Broken (Reapers Reign, #1)

by Maree, Aleisha

  Knox

  I’m making my way over the field after training before another brain-numbing day begins. I only come here because it keeps Nan happy. For that reason alone, I drag my arse here to drown my brain in useless information. But now that I’ve seen this delightful ball of nerves, I may just change my opinion of this place. She sure looks like she comes from money, and since she is with Queen Bee of the cheer team... I’d say I’m right.

  I skulk into English class, and what do you know? There she is! Sitting in front of my desk, fidgeting in her chair. As I walk past her, she tenses and, out of the corner of my eye, I notice her sit up a little straighter. Do I have an effect on her? I hope so. This could be fun. Getting under the skin of this vibrant beauty almost makes suffering through classes interesting.

  I never pay attention in English, and today is no different, only my mind is now focused on the girl in front of me. Watching her move, staring hypnotically as she twirls her hair around her index finger as if it is some kind of subconscious habit. Then, the breeze comes in and her scent wafts my way. I almost groan at the stimulating aroma of apples and rain. God, what is happening to me? I don’t even know this girl! But that smell, man, did that do something deep to my core.

  After a long morning of just staring at her, I end up learning nothing and finally make my way to the cafeteria for lunch. As I walk in, I turn and catch her watching me, then quickly look away. She seems to be looking over the company I keep curiosity etched over her stunning face; my twin, with his nose in a book like always. A smile dances over my now dry lips as I lick them and half listen to what my group has to say, but let’s face it I am far too distracted and intrigued by this girl that smells of apples and rain. Jamie, homing in on my line of vision, kicks me under the table. Rubbing my shine, “What the fuck brother,” I glare, turning to look at him.

  “You tell me?” he states, wiggling his eyebrows.

  “Mmm, well, look at her. She’s mind-blowing, isn’t she?”

  Looking back over I see her looking at me. Her cheeks redden and my dick twitches.

  Jamie laughs “Right,” is all he says.

  “Listen to what happened this morning in the hall,” stretching back in the chair, I cross my legs, linking my hands behind my head. “Well, so with a bang, crash, and a flurry of hands and long blonde hair, the new girl there ran head first into me. I say head first because of her head like hit my chest; all five foot two of her – if I had to guess – into my six foot three. She was a flustered mess and full of stumbled apologies, but man is she cute! I saw her earlier today, walking into school after being dropped off in a black Escalade. She comes from money, that much I know, but look at her boys. She sure is something I’d like to sink my cock into,” I wink over at her, laughing as I see the effect I have on her, her cheeks reddening instantly and her back straightens as I watch her clench her thighs together. The bell rings then, singing ‘it’s time for another class.’ Standing, I walk out into her path, leaning into her, as she breezes past me.

  “Hello again,” I breathe into her ear, her breathing hitches in her chest, and I watch her eyes dart to the floor. She takes a breath, stumbling out a quiet and shaky hello in return. Cute. Stepping to the side, I let her pass, as I say, “See you around, new girl.” She just stays still, on the spot, frozen as the cheer captain rolls her eyes and pulls her away. After watching her walk away, Jamie and I head to math fuck me kill me know like seriously stab me in the eye with a compass. Math is the death of all things. Mr Sinclair is like fucking 90 and talks slower than a snail with his eyes fucking closed the hour with him is a torture chamber. Slinking into my seat at the back of the class I pull myself down into my hoodie and dip my baseball cap low over my eyes and fall into an easy breathing pattern laced with thoughts of the new girl and just how much she has captured my I’m not interested in anything other than kickboxing mind.

  The rest of the day actually went by fast because after Math I had English and in English the beautiful and intriguing new girl was there and I watch her for the whole period. The way she squirmed in her seat as she felt my eyes bore into her lush body. The way she would twist her finger in her hair, the way her eyes would dart to her right-hand side that I so purposely place myself. This feeling is unfamiliar.

