by K. Walker
I washed up in record time and was downstairs in ten minutes. He was waiting for me in the garage, leaning against his Range Rover, and wearing a scowl. I could match that.
“What? Something else for me to be grateful for?” I asked and yanked the door open. I could have gotten into it with him, but what would have been the point? I couldn’t win this game on his turf – not when there were so many ways that he could make my life hell.
I relaxed in the seat and took out my phone. I wasn’t even going to mess with his radio. I found my playlist on Spotify and started listening to Beyonce’s Lemonade. I stuck the earbuds in and bobbed my head, silently singing along to the words.
If he could pretend like last night didn’t happen, I could too. I could feel the tension cutting us in halves. And it amused me. In some strange way, I had won that battle. I was out of the car as soon as it stopped. The music was still going in my ears as I walked away, only removing the earbuds when I was about to open the door to the main building.
“Hi,” Liv waved to me, a smile so broad I wondered if I had transformed into Mia or Bella overnight.
“Hey,” I called back to her.
“You’re coming to the game tomorrow, right?” she asked.
I saw the look on Mia’s face when she asked. It was probably the same way my face looked – utter surprise.
“Yeah,” I replied.
“Good,” she said and walked off with Mia, who I was sure was whispering questions to her in regard to me. At least one half of the twin was okay. But then I got the stupid idea that maybe, just maybe, if Tyson knew my story too, I would have his sympathy.
I glanced back just in time to see him coming into the building. I reached for him and grabbed his arm to get his attention. “Tyson…”
No other word got the chance to escape my lips. His eyes cut my hand right off of his arm, and it fell to my side. “What?” he snapped.
“Nothing!” I said and held my hands up. He wouldn’t be as sensitive as Liv. I already saw that. “Forget it.”
And I walked away. When I looked back, he was still watching me.
Chapter 18
“What did I miss?” Kyla asked Friday evening as we hustled to the football field.
“What do you mean?” I asked, genuinely ignorant to her question.
“With Tyson, and Noah, and everyone else in school, or haven’t you noticed that the hazing has stopped? Not even Tonya?”
“I did,” I said nonchalantly. “I have a feeling it’s only temporary.”
“Nah, it’s what we’ve been telling you all along,” Simone said proudly. “Just give them some time and they’ll find an underclassman or something to mess with.”
Except that they hadn’t replaced me with anyone else. I was beginning to think that maybe Tyson had counted our little ‘thing’ in my bedroom as me signing the contract with him and his friends that gave me protection. I hadn’t even heard a whisper of trailer park since.
And then there was Liv. I was sure she had some pulls, and she could handle Tonya and the cheer bimbos any day.
Yep. My life was definitely looking up, even if I’d had to pay for it with tears, and my raging hormones.
We exited the school building through the backdoor and walked across the asphalted parking lot to the large open field on the other side of the property.
I could already hear the cheerleaders hooting as they pranced around in their super skimpy outfits, vying for the attention of every footballer on the field be it from Bridal Creek High or the visiting team from Manor Hills Academy, another Prep school filled with as many snobs and jerks of their own.
“This should be a good game,” Kyla said as she looked around. “Manor Hills is top of the league.”
“I know,” I said, and she looked over at me with admiration. “You’ve been keeping up.”
“Sports was always my thing,” I told her. “Plus, it’s where you’ll find all the hot ones.”
Kyla and Simone giggled as we searched the stands for Annette and Lila. We saw the flailing arms easier than we heard their screams amidst a few hundred more. We weaved our way to where they sat, and I had to admit, I was actually excited.
Maybe because Tyson wasn’t on the football team, so I wouldn’t have to watch him for the entire game. But like I had said, things were looking up and I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Maybe the other boys would be nicer, too.
The game started, and though I hated Duke, he was pretty great at the game. He managed four touchdowns that led the Bridal Creek Buffalos into a marginal win. The stadium erupted when the game ended and we won!
