hospital.”

  Mom winks. “Don’t you worry about that,” she tells me, taking my shoulders and gently turning me to face the couch, which is currently set up with everything I could possibly need. “We have you sorted. So, go and sit that toosh down. I’ve instructed everyone to come and worship at your feet. Anything you want, it’s yours.”

  I raise my brow as a grin tears across my face. I could get used to that.

  Like the bossy, over-protective mother that she is, Mom pushes me right toward the couch before even getting a chance to say hello to anyone else, even the man who stands right by her side.

  She gets me comfortable and fluffs a pillow at least twelve times before helping to slide it behind my back. She’s hardly even straightened out before Milo and Drix are there, stealing my attention.

  Milo drops to his knee and bows his head. “My queen. How dareth you not tell me about your eighteenth dayeth of birth. I'm wounded.”

  “Ugh,” Drix laughs, bumping him with her ass and watching him fumble to the side, making me realize that the two of them are already white girl wasted. “And here I thought you were the only queen around here.”

  Milo laughs and hooks his finger through the belt loop on her jeans before giving her a hard tug and sending her crashing into the other half of the couch. “Please accept my sincerest apologies, milady. Do allow me to take out the trash for you.”

  The two of them giggle like idiots as Charlie and Spencer watch on with grim, exhausted expressions, making me wonder just how long they’ve been putting up with these two lightweights.

  Jess strolls over and boots the two drunken morons out of the way before leaning into me and giving me a big hug. “Happy birthday,” she tells me with a warm smile. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m alright,” I murmur just as music starts blaring through the speakers and the two drunken morons begin doing the WAP with more than practiced moves. I can’t help but laugh as Charlie and Spencer begin watching with interest, and just like that, a wide smile stretches across my face. “And I have a feeling it’s only going to get better.”

  Cora and Casey get in on the action, leaving Colton watching on in horror while Roman gapes at his daughter, only now just realizing that maybe she isn’t the good little girl he’s always thought her to be. Mom watches on, for the first time being more than thrilled that her daughter is stuck on the couch.

  It only takes her thirty seconds to look up at Roman with wide eyes, and without saying a word, he nods, and the parents quickly vacate the premises, leaving us to fuck around and have the time of our lives.

  Chapter 15

  One day turns to two and before I know it, a week has passed with me anxiously waiting on the couch, desperate to hear news on the Widows or the Wolves. The more time that passes, the more I become frustrated with the situation. Not knowing is killing me. I need to know when they plan to attack, and I need to make sure that my boys aren’t around when it happens.

  How can I be responsible for this? This has gotten so out of hand, so much bigger than what I was looking for. My only saving grace is that Nic won’t want to see me harmed.

  I have to admit, the last few days haven’t been so bad as I've sat in bed and healed. Milo has come over to keep me company, just as I did for him. He instantly started comparing our battle wounds, subtly suggesting that he was left in a worse way after his attack. But honestly, two guys beating on him really doesn’t compare to the twenty Wolves jumping me. I think he just wants to pretend that he’s tough, and that’s more than okay. We all need a little tough in our lives sometimes.

  It’s Saturday morning, and I’ve just spent the last hour spying through the bathroom window of the pool house, looking into the mansion and watching Colton working up a sweat in his home gym. I can’t believe I’ve never noticed that the two windows line up before, but walking in here to find him dragging his shirt over his head and revealing his perfectly sculpted chest and abs was one hell of a nice surprise. I’ll never get bored of watching Colton working his body. It’s hypnotic. He’s hypnotic.

  Realizing how ridiculous it is to spend the day hiding out in my bathroom and spying on my boyfriend, I make my way back to my room, getting dressed in a comfortable pair of sweatpants and a cropped black tank. Hell, I even brush my hair before throwing it up. I’ve been holed up inside the pool house all week, and it’s starting to drive me a little stir crazy.

  I take myself into Colton’s big ass home and give a quick smile to Casey, who I pass in the living room, not surprised to find her nose stuck deep in a book. She hardly looks up as I pass, just grunts out a quick ‘hey’ and looks more than happy to see
me continue past.

  I make my way down to Colton's home gym and lean against the door frame, looking in to find him lying on the bench with a weighted bar above his head. The bar slowly travels up and down, and I instantly become mesmerized by the way his muscles bulge.

  “Are you just going to stand there and watch me, or are you going to walk that sweet ass in here?

  I grin as I watch him, and then push off the door frame, welcoming myself into his gym with a nervous cringe settling across my face. “I … um ... I think I need to go into Blaxlands Grove today.”

  Colton instantly racks his bar up above his head and pulls up until he's staring right at me. “You're fucking insane, right?”

  “I'm serious,” I tell him. “I can't just sit back and do nothing. I need to know the plan, and I need to know how to fix it. Sitting back in bed all week is killing me. I have to change his mind somehow. I can't be responsible for a mass murder.”

  “Nic is a big boy, Ocean. He knew what he was doing when he killed your father. He would have been expecting this very outcome since the second he decided to go ahead with it. I know he's a fucking dickhead, but he's not stupid. He knew what he was doing.”

  “I get that,” I argue. “But what about the rest of them?”

  Colton stands, letting out a breath before grabbing his drink and taking a hard pull. He walks toward me and places his hands on my shoulders, making sure that I'm listening to his every word. “They're not your problem. This isn't on your shoulders. All you did was give Russo Nic's name. He's the one who's doing this. He would have eventually figured out who killed your dad, and he would have still gone to war. You need to stop allowing this to bring you down. The Widows know what they're doing following Nic just as the Wolves know what they're doing being in league with Russo.”