  She seems to put a lust in me and its fucked-up cause well I don’t feel like ever for anything. I sure as hell don’t love, the only women I love is my Nan, I don’t like and I sure as hell don’t fall for the opposite sex because well that’s a distraction I can’t afford to have. The bell rings and I stand allowing her to walk out infront of her her cheeks blazing with heat flicking her a wink as we enter the corridor her eyes dart to her feet “Same place, Same time tomorrow newbie.” My voice is low all she does is nod and scurries away. Spotting my boys I walk over to them and we all head out to the carpark. . Jamie’s coming over for training tonight. Pa’s been working us both hard lately. I have a fight coming up soon. It’s a showcase so I have to be on my game. Throwing my bag into the back of Jamie’s pick up, I allow Kashie in first, nose in a book, as Jamie smirks over at him and I tussle my baby brother’s hair; let’s roll. Flicking a ciggie in my mouth, I light it with the zippo on Jamie’s dash, stretching back, placing my arm out the window, I relish in the smoke as it swirls down into my lungs.

  Pulling into the street that leads to the hardware store, Kash’s eyes move up from his book, looking over and up to the compound that sits across from the store. Reapers Reign MC is who they are, an outlaw biker gang. Never giving us any hassles, always stopping in and buying things from my grandparents. I think they keep them open, buying each week, things they don’t need I’m sure of it. Kash seems to be lost in his thoughts when we pull in and Jamie and I exit the pick-up, he just sits there staring up at a figure sitting on the roof of the massive clubhouse. Slamming my fists down on the roof, I make Kash jump, Jamie and I laugh, before walking up the stairs to the back of the apartment that sits on top of the store. Nan greets us with her beautiful smile, the sweet aroma of her cooking hitting us as we enter. My stomach sounds out loud, like it hasn’t eaten all day.

  “Can’t before training, Nan,” I tell her, as she tries to push a bowl of steaming meatballs and sauce into my hands. Opting for an apple, I head to my room to change while the human garbage disposal eats his body weight in food. I yell out over my shoulder to Jamie, “You’re going to spew all that up and I’m going to fucking laugh.” Nan scolds me for swearing as I hear Jamie mumble something out over a mouth full of food and Nan swiping the back of his head with her hand.

  “Bambino, no talking with a mouth full. Ah no manners!” Laughing, I walk into my room, pushing the door behind me. Chucking my backpack to the floor, I pull my basketball shorts and t-shirt from the clean pile on top of my drawers. Next to them are my gloves and my sweat towel. My workout bag is sitting on the bed and my sneakers next to them. That woman thinks of everything. We never have to look or do it ourselves. She’s always there. It's always done. God really made a gem the day he made my Nan. Picking up my shit, I head out to the kitchen, grabbing a couple of bottles of water while I wait for Jamie.

  Heading to the park with Pa and Jamie my thoughts travel to the little lady from school. I can’t stop thinking of her or wondering what’s under that prim exterior she exudes. Is she as wholesome as everyone thinks? That’s the talk around the school at the moment. A Senator’s daughter. Her parents have started an outreach program for the youth here in New York. Shit. Good luck with that one. My thoughts then travel to what her hair would look like flowing down her naked back, my hands wrapped around her hips. I wonder what it would feel like to reach up and entangle my fingers in her hair; to experience what apples and rain tastes like.

  Shaking the image out of my brain I try to focus on my workout, but I can’t seem to get her off my mind. Pa runs us through our drills, before long I’m running, sparring, shadow boxing, stretching out and really pushing my body to try and blow her from my mind. Jamie is kne
eled over in the bush throwing up his meatballs and sauce. I just smirk as Pa serves him with the same speech he gets each week, “You know not to eat before training. You know you vomit, you’re wasting good sauce and meatballs, boy. Will you ever learn?”

  I jump down to start my burpees till Pa taps me on the shoulder, signalling the end of training that I felt I dreamt through. Puffing, I begin to stretch out and cool down my muscles and my mind travels to the fight that’s coming up. I allow my mind to go over my fight plan as we head home. Once there I shower and eat dinner which is piping hot, ready for me as I enter the kitchen right on time. Normal banter fills our small kitchen as we eat; Jamie hassling Kash, Nan and Pa going over today’s events and me, well you can guess where my mind heads.