I actually thought of Bridal Creek in a collective way – we!
“That was intense,” Annette said loudly over the noises around us. “I thought for sure they had it!”
“Me, too!” Lila shouted in my ear and I clapped my hand over them.
“Ouch!” She laughed and shook me playfully, before grinning like a drunk teenager.
“Are you going to the bonfire party on the beach?” Kyla asked as we hopped down off of the last step in the stands.
“The what?” I asked, perplexed and dug my hands into my jean pockets.
“I thought you were in the loop,” Kyla teased with a laugh.
“I am, but I must have missed that,’ I admitted as we made our way back across the back, parking lot to our cars – well, their cars. I would hitch a ride with one of them to the party, assuming Tyson thought it was a good idea for me too.
Even the thought of that still made me want to puke. That would be over soon, too, hopefully.
“It’s tradition here,” Lila explained and twisted her body as we squeezed between the parked cars. “There’s a bonfire after every game we win.”
“Oh, cool. So, do you plan ahead of the game, or what?”
“We do,” Simone chipped in. “But then we just party anyway, even if we lose,” she laughed.
I laughed, too. It was sort of silly, but any excuse for a party was a good one, and I was long overdue some alcohol and ‘feel-good’-ness.
And I was yet to go to the beach, so it was a two-for-one special. I rode with Kyla, and I wasn’t in the least bit surprised that Tyson didn’t even check if I needed a ride.
“So, where’s this bonfire?”
“Oh, Jonathan’s dad owns a part of the beach, so…”
I laughed. “He owns his own stretch of beach? Is there no limit to their money?”
“Apparently not,” Kyla giggled as she negotiated the traffic. “Helicopter, Gulfstream, a garage full of classic cars they don’t use…”
“Shut up!” I exclaimed. “Shit! I knew they were loaded, but damn!”
“The Pierces are the same. Mr. Pierce is into hi-tech and all of that, which, as you know, is the money-maker. They’re loaded in more ways than you can imagine.”
“No wonder they’re so cocky. They’re all entitled pricks!”
“Yep,” Kyla agreed. “Still hot, though,” she said and eyed me.
“They can afford to be, with their private gyms, spas, saunas, having nothing to do but sleep and breathe,” I sighed, remembering how hard my life was when my mom struggled to get bills paid. The world was so unfair, and it sucked that I ended up on the other side of the money.
“Don’t even go there,” Kyla said as if she could read my mind. “It doesn’t make them better than you. And let me ask you something, would you trade being who you are now with who Tonya is because that’s exactly what you’d be – just like one of them?”
“You’re right,” I replied and my lips curled in an almost smile. And who wanted to be another Tonya? It seemed douchery came with the money, which I’m practically a part of now. I wondered if I’d change with it when it became commonplace.
“Nope, don’t think about it,” Kyla said again.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Are you a psychic or something?” I shook my head and laughed.
“Or something,” she winked. “You’re not
thinking what many of us haven’t thought before. We might not be poor, but when you live around these guys, you can’t help but feel that way and I have a pool.”
We laughed as the car pulled off the road and turned onto an obviously private pathway lined with palm trees. There was less asphalt and more sand as the tires crunched along the patchy surface that led to the parking lot where several other cars were already stationed.
“So, this is how the rich and famous party,” I said and stepped out of the car. Then I stuck my finger down my throat in a mocking way, and Kyla laughed.
“Not yet,” she warned and grabbed my hand. “These boys have a way of stirring things up. Trust me; this will be like a bonfire party like you’ve never seen.”
We met up with the girls who were just as stoked about the bonfire party as we were. It was a yearly thing, so they knew what to expect. And it was private, so I knew to expect only the sickest minds with the deepest pockets doing all kinds of millionaire crazy.
We walked animatedly past the high metal walls with the large Private Property sign printed in red on a white background, hung above the entrance. It was like I had stepped into Narnia – I swore I felt different the closer I got to the noise and debauchery.
I had never been to a bonfire party before, least of all, on a private beach. I saw Tyson and his cronies immediately, and I chose to look elsewhere. But that didn’t stop his magnetism from reaching across the sandy canvas and tugging at my consciousness.
I found myself listening to their conversation more than mine – checking out Liam’s abs as he ran around with a frisbee like a gorgeous stud. He wore no shirt, and the cuts in his chiseled form at his height looked like they were sculpted by an artist.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Noah laughed and tossed another frisbee that hit him on the shoulder.
“Hey! Watch it!” Liam shouted and hurled it back. The boys ducked, and I snickered as I watched their playfulness.
“Why don’t you just fuck one of them already?” Lila asked and giggled, snapping my attention back to my own group. “You’re basically salivating.”
My cheeks colored, and I made a forced attempt to rip my eyes away from them. I knew what they were, so why the hell was I still attracted to them?
“They’re just loud,” I lied and I was sure my cheeks blushed deeper. I was glad for the cover of night. “Anyway, where’s the drinks?”
I needed something to take the edge off. Or to get wasted enough that they couldn’t filter into my brain so easily.
“Here, I’ll go with you,” Kyla offered and stood.
We occupied a row of lounge chairs in a series of gatherings that stretched down the beach. We were a jumbled mess, and it looked more like a beach carnival than a bonfire party. There wasn’t even one.
“I thought this was a bonfire party,” I commented to Kyla as she led me to a tiki hut that was the bar.
“Oh, but there will be,” she said and winked. “Everything here has to be epic.” There, I could actually get drinks I wasn’t supposed to be drinking. I was beginning to understand the appeal of that party.
I got a beer nonetheless, to start slow, and stood inside the hut, observing the other teens wrapped around and thrown over each other on lounge chairs or bar stools. Some cuddled in the sand, having prepared enough to bring towels along.
Or, there was a supply hut. There might be. I checked, craning my neck from every angle, until I saw one, further along, the beach. Except it was more like a cottage than a hut. But I wasn’t sure, and I could use a towel or beach slippers. I was sure they’d have everything stocked.
“It’s a really great piece of property,” I observed as we left the hut. From that angle, we got a perfect glimpse of the San Francisco Bay Bridge, lit and stretching over the water.
The large beach house was closer to the other end of the property and surrounded by a separate, white fence. A cottage was close to it, which was probably just for equipment and stuff.
“I think I want to go check for a towel,” I told Kyla, who knitted her brows.
“Okay. I’m going to bring back some drinks for the girls. Pick up a couple more on your way back,” she suggested.
I nodded and walked off towards the cottage, careful to avoid the bodies littered on the sand. A dirty-blond hair upperclassman winked at me while he had some girl’s tongue shoved into his mouth. Gross!
The cottage door was open, and it was just what I thought it would be – there was even a wave runner inside. There were lockers, and I opened one from the first set. It had plush, white towels folded inside. But I wasn’t in any hurry to leave just yet.
I placed my beer on a convenient bench and started opening one door after another and admiring the surfboards lined up along the wall.
I hadn’t surfed since my mom died, and a nostalgic feeling washed over me. I traced my finger along the edge of the board, admiring the solid wood and the palm painted artfully on it.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
I jumped and turned, feeling like I had been caught trespassing when I saw Jonathan. But I wasn’t going to get into it with him. I knew what to expect from him. He had been mostly quiet during my hazing period, but that didn’t make him any better than them.
“It is,” I cleared my throat and answered. Then I spotted my beer on the bench and made a beeline for it. “Sorry.”
I was hurrying past him when he gripped my hand. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?” he asked, and I was forced to look up at him.
But he wasn’t looking at my face. His eyes were scouring my body, and I felt like a piece of meat. “I have to get back.”
“To what?” he asked in a gravelly voice.
Our eyes met, and the smoldering intensity radiating from him was hypnotic. I couldn’t look away. Couldn’t do anything when he dipped his head and brushed his lips against mine.