  It's 4am when I get up to grab a bottle of water. I head down to the shed where my boxing gear is set up. I can’t get her out of my head. Sleep is not going to happen, so I may as well sweat her from my thoughts. Walking over to the sound dock, I hook up my iPod and shuffle through till I find my fight entrance song, Slaughterhouse – Psychopath I’m a killer by Yelawolf ft. Eminem. Snapping out my neck, I tape up my hands and go round for round on the bag. Sweat is dripping off me as I move around the bag backwards and forwards stepping side to side practicing my southpaw, leaning down in and out, only stopping when my Pa brings me in a fresh bottle of water. “Couldn’t sleep?” he asks me as I take the bottle, downing it all in one massive pull. I breathe out as the cool liquid slides down into my body instantly cooling me from the inside out.

  “Something like that,” I say, reaching over to pick up the sweat towel before wiping it over my face and neck. Flicking it around my neck, I sit down and begin unwrapping my hands. Pa takes over for me humming his usual hum as my thoughts travel back to the sweet wee thing that is Miss Briggs.

  Sarah-Jane

  “You should not want to know him,” Tammy says. “He’s bad news. Comes from the wrong side of town.”

  “That sounds like all the stereotypical crap that idiots say about the people they don’t care to understand,” I retort rolling my eyes.

  “All he does is train,” Tammy tells me, in an exasperated tone, while filing her nails.

  “Train for what?” I would love to know. “Besides, anyone with eyes can see that he is built very well indeed. God damn, I sure felt it the day I ran into him,” my voice trails off as I remember that day in the hall, before English. I would love to see what he has hiding under those school clothes. That thought alone has me quivering at the knees. I have been watching him for a couple of weeks now. Would a guy like him be interested in a girl like me? I’m from the good side. So, clean cut, it hurts. If only he knew what I really, truly want to be. There is more I’d like to show him under the prudish image that my mother and father have forced upon me.

  We didn’t ask to be born into this life, Brad and I, into their world of parties, facts, meetings, white lines and boredom. He wanted to live, to feel, to touch and experience life without the hassles of who could be watching. I get that. I want that too. But I can’t hide behind it for much longer because this is what always happens. They smother and poke. Demand our family uphold their image as they fight so hard to keep it. But, behind closed doors, they are falling apart. Brad didn’t want to be one of them and now, neither do I.

  So yes, this is just the person who I want to know. I’d be more than willing to experience what life on the other side of the tracks has to offer a not so clean-cut girl like me. Knox Ambrose may just be the saving grace I’m looking for. The one to strip off the good girl image and reveal the girl who wants to be free.

  Snap, snap. I am brought back to the present by the sound of Tammy trying to get my attention. “Where are you? A million miles away it looked like,” Tammy shakes her head with her disapproving glare that seems to always be directed my way. “He’s a kick boxer S.J and a bad ass too. He like is undefeated and dangerous. I advise you to stay well away from him and his dick group.” Shit her tone changes from pissed to seven shades of irritate in an instant who knew that a guy like him a walking glass of lean bad boy muscle would get her uptight and I am the queen bee appearance coiled up tight with annoyance. Makes me laugh really, I feel like well she’s human after all and not some cyborg that her elite society had manifested.

  This weekend is the school’s football game. Tammy is cheering and her man-child boyfriend, Clarke, is captain of the football team. I said I would go to support them, but there is no way in hell I’m cheering. You would think that, by now, she would have stopped asking me to join Team Prissy. It’s so not me. I used to dance and loved it, but when Brad chose to kill himself, I stopped. And I don’t plan on doing anything like that again in a hurry. It brings back too much heartache. But oh, how I miss it and him. The world seems that much darker without him and his boyfriend, smiling rays of sunshine that they were. I was so mad at him, at them both, for the pain that they left and the darkness that followed. Mum and Dad fighting over it. The blame game. The darkness of being alone in my room in the massive empty mansion was so unbearable that even I thought about what it would be like to not be here, to be free from all this. I dwell on everything that has happened, waving my hands around in aimless frustration. I realize where I am. My cheeks redden. I carry on watching the football jocks train. Catching Knox and his bestie play fighting across the field, a giggle bubbles up in my chest and comes out of my mouth. I clasp my hand up to my mouth.

  “Something funny?” Tammy snipes, glaring at me with her catlike eyes.

  “Oh, not at all. Just them,” I point to where Knox is. She huffs and puffs, flicking her hair. I just smile and carry on watching them. My thoughts wander to how sexy he is. His body is huge. You can see how his muscles move with his body. They flex, pull and bulge in all the right places. Fanning myself, my mind drifts to the game on the weekend. I wonder if sex on a stick will be there. I think as I hear my voice. Wait, did I just say that out loud? God, I hope not.

  Tammy smacks my arm as she stands, making a fuss, “You need to forget that crowd and make with Dan. He’s part of our class S.J.” She says it so snobbily and rude.

  I shake my head, “Stop judging books by their covers, Tam. You never know what’s under them,” I say in a clipped tone. I’m so over this, with them stereotyping. It's insane. She snaps her fingers and team prissies jump to attention and follow their forceful leader down the bleachers, over to their jocks. Shaking my head and looking up, I catch him staring at me. Not even thinking, I get up and start to walk over to where he and his group are standing. Tammy tries to grab at my arm as I go to pass her.

  “Oh, my God,” Tammy guffaws.

  “Knox Ambrose is his name Sarah-Jane like quit starring at him. He is untouchable to all women like I’m sure he’s gay.” she’s looking at me through squinted, angry eyes. I just look past her at him, as he picks up his backpack, flicks a wink my way and walks off laughing, with his arms wrapped around the shoulders of his mates; one of whom, I have noticed, looks a lot like he does.

  Walking back over the field to the car park, I wait for Bernard to pick me up. Poor Bernard. He’s old and shouldn’t still be driving us around but he’s ever so faithful to Mr. and Mrs. Briggs and co. When he pulls up beside me, I jump in before he can even unclick his seatbelt to let me in. I hate having him get in and out to open my door. It’s not right. I’m quite capable.

  He shakes his head, tisking me, as I hop in, “Miss Sarah-Jane, you know I’m to do that for you.” He is looking at me through the rear-view mirror.

  I laugh, “Yes, Bernie. I know, but you know I am more than capable of doing it.”. I sigh out dramatically to his kind face.

  “It’s my job, Miss” he tells me as he drives out of the school grounds.

  I look deep into his old, frail eyes, “My parents might expect it, but I don’t, Bernie.” He doesn’t reply, he just smiles his normal, eye-reaching smile as I slip down into the plush leather seats of the overpriced Escalade. I look out the window and
allow myself to day dream thoughts of the bad boy himself. Knox Ambrose. Knox Ambrose. I can’t stop repeating the words in my head as we travel down the road home, to the gated community, locked away from the world up high in the sky of New York City’s elite. It’s so not me. I have always felt like an outsider in this world that my parents relish in. I don’t want Knox to see me as a prissy rich girl. I want him to see me for who I am; the Sarah-Jane no one expects is there. The Sarah-Jane who wants to finally let her hair down and just live a little.

  Chapter Two

  Knox

  It’s been a few weeks now since the beautiful stunning breeze of fresh air, known as Miss Briggs, floated into our sleepy town, and my mind. She hasn’t done anything but look at me from afar. She probably thinks it has gone unnoticed by me. But, my dear sweet girl, it sure hasn’t!

  By the looks of it, I’m not the only one who has eyes for her. I’ve watched that idiot, Dan Johns, practically fall over himself to get her attention. She seems to be polite to him and listens to the crap that flows freely from his mouth. She is kind in her I’m not interested in you at all approach to the second in command of the jock squad. It’s comical really that he is so blinded by his love of himself that he can’t see that I chick as wicked as Miss Briggs wants nothing to do with him and his jock squad. She is too cool for them shit I’m starting to think this chick too cool for me. She walks on air and has an aroura around her that screams chill.I would love to know what she is thinking while he rambles on, and on. Sometimes, I see her watching me and wonder what is going through her mind when there is a flush to her cheeks after I catch her. I love to hear the sharp intake of breath when I walk past her in class. That small hitch in her breathing does things to my soul that it shouldn’t. But I can’t play house with the senator’s daughter... or can I? Lost in my thoughts, I see her watching me and Jamie play fight. I stop and just let my eyes fall to her body. Her lips are a reddish pink and plump. Her hair falls in soft blonde curls around her shoulders. She has the most stunning blue eyes I have ever seen.