My eyes bulged—he must have me mistaken for someone else. Tonya, maybe or Bella. Mia. Anybody else.
“Jonathan, what are you doing?” I asked as he pushed me back against the locker. My heart started beating faster in my chest as his solid muscles danced for me.
He was hot as fuck, and I reached out and pressed my palm against his rigid chest. He didn’t bulge. His lips turned upwards, right before he dipped his head and bit my neck. I yelped, but the way his hand slid to my crotch and groped it felt like fucking magic.
My eyes popped, and my mouth opened, but no sound came out. “I saw you come out here,” he said against my flaming skin. “I’ve wanted to get you alone.”
“Why?” I asked breathily.
“Well, you belong to us, right?” he asked and massaged my crotch some more. My legs were shifting like I wanted to pee, but I knew it was something else. I gripped his arms as he pressed down on me and kissed me roughly again, thrusting his tongue into my mouth.
I caught it. Gladly, I’d only had half of a beer on my walk over – not enough for me to consider myself drunk. But my head was swimming with desire for this boy shaped like a man in every way.
“Well, don’t just take it all,” someone said from the door.
“Shit!” I pulled back and said, embarrassment flooding my face. It was Liam, and he had a dangerous look in his eyes. He was wearing white board shorts, and I could see his bulging cock straining against the material.
He was already turned on.
“You had to ruin it for me, didn’t you?” Jonathan asked though he didn’t move. I couldn’t even escape to mask my shame. I hated that it had to stop because Liam walked in. So, I waited for Jonathan to move, but he didn’t.
“What’s yours is mine, bruh,” he grinned and clicked the door shut. And instantly I knew what was about to happen. Was I ready for this shit? Hell fucking yeah!
My heart galloped like wild Mustang horses on the savannah as Liam came over to us. Jonathan’s lips found mine again; at the same moment, I felt Liam’s hands squeezing in between the space to caress my breasts.
�
��No, this isn’t going to work,” Jonathan said and walked off. He opened a locker, the same one I had before, and took out a couple of towels. He spread them on the ground and made a makeshift bed. Then he held his hand out, guiding me to it.
I obeyed and lay on the surprisingly comfy towels. They both fell to the ground beside me, and Jonathan resumed kissing, while Liam’s tongue did more dangerous things to my breasts, through my top.
He pushed it up when it was too much, and the feel of his tongue circling my nipples, while Jonathan’s tongue played with mine, sent me over the edge. I could feel my body melting, already wet from this madness.
Jonathan’s hand moved down and he slipped it inside my jeans, feeling the sticky mess I had already created. He twirled his finger around and then pulled it back before he slipped it into my mouth.
Their eyes lit up when I swirled my tongue around his finger, and he made a low growl before his tongue was in my mouth again.
Liam parted my legs, and with his teeth, he gently nibbled on my center through my clothes.
I wanted them to fuck me—both of them. I twisted and writhed under them, as two sets of hands kneaded and worked every inch of my body, without daring to enter.
I wanted to scream at them as my level of ecstasy rose. I panted and clawed at Jonathan’s dark, head of hair, even as his intense, blue eyes cut through me.
Then, just like Tyson had done before, they pulled back, got up, helped me to my feet, and walked out. I was left trembling, with parts of me swollen and other parts still on fire. I was glad I still had the beer, and I downed it instantly.
I crashed onto the bench, heaving and sweating, and wondering what new kind of punishment they had come up with for me. “Fuck!” I yelled to the room. What’s it going to take for a girl to get fucked?
I grabbed the towels from off the floor, not wanting to leave them there to allow anyone coming in after me to realize what had happened. I waited a couple of minutes after they had left and then I stormed out.
I could barely feel my legs, but I also noticed the bonfire was lit. Several people were gathered around it, and the football team was standing on a platform, giving battle cries and jesting their fellow students.
